Overgeared

The first battle of the war ended with the victory of the Overgeared Kingdom. The Gauss Kingdom’s army was devastated by Grid and couldn’t afford to stop the advances of the Overgeared army and the orcs. The defeat of the Gauss Kingdom was inevitable from the time when the vampire army turned out to be Grid’s people.

“Waaahhhhhhhh!”

The cheers of the 600,000 allied troops filled the night sky. The dust storm caused by the war were raised by the roars and the stars were revealed. The brilliant starlight represented the hearts of the allied army.

“We won! We won!!”

“God Grid! I love you!”

The orc players were excited. Death lurked in a war.

A bloody fight in an unfamiliar desert. They expected it to be difficult in many ways but they won thanks to Grid. It was also a victory without any damage. It was enough to wash away the unpleasant feeling of fighting for Grid. However, they were concerned about the accusations that would be made by the people.

“...Cough.”

The cheering orcs closed their mouths at the same time. They couldn’t rejoice and their faces darkened. It was at this moment.

“Do you see it? The first engagement is over! The result is a great victory for the Overgeared allies! The Gauss army, who gathered in Reidan desert, were destroyed without a trace while the Overgeared allies suffered little casualties!”

“The military power of the Overgeared Kingdom allied with the orcs is reminiscent of the empire’s power...”

“It is theoretically possible to fight against an army alone. The growth limits of a typical NPC are clear. Think of just a few years ago. Soldiers from all over the continent were a source of terror for players. Then what about today? Countless players are surpassing the soldiers’ specs. Today, Grid once again demonstrated a player’s potential. This is what we will look like a few years later.”

Reporters from all over the world gathered and started to praise the allies. Of course, they included Chinese reporters. It was strange.

“Look at the dignified appearance of the orc players! They are the protagonists who helped win this battle! They deserve applause for their heroism!”

“...?”

Was it favorable? The faces of the orc players were rotten because they didn’t know that the public opinion of China had reversed.

“It is clear that they are praising us to make us less vigilant and then they will make our identity public.”

“Shit, the broadcasters are really sneaky. I can’t live because I’m so scared.”

“Cover my face well. I might be found dead tomorrow morning if my real face is discovered.”

The reporters were being kicked out of the battlefield as the orc players were whispering about the Chinese broadcasters. The soldiers couldn’t stay still when outsiders rushed in and spoke words that couldn’t be understood.

However, the cameras were unaware of the soldiers and remained on the scene, focused on the vampire army. The group of vampires, who made the Gauss army feel despair, approached Grid and bowed their heads. The number of vampires might be less than 30,000 but they showed off the unique atmosphere of a top species. They showed off a prestige that didn’t lose to the orc army. In particular, the presence of Noll and Tiramet at the forefront were unparalleled.

“Your Majesty, give the command.”

This war was a great boon to the vampires. Their faces were glossy as they fed on the Gauss army and leveled up. However, Grid was uncomfortable. The fact that the vampires became NPCs belonging to the Overgeared Kingdom had to be kept a secret. His later plans to lure players and feed the vampires were thwarted.

Grid’s brow was furrowed with a headache when he received a whisper from Lauel.

“You don’t have to worry too much. Rather, it worked out well.”

“Why?”

“Don’t you know how many foolish humans there are in the world? There will be fools who will attack the vampire cities because they are jealous that the vampires have become part of our army. You don’t have to worry about the food shortage of the vampires.”

“Won’t this be a problem? The vampires haven’t grown enough yet. Won’t the vampires be killed in reverse if rankers break in?”

“What if we place all the city’s elite vampires, including the direct descendant vampires and the true blood vampires, at the entrance?”

“...!”

Dungeons were places that were created to be attacked. As a result, weak monsters were found near the entrance while strong monsters appeared the deeper players went. The challengers would first adapt to the environment of the dungeon by hunting weak monsters and become stronger as they reached the depths.

Then what would happen if they encountered a boss at the beginning? What’s more, the vampire city was a dungeon where time was needed to adjust to the darkness after entering. Even a ranker was likely to be caught by the combined attacks of the direct descendant vampires and true blood vampires who emerged from the darkness.

“It is a great method.”

Grid admired Lauel’s plan and his worries were dispelled. He ordered the vampires who were staring at him with bright eyes, “Hunt the monsters in the desert and then return. In the future, the masters and elites of each city will live at the entrance.”

“As Your Majesty wills!”

The vampires answered vigorously before scattering in all directions. They were influenced by Grid’s Blood King effect and were temporarily liberated from the Curse of Idleness. This meant they were filled with motivation.

Grid saw the vampires leave and clutched Piaro’s big hand tightly with both hands. “I’ll leave the rest to you. I wish you luck.”

“I will dedicate the Gauss Kingdom to Your Majesty and prove my loyalty.”

“You absolutely can’t die. Your life is far more important than victory.”

“...Don’t worry.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The knights, including Piaro and Mercedes, responded with a smile. The command that knights normally received was to ‘win even if you give your life.’ They were thrilled because Grid’s command was always different. They couldn’t help being happy, even if it was something they shouldn’t be happy about.

“Braham, please take care of them.”

“I already know!” Grid once again made a request to Braham who replied bluntly. He was annoyed because Grid had repeated the same words over the past few days. “You’re not a parrot... tsk, has your brain hardened because you are scared of the East Continent?”

“Honestly, I’m nervous.”

How could he not be nervous? The reunion with Garam was scary. Was he afraid of defeat and death? No. He wasn’t afraid of the defeat and death that he had already experienced countless times. He was afraid that the difference in skill with Garam hadn’t been narrowed down. Losing might be natural but he would feel despair if the skill difference was still overwhelming.

Raiding Great Demon Berith, becoming a Magic Swordsman of the Epics, creating Greed, meeting the Tower of Wisdom and gaining their teachings... Grid had grown significantly over the past year. Since Garam was a ‘naturally growing’ super-named NPC, Grid was afraid that if the skill difference hadn’t been narrowed, the formula that ‘players can’t catch up to named NPCs’ would be established.

Braham stared at Grid’s trembling black eyes and spoke earnestly, “I’m certain that I’m a strong person who can rank highly among the legends of the previous generation of legends.”

“Huh? Ah... Yes."

As expected of Braham. He was still showing off in the middle of this situation. Grid’s expression subtly changed but Braham’s attitude was still serious.

“I was vigilant yet I was stabbed in the back and killed by Pagma.”

“...”

“Additionally, it has been revealed recently that the Undefeated King was superior to Muller in terms of potential talent.”

What did Braham want to say? Grid’s expression became solemn.

Braham scoffed. “You are the successor of these geniuses. Be nervous but don’t be afraid.”

“...Thank you.” Pagma was the person Braham hated most in the world. Yet in order to encourage Grid, he pulled out Pagma’s name. Grid bowed politely to Braham. “I’m not afraid.”

“In any case, it won’t change the fact that you will be caught up in that person called Garam.”

Braham took off the skin mask and handed it to Grid. He was preparing Grid’s heart. He warned Grid that Garam was still stronger in order to prepare him, so that Grid wouldn’t feel frustrated even if he lost to Garam. It was true that the yangbans were strong. This was why Braham didn’t follow Grid to the East Continent. If he accompanied Grid and Grid was still beaten by the yangbans, Grid might really feel desperate.

“Then I’m going...”

Grid ripped the intercontinental movement scroll he received from Sticks and disappeared in a flash of light. The knights and Overgeared members prayed for Grid.

***

“?”

The East Continent’s beginner village, Pangea. Grid arrived in the desolate ruins that were unlike the past and frowned. It was because hundreds of players were handcuffed.

‘The last time I came here, the jiangshi popped out.’

Now players were being treated as sinners. Grid was thinking this when a soldier came to his side.

Click.

He was handcuffed.

[Both hands have been bound!]

[The handcuffs are made of absorption magic stones. All skills and magic are prohibited.]

[If you use your strength then the handcuffs will be broken.]

‘...I can’t do that.’

Grid roughly guessed the situation. He was certain that Garam would be searching for him after Garam lost his dignity twice. The Cho Kingdom was forced to follow Garam’s will and started to station troops here at Pangea, the essential gateway for the West Continent.

‘The standards of the East Continent are definitely very high.’

Grid, who had just slaughtered the Gauss army, was clearly able to compare them with the soldiers of the Cho Kingdom. The level and armed status of the Cho Kingdom soldiers were much more prominent. Of course, from Grid’s standpoint, the Gauss army and Cho Kingdom soldiers were the same.

“Next.”

He waited in the long line silently until it was finally Grid’s turn. A hunchback used his bulging belly as support and closely observed Grid’s face. However, he didn’t realize that Grid was Grid. Grid wore Berith's Skin Mask and was disguised as Kentrick.

There were many reasons why he changed to Kentrick. Kentrick had no history of visiting the East Continent and he was almost forgotten in the West Continent because he had lived as a fugitive for many years. Additionally, Grid was similar in shape to Kentrick so he was still comfortable in his clothes when disguised as Kentrick.

“...No. Next.”

The hunchback Nobuldam shook his head and passed Grid. Then Grid was freed from the handcuffs and headed to the exit of the village. Beyond the exit, players could be seen fighting with the jiangshi on the plains.

‘The steel jiangshi.’

The steel jiangshi was the most common among the five types of jianshi. However, they possessed a ‘solid body’ that was a basic characteristic of the jiangshi and was a tough opponent because of the powerful body. In particular, they were a counter to physical damage classes. Most people stumped by the jiangshi were warriors, not magicians.

“Hrmm.”

Grid shifted his gaze from the plains and opened a map. This was a map of the East Continent that Han Seokbong took a few nights to draw. The geography of the Kaya Kingdom, Pa Kingdom, and Xing Kingdom were only roughly expressed but the map described the geography of the Cho Kingdom in great detail.

‘First, start with the lazy cow community.’

[Pangea’s New Star 1st Stage]

[Stage 1: It is relatively easy to obtain information from the residents of Pangea.

* Every time you destroy a monster community formed in the north, the level and effectiveness of the title will increase.]

It was one of the titles that Grid held. As the name suggested, it was a title from the East Continent and the growth expectations were very low. The first stage was gained from conquering the big poisonous rat community and the effect was very disappointing.

‘It can be an even more useless title now that Pangea is gone.’

However, Grid had returned to the East Continent. He also planned to complete as many quests as possible before meeting Garam. Grid first planned to test it by attacking several communities. Who knows? It could be a surprisingly useful title.

“Huh?”

Grid memorized the position of the lazy cow community in his mind and put away the map, only to cock his head. There was a strange person near the entrance of the village.

[I am a doctor. I’ll repay you one day so please escort me.] A woman was squatting down with this sign. She looked very exhausted. It seemed like she had spent a few days here.

‘People are really cold.’

Grid shook his head and approached the woman. The woman’s ID was Hera.

“If you want to cross the plains then follow me.”

Grid, who had undergone enough events to fill 54 autobiographies, had grown into a figure who didn’t turn away from hard-working people. Of course, he had an eye for people and wasn’t easily caught.

‘It would be nice to add more doctors to the city.’

What’s more, the doctor class was enough to attract Grid’s attention. The doctor class didn’t have immediate recovery skills but it was a class that could heal more wounds than a priest through ‘time’ and ‘process.’ The disadvantage was that the growth rate was slow because their hunting ability wasn’t good and they couldn’t find a party. However, there were countless bus drivers in the Overgeared Kingdom.

“Oh, thank you... Ah.” Was there really someone who reached out to her? Hera was a bit bewildered by the unexpected suggestion. She soon came to her senses and observed Grid’s behavior, showing an awkward reaction. “K-Kentrick? I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your favor but you don’t seem to have identified the level of the jiangshi...”

Hera was genuinely worried only to close her mouth. Grid had left the village and exchanged attacks with a jiangshi, destroying it relatively easily.

‘Phew, it is hard to pretend when I am capable of killing it in one blow.’

Hera approached the frowning Grid. “Thank you very much, ranker!”

“...?”

This standard was enough to be called a ranker these days? No way.

‘She must be a beginner.’

It was natural if she was a doctor. Grid felt sorry for Hera and started to walk ahead.