Overgeared

Just because King Arthur and his knights sat side by side at the round table didn’t mean their positions were equal. The meaning of the round table was equality but this was sometimes symbolic. It was the case now. The seat where Hayate sat was the top seat.

Once he opened his mouth, all the tower members listened politely.

“The righteous being of the east has been revived. It seems that you resurrected the red phoenix?” Hayate smiled as he gazed at Grid's heart, as if he was seeing through everything and looking directly at the heart of the red phoenix. “I never thought that a human would share the most noble life of the red phoenix of the Four Auspicious Beasts. I’m proud to be a fellow human being.”

“...Do you know the true myth of the East Continent?”

For Grid, the encounter with Biban and Abellio was shocking. Both of them recognized the problem that Grid was experiencing and taught him, so Grid felt awe at the existence of the tower members. However, Hayate saw much more than they did. He knew more.

“The Tower of Wisdom doesn’t distinguish the world between east to west. We always see it as the same world.”

“Is that true?”

The person who asked the question was Biban, not Grid.

Hayate smiled graciously while 2nd Seat Fronzaltz stared at him with a grim look. Hayate spoke, “Sir Biban might not know it. By the time Sir Biban joined the tower, the dragons’ activity radius had been reduced to the west.”

“Hayate! There are records in the tower, a history! If Biban had the minimum level of consciousness then he wouldn’t be unaware of our past activities!”

The 2nd seat Fronzaltz simultaneously criticized Biban’s ignorance and Hayate’s soft attitude. He was dissatisfied with Biban who hadn’t built up even the basic knowledge, causing him to ask silly questions. He also didn’t like that Hayate defended him instead of punishing him.

‘This has probably happened more than once or twice...’

As the atmosphere became worse, Grid shut his mouth and stepped back. Then he glanced at the other tower members. Biban, who made Fronzaltz explode, rubbed his ears like he was mocking Fronzaltz. Meanwhile, the 8th seat, Jessica, mouthed a warning to him.

The rest of the members were just smiling like Hayate. They seemed bold and generous like the apostles of justice devoted to defending the world from the mighty enemies, the dragons. Fronzaltz sighed and told Biban, “From today on, read the records of the tower and learn about the history of the tower. Then I’ll get rid of your 10 years cleaning punishment.”

“The books in the tower are all written in ancient runes. How do you want me to read them?”

“Study!”

“I would rather clean up. No, I will focus on purification and training.”

“You!” Fronzaltz’s face turned red as he gritted his teeth. In the relatively free association, he was the only one obsessed with rules and control.

Grid understood his feelings. ‘He is in Lauel’s position.’

In particular, the more free-spirited the leader, the more likely it was for his subordinate to make things serious. Someone had to strictly maintain the rules in order to maintain the organization. Fronzaltz argued a bit more with Biban before sighing and bowing to Grid. He apologized for showing a bad attitude. Grid smiled awkwardly and glanced at Biban. He was still digging at his ears like a naughty five year old child. In any case, the atmosphere calmed down. Hayate glanced at the other tower members.

Then the tower members started to introduce themselves to Grid.

“I’m the 8th seat, Jessica. I used to be a great magician in the same era as Biban.”

“...!”

It has been said many times, the history that players could easily access was just the previous generation of legends. The history of generations decades or hundreds of years earlier was difficult to access because it was too long ago. There were too many documents that were lost or classified in the process of winning or losing wars. Even so, Jessica’s name was famous enough that Grid had heard of it.

‘The founder of echo magic.’

He often heard the names Haksen and Jessica from magicians such as Zednos and Laella while doing quests together. Haksen’s highest point magic and Jessica’s echo magic... Among them, echo magic was still being studied.

“It is an honor to meet you.”

Jessica held out a hand and Grid shook it seriously. The actual encounter with a historical being was a thrilling experience every time.

“I’m the 6th seat, Ken. I’m a martial artist.”

“I’m the 5th seat, Jurene. A monster tamer.”

“I’m Betty... the 4th seat.”

All three were names he was hearing for the first time. Like Abellio, they must’ve been active before Biban and Jessica. It was just that Ken and Jurene were young men and Betty was a young girl so he was once again struck by the existence of legends.

‘Immortal beings...’

It was ironic that most legends of the previous generation disappeared after their deaths. Grid was engulfed in a strange mood when the 3rd seat rose. He was a man over two meters tall and his hand was so big that he could hold a watermelon in one hand. He didn’t look like a human and instead seemed to be of another species.

“I’m Radwolf. I’m a scientist.”

‘A scientist?’

Was there ever a legendary scientist? Grid found it a bit strange and Radwolf added an explanation, “I’m a giant.”

“...!!”

Grid was reminded of the relics of the ancient giants. A war weapon that fueled Imperial Prince Edan’s ambitions.

‘The magic machines!’

How did the tower members fight against the dragons? Grid had been questioning this after his experience with Biban and his doubts were finally resolved. Grid once again realized that the standards of the tower members gathered here was more than he imagined.

Fronzaltz shook hands with Grid who gulped. “I’m the 2nd seat. Radwolf’s brother.”

The giants still existed. However, they lost most of their intelligence and were treated almost as monsters. Meanwhile, Radwolf and Fronzaltz were ancient giants who were hailed as ‘wise warriors.’ Grid shook hands with Fronzaltz and finally shifted his gaze to Hayate, the top seat.

Unlike Radwolf and Fronzaltz, who gave off an intimidating impression due to their well-developed bones, Hayate was a pure human. He had blond hair, blue eyes, a handsome beard, and an elegant expression. He was a man with all the aristocratic traits that people commonly thought of.

He gave a brief but intense introduction. “Dragon Slayer.”

“...!”

“I am the first legend of humanity.”

***

Dragon Slayer—it was a title that every gamer was envious of. Most games portrayed dragons as unique and the title ‘Dragon Slayer’ had its own unique style. In particular, Dragon Slayer in Satisfy was almost treated as an illusion.

In Satisfy, dragons weren’t the target of a raid but a disaster in itself. Who would dare to fight an enemy that couldn’t be resisted? If a player really existed with the Dragon Slayer title then it was just a fake half-title obtained from hunting a wyvern. In fact, the inhabitants and history of Satisfy didn’t mention the word Dragon Slayer. Moreover, this was the first time Grid heard there was a Dragon Slayer among the legends. Yet right in front of him stood a man that claimed to be a Dragon Slayer.

“I was lucky.”

On the 10th floor of the tower...

Hayate had invited Grid to the study and served tea. Then he started the conversation with a bitter look, “I stumbled upon a dragon who was wounded in a power struggle. I was terrified by his pressure. I struggled desperately to survive and finally cut his throat.”

“......”

Grid realized something when he saw Hayate speak as if the saga was a shameful thing. It was that Hayate’s pride as a warrior was beyond imagination. Grid seemed to understand why this person liked Biban. Grid was thinking this when he suddenly made eye contact with Hayate. Hayate’s gaze toward Grid went beyond liking and became envy. Why was the 1st seat of the tower looking at him like this?

Hayate told the flustered Grid, “The status you have built up… it isn’t something you can do just because you’re lucky.”

Of course, Grid could’ve been lucky once or twice. No, he could’ve been lucky more than that. However, it was unreasonable that Grid solved all the incidents that built up his status with luck.

“I’m in awe of all the hard work, tenacity, and skills you’ve shown in order to overcome all the events you could or couldn’t have avoided.”

"You're overpraising me."

“I’m certain. All the achievements you have built up alone are more wonderful and greater than the sum of achievements of the tower members. The other tower members knew this and invited you to the round table without conducting a test.”

Originally, the tower had two types of tests. The first type was a basic set of tests to prove the qualifications of the Pioneer, while the second type was individual tests given personally by each tower member in order for the Pioneer to show off their skills to the tower members. In fact, before he traveled to the East Continent, Grid had been tested by Biban. Yet this time, Grid skipped the second test. It was a sign that his skills had improved dramatically after traveling to the East Continent and that he was acknowledged by the tower members.

“...No, it isn’t a status I built up myself. I always had my colleagues.”

It ranged from Noe and Randy to the 10 meritorious retainers and Braham. There was always someone by Grid’s side. Even if Grid was alone, many people supported him so he could reach it. In the days when he had a low level, Grid wouldn’t have easily taken on new challengers without the materials and crafting recipes acquired by the Overgeared members. If it wasn’t for Lauel, Grid wouldn’t have gained the throne. Grid’s conscience meant he couldn’t deny all their help and activities that helped him reach this point.

Hayate’s gaze deepened. “That makes you even greater. You have already achieved the ideals that I seek.”

“Cough...”

Wasn’t this interpretation too good? Grid was so embarrassed that he coughed. Hayate smiled like Grid was cute and then looked over the wall of his study. The portraits of the tower members, including Hayate, were hanging there. Hayate continued speaking, “The reason I built the tower was because I knew my own limits. I wanted to gather colleagues to fight together.”

“Your own limits...”

Grid got a glimpse of the hardships and adversities that Hayate had experienced. How difficult would it have been for him to decide to fight to protect the world and build the tower? Grid took out that insane dragon iron he had prepared and handed it to Hayate. Then—

[The Tower’s Mission quest has been completed.]

[Dragon Scale Box has been acquired as a quest reward.]

The quest was completed and he was able to get the reward he wanted. However, the rewards that Grid would receive weren’t over yet.

“The development of the Dragon Killing Sword requires infinite sword energy.”

“Huh?”

“The thing you must seek to suppress fighting energy is infinite sword energy. I think I can help you. How about it?”

“...!”