Overgeared

The pollen blown on the breeze left green marks on the window frames. It was spring. Unlike the central part of the continent that suffered from cold winters, the southern part of the continent was warm. Children could be heard running around at the entrance of the alley. The expressions of the wives who watered the flowerbeds and chattered were calm. Laundry lines hung between houses and the houses smelled like people were living there.

The scenery of the village was ordinary and nothing special. The players had no doubts until the glorious moon revealed its presence in the dark sky.

Kiyaaaaaah!

"S-Shit, what is this?!"

"Hiiik!"

The boys who wanted to kick the ball, the girls showing off their flower garlands, the young people helping their fathers at work, the middle-aged people who were still soldiers in active service, the wives who greeted them with a kind smile, and the village leader who worked with a careful attitude.

The residents who seemed like ordinary villagers during the day suddenly turned into monsters. The innkeeper who asked with a nice expression if he had eaten just an hour ago now stabbed a kitchen knife in his back. The village chief, who asked him not to drink too much due to the request tomorrow, lit a fire at the entrance of the inn. His eyes were red and his skin was purple.

The identity of these villagers was the rumored demonic humans.

"What the hell? Was there something we missed?" the martial artist, who was stabbed in the back while eating soup, shouted nervously. He was a powerful person who gained fame in several regions and he fought back. He smashed his ultimate skill into the innkeeper's face.

The swordsman replied as the innkeeper's wife rushed over with a wok, "We didn't let our guard down. They didn't have the characteristics of a demonic human."

A magician fell down after being stabbed in the thigh by the innkeeper's daughter and son.

"Oh my god. The rumor about the demonic humans having learning ability is true. These sons of a bitches... they are becoming better at hiding their identity."

"Caviar!"

"Check the timing when calling someone's name... Keok!"

"Kuaaack...!"

It took only five minutes for a party to be wiped out. This was despite the fact that they were a mid-sized party of eight players who were at least level 300. The attacks of the demonic humans were so sudden and effective. The moment they saw the scene of the innkeeper and his wife standing up like zombies in their black and white vision, they opened their eyes again at the resurrection point they set at different locations.

Some of them were in despair. The residents of villagers and cities they had been based in for months and years had also been turned into demonic humans.

"T-This is crazy..."

"No way! I've lived in this city for years! I've spent a few nights with these people! These people originally weren't demonic humans! Ack!Aaaack!"

The turmoil across the continent accelerated. Breaking news broke out that people of hundreds of villages and cities had been turned into demonic humans. The number of players that died jumped from thousands to tens of thousands in just a few days. Dozens of villages and cities were destroyed in the fierce battle between demonic humans and players.

The dark elves were also involved. The elves of the world tree weren't necessarily corrupted. It was the female and male elves known to have left the world tree in the wake of some incident. They were eroded by demonic energy somewhere and returned to their homeland. It was far from a valuable return. They were like the blades of a knife and with a strong intention to kill.

By the time the Overgeared Kingdom received news that the imperial army guarding the outskirts of the World Tree Forest had been wiped out by the dark elves, Basara had already dispatched new troops. The response was very swift, but Lauel's expression was dark. "The empire has dispersed a large number of troops to hunt the demonic humans. In fact, it is safe to call it a civil war. There will be a limited number of reinforcements that can be sent to the world tree."

The empire was the nation that was suffering the most damage from the demonic humans. Their problem was that the land mass was too big and there were too many people. There were countless villages in the empire and not all of them could be managed. It was impossible even for the empire to identify and manage villages that were set up without permission in remote areas in 'real-time.'

Even if a village was found and cleaned up through periodic reconnaissance and surveillance, new villages were being built in another place at the same time. Thus, there was no end. The residents of these unauthorized villages could easily become the target of the demonic humans. They weren't protected by the empire so it was easy for the Yatan Church to get close.

"Additional troops should be sent immediately. I don't know what will happen if the world tree falls into the enemy's hands. Therefore, I want to send some elite people who can act as quickly as possible."

"Do you want to send a messenger?"

"Yes, please give permission."

Lauel was on one knee as he lowered his head. He couldn't help bowing when facing Grid with a red aura around him. A noble character was felt from Grid. Lauel was overwhelmed by the boldness of the color that harmonized with the dark blue of Greed.

The first time he saw it, he was completely fascinated and lost his mind. The second time he saw it, he was half crazy due to envy. From time to time, he sent whispers to Skin Maker Guseha in the hope of implementing this feeling. It was a gift from the S.A Group and most people believed that Lauel had a large stake in the life of the master called 'Guseha.'

"Let's send Braham and Nefelina. They are the two who are the most free."

Piaro and Mercedes were commanders before they were a farmer and a knight. They attended strategy meetings and helped train the army. Asgard was likely paying attention to Sariel and she would become a target if she left the Overgeared Kingdom on her own without Grid. Zikfrector... his condition was too bad to trust him to do something.

"They have enough combat effectiveness, but... I'm a bit anxious."

Grid thought reasonably and assigned the staff, but Lauel's response was subtle.

"If the two of them go, won't they be swept away by the atmosphere and burn the world tree?"

"......"

Braham was the Duke of Wisdom, but he was emotional. Meanwhile, Nefelina was a dragon, but she was young. Besides, the relationship between the two of them wasn't very good. It was the perfect combination to get swept away by the atmosphere because they were strangely competitive.

Grid frowned at the thought of Braham's past trolling. "Then should I send Mercedes?"

"She is a bit... sometimes she can't distinguish the consequences..."

"......"

Grid realized it once again. His messengers—

Each one of them had outstanding abilities and the potential to be even better, but their personalities were eccentric. This was a slightly serious problem because he was reluctant to assign them solo assignments.

'Of course, it is changing, but... for the seventh messenger, I should choose an ordinary human.'

Grid pledged before suggesting another name. "Then Piaro?"

"Yes, I would like to send all the Red Knights with Sir Piaro and Sir Asmophel as the main axis. Before the great human and demon war, they should learn to cooperate as before. Additionally, Sir Piaro's wife is an elf, so he will have feelings toward this mission."

"Then do it."

The seventh messenger chosen must definitely be a normal person...

Grid once again became determined.

"There is an urgent report from Siren." Just then, a messenger came. "A large number of marine life have turned into demonic creatures and are attacking Siren."

"Marine life? You mean monsters like the kraken?"

The messenger explained to Grid. "That... there are quite a few ordinary fish that have turned into demonic creatures."

Lauel's face stiffened. "There will be cases where fishermen will be harmed. We need to strengthen the environment of the territory near the coast. What is Siren's request?"

"They want 5,000 elite troops."

5,000 troops was a small number for the current Overgeared Kingdom. It was possible to pick the elite troops on the spot. However, choosing people who could fight underwater was a separate matter. It had been 20 years since they formed an alliance with Siren. They had means of breathing in water, but being able to breathe didn't mean they could fight well in the water.

'There is no water pressure inside Siren. The problem is the process of moving to Siren.'

Siren said they were under attack. They were likely to be surrounded. In order to break through the siege and enter Siren, a combat power that wasn't affected by water pressure or those experienced in water combat were needed.

'Since a few years ago, Soldier has been raising the navy, but there is no practical experience. I can only send the early members, including Toon.'

In fact, the easiest solution was to send Braham. It was just that Siren originally demanded 5,000 people. It was too much to send Braham. His value wasn't worth 5,000 troops, but 500,000 troops. Now that the boundaries between hell and the human world were gradually breaking down and various incidents were occurring all over the continent, he needed to consider where he sent his messengers.

"We will build the reinforcements around the members who didn't participate in the hell expedition or who dropped out."

"How many soldiers will you send?"

"They asked for 5,000, so I have to send at least 5,000. I will send all of the navy so they can accumulate practical experience."

"This is good. Soldier whom I previously saw on Cokro looked very bored."

It wasn't necessary to send 5,000 troops as long as members such as Toon were sent. 2,000 would be enough. However, it was better to meet the request of the alliance as much as possible. They should show maximum sincerity to build greater trust and maintain better relationships.

"Let's add Overgeared Skeleton Two to it."

"Overgeared Skeleton Two?"

"Overgeared Skeleton Two can work independently after it became a lich. I have to test how far it can go."

"You mean, the summons will be maintained even if Your Majesty isn't around?"

"Yes, it can operate independently unless its health runs out or I reverse the summoning."

A necromancer would be shocked to hear this. The Overgeared Skeletons were an existence created by the former third-ranked great demon and they had many special features. It was good to treat them as a miracle. He just honestly didn't know if the summons would be maintained in Siren which was thousands of kilometers away from here. Thus, he wanted to check it out.

Lauel was worried. "I doubt that Overgeared Skeleton Two can be active alone without Your Majesty. If it shows a weak display in Siren, then it will shame Your Majesty."

He didn't doubt the power of the Overgeared Skeleton Two. A lich was one of the pinnacles of a skeleton. Moreover, Overgeared Skeleton Two had been armed with Grid's items over the past few days. Lauel's only worry was the AI of Overgeared Skeleton Two. Was it possible for it to make the best judgment and action with orders from its master?

Lauel didn't want Grid's power to look ugly during external activities. In particular, the people of Siren were different in culture and emotions so the spread of the Overgeared God Church was relatively slow. It wasn't enough to show a good performance.

Grid directly asked Overgeared Skeleton Two, who was hammering hard, "Overgeared Skeleton Two, can I believe in you?"

[Yes... I will repay your expectations.] Overgeared Skeleton Two put down the hammer and replied while prostrating himself on the ground. Its attitude showed there was no need for long words. It was determined to show results.

The appearance of the skeleton spreading black magic power with shining eyes made Lauel's heart tremble.

"Ugh...! This storm of magic power that makes the black dragon react!"

"Go away now."

The moment the black-red flames were going to erupt from Lauel's left arm, Grid frowned and waved his hands. He was trying to break it up before the conversation went on a tangent. Grid was very busy because he had to innovate the messengers' gear. His work was still full and overflowing. At this moment—

[The morale of the allied soldiers has dropped significantly.]

[The stamina and power of the allied soldiers are reduced by 40%.]

"......?"

Just then, strange notification windows appeared. Grid was flustered because it happened suddenly, while Lauel immediately started to investigate the situation. After a while—

"It is said that the churches of the three gods have started to incite things," Lauel explained with a distorted expression after he grasped the situation. "They are making false claims that the demonic humans are caused due to the destruction of the gods' symbols in the Overgeared Kingdom by the Overgeared God Church."

"It isn't enough to not join forces. Now they want to antagonize me?"

"The demonic humans, the dark elves, the transformation of marine life and some monsters to demonic creatures... I'm sure they are taking this situation as an opportunity. The more anxious people become, the stronger the influence of religion. The churches of the three gods are the only ones who can calm the current chaos. They will naturally use us in the process of recruiting members."

"Has public opinion already tilted toward the three gods enough to shake the allied soldiers?"

Then, world messages appeared.

[The people's faith in Goddess Rebecca has deepened.]

[The people's faith in God Dominion has deepened.]

[The people's faith in God Judar has deepened.]

Humans were weak. Few people lived alone. The more people experienced impossible things, the more they looked for supernatural things and the more they tended to rely on a god. It wasn't difficult for the churches to handle them as they pleased.

"...Cults gain power for a reason."

"Your Majesty?"

"I'm going to meet the pope."

Grid, who had never stopped working throughout his conversation with Lauel, put down the hammer for the first time.

Lauel somehow felt a chill. In the open space outside the smithy, Haster was startled as he faced the God Hands. It was because the God Hands stopped moving in unison and released killing intent.