Overgeared

After a fierce battle, Hell Gao fell to his knees.

The borders of the world had collapsed and a body with the grade of a great demon had been secured, but he only regained around 70% of the power of his prime. It wasn't enough to withstand the cooperation between Zikfrector, Nefelina, and Raiders, who did their best in preparation for future troubles.

"I... I was deceived by Baal..."

Hell Gao left these meaningful words and turned to ash. Seeing his expression that didn't have much regret, he seemed to have become used to defeat. The grinning Zibal reported the situation to the intelligence service.

The brains of the Overgeared Guild moved quickly. New information was quickly organized and disseminated to the upper ranks of the allied army.

[The grandmaster, Nefelina, and Raiders have defeated Hell Gao. They are headed north to the Abyss.]

[It is presumed that the body of one of the seven evils found in the Abyss belongs to the grandmaster.]

[The grandmaster needs an escort.]

'Why is it Raiders, not Zibal?'

Zibal was dissatisfied with the handling, but he didn't nitpick over it. There was a dignity he should keep as America's hero. He was just happy to get items.

***

It was the second day of the great human and demon war...

People were suffocating on the sense of happiness that soared without knowing the end. It was a lot of fun. It didn't matter what channel they opened. Battles and wars were broadcasted and reporters wrote new heroic stories like they were competing. There was no time to be bored.

Even players who died continuously and received the 'unable to access the game' penalty were determined to enjoy the situation. They realized that the fun of watching the broadcasts while enjoying a beer wasn't bad. Of course, they wanted to login quickly, but it was a loss to be obsessed with a problem that could only be solved with time.

-Look at how she is sweeping up the demonic creatures while keeping the great demons in check;; Jishuka's greatest strength is her positioning ability. However, her range has also increased. There is no answer to handle her.

-The great demons are swearing ᄏᄏᄏᄏ

-They can't help but curse because they don't know where the arrows will keep flying...

-How the hell is she doing that?I don't know even though I am the 9,573rd ranked archer.What is the criteria for the positioning?How can she not be detected?

ᄂ A top ranker is coming to play in the community? ᄏᄏ

ᄂ Really. If you are ranked within 10,000 in the class rankings, shouldn't you be enjoying a boat party every time you log out? Why are you doing this here?

ᄂ No, what? ᄏ Does Grid always go on a space trip?Does he hang out with 3,000 court ladies? Don't put a strange framework on rankers. (TL: There is a legend that the last king of Baekje had 3,000 court ladies who threw themselves into the river after the kingdom was taken away.)

ᄂ I'm not framing the rankers, but saying that he isn't a ranker ᄏᄏ

There were two people who caught the eye of viewers—they were Jishuka at the Behen Archipelago and Braham at the Abyss. The most popular players caused a ratings competition. The two people were overwhelmingly loved in all aspects of appearance, ability, and personality. The viewers' taste differed in the combat style.

The magician who appeared in front of the enemy and smashed them with force. An archer who hid her appearance from the enemy until the end and bothered the enemy with her control.

...The description of the magician was a bit strange, but in any case—

Those who preferred cool action scenes cheered on Braham's destructive power when using magic in the midst of enemy lines. Those who focused on strategy studied and admired Jishuka's operational tactics that led to a favorable war situation. However, it was impossible to enjoy it forever.

-Jishuka seems to be preparing to log out.

-Braham seems tired.

The access duration and health limit. As a player, Jishuka was held back by both issues. Braham also failed to overcome the physical problems. Rest was indispensable unless one was a monster.

The moment Jishuka and Braham left the battlefield, the war situation intensified again. The allied forces, who were pushing forward, slowed down for a while and the two sides became tangled up again.

-Too many people are dying.

-The players can die, but I'm worried about the soldiers.It is over for NPCs once they die.

-The damage to the empire seems too great.Even if the war is won, they won't be able to recover for a while.

The named NPCs such as Noll, Sticks, and Teruchan, and the top rankers, including the 10 meritorious retainers and Haster—the performance of the troops who arrived one after another at the Behen Archipelago and the Abyss was clearly excellent. However, it wasn't enough to replace the peak magician and archer.

How many people could play a better role than Braham and Jishuka in a large-scale war?

The problem was that the enemy's army was great. Every time Baal's subordinate, who looked like a huge toad, opened his mouth, a swarm of flies poured out and caused catastrophic damage.

It was now the third day of the great human and demon war...

The viewers' minds became very uncomfortable. They became reverent when they saw the soldiers fighting for their lives. They even came to understand the hearts of those who started Satisfy late while saying they wanted to help even a little bit. Just then—

-Uh?T-that...!

-Holy shit!I have been waiting!!

New aces emerged. Piaro, Singuled, Dante, and Kentrick arrived at the Behen Archipelago. Mercedes, Asmophel, and Amelda appeared at the Abyss. They filled the vacancy of Braham and Jishuka.

-Isn't this crazy?Braham and Grid's subordinates are much stronger than before.

-Grid must really feel reassured ᄏᄏ

-Just one day...I want to live as Grid for just one day.

Why didn't Grid come out? The reason why few people had such questions or regrets was due to the size of the Overgeared Kingdom. Grid was a king and a god. There were so many subordinates who followed him. There was no reason for him to stand directly on the front line as before. If he was going to step up for everything, he wouldn't have worked so hard to gather colleagues.

People were fully convinced of Grid's position.

***

"......!"

Barbatos, who was guarding the battlefield in place of Gamigin, retreated one step ahead of Braham in a flustered manner. The reason was that the magic bullets fired at Mercedes were weighed down by gravity and lost their power. In the first place, Mercedes had an advantage. Her Keen Insight could read the magic bullets. She was wary of the sniping and used the gravity field much more efficiently than Braham.

Mercedes cut down all the slowed magic bullets, released her silver wings, and rushed forward. Her flight accelerated and she was very fast. Her momentum as she rushed alone into hundreds of thousands of demonic creatures was reminiscent of artillery fire.

'What?'

The allied forces all around the battlefield were shaken. They didn't understand Mercedes' behavior of going into the enemy camp alone. Some skilled people like Noll and Chris guessed that she had determined Barbatos' location, but they soon shook their heads.

Barbatos was an irregular existence that shot from dozens of kilometers away. Additionally, it was physically impossible to identify the shooting point because there was no 'trajectory' for the shot. The bullets were suddenly generated or soared from the ground.

This was why there were more victims to Barbatos than Gamigin. Barbatos dealt enormous damage to the allied forces even when Braham was in action. Just as the demons hated Jishuka, the allied forces hated Barbatos.

"Cover Mercedes!"

Chris needed to log out within five minutes. It was right to prepare to retreat as scheduled. However, he rushed to lead the troops and advanced. The protection of the somewhat agitated Mercedes was the top priority.

"What...?"

Chris became stunned as he chased after Mercedes. It was because Mercedes' swordsmanship, which had speed behind it, contained a destructive power like never before. She broke the enemies' swords and armor and cut flesh and bones. Mercedes' back penetrated the enemy in a straight line and soon disappeared from Chris' sight. Only an endless procession of gray pillars suggested her position.

'...She is a completely different person?'

Chris used the overbearing greatsword. He developed in the direction of worshipping power rather than technique. This was why he was clearer about Mercedes' transformation than anyone else. Just then, a huge explosion was heard in his temporarily stiff ears. It was in the distance. It came from the end of the enemy camp.

The explosion came from where the Abyss was.

***

A part of the Abyss used by Barbatos as a sniping point collapsed. Dust swallowed up the area and sharp pieces of stone swirled.

'She is a dangerous woman.'

Barbatos had a bad premonition. An opponent who could read the trajectory of the magic bullets and even saw his position—it was natural to be wary of her. Barbatos' body became transparent. It wasn't a protective coloration that allowed them to assimilate with the surrounding landscape. Rather, it was completely hiding his appearance. However—

"......?"

The knight's gaze pierced straight through the dust toward him? The appalled Barbatos hurriedly ordered his powers scattered throughout the battlefield to return.

'Now.'

Faker took advantage of the turmoil to throw himself into the hole of the Abyss. He encountered the army of demonic creatures marching through the Abyss several times on the way, but he wasn't caught because he erased his presence. His stealth was so outstanding that even some demons mixed in with the demonic creatures couldn't feel it.

"Kuoock...!"

The scale of the Abyss was beyond imagination. The area couldn't be covered even if the entire imperial palace was moved here and it was impossible to guess the depth. Faker gained an unbearable acceleration as the fall continued and he used shadow movement to barely stop by changing his position to the shadow cast on the wall. His eyes were unusually anxious as he hung from the cliff and looked around.

'Where is it?'

Faker's mission was to secure Zik's body that appeared in the Abyss. Even if he failed to secure it, he needed to know the location to guide Zikfrector to it. Maybe it was the most important mission in this war. It was also a mission that only Faker could perform.

A stealth technique that blocked the enemy's aggro, shadow techniques that made the size and topography of the Abyss useless, and the ability to clearly see in the darkness that covered the Abyss—Faker was the only one with the qualifications required for this mission.

The responsibility was great.

'I will go down a bit more.'

He couldn't be caught by the demonic creatures. Faker, who was observing from the cliff while holding his breath, threw himself back into the dark underground. Jumping into the underground when the end was unknown required much more courage than imagined. Thus, the burden on Faker was greater than he expected.

"...Sigh."

After descending to the limit, Faker clung to the cliff again and let out a breath. As a result, he made eye contact with a demonic creature that was climbing up. However, he threw a dagger with paralysis and silenced it. It fell without screaming and would land and die a long time later.

'I would've attracted aggro if I killed it right here.'

Faker calmly looked around. There was a 'setting' that the darkness that encroached on the Abyss was too thick to adapt to, but this wasn't enough to neutralize the eyes of Lantier, who had the greatest senses among the legends.

'It isn't here either.'

Faker looked closely at the interior before jumping in once again. Once he fell to a point where his gaze hadn't reached, he stuck to the cliff and resumed observation. He repeated this dozens of times. From a certain point, he forgot the passage of time and became anxious because his senses were dull. Even so, he silently carried out his task. It was as always.

"......!"

How much time had passed?

Faker found a place that was as small as a speck of dust. It was shining red alone in the dark Abyss. It was natural to be fascinated.

Faker descended toward the dot. The red dot, which was as small as a speck of dust, gradually expanded in size.

Duguen!

Faker's expression stiffened. Faker got goosebumps all over his body.

Duguen!

The sound of his heart thumping swallowed even the noise of his descent.

'It is unbelievable.'

The ominous feeling that grew as he got closer to that point. Faker, who tried hard to deny the worst assumption, finally felt despair. It was because he discovered the identity of the red dot that had the most powerful demonic energy he had ever seen.

[Baal's Ego Fragment]

This was the identity of the red dot. In the direction of the dot, there was Zik's body sealed in the gap of the cliff.

[This is a place where whispers are impossible.]

[This is a place where guild messages are impossible.]

Faker's fall accelerated. He was unable to withstand the pressure of gravity, so the bones of his body complained of pain while his bloodshot eyes seemed to protrude, but his mind remained clear.

'Get rid of the body.'

His judgment far exceeded the speed of his fall. His actions linked like lightning. Nevertheless, he couldn't stop it. Before the dagger that Faker threw with all his power could hit the red dot, the red dot had already permeated Zik's body.The dagger that was thrown at Zik's body with the determination to get rid of it was caught. It was by the hands of the body that had just opened its eyes.

"Isn't this worth using?"

Baal—this was the name that rose above the body's head. The man pulled his body out of the cliff where it had been stuck for years of eternity and his gaze moved upward. He smiled brightly like a child who got a new toy.

[The 1st Great Demon, Baal, has appeared.]

[You feel absolute malice. You are affected by abnormal status conditions including fear, weakness, poisoning, burns, and bleeding. You have resisted.]

[The shadow of hell that is distorted by malice is clearly presented. The dark attribute resistance is fixed at 0% and your status is greatly damaged. Your weaknesses are always exposed. Concentration has dropped significantly, reducing hit rate and significantly increasing skill and magic casting time. It can't be resisted.]

[The shadow of the absolute god that is distorted by malice is dimly cast over everyone. All of the achievements you have built are considered worthless. Your stats and skills from various titles will be sealed. It can't be resisted.]

[The hell moon is under Baal's control. The eyes of the hell moon are looking at you.]

Flash!

A red light descended toward the pale Faker's head. The sky above the earth that could only be felt distantly in the Abyss. It was a ray shot by the hell moon floating there.