Overgeared

In the distant past…

A new lord was appointed to the town of a certain kingdom. He was a very greedy man. He used every excuse to impose harsh tax rates and hard labor on the people. The higher the walls and spires of the manor, the more impoverished the people's lives became.

Of course, the people didn't just sit idly by and watch. They sent an appeal to the king while listing the lord's guilt. However, the kingdom didn't help them. It was because the lord was justified in raising the tax rate. The inspector dispatched just in case took the bribery money from the lord and ignored the hardships of the people. He praised the contribution of the lord for building high walls to prevent the invasion of the different species.

After the inspector left, the lord resented the people.

Why did you, who should be loyal and obedient to me, betray me?

He trembled with a sense of betrayal and harbored hostility toward the people. From then on, there were people suffering from starvation. More and more people fell ill and died because they couldn't eat well.

It was Lars who saved them. The people who lost their lives after meeting the wrong lord—the boy took pity on them and used his extraordinary brain and his father's power to help the people. Embankments were built in exquisite locations and large-scale fishing was done to give food to the people.

He didn't raise his father's suspicions. He explained that the embankments were built because he wanted to monopolize the big lake. There was no interference from the lord. It was because his father was the lord.

The boy, who was the son of the vicious lord, used the heart and power of his father who loved him to help the people. The hunger of the people was quenched due to the boy.

Then an accident happened. The lord's eyes turned when he learned the use of the lake his son had created. He released poison into the lake. Dead fish floated on the blackened lake. The number of dead fish was so great that it was almost impossible to see the water's surface. The only thing visible was the bellies of the fishes. The people lamented and the boy despaired.

"Why are you doing this when you should be their parent?"

The boy yelled at his father for the first time since he was born and threw himself into the lake. It was after chewing herbs that purified water only when mixed with human blood. The son's resentment and curse that he would blame his father even in death if he took the lake away from the people lingered forever in the lord's ears.

On this day, the lake turned black and then returned to blue.

The boy died. It was only when he died that he became a god. It was a rare case among the human gods. However, the boy didn't know about his own death. The complicated memories of being reborn with the aspirations of human beings made him forget about death.

"You… who are you?"

The boy who spilled water, not blood, from his wounds—Lars, the god of fishing, barely managed to come to his senses and asked. He seemed unfamiliar with Grid's group, who were looking at him with sad expressions. It was different from Debirion, who vaguely guessed Grid's identity. He seemed to be ignorant of the world since he had been living in rivers and lakes.

"I am called the Overgeared God."

"Over… geared God."

"Like you, he is a god born from the aspirations of human beings and the emperor of a great empire. He is the one who has been protecting and caring for human beings from various positions."

"I never cared for people."

Grid looked serious at Garion's words. He took care of people? He might have a lot of experience fighting to protect someone, but the expression that he cared for them wasn't right. They were words that he didn't dare to bear.

His face was about to explode with embarrassment.

Lars saw Grid's reaction and smiled. "You are the master of the divine world that was born not long ago. I heard the news often through the mouths of fishermen. You are a very wonderful person… additionally, you are the benefactor who saved me. You must've come to me for some purpose. If there is anything I can do to help, I will do it if I can."

It was just after witnessing the monster in the darkness. It was a monster that formed a bizarre shape by attaching the bones of human gods to its own bones. Lars was convinced. He would never forget the horror of that moment even in death. He assured himself that even if he fought the demons of hell, he wouldn't be more afraid than of that monster who would chew on his body.

Yet right now, the fear was gone. His trembling body calmed down like it was a lie. It was due to the warmth of Grid's divinity that stained the land and lake with the color of the sunset.

Lars, who was rescued by Grid just before being dragged away to the No Offspring Tomb, accurately measured Grid's level. He was very strong. He even had a humble and wholesome demeanor.

Lars wanted to rely on this person. The moment that Lars' instinct harbored this faint wish…

"Be a part of our family." Grid brought up why he was here. "I hope you can live with us in the Overgeared World."

It was a polite request without the slightest hint of coercion from the strong. Moreover, Lars had been lonely and anxious for a long time. He felt the attraction in his heart. However, there was a catch. "The meaning of my existence is blurred when there are no fish. In the first place, I have no power. I wonder if I am worthy to stay in your world…"

The divine world that was recently born was very small. There was no possibility of a lake or a river. Even if there was a river, Lars was a weak god. All he could do was help people catch fish. Was there any use for him?

"Just you being with us will help us a lot. In essence, the more gods that stay in the divine world, the bigger it gets. Additionally, you are a god who symbolizes abundance in a small way. It will be good for the people as well," Garion explained to Lars, who was doubting himself.

Debirion, the god of hunting, and Lars, the god of fishing—their essence lay in helping people living in poverty. It would be a good match if they were together. They would enrich the people entering and leaving the Overgeared World. These people would feel grateful and worship the gods even more.

It meant that a beneficial cycle was completed. Of course, Garion was aware of the need for lakes and rivers, but this wasn't something to worry about. Garion was the god of the earth and Piaro was among the apostles of the Overgeared God. It was easy to create lakes or rivers in the Overgeared World if the two of them joined forces.

"I will join you if that is the case." Lars happily nodded.

[The god of fishing, 'Lars,' has become a member of the Overgeared World.]

[The level of the Overgeared World has risen by 1 due to recruiting a new god.]

[If you build a temple for Lars in the Overgeared World, the scale of the Overgeared World will be slightly expanded.]

[The god of hunting, Debirion, and the god of fishing, Lars, have activated the 'Gods of Abundance (1)' effect.]

[If a friendly being visits the Overgeared Empire, they will receive buffs that increase the experience rate, decrease the penalty of an empty stomach, increase movement speed in forests, and increase the time of dives.]

'That's it.'

It was a good start. Grid inwardly exclaimed with joy, but he couldn't smile. He was worried about the specter he encountered at the No Offspring Tomb, which could be seen through the space that the liches had distorted. He was stronger and more evil than Grid expected.

Pure evil. It felt similar to Baal.

'The range of activity of such a being is larger than expected…'

There were likely to be repercussions if he left the other being alone. However, there was a part of Grid that was reluctant to subdue him prematurely. The biggest problem was that the size of the No Offpring Tomb was very large.

The largest dungeon in Satisfy—the No Offspring Tomb was large enough to be called that. From the outside, it looked like a forest and a mountain, but it hadn't been discovered in many years. The scale was huge so it was unknown how many traps and trials were lurking. It would take a very long time to reach the specter. Additionally, there was a high probability that the executives he encountered along the way were likely to be at the level of super named beasts.

It would be unreasonable for Grid to defeat them alone. An attack was only possible if the apostles were mobilized. However, he couldn't afford to invest in attacking the No Offspring Tomb right now. Resources had to be conserved.

One example was the potions. The potions made at Reidan's alchemy facility, which had been repaired after it was destroyed, were being stockpiled for the Baal raid. It wasn't right to consume them at the No Offspring Tomb.

'No, that isn't it.'

Suppose he used all the resources he had prepared on a raid of the No Offspring Tomb. He couldn't estimate the losses if the attack failed, but if it succeeded, the gains would be far greater than the losses. Grid and the apostles would level up significantly and powerful items would be acquired in large quantities.

'Let's adjust the schedule.'

In any case, the hell expedition needed a bit more time. Grid decided it was better to postpone the Baal raid until the average level of Overgeared One reached 500.

Just then, Garion realized Grid's thoughts and gave him advice. "It is better not to touch the No Offspring Tomb."

"Is the specter that strong?"

"The specter being strong is a secondary problem. Think about the nature of the specter."

"The nature of the specter? Isn't it a myth predator?"

"No. That is just an additional role. Why is the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb the specter of the No Offspring Tomb? It is because it doesn't leave the No Offspring Tomb, but why doesn't it leave it?"

"To protect the No Offspring Tomb… Ah."

Grid realized the essence of the specter. It was the guardian of the No Offspring Tomb. Despite hunting many human gods, it had never left the No Offspring Tomb. At first glance, it resembled the Mountain King of Grenier, but there were obvious differences. The Grenier guarded by the Mountain King was simply a mountain, whereas the No Offspring Tomb was someone's tomb.

Why did the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb protect someone's tomb? Wasn't it because the owner of the tomb wanted it?

The problem arose at this point.

"You might provoke the owner of the No Offspring Tomb if you harm the specter."

"What is the true identity of the owner of the No Offspring Tomb?"

"I don't know."

"You… don't know?"

The No Offspring Tomb was a tomb built on the ground. Yet Garion, the god of the earth, didn't know the true nature of the No Offspring Tomb?

Grid was baffled and a bitter smile crossed Garion's beautiful face. "Yes, as you know, my authority isn't absolute. The reason I took care of the land was because my mother wanted it and she had the right to control me. From my perspective, the No Offspring Tomb was something that popped up out of nowhere. The being who made the No Offspring Tomb is probably Mother or a being comparable to Mother."

This was why she believed that the No Offspring Tomb shouldn't be touched recklessly. There was something ominous lurking there.

Grid saw Garion's deep concern and struggled to shift his attention.

'I don't have to worry about the No Offspring Tomb right now.'

He was in the process of recruiting human gods. It was also time for Xenon's loot to arrive. There was a lot of work to be done.

"Let's return first." There was a large fountain at the point where the temples of Grid, Garion, and Debirion, which were next to each other in the Overgeared World, were facing. How about changing that part into a lake and building Lars' temple there?

Grid thought about it and pulled out a return scroll.

At the same time…

"Do you have an estranged relationship with your parents?"

"Why are you suddenly asking that now?"

"Professor, I heard you have two brothers born at the same time as you."

In the real world, Huroi was causing a social ripple.

"I think your parents are definitely great people because they predicted that an ill-bred fellow would be among their children and gave birth to three at the same time. I need to connect you with a writer I know well to publish a book about great people."

It was because he strongly criticized the panelist who argued that the seasonal system should be introduced in Satisfy. The debater's recklessness in saying it was fine to reset the NPCs provoked Huroi…