Overgeared

The secret to the growth of the Sword Saint—it was precious.

"Excuse me, Kraugel. Do you know who the owner of this field is?"

The yangbans became very interested in agriculture and asked politely. It was a great development when looking back at their unique way of speaking, where their sense of 'being the chosen people' was expressed in every word.

'I was told there was a possibility that the yangbans could become part of the Overgeared World…'

The details of Grid's newly written Yellow Dragon myth were also passed onto Kraugel, so he treated the yangbans who crossed the sea and arrived here neutrally without being vigilant.

"The owner is naturally Grid."

"Gasp… Ah, um… I see… We asked a stupid question…"

"If you want to meet the person in charge, go to the man who is eating rainbow colored potatoes."

"……?"

…Rainbow colored potatoes? Was he unable to forget the love and hate of the past and treating them as hillbillies?

Some yangbans who had been admiring the high walls of Reinhardt frowned, but a woman who appeared to be their representative bowed.

"Thank you. If we can have good experiences from today onwards, it will be due to your help."

"It is thanks to Grid who decided to accept you."

Kraugel was flustered when the yangbans decided to become farmers. Of course, he didn't show it on the outside. He believed that Lauel would be able to solve it very well. In the first place, it was scientifically proven that the experience of farming was a great help to people. Outstanding figures such as Kraugel, Damian, and Hurent were the evidence.

Finally, the yangbans who had a strange war of nerves with Cabelon left. Skunk, who had been watching the unrealistic scene, belatedly came to his senses and spoke, "Haha… Shall we go?"

He had traveled all over the continent as an adventurer so he knew what the yangbans were.

The half-gods who dreamed of becoming gods. He couldn't help feeling deeply moved by the sight of them trying to become farmers of the Overgeared Empire.

***

A few days passed.

Chris and his party left for the No Offspring Tomb and had completely settled down. They were quick to adapt because only excellent aces were gathered. They easily destroyed the forces of the No Offspring Tomb, who went out to hunt half-gods several times. Some people even suggested that it was okay to enter the No Offspring Tomb with this level of power.

It was Chris' opinion. The group's combat capabilities had been amplified more than expected because Red Sage Haster was a buffer beyond expectations. Even if they entered the No Offspring Tomb, they would be able to carry out slaughter and scouting missions with sufficient sustainability.

Yet as usual, Hurent was too cautious.

"Didn't that man called Cabelon say it? The swords and staffs with modifiers like 'big' or 'long' are said to have an equal level of skill as him. Based on the rumor that Cabelon had a brief clash with Kraugel, I don't think we can handle it…"

"Certainly. One or two might be different, but it will be hard to handle a lot of them."

"I think differently. Once the four of us join forces, our power will surpass Kraugel. I think we are being more cautious than necessary. In the first place, are super named NPCs as powerful as Muller's disciple common? It is even among the undead? No matter how much I think about it, I don't think there will be more than a few."

"Chris, I know that you have great pride in your skills. I can understand it. However, didn't that 'soul' tell you that the world is very wide? Things can go wrong if you work on an uncertain basis. Our original mission is to keep track of the trends in the No Offspring Tomb while increasing our growth. We don't have to take any risks."

"Zibal is right. If we enter the No Offspring Tomb and suffer losses due to death, or if we increase the vigilance of the No Offspring Tomb, we won't be able to perform our original task properly."

"No, what… why are you guys so careful…?"

Chris had no intention of criticizing Zibal and Hurent's cautious attitude, but he didn't understand it.

The best players—the passive appearance of the two men, who were previously rumored for their arrogance, was unfamiliar. Among them, he knew that Hurent had been having a difficult time for a while. There was a time when his self-esteem fell to the bottom.

However, Zibal was different. He had been on an elite course from start to finish. The 2nd in the unified rankings, the head of the Seven Guild, he earned a hidden class, served the emperor of the Saharan Empire, and gained the power of the seven evils after defending Zik. He even had the nickname 'American Hero' thanks to his tremendous performance. He always had a confident expression and shiny teeth, so it was hard to understand his passive attitude.

"That…"

Zibal and Hurent exchanged looks. Then they sighed and spoke as if confessing.

"I had to be cautious after being hit by Grid a few times.

"I can't become puffed up just because I am strong now. Activities shouldn't be spontaneous. They should unconditionally be planned."

"……"

Haster nodded silently in agreement with them and Chris fully sympathized with their feelings. It was because he also had a history of being hit by Grid. It was just that this wasn't a gathering of victims. It was too depressing…

-…Lauel, send Jishuka here once her quest is over.

***

"As expected. I am seeing things that I've never seen before."

Muller's tomb—the low stone walls surrounding the empty tomb were carved with patterns of the sun and clouds. Only the stone wall in the center was the sun. All the stone walls that circled it were the clouds.

"The clouds are interpreted to be the great demons that Muller sealed, or chaos, and the sun is the light that ended the chaos, in other words, Muller…"

A large tombstone was erected in this tomb. It was the tomb of Sword Saint Muller. There were few reasons to not believe it.

Until just last year, Muller's death was accepted as a predetermined fact and high quality sword energy formed a barrier to preserve the tomb. They naturally thought it was Muller's tomb.

"Now that I see it, the sun is Muller, but the clouds are closer to the meaning of covering Muller. Considering the pattern of the stone walls, the orientation of the stone statues facing the stone wall, the meaning of the types of animals, and the significance of the number of claws, it is likely that this is a ceremonial space to 'treat' Muller as a dead person."

There were parts that Skunk hadn't seen in the past.

This meant that Skunk had also grown. He was already the best adventurer, but he felt rewarded that he had worked tirelessly.

"Treating him as a dead person…"'

Kraugel's expression sharply darkened. This fueled Lauel's hypothesis. Was this really a facility that Pagma created to turn Muller into an undead?

'How much more would he have regretted it?'

Pagma's end was lonely and miserable. It was a life full of regrets. Was there really a happy moment for him, who sacrificed too much to save the world? Kraugel felt great pity as he remembered Pagma's life, which he indirectly glimpsed while on a quest related to Muller.

The Sword Saint—a hero's profession that had saved the world from generation to generation. Kraugel was a man who was obliged to reflect on the world as deeply as Grid, who started as Pagma's Successor. It was much later than Grid, but he had been steadily working for peace and would continue to do so. It was unlike Muller and Pagma.

Kraugel's ideal was naturally the way of Grid. Therefore, he had always secretly followed after Grid.

"……"

Kraugel had been thinking for a while, only to suddenly frown.

[The sky guides you.]

A divine message to damage the Overgeared God Church or Overgeared Empire—it was a quest that had been appearing repeatedly for weeks. There were few people who responded to it because they liked or were afraid of the Overgeared Guild. Yet the quest that resurfaced no matter how much they refused aroused people's curiosity.

Even if they wondered why they were doing this, the number of people participating in the quest was gradually increasing. Of course, the damage they inflicted on the Overgeared Empire or Overgeared God Church was minimal and most of the time, it was only a joke.

Nevertheless, everything was only difficult the first time. It was necessary to be wary of the fact that a person who participated in the quest once would participate in it two or three times. It was also common for something that was initially a prank to not be a prank.

"……?"

It was around the time when Cabelon and Skunk were having an in-depth conversation…

Cabelon reacted sensitively to the fact that there was a 'three-legged crow' among the stone statues looking at the stone wall.

Kraugel was frowning when he suddenly cocked his head. It was due to the whisper from Lauel.

-The followers of the Martial God have started to move.

Originally, the followers of the Martial God existed everywhere on the continent. For a time, most of his followers were deceived by Muller's secret technique and crossed over to the East Continent. They were blocked by Ares' army and couldn't easily cross the sea.

Now a large number of followers started to spread inside the West Continent. It was as if they had been newly born. It was said they were all moving in the same direction and forming a huge procession all over the place.

They shouted slogans that the Martial God and the gods who followed him would soon come.

-The gods who follow the martial god?I heard through Grid that the Martial God was going to descend, but he won't be alone?

-It seems intended to be wary of the apostles, while aiming for the trinity.It was only after he returned to heaven that he learned about the performance of Grid and the apostles.Of course, this is my one-sided interpretation and I don't really know the truth. He might be seriously thinking of destroying the Overgeared World.

Zeratul destroying the Overgeared World? There was no need to discuss whether it was possible or impossible. It was a reality that was going to happen anyway. The results would come out then. In any case, Kraugel's mind was very uncomfortable.

-Another great war…

How many people will die?

Kraugel lamented when he recalled the pain of the Great Human and Demon War, but Lauel's voice was relatively bright.

-There won't be a large-scale war.The thing Zeratul wants isn't to harm humans, but to create witnesses.Based on the way his followers are shouting 'witness the holy war at the temple', he seems to be planning the confrontation in a limited area.

-…I'm glad to hear that.

-This is His Majesty's message.If the number of gods that accompanies Zeratul exceeds eight, then he asks for Kraugel to join the confrontation.

-Me…?

-Unfortunately, Nefelina still has weak combat abilities.His Majesty wants you to fill her place.He contacted you separately this morning, but you didn't answer.

-Ah, my mother was preparing a meal and I was trying to stop her.By the way, isn't it better to ask the tower members than me?They will be more helpful than me.

-It is embarrassing to borrow the tower's help because the large-scale descent of the gods might provoke the dragons.Zeratul can also use it as an excuse if he loses…more than anything else.

Lauel paused for a moment before conveying Grid's meaning.

-His Majesty wants Kraugel.You aren't satisfied with the present, right?

There was a fact that should always be kept in mind. The role of the tower members is completely different from ordinary people. The habit of relying on them should be abandoned.

In the first place, the growth of players for whom 'dying is okay' was more important. One of the most powerful players right now was Kraugel. It might be difficult for him to fight against a god and win, but he had the qualifications to be a good match for a while and build a source of worship.

-Cut down the gods in front of all those watching.

The one who wielded Twilight like Grid—the moment had come for him to prove his qualifications. On this occasion, Euphemina was also going to show off her combat abilities. It was because if the number of descending gods was more than eight, there must be at least nine. It was a number that took into account the trinity.