Overgeared

'There are no flaws except for the fact that his appearance is slightly inferior to when I was alive.'

Chreshler evaluated Grid. It was the highest praise. The pope was born as a genius, blessed by the Goddess, and praised as the greatest man throughout his entire life, so he had a very high vision. From the perspective of he, who saw even the weaknesses of the only one he loved, Marie Rose, Grid was the first to have no flaws in his abilities.

'He will join with Marie Rose in the capacity of the Blood King… I have no choice but to admit it…'

Yes, he wasn't being deprived of Marie Rose. He was just acknowledging the other person and yielding of his own will. Chreshler comforted himself as if trying to brainwash himself. It was to calm the brain that was burning with passion and to gain a mental victory. Thanks to this, his reluctant feeling gradually improved and his mind cleared. He could see the situation objectively.

'In the first place, Grid is a great god. Even taking into account the powerful beings like the dragons, his status on the surface is comparable to that of the heavenly gods. A man like that joining with Marie Rose… they are qualified to form a union… no, only Grid is qualified.'

If he had known this would be the case, he would've asked for a bigger coffin. Chreshler had no doubt that he would be used as a 'honeymoon room.' To be precise, he was determined to make it happen. He was in the midst of worrying for no reason when he woke up from his thoughts.

-Do you know what a lich fears the most?

"Let's see… is it being unable to dance?"

For Grid, a lich meant Overgeared Skeleton Two. It was the influence of being together for many years. It was the reason why his answer that he gave without much thought violated common sense.

'Is this the humor of this generation?'

No matter how great he was, the difference in time of hundreds of years was too much to bear. Chreshler shrugged it off and continued.

-It is a lack of knowledge. Those who choose to die in order to accumulate knowledge that can't be explored in a short human life are infinitely close to fanatics. If they can gain new knowledge, they will sacrifice their own soul or their flesh and blood. They are the ones who are most afraid of being deprived of the opportunity to study.

"You are saying that they are afraid of death as a result."

-That's right. It is a very unusual case even among the undead. They will never try to fight head on after knowing you have the Divine Wood Coffin. They will be holding their breaths while preparing a trap that can be called a disaster, so you had better be cautious. Don't rush, and move at the speed of Skunk's navigation.

Chreshler's answer came from concern. It was because Grid's speed as he moved without hesitation was too fast. He left behind Skunk, who was searching to see if there were any traps. Putting aside the matter of Marie Rose, it was an attitude that provoked Pope Chreshler, who was prudent and wise.

"Understood." Grid accepted the advice without hesitation. His relaxed heart had softened even more after getting the Divine Wood Coffin.

'I was too excited for a second.'

How could he invite Skunk into the party and then overlook Skunk's role. Dozens of shadows were watching Grid, who was reproaching himself.

""It was just three more steps… Chreshler, that great hero stopped the momentum.""

""The greatest pope of all time… putting aside his cheap words and actions, he is known for being quite cautious…""

""Speaking of which, you were active in Chreshler's time, weren't you, Thick-tipped Staff? What is that great hero's weakness?""

""He is very lazy. It was the period when the Yatan Church was flourishing. The reason why the first pope chose Chreshler as his successor was purely because he appreciated Chreshler's talent. However, Chreshler didn't hone his talent and wasted it. He learned everything at once and used it as it was without making any efforts to refine it. I think he used prudence as an excuse to remember.""

""There is no depth?""

""That's right. His swordsmanship and magic were very ordinary without anything special.""

""How did he manage to win and seal Marie Rose?""

""It was an ingenious application of ordinary swordsmanship and magic. The momentary flash of inspiration was so great that he turned gaps in ordinary techniques into weapons. He was transcendent. Many villains died without even being able to read his ordinary sword.""

""That weakness must've been seen through by the same class of transcendents, right?""

""Yes. However, no one was able to attack him. The other weapon he had was the divine power acquired through the favor of the previous pope and Goddess.""

""Even if they manage to destroy the swordsmanship and magic, they end up being hit by the divine power… it was perfect. If he had many flaws, then he wouldn't have become the hero of an era.""

""Of course, now he has been reduced to a coffin, so he is just a mass of divine power. Even so, he hasn't lost his memory and wisdom from his lifetime. The problem is that Grid is handling that mass of divine power. Based on my knowledge that is insignificant to theirs, I can't think of a way to attack them.""

The identity of the shadows was a group of liches lurking in the darkness. They were called the staff of the Specter here in the No Offspring Tomb. They feared death as Chreshler said. They abandoned humanity and chose eternal life in order to search for knowledge. However, their choices would be reduced to being in vain if the result was death. It was never acceptable.

""As expected of a great god. I can't believe the identity of a simple group is a legendary explorer and the one who sealed Marie Rose…""

It was perfect for a small group. The worries of the liches gradually deepened as they watched Grid's group entering the depths of the labyrinth. The crystal ball was transmitting the location and situation of the intruders in real time, but they didn't have the courage to break into the scene. They simply silently watched as the traps they set up had no effect and were destroyed. At this moment—

"I'll help you."

The woman who had been sitting silently stood up from her seat. Her long, gold dopo dragged across the ground while her feet were floating in the air. She was the only living and breathing being here, but she was also the most mysterious person. She was originally a member of the Peach Blossom Spring. For some reason , she rebelled against the daoist immortals and entrusted herself to the No Offspring Tomb.

The liches were agitated.

""Don't you have the qualifications of a God Killer? If you destroy Grid…""

"My qualification is just a mere fragment. It is far from harming the Only One God with my skills, and the Only One God isn't my enemy."

The daoist immortal Yeo Yulan—she was from the East Continent and once ascended to heaven as a daoist immortal. To be exact, she was called up as a soldier. It was when the Seven Malignant Saints rebelled against the heavenly gods. It was before the world was destroyed once. In other words, Yeo Yulan was a daoist immortal even before Chreshler and Grid were born. She was an extremely rare case of a half-god who honed her swordsmanship and built up divinity.

She couldn't trust the gods. It was because she saw the despicable ways of the gods who falsely framed the seven good people and made them traitors. She had experience of being tormented by the gods who were blinded by greed, started a war, and were expelled.

In the eyes of Yeo Yulan, who was once a human being but was liberated by the dao, the gods were foolish and insignificant. Beings born with transcendence weren't much different from humans living short lives. They were garbage that weren't worth defending and shouldn't exist in the world. This was why Yeo Yulan had been honing her qualifications as a God Killer.

""If you can't do anything to Grid, why are you willing to step forward?""

"I might not be able to do anything about the Only One God, but I can send the others back."

Certainly…

Taking care of either of the two would be a great help to the liches. Dealing with the Divine Wood Coffin would eliminate the worry of the liches about being destroyed, while dealing with the explorer would allow them to lure Grid into a trap. However, the liches showed a reaction that was unwilling.

Yeo Yulan was a guest of honor. The Specter took special care of her. The Specter would be angry if she was put in danger.

"Don't worry, I won't overdo it. I will keep in mind that the Specter is working to resurrect the master of the tomb. Just as I swore in the past, I intend to cooperate thoroughly."

There was the rustling of her dopo and Yeo Yulan's body became blurred. Eventually, it became transparent and seemed to melt into the landscape before disappearing. It was done in a split second. There were no traces of magic power. It was a 'daoist technique' that was uncharted territory even for the liches who had accumulated knowledge for hundreds of years.

***

"Did we really finish it off this time?"

"…Pon, are you doing this on purpose?"

It was after entering the No Offspring Tomb. Except for Grid and Skunk, the Overgeared members split into a total of 10 squads. The average number of people in each squad was 400. It was a scale that made one realize the enormous power of the Overgeared members.

However, they faced a crisis from the beginning.

The evil gods—they faced gods as an enemy. They were just fakes 'portrayed by the divine statues,' but it was clear that they used divinity as a weapon. They were more powerful than any boss monster the Overgeared members had raided before. To be honest, quite a few people were frustrated.

Unexpectedly, all 10 squads safely broke through the gates. The 8th National Competition had been reduced to an 'Overgeared Guild open audition' thanks to Lauel's subtle publicity, and these days, it was causing a stir in the world. In other words, a considerable amount of time had passed since the Great Human and Demon War.

The faces representing the Overgeared Guild had become stronger than the members predicted. However, there was no room for joy. Each squad immediately faced a new ordeal.

"Look, they are resurrected again."

"Is this my fault?"

The undead who were resurrected even when killed—unlike the death knights and liches, they took the form of a 'human' and were incredibly powerful. Apart from their unfamiliar names, they must've been transcendents when alive.

"It is the third resurrection and there are no signs of weakening."

"28 people died in the fight just now. Let's build defenses and buy time to analyze the patterns."

Despite the large number of casualties, there was no opinion to retreat and reorganize. It was thanks to the Tomb of the Gods. Was it because it was treated as 'land'? Surprisingly, there was a resurrection point on the Tomb of the Gods. The deceased Overgeared members were resurrected at the Tomb of the Gods.

This meant they could rejoin the scene within 15 minutes at the latest. The undead that resurrected again even after dying? If it came to endurance, their side wouldn't be pushed either. The squad led by Jishuka and Ruby had the upper hand when it came to sustainability.

"Wait! I have no health!"

Only the squad led by Vantner was experiencing a crisis. Vantner played the role of a tank, so he drew the aggro very well. His brilliant head dazzled the enemy over and over again. Vantner took on the enemy fire virtually alone and quickly ran out of health even with the support of his colleagues. In the first fight, they killed the enemy more easily than any other squad. Then as time went on, the situation became worse.

"That is why I told you to bring Ruby! Do you think there will be a problem with your pride?"

"That isn't it. It is right to yield the Saintess to Regas, who only has the 3rd class advancement… Gasp! I'm going to die!"

"That is true, but… I'm really going crazy."

The moment the tankers failed to defend the front line and started to step back, the overall balance was destroyed. The undead's wide-area attacks broke into the collapsed formation, swept through the members, and tried to turn the tide. It was such a big crisis that it was decided that it was necessary to retreat for a while.

Just then, an unknown entity appeared out of thin air. It was a beautiful, young woman in a fluttering golden dopo. She held a thin longsword in one hand and several amulets in the other.

'…I went the wrong way again.'

The daoist immortal Yeo Yulan had been in the No Offspring Tomb for nearly 200 years, but she couldn't grasp the structure of the No Offspring Tomb. The labyrinth was too huge and dangerous to roam alone. Even so, it was impossible for her to ask the skeletons for guidance.

Coincidentally, the liches had great fantasies about daoist immortals. They secretly worshiped the person who penetrated through all creation and ascended to heaven. Asking them for directions? It was a very difficult task due to the personality of the daoist immortal.

"Who…?"

She spoke to the Overgeared members who were uneasy, "I admire you, who strive for humanity."

Yeo Yulan scattered the amulets. The amulet containing her power restored the health and healed the wounds of the tired Overgeared members, and exerted the tremendous effect of raising the level of 'all skills' learned by one step.

"Uh…?"

The Overgeared members were surprised when words such as 'daoist immortal' and 'daoist technique' appeared in the buff description for the first time and they noticed the identity of Yeo Yulan. However, she had already disappeared. Soon, she appeared in another labyrinth and her vision was filled with other Overgeared members.

'…Is it fate?'

Yeo Yulan didn't realize that she was someone who was bad at directions.

A daoist immortal—she was too great to admit that she was bad with directions. Therefore, every time she encountered the Overgeared members, she talked about fate and connections and scattered amulets on them. Thanks to this, each Overgeared squad gained great strength without understanding the reason.

A long time passed.

-That woman is the same as me.

Yeo Yulan barely managed to appear in front of Grid's group and Chreshler gave her a rave evaluation. It was because she avoided Grid's attacks several times with movements that were difficult to imagine.

Chreshler saw instantly that Yeo Yulan was someone with the same level of talent as himself.

"You are rude from the beginning."

For some reason, Yeo Yulan expressed her displeasure. Her attitude of glancing into Grid's eyes and speaking politely in the meantime was unique.

'She is like Chreshler?'

Was this saying that she was really crazy? Grid's face became gloomy.

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