by Park Saenal
The board of directors were relieved. They were glad that it wouldn’t ruin the game. However, it was unfortunate from Grid’s standpoint. It would be impossible to multiply Greed as much as possible. The directors watched the monitor with complicated hearts and soon realized how much they had underestimated Grid.
Contrary to everyone’s concerns, Grid already prevented excessive proliferation by separating Greed once it multiplied, making it a separate item. Chairman Lim Cheolho smiled warmly. “Grid knows better than anyone.”
The dangers of proliferation…
Grid knew he had to be alert and manage himself because he could always put Satisfy in jeopardy.
***
“Guruk. Gruruk. Thank you. Human. Guruk! You are the savior of our tribe! You deserve to be a part of the tribe! Kuruk!!”
[Hidden Quest ★Support the Twilight Orcs ★ has been cleared.]
[Affinity with the twilight species has increased by 20 from the quest reward.]
[Your have gained one level from the quest reward.]
[It is now possible to change your race from a human to a twilight orc.]
[Changing your race to a twilight orc will allow you to communicate with all orcs and you will have the authority to control some orcs.]
[The rise in strength and stamina will increase attack power and health by 1.8 times while the magic attack power and mana increased by the intelligence stat will be reduced by 2 times. Depending on the intelligence level, the ‘shaman’ talent might be given.]
[You will be able to choose a new class.]
[Once you change race, you can’t change it twice.]
[Do you want to change your race?]
Orcs were one of the most common monsters on the West Continent. There were many tribes and many of them were low-level tribes, so they were recognized as low-level monsters. However, was this true? They had language skills, excellent physical skills, could make and use tools in a crude way, knew necromancy, and so on.
In fact, orcs were more intelligent, capable, and talented than many monsters. In particular, the superior orc tribes showed surprising strength. Didn’t Baal’s Contractor Agnus make a death knight from an orc warrior?
“Attack power and health increased by 1.8 times?”
The twilight orcs were the strongest and most honorable tribes among the countless orc tribes. Not only did they have high intelligence and skills, but their physical abilities completely surpassed those of the human species. They could understand human language and had their own blacksmiths.
The only downside was that their magic power was weak. A double reduction in magic attack power and mana meant it was hard to rely on skills or magic. Still, there were many types of players in Satisfy. Many preferred classes that used basic attacks rather than skills while others were interested in shamanism. There were also many who were attracted to the orc’s vicious appearance. Of course, there were people who just refused mediocrity.
“Me, I’ll be an orc.”
“I want to be an orc!”
“Guruk. Gruruk. An excellent choice.”
The twilight orcs were one of the original different species that weakened the power of the Saharan Empire, causing the empire to establish barriers to prevent this ferocious species from entering the continent. The vicious clan, that had killed countless soldiers and knights of the empire, started to move beyond the fallen barriers when Basara rose to the throne. One of their desires was to absorb players and quickly expand their power.
It was the construction of a country. Naturally, a sacrificial lamb was needed.
“Guruk! Gruruk. Forward! Advance! Fertile territory and the hot sun don’t only belong to humans! Guruk! We! Tell the humans! Gruruk!”
The territory of the Violet Kingdom started to be captured by the green monsters.
***
“Reconciliation? Kukuk, why?”
“…”
The reason why the single digit Red Knights often left the capital was due to confronting the half draconians. They were a rare hunting nation. The half draconian militants who lived in the mountains without huts were incredible. They hunted monsters and beasts for fun and not just for survival. There were only a few hundred of them, but in the last hundred years, the empire invested a lot of power to stop them. Fighting one half draconian consumed twice as much power as fighting 100 minorities.
Basara was forced to pay great attention to them. The moment she was crowned, one of the first things she did was to send an envoy to the half draconians. Basara sent a marquis and offered reconciliation. She presented a brilliant future to the half draconians, even at the risk of losing money.
This was the half draconians’ reaction, “We fight you is because it is fun. Why should we reconcile? I’m not an idiot who would get rid of entertainment myself.”
“How rude…!”
Marquis Borell was one of the 10 great magicians on the continent and a representative of the empire along with five great swordsman knights. As a marquis of the great empire and a great magician, he was angered by the attitude of the half draconians. He wanted to summon a flame and blow away the head of the young man in front of him.
However, he refrained from doing so. He knew the will of the new empress and endured it. That was the problem.
“Sir!”
Concentration was required to control his runaway magic power. The half draconian didn’t miss this chance to cut his neck.
“Disgraceful bastard!”
“How dare you do that to the marquis?!”
The knights pulled out their swords with bloodshot eyes but couldn’t wield them. They suddenly realized that they were surrounded by dozens of half draconians. It was a dog’s death. The head of Marquis Borell flew over to the knights who quickly lost the battle.
“Go home and deliver this message. You’re going to have to keep playing with us. Kukuk! Kuhahahat!”
“…”
The new empire’s desire for unity with everyone would never be easy. All sorts of problems struck the empire. It was the karma of ruling by force.
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Chapter 1090
“Umm…”
Shin Youngwoo, a great existence of the world, had fallen into a lifelong agony. He wanted to eat lettuce wraps in the morning, but as soon as it was time to eat, he opened the lid of a can of tuna because it was troublesome to wash the important lettuce.
‘Don’t wash it and just eat it.’
The development of science and technology had made humanity indolent.
“Thanks to organic pesticides developed by the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, academia made a thesis that vegetables don’t need to be washed before being eaten these days. Even so, there is the possibility of chewing some soil. However, for convenience, it is a modern person’s attitude that it is necessary to chew a bit of dirt. Shin Youngwoo, a modern man who has never been out of fashion, doesn’t need to wash lettuce before eating…”
Mutter mutter.
Shin Youngwoo, who was trying to hypnotize himself to eat a meal of unwashed lettuce, suddenly stopped acting. He ran straight to the sink and cleaned dozens of lettuce leaves.
‘I can’t do this.’
Maybe it was because he was putting all his energy into Satisfy, but he had been wishing for a normal life ever since.
‘I will get used to the convenience of postponing everything and become lazy. Let’s clean them once and eat.’
“Yum yum. Lick lick.”
The legendary blacksmith, master of the Overgeared Guild, and king of the Overgeared Kingdom—Shin Youngwoo was a person who could target a global conglomerate. Why did he eat a simple meal every time and do the housework in a 10,000-won shirt? He did so because it was naturally nice and comfortable.
The meal? Youngwoo had grown up in a difficult environment, so his tastes were very ordinary. He preferred to eat canned tuna wrapped in lettuce than the best tuna sashimi.
A desire to show off?
There was no reason to put on airs because he already had enough experience. In the first place, everyone in the world knew Youngwoo. Youngwoo himself was a luxury, so he didn’t have to be covered with luxurious items.
A housekeeper? They were just household chores, so he could do them himself. His sister Sehee also helped most of the time.
“Okay, it is perfect.” Youngwoo’s face was refreshed after finishing the meal. He organized his mind during the process of washing dishes and cleaning up. “I have decided.”
What was the first item to be crafted with the multiplied Greed? He thought about it and came to the conclusion of ‘shoes.’
Braham’s Boots—he had been wearing them for a long time. It was more than 10 years in Satisfy time. Of course, he had made and used Grid’s Boots in the middle of that period of time, but the utility of the ‘Fly’ magic belonging to Braham’s Boots was so good that Grid’s Boots lost their priority.
‘Braham’s Boots are obviously the best item, but the basic performance and level limit are too low. I actually should’ve changed them earlier.’
He knew this but couldn’t change them because of Fly. Being able to fly in the sky meant being free from the constraints of terrain, so it was very attractive. Only a handful of great magicians could make a replacement for Youngwoo.
Things were different now. He could make it with Greed. It was because the default option of Greed was ‘flying.’ Of course, it would be different from using Fly, but it would satisfy most of his regret to combine ‘flying’ with his Dragon Wings.
‘It would’ve been nice if I could’ve attached a spell or skill to the black mithril.’
He gained a large quantity of black mithril thanks to Basara’s support. In the process of experimenting, Youngwoo had grasped one thing that was a disappointment. Black mithril had the nature of absorbing all types of properties, but it didn’t absorb spells or skills. Well, he had few expectations in the first place. Properties and magic were separate concepts. In any case, it was only a bit disappointing.
‘That’s it. It is enough just to absorb all properties. It would be too greedy to want more.’
Greedy was right. It was unconscionable to want Greed to have more fraudulent options when it was already on the level of destroying the balance. He was almost like a crook.
“Now, let’s go.”
After 200 push-ups and a shower in cold water, Youngwoo lay down in the capsule. It was time for him to become Overgeared King Grid.
***
Shortly after Grid connected to Satisfy…
“The Violet Kingdom has sent an envoy to all nations, including ours. They are proposing the formation of an allied army,” Lauel came to the smithy and reported.
Grid cocked his head. “Allied? Is it because of the orcs?”
Grid naturally knew about the recently launched different species episode. The twilight orcs’ invasion of the Violet Kingdom was ongoing, and he heard that the Violet Kingdom was in great trouble.
“What is this allied army that they are asking for? They just don’t want to receive any damage in the meantime, right?” Grid said.
Asking for reinforcements from another country was a major loss. Not only did it mean paying a reasonable price, but it also meant they would one day have to repay the grace.
The Violet Kingdom didn’t want to pay the price even in this moment of crisis, so they tried their luck with an allied army.
“This is what the Violet Kingdom claims: the orcs won’t be satisfied with conquering the Violet Kingdom, and they are likely to invade other kingdoms. The orcs’ breeding power is so great that as soon as they have the boundaries of a nation, the population will skyrocket and they will covet more territory. Before the orcs are reborn as the biggest enemy of humanity, we must join forces to confront them.”
“It makes sense. Didn’t you say there is a growing number of players changing to the orc race? It’s definitely dangerous. Still, I don’t know,” Grid said. Then he had a question, “If the orcs are such a belligerent and menacing race, why did the empire liberate them?”
There might be the policy of unity, but there was still a degree of moderation.
If the orcs were violent enough to threaten all of humanity as the Violet Kingdom claimed, Basara wouldn’t have liberated them. The empire must have a good understanding of the orc species.
Lauel showed a happy expression. He was impressed by Grid’s development and nodded. “You are correct. The empire’s liberation of the orcs proves there is a loophole in the Violet Kingdom’s claims. Other countries also know this, so there will be no alliance.”
“Instead, a few kingdoms will send troops in return for payment?”
“Yes, it is a good chance.”
“So, this is the reason you came to me. Will the cornered Violet Kingdom abandon its pride and ask for reinforcements?”
“Did you take the wrong medicine today? Why are you so quick to understand the conversation today when normally I need to tell you two or three times?”
“I washed the lettuce and ate it.”
“…?”
“Hum hum. In any case, I am against it.”
“What is the reason?”
“I still can’t forget what the Violet envoy said at the founding ceremony. Birum? He was killed by Asmophel.”
“It must’ve been Baron Biz.”
“Yes, that guy. The Violet Kingdom didn’t apologize for his rudeness after the incident but rather demanded an apology and reparations. A few months ago, Euphemina proved Agnus’ innocence and asked them to release him, but they didn’t admit it. They’re really bad guys.”
“Is it a type of retaliation to not send troops?”
“Of course. To add another reason, I think we shouldn’t miss the opportunity to exhaust the military power of other countries.”
The twilight orcs weren’t easy opponents, especially with players joining. All nations sending forces to the Violet Kingdom would suffer great damage. This was a very good opportunity for the Overgeared Kingdom, which had to consider expanding its territory to cope with the growing population.
Lauel laughed. “You added a much more reasonable reason.”
A conquest war…
In this regard, Lauel was worried that Grid might harbor negative thoughts. Fortunately, Grid had ambitions. The reason why Grid didn’t cross the empire was that it was a huge force they couldn’t afford to absorb. Expanding the Overgeared Kingdom to a manageable level was what Grid desired as well.
“Are you finally creating a new item?” Lauel relieved the burden in his heart and showed interest in what Grid was doing. This was because Grid pulled out a Greed that was roughly in the form of a sword to suppress its proliferation property.
“Yes, I need something new in order to walk on a flower path.”
“I want to watch from the side as you work…” Lauel meant it with all his heart.
Grid’s essence was his immersion in blacksmithing work. He gave off a huge magic power when he sweated in front of a furnace. Grid’s challenging atmosphere and enthusiasm inspired the watchers, and his patience and concentration motivated them. There was a reason the smithy was always packed when Grid was working. Those who saw Grid fight acknowledged him, but those who saw him as a blacksmith admired him.
“You are so busy. Do you have time to watch? I’m really sorry and thankful to you all the time. I’ll share the information with you first when I complete the item.”
“Yes, I will look forward to the time when we roam the galaxy until our fate is decided. Kukukuk.”
Grid shook off the goosebumps and gave an order, “Go quickly.”
On the way back to the palace after being kicked out of the smithy, Lauel had an exhilarated expression on his face. ‘I’m really looking forward to it.’
The mineral was so full of fraudulent options that there was bound to be some side effects. What items would Grid create with Greed?
‘It will be great. Even so, no matte
r how good the performance, it can’t completely replace Braham’s Boots.’
Fly was really special magic. There were few drawbacks other than the fact that it continued to consume mana when cast. The advantages were enormous in many ways. For Grid who had ridiculously high mana and defense, there were no shoes as good as Braham’s Boots. Lauel predicted that no matter how fraudulent Grid’s item, the value of Braham’s Boots would still be preserved.
Three days later…
“Kuooh.”
As usual, Lauel was buried in a pile of papers in the morning, and he stretched out.
-It is finished.
The tired Grid’s whisper flew in, and Lauel’s prediction was shattered.
[Player ‘Grid’ wishes to share the information of Arrogant Blue Dragon’s Boots.]
“…?” Lauel’s mouth dropped open as he saw the details of the boots.
[Arrogant Blue Dragon’s Boots]
[Rating: Myth
Durability: Infinite Defense: 1,030
* Movement speed +10%.
* Evasion +15%.
* Lightning attribute resistance +40%.
* Dark attribute resistance +40%.
* Attack speed +30% when attacking with the lower body.
* When attacking with the lower body, there is a high chance of triggering ‘Crush.’
* When hit in the lower body, there is a low chance of ignoring damage.
* When hit in the lower body, there is a high chance of triggering ‘Reconstruction’.
* Height +3 centimeters.
* The skill ‘Come Down!’ is generated.
* The passive skill ‘Lightning Incarnation’ is generated.
* Defense will increase by 10% in canyon terrains.
* The power of wide-area skills will increase by 20% in canyon terrain.
* Decreases the target’s defense and magic resistance by 10% when encountering great demons weaker than the 22nd rank.
* If damage to the extent of destroying the boots is received, the durability is fixed for a minimum of 5 seconds. There is a 10% durability recovery after this effect is over (24 hours cooldown).
★The skill ‘Lightning Speed’ is generated.