by Park Saenal
“Blackening.”
He reached maximum speed. Grid’s body was gradually engulfed in lightning. He carried out the steps of the sword dance while avoiding Teruchan’s attacks that fell like heavy rain.
“Transcended Linked Kill Pinnacle.”
“…Keok!”
The warrior screamed. There was no more shame. The rock-like giant, Teruchan collapsed to the ground. Grid didn’t pursue him. In his incandescent state, he stood in the air and moved one foot.
“Come Down.”
The sky split apart with lightning. A huge blue dragon descended behind Grid. It looked very different from a normal dragon. The lightning accompanied by an unidentified monster swept through the battlefield at Grid’s feet. Then.
‘One time, two times, three times…’
Teruchan hurriedly began to count. It was to calculate how many times Grid had struck.
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Chapter 1096
Gravity stiffened the hard skin and crushed the entire body. The scenery that entered his field of view passed quickly. The screams of the wind echoed endlessly.
‘Nine…’
Orc Lord Teruchan fell down from the clouds high above him. He was going to collide with the cold and hard ground but he only focused on counting. The thing that made him afraid wasn’t the destruction and suffering of his fallen flesh but the loss of honor.
The Overgeared King. The human being who provoked him to endure 10 blows…
He was indeed strong. His skills, amazing swordsmanship, tricky magic, powerful lightning, and self-moving artifacts made him greater than the previous orc lord. Surprised by this person’s ability to summon a dragon, Teruchan realized that he had to be mindful of defeat.
Lightning accompanied the blue dragon that struck Teruchan. As he felt the exhilarating pain of all the cells in his body stiffening, Teruchan admitted it. The opponent was strong. The title Hero King was never false. Yes… He might lose. Even so, no matter how strong the opponent was, there shouldn’t be a vain defeat.
He was the king of warriors. If he was to be swallowed by the dragon then he would bite off the dragon’s tongue. He was the pinnacle of all orcs and the leader of the twilight orcs yet he couldn’t withstand 10 blows? It was an act that insulted all the orcs in the world. All orcs would lose their prestige because of him. Just like the old days. He had to hold on, endure.
‘10…!’
Just before colliding with the ground, Teruchan’s eyes widened. This sum referred to the number of times they attacked and defended. During his brief stay in the sky, Teruchan had wielded his broadsword over 20 times. Teruchan’s sword and roar had torn up nearly 30 of Grid’s shields.
He had endured. The human’s expression was so imposing he had been worried about losing in less than 10 blows, but it was a pointless worry.
“Guruk!”
‘I can overpower you in 10 blows.’
He met the declaration of the Overgeared King and kept the minimum of his honor. Teruchan’s eyes burned again. His muscles, nerves, and cells, which had been stiffened by the lightning, woke up in response to his strong ‘mental strength.’ It was a movement reminiscent of a predator. Just before colliding with the ground, Teruchan was released from his paralysis and regained his motor nerves. He gritted his teeth and twisted his back, flattening his posture. Teruchan’s giant body fell to the ground.
A deafening roar shook their ears as the 100,000 orc army screamed.
“Ohh…!”
Marquis Veze and the soldiers of Howl Fortress felt admiration. They imagined the orc lord dying beyond the cloud of dust. The orc lord had hard skin and muscles that couldn’t be invaded with a sword but they believed he couldn’t be safe after falling from such a high altitude. Yet…
“Kuoooooooh!”
Teruchan’s appearance was relatively fine as the dust cleared away. The orc stood with his hands and feet on the ground like a beast and roared madly, enthralling his fellow orcs. The bodies of the orcs, which had been paralyzed by the lightning, woke up simultaneously.
“Teru──chan!! Guruk!”
“Teru──chan!! Guruk!”
Kung kung! Kung! Kung kung! Kung!
The orcs’ habit of submitting to a strong existence was based on survival instincts. It was considered a challenge the moment they chose to disobey so they were forced to obey if they didn’t want to die. Yet at this moment, all the orcs stomping their feet and chanting Teruchan’s name were acting rationally, not instinctively. They were fascinated by the sight of the bloody Teruchan, who had fallen from the high sky. They were enthusiastic as they shouted for the second coming of a legendary human. The propaganda called ‘Grid’ united the orc species.
In the sky, Grid started sweating.
‘He is still fine after being hit like that. The damage from Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle was less than I thought.’
Grid did his best to end the battle in less than 10 blows. His fighting energy reached the maximum and he fought with all his items, sword dances and magic. The successive use of Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle and Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle showed how serious Grid was about this battle.
[Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle]
Four sword dances have been sublimated into a single field.
Fires seven energy blades per second that deal 3,700% physical damage. Every time it attacks the target, ‘Disarm’ will be triggered. In addition, there will be a bleeding and desperation effect.
This skill will ignore 65% of the target’s defense.
★ The effect of Detect Force, Wind Cutter and Lightning will be applied.
Skill Usage Conditions: Have a sword type weapon equipped.
Skill Sword Energy Cost: 400
Skill Cooldown Time: 2 hours.
In accordance with the principle that Transcend doubled the attack power, the power of Kill should also have double the attack power. When used on a target with the maximum number of ‘marks’, the 22,560 physical attack + 100% magic attack power meant that Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle had a higher damage coefficient.
There was a disadvantage of course. It had a longer cooldown due to its stable power and it was less powerful than Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle against opponents with an overwhelmingly high physical defense. Against Orc Lord Teruchan, it was worse than Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle. His magic resistance was low but his physical defense was high. Teruchan’s defense meant the effect of Pinnacle would surpass Transcended Link Kill Pinnacle. The initial damage from Linked Kill Flower Pinnacle was also less than Grid expected. It was deadly that Teruchan was an opponent without ‘items.’ The Disarm effect was useless because he wasn’t wearing any armor.
‘His stats are killing me.’
Grid clicked his tongue as he stared at the distant Teruchan. Teruchan’s health was now less than one-fifth but Grid was desolate. Teruchan’s recovery speed was too fast but the bigger problem was that Grid had depleted his sword energy. That’s why Grid couldn’t connect any additional sword dances when Teruchan was hit and paralyzed by Come Down! In order to recover his sword energy, he had to keep swinging his sword. However, he couldn’t do this because he declared that he would beat Teruchan in 10 blows.
‘Flower, Transcended Link Flower, Link, Kill…’
Facing the orc lord looking up into the sky, Grid counted how many sword dances he had used. It was seven. He only had three out of 10 blows left. Was it possible to overpower the orc lord with three blows when all his ultimates were already consumed?
It was impossible. Grid trembled.
‘Fucking God’s Command.’
If it had activated even once then the orc lord would’ve surrendered by now. The 50% probability was no different from the lottery. He really had bad luck… A strong rage was soaring.
It happened when Grid was gritting his teeth.
“Human king! Guruk!” Teruchan called out to Grid. Teruchan’s right arm and left leg were drooping from when they broke as he lan
ded. “I… Guruk! I’ve endured more than 50 blows!”
Teruchan’s expression was full of cheer. A hint of pride even peeked through. He acknowledged Grid’s skills and was pleased to have survived Grid’s offensive.
Grid frowned. “What do you mean? Haven’t I only used seven?”
“Guruk? You swung your sword. Guruk! Many times! It is 40 times! It’s weird!”
What was he saying in front of so many eyes? Grid saw the absurd reaction from Teruchan among the orcs and snorted. “That is an absurd argument. I might’ve swung my sword dozens of times but I only used seven sword dances. So it is seven blows.”
“…?”
“…”
Was he a hooligan? Grid’s logic made the battlefield as still as death. Teruchan, the orcs and the soldiers of the Fold Kingdom shut their mouths. Even the ferocious orc lord had kept his promise to Marquis Veze and honored him. Then what about the Overgeared King who was equal to the empress? Some people were disappointed while others pointed fingers.
Meanwhile, Teruchan looked excited. “Guruk…! I see! It is still only seven!”
It was scary. The Overgeared King was a strong human. This was Teruchan’s honest feeling. This was the reason why.
“Good! Guruk! I wanted to fight more!”
Teruchan’s desire to win burned in reverse. Teruchan wanted to know his limitations. He longed for an extreme battle he could pour all his energy into. He had no regrets, even if it meant dying. If he was afraid then he wouldn’t have become a warrior in the first place.
“Gruruk!! Let’s fight! Until one of us falls! Continue!”
“That’s a great suggestion.”
A duel with no restrictions. It was a proposal that was naturally tempting for Grid, whose sword energy was depleted. Grid smiled like a great demon.
“I am looking forward to it.”
Grid descended. He intended to draw out the time as much as possible while the duration of Blackening was maintained. Grid was unaware of it but as he descended, his body was gradually becoming incandescent. It was the conditional passive that belonged to the Blue Dragon Boots. Once he reached the maximum speed, there was a low chance that his body would turn into lightning.
“Kurruk…!”
Was this the will of the world itself? Teruchan’s heart beat faster as he blocked Grid’s sword. Grid’s strike that contained the acceleration from descending was enough to push Teruchan back.
“Human…! Your name! Guruk! Tell me!”
Teruchan’s burning gaze and Grid’s greed-filled gaze intertwined in the air.
“Grid.” Lightning swelled. The moment the duration of Item Combination ended, the Enlightenment Sword returned to its complete form and connected with Teruchan’s broadsword. “I am greedy for you.”
His skin became hotter with every blow exchanged. As expected, Grid was affected by Teruchan’s skill and let out blunt words.
“Kuahahahat! Guruk! A warrior! Doesn’t obey humans!”
Teruchan burst out laughing. It wasn’t ridicule. There were no signs of displeasure. He was thinking about the long history of a lord worshipping humans.
The sound of friction between the sword and broadsword became louder. Grid and Teruchan’s concentration reached the peak and they attacked and defended along all sorts of trajectories. The cameras of broadcasters from all over the world started to miss their movements. It reached the point where they had to give up on any melee shots.
The Lightning God invaded Grid’s body. The power of the broadsword didn’t touch his body.
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Chapter 1097
For the two billion Satisfy players, there was one memory commonly engraved in their minds—Grid’s strength. Among them, it was his ‘attack power.’ People didn’t forget the day when this Asian person appeared on the world stage for the first time. He defeated great demons and annihilated the rankers in the National Competition. Grid’s unparalleled damage set new standards and targets for the two billion players.
Now the orc lord Teruchan.
“I! Guruk! Want to! Win!”
He remained steadfast despite allowing Grid’s sword dances that even the great demons shrank back against. He fought against Grid with a ragged body that didn’t fall and he didn’t know how to give up. Still, it was funny. He had 100,000 elite troops yet he insisted on a one-on-one match to the very end. He was foolish and stupid.
Even so, few people laughed at Teruchan. His attitude of respect for manners and honor attracted people.
Shortly after Grid summoned the blue dragon, the breaking news reports called it one of the ‘four sacred creatures’ of the East Continent. In response to Teruchan’s call, Grid descended to the ground and used speed and movements never seen before. Unlike the previous days when he faced his opponent with his attack power and defense, he moved lightly and took the upper hand with his body.
In particular, his footwork was dominating. He countlessly did the steps of the sword dances and was unusually proficient in using his lower body.
“Guruk…!”
Teruchn’s broadsword was blocked by Grid’s use of his legs. Grid’s speed as he chased after Teruchan was like an arrow that already left the bowstring.
Kick the enemy, chase, strike, and step back.
During this process, Grid’s combat methods as he was protected by the God Hands were lethal. It was hell for his opponent. In a word, he was fighting well. Who laughed at his control? The times when Grid was still lacking faded from the viewers’ memories. They gradually fell for Grid. Teruchan might’ve attracted the public’s favor with his charming personality but Grid dominated the masses with his irresistible power.
-Holy shit! Show me a bit closer!!
The viewers concentrating on the battle started to spit out harsh profanities. Grid and Teruchan’s movements were too fast to capture and their collisions so destructive that it caused the cameras to shake or fly away. It was why the cameras of the broadcasters chose to shoot from a distance despite not delivering enough of the situation to the viewers.
As a result, Grid and Teruchan’s appearance became smaller until they were like dots. They could read the overall battle better but the two people’s expressions and breathing couldn’t be seen, causing the liveliness to drop significantly.
-The cameramen are too incompetent. If the problem is the camera shaking, go close enough to see with your eyes and send that video. Tsk.
-Don’t you know that streamers died doing that?
-They have to challenge it even if its dangerous. They can hit the jackpot if they take the video correctly.
-More cameramen already seem to be challenging it. 99.9% are unable to access due to the orcs or are killed in the explosions.
-In any case, if they record in this state, you can zoom in later. Look here.
If a broadcaster or private broadcaster requested certification, the S.A Group would contract with them and provide various broadcasting items. It was why there were so many broadcasts related to Satisfy. A typical example was a drone camera. In a form that NPCs couldn’t recognize, they flew quickly and broadcasted the situation of Satisfy.
However, the small size meant it was vulnerable to shock and the functions were limited in an extreme environment like now. Therefore, popular broadcasters such as Bunny Bunny rushed to the scene. They broadcast the scene directly with their own eyes, providing viewers with a high level of realism and solid information. Compared with the cameras, getting closer to the subject was overcome by choosing the assassin class.
-Uh…?
The disgruntled viewers watching the broadcast felt their eyes widen. From the time since Grid used the Fly magic. No, the electric currents that started to hover around Grid from the time he rose in the sky in a different way from the Fly magic were now burning completely white.
Lightning. There was a ridiculous optical illusion that Grid himself had become lightning…
──!
『…!
? 』
The community, including the audience chat windows, were quiet. It was as if the Internet around the world had been disconnected at the same time. All the posts and chat windows stopped updating. Even the broadcast commentators and experts were silent.
Grid disappeared with a flash and penetrated through Teruchan’s defenses. There was a sound like thunder and a fountain of blood spurted from Teruchan’s chest.
“Keok…! Cough!”
The giant, standing there like a great mountain, shook. Experts said ‘I think he has exceeded the player’s maximum speed’ as their eyes kept losing their place despite persistently tracking Grid’s speed. However—
“I…! Warrior! Guruk! I’m a warrior before I’m a lord! Kurruk! I! Fight!”
His hands didn’t let go of his broadsword. Teruchan roared and swung the broadsword randomly through the air. Then suddenly, he rushed back to catch Grid, rotating and kicking. Grid’s speed seemed lightning fast but it was only an illusion created from the perception.
[Lightning God Lv. 1]
A conditional passive.
Assimilate with the breath of the blue dragon.
Once you reach the maximum speed, there is a low chance that your body will turn into lightning. At this point, all attacks are converted to lightning. Every time you hit the target, a lot of mana is burned (10% of the total mana).
You are immune to all physical attacks, but you will take twice the damage from magic attacks without any defense or resistance. It also leaves a current that deals 10 times the damage in your movement path. The duration of the electric current is 2 seconds.
It won’t be released until the speed drops and will be released immediately once you deviate from the maximum speed.
* If you die while the Lightning God is active, the wrath of the blue dragon will occur.
* Skills attached to myth rated items can be upgraded.
There was no speed buff involved with the Lightning God skill. It was just possible to deceive the target’s senses due to the bright appearance and loud sound effects from the ‘lightning’ setting. Teruchan and the viewers were forced to be under the mistaken impression that Grid was really lightning fast.