Overgeared

by Park Saenal

  Doran was strong. In order to focus on him, it was wiser to deal with the relatively weak Grid first. Yura summoned fire and attacked without any delay.

  [Critical!]

  The greatsword was a weapon that warriors specialized in. It was clear that Grid’s class was that of a warrior. If he was a warrior around level 80, then no matter how good the equipment, his maximum health would be around 4,000. But Grid wasn’t wearing any special equipment. He should have approximately 3,000 health. Furthermore, warriors were very vulnerable to magic.

  Yura calculated that she could deal with Grid in one hit by consuming one-fifth of her mana. It was a critical hit, so it was normal to think that Grid died. But surprisingly, Grid survived.

  ‘How?’

  Let’s say that his luck was so high that he survived the critical hit. However, it was common sense for a character to become stunned after received 40% or more damage in a single attack. Grid was standing without being stunned as if 40% of his health hadn’t been decreased.

  “That was clearly a critical hit… Based on the equipment, you are only around level 80. So how are you fine after being hit by that attack?”

  Yura was ranked fifth among the pool two billion users, and she was narrowing the gap between her and the fourth-ranked person. Her gaming skills were truly overwhelming. She knew that her magic damage calculations were never wrong. Her calculations had never been wrong while playing Satisfy so far. This was a new experience for her.

  That confusion it caused greatly affected her.

  ‘Why is this happening? Is his level actually far higher than the equipment he is wearing? No, that isn’t likely. A person who dares to wear low-level equipment during an S-grade quest… Did I overlook something?’

  She tried to calmly analyze the situation, but Grid was approaching.

  Step. Step.

  He was a warrior walking a very slow pace, as if he wasn’t in a hurry to narrow the gap towards the black magicians. It was an attitude that seemed to disregard Yura’s fifth place ranking. Grid’s behavior seemed to be saying to Yura, ‘I am giving you enough time to chant a spell. Use your best magic.’

  An obvious provocation! Yura, who had a strong self-esteem, was furious. As Grid wished, she started to chant the top-level attack magic. She was determined to turn him into ashes, along with Doran.

  “Great god of the darkness, your humble servant calls you. Fill this place with darkness and plant fear in the enemies’ hearts, show your power to those who worship you.”

  As magic power started to rise, the torches lighting up the basement started to go out. The torches actually weren’t turned off; the magic just turned the flames black. Soon, the darkness swallowed up this area.

  A normal enemy would lose their vision and stop due to the added ‘fear’ effect of this spell. In fact, Doran hesitated for a moment from where he was hunting the black magicians behind Grid. But Grid was approaching like it was nothing. He had a higher resistance than an NPC who had completed the third class advancement.

  ‘What is his identity…’

  The ID was too strange. He wasn’t a ranker, then how was he so strong? Her confusion grew and Yura couldn’t easily recover. But the spell was fully completed.

  “Dark Storm!”

  Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

  A silent storm formed in the darkness and struck Grid. The effect of the storm caused the pillars supporting the basement to wobble, while cracks appeared on the ground and walls. A mighty power that could topple the whole temple! It was the moment when a high-ranking dark attack magic was revealed.

  Kwaang!

  Grid’s body, that was already damaged from the black magicians’ attacks, was overwhelmed by the storm. Yura believed that Grid would turn into a grey light. But Grid was still fine as he kept walking forward, penetrating through the storm without pause.

  On the other hand, Doran’s body behind him was a rag, barely following Grid as a green light emerged from his ring. Even a third advancement NPC couldn’t cope with the magic, so why was this user fine?

  “You… what are you?”

  Yura was a smart girl. She could see through anything with logic. In her 21 years of life, she had been praised by everyone she met for her beauty and intelligence. She used her innate insight on her work, earning her a reputation of a talented person who could be used everywhere.

  Satisfy was the path that she finally chose.

  Anyway, this brilliant Yura couldn’t figure out the man called Grid.

  ‘This is an impossibility in the current Satisfy. This overwhelming presence isn’t an NPC but a human… Is he a bugged user? No, Satisfy is controlled by the world’s leading supercomputer, Morpheus, so there are no bugs. There is clearly a rational way to get this strength. How did he gain such strength?’

  It was the first time she encountered something beyond her common sense. She was baffled and very curious. At this moment, the person called Grid was deeply imprinted onto Yura’s mind.

  On the other hand, Grid was coming closer to her with imposing footsteps. Yura couldn’t easily give up so she prepared to fight. Then Doran stepped on Grid’s back, jumped up, and attacked her.

  Kaaang!

  Yura hurriedly blocked Doran’s attack magic and turned her gaze towards Grid, expecting an attack, only for her eyes to widen. The body of Grid, that had been fine just a moment ago, was covered with a grey light and was disappearing.

  “……?”

  Afterwards, Yura received big injuries as she struggled with Doran and barely managed to subdue him. She stared at the place where Grid disappeared, ignoring the system window that informed her of the success of the quest.

  ‘Even if he were hit by Dark Storm, he wouldn’t have died so suddenly. He must’ve been penalized and forcibly logged out. Why?’

  Yura’s expression gradually worsened as she thought about it.

  “Did he yield the quest to me…?”

  She felt helpless and received Grid’s sympathy. That day became the worst day to Yura, of when her sturdy pride was thoroughly shattered.

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 8

  “Uwaaaack! Doran, that bastard! He forcibly gave me a quest I didn’t want, only to kill his teammate? Fuck! Thieves, robbers, and thugs, now I know why there are all these names. Doran! In the future, this name itself will be a curse!”

  I left the capsule, opened the window and shouted outside. The rain was strong so my voice wasn’t heard by the people in the neighborhood.Thanks to that, I was able to shout for a long time.

  It wasn’t 4 o’clock in the morning yet. It was a day when my family could rest until late afternoon due to the heavy rain, but I couldn’t access the game for 12 hours during such a golden holiday season!

  “Level -3…the more I think about it, the worse I feel. Doran, Doran, Doran!”

  I headed to the bathroom to cool off my head that was flush with anger. I soaked my face in cold water and listened to the gushing stream of water. I felt much better after washing my head for two days straight.

  “…Doran isn’t to blame for the situation.”

  Unlike my prediction, Doran was extremely strong and fought well. I was a bridesmaid and didn’t have to do anything. Doran took care of all of the enemies by himself. I only had a chance to succeed in the quest due to Doran’s power.

  Yes, Doran did really well. However, an unexpected situation occurred. The appearance of a ranker.

  “Damn witch…”

  Why had Yura appeared there? She was a black magician. The Yatan Temple was an important base for black magicians, so it wasn’t unusual for her to appear there at any time. Why did Yura interfere? I was an intruder in the temple and she was obliged to protect the temple. It was obvious that she would be hostile to me. That was understandable.

  ‘The moment I accepted the quest, the black magicians in the temple had a separate quest to stop me. The real enemies are the users, not the NPCs. There is a reason why Doran was so strong. No wonder wh
y the S-grade quest felt too easy.’

  I concluded.

  ‘Witch… thanks to me invoking the quest, you were able to receive a lot of benefits. A girl who didn’t shed blood or tears. She tried to kill me instead of thanking me…’

  After I died, Yura would’ve succeeded in the quest. Yura was strong and Doran was quite exhausted. It was really detestable.

  It was because of me that Yura received the quest in the first place, and the reason Doran was so tired was because I was weak. Yura just sat back and ate bread. The bread that I had put in her mouth.

  “Bad person…”

  A ranker over level 200 had snatched the quest of a minus level! I entered the capsule, connected to the Internet, and then searched for Yura.

  Yura, I just typed it in and hundreds, no, thousands of related links filled the screen. I only checked the postings of highly popular blogs and large-scale communities and managed to get information about Yura.

  Contrary to her creepy nickname of the ‘Blood Witch’, she was well loved and respected, as well as a target of envy.

  Thanks to her superb beauty, perfect gaming skills and ideal image in the media, she was praised by both men and women. It also transcended race. There were thousands of fan clubs created on overseas servers. At first glance, she was even more popular than Hollywood’s top actors.

  ‘That is the modern world now.’

  Satisfy was more colorful, thrilling and dramatic than any movie, so the main characters of Satisfy enjoyed more popularity than movie stars. If someone watched TV these days, hundreds of channels were filled with Satisfy related programs. They also achieved high ratings, so Satisfy profession news channels were created.

  Of course, it wasn’t just limited to South Korea. Satisfy had more than two billion users. The broadcasting market wasn’t just South Korea, but the world. As a result, the movie actors received less exposure than Satisfy’s protagonists, the rankers.

  In particular, Yura was much more recognizable than other rankers due to her beauty. Thanks to that, she had both money and fame. It was a perfect contrast to me, who was in debt due to Satisfy.

  ‘I am suffering because of the game, while she is living a fantastic life because of it.’

  Enjoying her favorite game while being recognized by the world? I was incredibly envious. If I was Yura, I would have no disappointments in my life.

  “…A person like you had to take away a poor person’s quest.”

  She wasn’t a witch. She was just a really wicked girl.

  Kwaduduk!

  I opened up the hologram keyboard and started to comment on Yura related posts one by one.

  ‘Yura is garbage. She interfered in the quest of a low-level user. She is completely different from her appearance on TV. Her personality is rotten.’

  ‘Yura isn’t very pretty when you see her in real life. She got plastic surgery a facelift. There is dirt on her nose and she always looks like she is chewing shit. Her smile is just for the TV.’

  ‘Why is Yura good??? She is a bad person. How many people has she ruined? She also ruined my brother-in-law.’

  ‘A ranker interfered in a quest!! Don’t be fooled by the image created on TV.’

  “Huhuhu…! Kukukuk!”

  I informed people about what I actually experienced with Yura. I felt great because I became a great journalist who spread the truth to the people deceived by false information. The terrible reality that I experienced a while ago was gradually fading from my mind!

  Tadak. Tadadak.

  I continued posting comments. My ten fingers tapped against the hologram keyboard that glowed in the darkness. A person tapping on the keyboard in the darkened room, someone who saw it might think it was beautiful and mysterious.

  “Oppa… have you finally gone crazy?”

  Writing malicious comments… no, it was a movement to reveal the truth.

  I jumped in surprise at the voice that was suddenly heard. I turned my gaze towards the source and saw Sehee staring at me from the door.

  “You surprised me.”

  I placed my hand on my chest, while Sehee entered my room with folded arms.

  “I was going to the toilet when I heard Oppa giggling in your room. You were crazy about the game, so I thought you went crazy in reality. I was worried about Oppa and decided to check on you. Are you crazy? Please say that you’re not.”

  “…Why are you speaking like that to your Oppa? I’m not crazy.”

  “I’m glad you’re not crazy yet. Urgh, something smells. Take a look at your head, you should wash more. And get rid of that bowl of rice that you ate! No, why are you eating rice in your room in the first place? You should eat together with us… bah, no.”

  Sehee looked at the empty rice bowls and side dishes that I stacked up and started cleaning up.

  ‘This girl, she is nice and pretty. It is good that she doesn’t resemble me.’

  I watched her approvingly. Sehee felt my gaze and turned around.

  “Don’t just sit there and watch. If you’re not busy, shouldn’t you help? No. Go and wash up. I don’t like that appearance.”

  “Leave it and I’ll take care of it. Why are you getting up when it isn’t even morning yet? Go back to sleep.”

  “I saw Oppa laughing in a creepy manner, so my sleepiness has fled. Please go wash up. I want to see your face properly after a long time… ah, no! Wash off that dirty and unpleasant scent!”

  When Sehee was one year old, I was nine years old. Was it right for my younger sister to act like this?

  ‘If I knew this would happen, I would’ve washed up when I washed my head.’

  I headed to the bathroom in an annoyed mood. I washed my head with soap and dried it with a towel. But why was my hair so stiff?

  “…It was laundry soap.”

  I returned to my room with my stiff hair and smelled something different in my room. It was a rather refreshing scent. Did she spray perfume? Sehee was truly meticulous. The room had been cleaned and tidied up during the time I used to wash up. She was a very diligent girl, unlike me. She would be a nice bride.

  I saw Sehee sitting in the capsule and laying down on my bed.

  “Connect to the Internet if you want~”

  Anyway, it wasn’t like I could access the game. I easily yielded the capsule to my little sister.

  Sehee shrugged and unexpectedly sent me a look of disdain. “Oppa… are you a keyboard warrior?”

  “Keyboard warrior?”

  What did that mean? When I looked up, Sehee got up and pointed her finger to the monitor floating in front of the capsule.

  “Why are you spreading false rumors about a woman younger than you? Even if there is a reason, this behavior is too naughty. I’m really disappointed in Oppa.”

  Her voice sank. Sehee was sincerely angry. I belatedly realized my mistake and hurriedly checked the monitor. The damning list of comments that I made about Yura was still showing.

  Dammit! I should’ve turned off my Internet window!

  “S-Sehee, this…”

  “How low.”

  I tried to explain to Sehee, but she returned to her room and locked the door without giving me a chance to talk. The door wouldn’t open, no matter how pathetically I acted. I realized that the last bit of good opinion my sister had towards me was completely lost.

  This…what is this!

  “This is all due to that witch!”

  I appealed to Sehee in front of her room. I didn’t realize that I fell asleep there until I was woken up by my mother. My body wasn’t trained at all! It hurts…

  I placed a cold patch on my body and fell asleep again. Then the next day.

  “Huaaah~~”

  I opened my eyes and saw that it was 11 a.m. My parents went to work at dawn and Sehee would be in school for three hours already.

  “I slept only six hours. I can’t oversleep because of my diligence… Why did God make me so diligent?”

  I scratched my hips above my underwear w
hile heading to the kitchen. I was hungry but it was too annoying to cook.

  “Forget it.”

  I ignored the protesting cries of my stomach and headed to the living room. Then I lay on the sofa and turned on the TV. It was a Satisfy related channel

  Satisfy was even covered on the housewives channel. The title of the program was ‘How to meet a young man through Satisfy!’ It was a program that dealt with the process of making a character in Satisfy look as young and pretty as possible.

  ‘…PD Cheon Jaende?’

  It seemed to have pretty high viewership. I skipped past a man who didn’t think he would live long after a phone call from his wife. I stopped at a program called ‘Satisfy’s Hot Issues.’

  A cute female reporter was greeting an Asian youth around my age. There was a close up of the young man’s face. At the bottom of the screen, the ID ‘Katz’ and level ‘203’ appeared as subtitles.

  “Katz is already level 200?’

  Katz was a celebrity. He was notorious due to his arrogance, but he was always one of the top ranks in the warrior class. Three months ago, he was level 170 but now he was already level 203? At that level, he would be at the top of the unified rankings.

  ‘How did he get over 30 levels in three months?’

  The reporter on screen was asking the same question as me.

  –Katz, did you know that you are one of the biggest issues in Satisfy these days? Our producers were very surprised. In just three months, Katz has climbed up to the 53rd ranking. What is the secret to your rapid growth over such a short period of time?

  Katz swept a hand over his well-trimmed hair and smiled smugly.

  –Three months ago, I obtained an epic class. I accepted this interview today to reveal my epic class.

  –Yes?!

  The reporter was shocked and I also stopped scratching at my groin. The news of an epic class was so shocking that the reporter couldn’t respond to Katz. In the past year, only two epic class changes had appeared in Satisfy. Its value transcended the imagination. But Katz got his hands on a new epic class.

  ‘The third epic class…’

  There was no information about the previous epic classes that appeared. The contents of the first class change book were confidential when circulated around the item trading sites, and no one knew who the owner was.