Overgeared

by Park Saenal

  Grid came up with an idea.

  “Item creation!”

  [Legendary Blacksmith’s Creation Skill]

  You can create three equipment item production methods every time the skill level of the ‘Legendary Blacksmith’s Craftsmanship Skill’ goes up.

  Number of items that can be created at present: 5/6.

  * When items are produced using this skill, the name of the creator is automatically placed on the item.

  In the case of Failure, he couldn’t make it because he was lacking blue orichalcum. Grid had experience with Failure, so he was confident that he could create the right item this time.

  “Yes, I will make an item! An item that will allow me to counter the monsters in Kesan Canyon.”

  Grid had died 10 times in Kesan Canyon, so he knew the general tendencies and attributes of the monsters in Kesan Canyon.

  “Okay, let’s do it. Legendary Blacksmith’s Creation!”

  An item with a whole new concept was about to be created by Grid.

  ***

  “There are 29 days left. I can’t wait until the reunion~”

  “That reminds me, how about Youngwoo? Will he come to the reunion this year? Has he changed?”

  A group of people who had been friends for 10 years since high school, was travelling through the north of the Eternal Kingdom. They were Shin Youngwoo’s schoolmates. They were interested in the reunion that would take place soon, as well as Shin Youngwoo.

  “Are you curious? Do you really think he will come to the reunion? The others have studied abroad or found a job, while he is playing the game and riddled with debt. Won’t he be too embarrassed to come to the reunion?”

  “Indeed…he was ignored by everyone at the last reunion.”

  “Ugh, if I were Youngwoo then I would’ve seriously thought about suicide. Of course, I don’t think that Youngwoo should kill himself.”

  Once again, Shin Youngwoo was someone who didn’t have any remarkable parts in his school days. Both his grades and exercise ability were always in the middle, and he followed other people to an average university. Until then, no one really laughed at him,

  But now it was different, as all the alumni ignored him and laughed at him. Frankly speaking, the other alumni weren’t doing so well. There were those who graduated from university and landed a tough job at a company or those who were still studying. They experienced the ruthlessness of society as they felt disappointed at not finding the right employment or studying environment. Yes, it was a time of tremendous anxiety.

  In such a period, Shin Youngwoo was a good target.

  ‘At least I’m still better than him.’

  They were comforted by that thought as they looked at Shin Youngwoo. A human who was worse off than them? They ended up poking fun at Shin Youngwoo. At this point, they couldn’t be called ‘friends’ anymore.

  “Speaking of which, it is amazing. Hasn’t Youngwoo been playing Satisfy since it first opened? We started late and only play after work or on weekends, but we are already over level 80. So what has he been doing?”

  “I agree. If I only played Satisfy like Youngwoo, I would’ve already been a ranker. Pathetic, truly pathetic. Youngwoo doesn’t even have a talent for playing games.”

  As they laughed among each other, they realized that something was strange.

  “Where is this place?”

  “Well… this place isn’t on the map… what?”

  They weren’t from the north, so they didn’t know how dangerous the north could be. There was no way to know when they might be chased by high level monsters, or if they would fall into a trap. That’s right. Currently, these travellers had fallen for a trap designed by goblins, and lost their way.

  “Pant pant…”

  How long did they walk? No matter how long they walked, they couldn’t see the end of a vast snowfield.

  [You feel hungry.]

  [You have started to feel dizzy.]

  [Your health is slowly falling.]

  There was a constantly flashing notification window warning them of danger.

  “What should we do…? We didn’t set a new resurrection place after we came to the north?”

  “Ah… that’s right. It is a big deal. If we die here, won’t we be resurrected in Amsland? Does that mean that three days of travel will be gone?”

  “I’m more worried about my experience following, dammit! We’ll die from being frozen to death, not even hunting! What the hell is this?”

  They were heading to Winston to receive the quests lining up for them, only to get lost in the far north.

  “Eh?”

  As pain, despair and anger filled their faces, they suddenly brightened up. It was because they reached the end of the snowfield and found a canyon.

  “Let’s go there!”

  They left the snowfield in a hurry. It was a huge canyon that boasted more scenic views than the Grand Canyon.

  “Wow! Is this real? It’s the first time I’ve seen such cool scenery! I haven’t even seen it in movies!”

  “Is there any need to travel around the world these days? It is much better to travel on adventures around Satisfy.”

  “Hey, do you think Youngwoo’s been a tourist during the one year he’s been playing Satisfy?”

  “Puhahaha! It is a possibility. An enjoyable trip travelling around Satisfy~! Wow, isn’t Youngwoo unexpectedly romantic?”

  The group forgot that they had just been on the verge of dying. They were too occupied with the canyon’s beautiful views!

  “But where is this place? Is it here on the map?”

  “No, this place? Ah, I see it. Ke…san. Is this Kesan Canyon?”

  “Kesan? I think I’ve heard it before?”

  “Isn’t this landscape rare in Satisfy? Maybe it’s a famous tourist attraction.”

  “Hrmm… but isn’t it too early to say that it’s a tourist spot?”

  “Eh? Do you hear anything?”

  The expressions of the party members gradually stiffened. No matter how they looked, they were the only people in this wide canyon. They couldn’t even find animals. It was calm except for the sound of the wind.

  The party felt something ominous.

  “I can’t help feeling nervous. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Y-Yes.”

  They hastened their pace. They didn’t look around at the scenery anymore, they just walked forward. Then they realized there were dozens or hundreds of large and small caves in the towering cliffs.

  “What is this?”

  “I don’t know…? Are there even any animals?”

  At that moment.

  Kuweeeeeoh!

  Kiyahahahat!

  Kkiiik!

  Bizarre sounds were heard from the caves. They sounded like the cries of beasts, or the laughter of a person. Then a gigantic shadow appeared from a cave.

  Suruk suruk.

  A shadow with eight legs descended along the curved walls. The identity was a spider. It was an incredibly huge spider. It made a 15-ton truck seem small.

  “H-Hik!”

  The party felt horrified by the giant spider and didn’t have the strength to stand up anymore. The giant spider shrieked and its body shook like it was funny, before shooting out spider webs. The spider web was thicker than rope and stronger than wire. The party screamed as they were wrapped in the webs.

  On the other hand, Grid was standing at the entrance of Kesan Canyon. Grid looked at the canyon and recalled past memories.

  “I came here only to die, die, and die…”

  It was so terrible than Kesan Canyon kept appearing in his dreams. This was a place that caused Grid a lot of fear. He would only be able to sleep by defeating Kesan Canyon.

  “The monsters here are so weird…”

  The monster of Kesan Canyon were incredibly grotesque. It was both their appearance and inclinations. Among them, the ‘canyon spider’ was the one he remembered vividly.

  ‘The giant spider eats people alive.
Uhh…’

  The shock and horror of being trapped in a spider web and not able to move as the spider’s mouth neared him.

  ‘I’m glad that I didn’t feel myself being chewed because I died the moment my head entered its mouth…’

  Grid recalled the memories of that time and cleared his mind.

  “Stop wasting time on useless thoughts and find Pagma’s swordsmanship.”

  His deaths here were in the past.

  “Now I am different! I will show you the power of items, you monsters! Revenge! Revenge!”

  Grid cried out as he entered the canyon. But unlike his words, his body was trembling in fear.

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 67

  10 days before Grid left for Kesan Canyon.

  “Kesan Canyon… Kesan Canyon… hrmm…”

  Kesan Canyon!

  It was one of the five forbidden zones of the Eternal Kingdom, a place where the monsters were terrible and monstrous. It was infamous even among high-level users because they could lose their lives without even knowing it.

  The level 80 warrior who visited Kesan Canyon to perform Earl Ashur’s quest was more aware of the dangers of Kesan Canyon than anyone else.

  “Going to Kesan Canyon with my current level is suicide. However, it will take too much time to raise my level by hunting.”

  Grid missed the fun of hunting monsters and obtaining items and experience. But he had to raise money for his family that was in debt. He could sell one more item during the time he was hunting.

  ‘Should I just postpone the quest? Isn’t it better to make money than to do the quest? No, I can’t do that. This isn’t a regular quest that I can put off… if I postpone it, I will keep delaying it so it is wiser to solve it when I am determined. Hrmm, what is a good way to complete the quest within a short period of time?’

  Grid thought of an idea.

  ‘Item creation…!’

  A smiled appeared on Grid’s face.

  “This is the right time to use the Legendary Blacksmith’s Creation skill!”

  The Legendary Blacksmith’s Creation was a skill that allowed Pagma’s Descendant to design exclusive items. It meant that Grid could create a new item that didn’t exist in Satisfy yet.

  “What item will be useful in Kesan Canyon? I can’t go around Kesan Canyon with my current level.”

  Grid recalled the features of Kesan Canyon.

  First of all, it was a deep canyon with rough winds and a steep slope that quickly wore down the traveler’s stamina. As a warrior, Grid couldn’t move for long and quickly fell into a critical state from exhaustion.

  But Grid didn’t consider this part a big problem.

  The current level 45 blacksmith Grid had a much higher stamina than the level 80 warrior Grid.

  ‘With my current strength and stamina, I won’t be easily tired in Kesan Canyon’s environment. The problem is the monsters.’

  The monsters of Kesan Canyon had a minimum level of 160. Monsters with fearful levels were hiding in caves all over the canyon and immediately exposed themselves at the discovery of travelers.

  Even if Grid had superior stats compared to his level, he couldn’t be safe from the monsters.

  “I will be helpless in front of the canyon monsters, even with the Ideal Dagger. I need further weapons and armor. Yes, at the minimum, I need something like the Sword of Self-transcendence.’

  If he was equipped with a sword like Sword of Self-transcendence and armor, he could face the monsters in the canyon, even at level 45. But was it easy to create something like the Sword of Self-transcendence?

  ‘No, wait.’

  Grid changed his concept.

  “What? If I think about it, do I have to fight the monsters in the canyon?”

  That’s right. Grid was heading to Kesan Canyon to find Pagma’s swordsmanship, not hunt monsters. Rather, it was wiser to minimize his encounter with monsters.

  “Yes! I need to create an item that helps me escape from monsters, not fight them! Something like an invisibility cloak!”

  The invisibility cloak was a typical stealth item portrayed in games, cartoons, and movies. Of course, invisibility cloaks existed in Satisfy.

  Around 200 years ago, the legendary tailor Kruger made five invisibility cloaks, two of which still reportedly existed. The person who wore the cloak could completely hide his or her appearance, so the value was naturally astronomical.

  “This is a really amazing idea! If I can create an invisibility cloak, Kesan Canyon won’t be a problem and I can earn a huge amount of money!”

  The terrace of the smithy’s second floor. Grid had been resting there for a while and he suddenly got up. Then he rushed towards Khan who was working hard on the first floor.

  “Are there any materials suitable for making a stealth item?”

  Khan stopped hammering the iron, wiped his sweat and thought for a moment before answering. “A material suitable for making a stealth item… I can only think about the silver dragon scales.”

  “Silver dragon?”

  “Unlike other dragons, the silver dragons act cautiously and stealthily. The silver scales have a protective coloration and are famous for being invisible to human eyes. If you make an item with the scales, you will complete a great stealth item.”

  “But how can the scales be found if they can’t be seen with human eyes? No, in the first place, aren’t dragons the most powerful beings in the world? Isn’t it practically impossible to obtain a dragon’s scales.?”

  “That’s right. It is doubtful for a human to be able to find dragon scales. But isn’t it possible for Pagma’s Descendant? Haha.”

  Grid thought for a moment before changing his question. “What type of materials did the tailor Kruger use to make his invisibility cloaks in the past?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but I think he probably used the sylphid scales.”

  “Sylphid?”

  “Sylphids are small air fairies. Their scales are suitable for making stealth items, just like a silver dragon’s scales. However, a dragon’s scales are harder than anything else in the world, so it isn’t strange to classify it as a mineral. However, the sylphid scales are thin and closer to cloth. In other words, the sylphid scales should be more for a tailor than a blacksmith.”

  “Cloth…”

  Certainly, a blacksmith specialized in smelting minerals or making leather goods, not cloth. But Grid was Pagma’s Descendant, not a conventional blacksmith.

  ‘Won’t it be possible for me? Let’s check it once. Legendary Blacksmith’s Creation!’

  [Legendary Blacksmith’s Creation Skill]

  You can create three equipment item production methods every time the skill level of the ‘Legendary Blacksmith’s Craftsmanship Skill’ goes up.

  Number of items that can be created at present: 5/6.

  * When items are produced using this skill, the name of the creator is automatically placed on the item.

  [What item do you want to create?]

  Grid had sealed the Legendary Blacksmith’s Creation for a while after creating ‘Failure.’ Grid took a deep breath before answering the notification window’s question.

  “A cloak.”

  [Have you decided?]

  “Yes.”

  [What materials would you like to use?]

  “Sylphid scales.”

  If Pagma’s Descendant was unable to make cloth-based items, a notification window would pop up saying something like ‘You can’t make an item using the sylphid scales as a material.’ Fortunately, such warning messages didn’t pop up.

  [Have you decided?]

  Grid replied with delight,

  “Okay!”

  [Please design the item.]

  “Good!”

  A blank blueprint appeared in front of him. Grid already experienced this once, so he calmly drew the picture.

  ‘I don’t like a simple cloak because it is too bland. Should I put a hood on the cloak? Ugh, no. A cloak with a hood rem
inds me of the archaic garb of priests. Hmm, what if it isn’t a cloak but a hoodie? Won’t it be comfortable and look good? I prefer a zip-up hoodie.’

  After a few moments.

  An image of a hooded zip-up that young people in modern society would wear was completed. Thanks to the correction effect, the design was so stylish that it reminded him of a hoodie made by some famous fashion designer.

  “It will be amazing if I wear this! Won’t women look at me for once? No, no. Isn’t this an invisibility cloak? People won’t be able to see it when I wear it.”

  Grid grumbled but pressed the ‘finish’ button at the bottom of the blueprint.

  [Have you decided? When you complete the blueprint, the number of available creation skill will decrease by one.]

  “Progress.”

  Once he replied, numbers and languages quickly covered the blueprint. The system was calculating and complementing the lacking details in Grid’s design. After a while, an improved and completed design appeared.

  [Please describe the characteristics of the item.]

  Finally, it was the conclusion of the item creation. Unlike before with Failure, Grid calmly and clearly explained the characteristics.

  “The wearer can completely hide their appearance. Nobody can see me if I wear this!”

  [Please name the item.]

  “Transparent Zip-up Hoodie… um, this is too messy. Let’s just say Clean Hooded Zip-Up.”

  [‘Have you decided on Transparent Zip-up Hoodie um This is too Messy Let’s just say Clean Hooded Zip-Up?]

  “…Just call it the Hooded Zip-Up.”

  Grid didn’t respond to the game maker’s sense of humor and the system responded normally.

  [Have you decided on ‘Hooded Zip-Up?’]

  “Yes.”

  Then the stylish appearance of a white hooded zip-up emerged as a hologram and the item options were listed.

  [Hooded Zip-Up]

  Rating: Unique

  Durability: 61/61 Defense: 10

  * Movement speed will increase by 30%.

  * Wind resistance will increase by 20%.

  A cloak designed by a legendary blacksmith. However, the appearance is different from the normal look of a cloak.