by Park Saenal
***
It had now been 47 days.
Grid had promised to make a new armor for Vantner. Following Pon and Ibellin, he was fortunate enough to be the third winner of Grid’s production item.
‘Now I can be born again as an overgeared person!’
When armed with the strongest armor that Grid would produce, his defense would be sufficient and he could run amok! Vantner was excited. It wasn’t an exaggeration to call him the most delighted person in the world.
But what was this? An absurd thing happened. Grid abandoned the armor production for a quest? Then there was no news.
From that day, the time of waiting begun. Vantner waited every day for Grid to return. A fortnight passed and he waited indefinitely. Whenever he walked the street, he would frantically look if he heard any grumbling. If he saw an Asian man, he would think it was Grid.
Grid didn’t return until a month and two weeks later. Vantner wasn’t able to contact Grid because the guild chat and whispers were blocked. It was enough to make Vantner curse. He honestly didn’t know how many times he insulted Grid.
But as he waited for Grid, Vantner fell in love.
Then four days ago! Grid returned to Winston as Vantner dreamed of. Vantner’s long wait would be repaid.
‘I can finally get my armor…!’
Vantner was thrilled to tears. He ran off to meet Grid, like he was reuniting with a lover. Then he became frustrated. Instead of producing an armor, Grid suddenly announced his marriage. It was also to Lady Irene who Vantner had been longing for!
On the day of the wedding ceremony, Vantner was in turmoil from the unexpected developments and couldn’t hide his hostility towards Grid. Rather than bringing up the wait, he was angry at Grid taking away Lady Irene. Then he became drunk during the wedding, cursed Grid, and was kicked out.
He regretted it the next day. He realized that he had lost control. Irene was just an unrequited crush, so how could he be angry at Grid for taking her away? Vantner felt ashamed and sorry. He was worried about Grid’s reaction.
‘Surely he won’t refuse to make my item?’
He was well aware of what a narrow-minded person Grid was. So after the wedding, he stayed for three days at Khan’s smithy. He wanted to apologize to Grid for his actions and to ask for the production of his item.
But Grid never showed up in Khan’s smithy after his marriage. Khan knew the reason why. But he wouldn’t tell Vantner Grid’s whereabouts, no matter how he asked.
“Hey, look Old Man. Why won’t you tell me where Grid went?”
“Didn’t you swear at Grid on his wedding day? I don’t want someone like you becoming involved with Grid.”
“Hah, really…”
Khan was a twisted old man. There was a reason why he was a good fit with Grid. Vantner failed to find out Grid’s whereabouts for three days and eventually asked Jishuka.
–Master, can you go and see Irene?
–You want me to ask about Grid’s whereabouts?
–Yes…
-Okay. I also think that now is the time for Grid to work.
The Tzedakah Guild recruited Grid because they needed his blacksmith abilities. Grid also joined the guild to act as a blacksmith. As the guild master, Jishuka had to remind Grid of his duties.
She went to see Irene. Then she was shocked by Irene’s words.
“Huh? Grid… No, Viscount Grid has gone to defeat the Guardian of the Forest?”
“Yes. He said that he wants to defeat the Guardian of the Forest for our sake. Isn’t he like Prince Charming? So cool.”
“…This is a headache.”
Like other games, Satisfy was a thoroughly competitive society. All users and guilds struggled for their own interests. One of the easiest ways for a guild to profit was to control a hunting ground.
Guilds controlled hunting grounds where honey flowed and prohibited outsiders from entering. This was called guild monopolization. It was a natural occurrence. The Tzedakah Guild also controlled two hunting grounds around Bairan without opening them to outsiders.
The first place was Ruger Dungeon where monsters over level 250 appeared, and the second place was the Grey Forest where the Guardian of the Forest appeared.
The Guardian of the Forest was very strong. It was a level 245 field boss, but it was stronger than a dungeon boss. Its stats were abnormally high and it had a wide range of CC and summoning skills, making it very difficult to deal with.
It also possessed a passive skill to reduce physical damage and along with its natural defense and health, it took the current Tzedakah Guild at least three hours to defeat it. But Grid only led 100 soldiers and two knights to the Guardian of the Forest raid.
It was also during this cycle!
‘The Awakened Guardian of the Forest is several times stronger than the normal Guardian of the Forest.
Blue orichalcum is a mineral born with the power of moonlight and the Guardian of the Forest. Was that why? The Guardian of the Forest and blue orichalcum were very sensitive to moonlight.
Once every four months, the two full moons would rise at the same time and the blue orichalcum, which made up most of the Guardian of the Forest, would show an infinite power and awaken the guardian.
Right now, it was the awakening cycle. Four months ago, the Tzedakah Guild wasn’t aware of this and was annihilated after challenging the Awakened Guardian of the Forest. The Awakened Guardian of the Forest had significantly less health and defense than the normal one, but it exerted overwhelming attack power and agility.
‘It is much stronger than a pope, who was a priest. This time, Grid can’t avoid death.’
Even the Tzedakah Guild have given up on the Guardian of the Forest raid during this awakening period. Therefore, they didn’t bother controlling the Grey Forest. They planned to try the Awakened Guardian of the Forest raid in four months.
No matter how she thought about it, the odds of Grid succeeding in the raid alone was 0%.
‘This is better.’
If Grid ever participated in the guild’s community, Grid would’ve found out that the guild monopolized the Guardian of the Forest raid and would’ve been able to ask for the blue orichalcum that he wanted.
But he didn’t. His ignorance of the guild community and his insistence on personal activities led to this. Jishuka hoped that Grid’s habit would be fixed. She wanted him to realize the importance of the guild community with this incident and hoped that he would refrain from personal activities in the future.
In front of Khan’s smithy.
“Really, that Grid…”
Vantner clicked his tongue after receiving Jishuka’s explanation through a whisper. He wanted to help Grid, but it was impossible because he was too far away.
‘He will be angry from the experience loss after dying and might not want to make my item…’
A man arrived at the smithy while Vantner was feeling worried. Khan, who only treated Vantner badly, enthusiastically welcomed the man.
“Ohh! Hasn’t it been a really long time? Has it been a few months?”
“It’s good to see you. Has My Liege been well?”
“Huh, you haven’t heard the news about him these days? He’s become tremendously successful. Now he is once again on a brave raid…”
Khan suddenly paused in his conversation and whispered in the man’s ears. What was he saying? The man was happy.
“As expected from My Liege… Really amazing. He tried to run away from the frostlight orc chief and now he is raiding a monster alone? I will go to meet him.”
The man said goodbye to Khan and exited the smithy. Then he blew a whistle, riding the drake that was called and soaring into the sky.
Vantner was confused.
“I’ve never seen that ID among the rankers who use drakes as pets.”
Was a new rookie popping up again? The stagnant Vantner became frustrated.
Chapter 143
Chapter 143
?????
T
he combat power displayed above the Awakened Guardian of the Forest’s head was made of only question marks. If this were Grid from a few months back, he wouldn’t have been able to guess why and probably would’ve thought it as a bug and grumbled about it.
However, now he was different. After many incidents, Grid had calmed and matured almost to the point of unfamiliarity. His thinking power finally belonged to the category of normal people.
‘Is this implying that its combat power is too high for my insight?’
Peng!
“Ah, is my scouting broken? What’s with your immeasurable combat strength?”
Grid was reminded of a scene from an old manhwa. His insight had worked on the pope, so this meant that the guardian in front of him was stronger than the pope.
“How rotten… I came here to play but I met a strong enemy.”
Grid had defeated the pope and obtained the legendary battle gear set, so he was much stronger than before. He had planned to easily defeat the Guardian of the Forest. Then what was this awakening mode?
Grid wasn’t aware of why the Guardian of the Forest awakened and why it was at this time. But he didn’t panic. He thought about it calmly and positively.
‘It will be a tough fight, but I think that it will work out well. Doesn’t it seem like the guardian will give a lot of blue orichalcum?’
The ash grey forest couldn’t dim the light of the blue orichalcum on the awakened guardian’s body. If he could obtain all those blue orichalcum, wouldn’t he be able to make two Failures?
‘I will collect it!’ Grid wanted to take out a pickaxe. However, he needed to first neutralize the guardian. ‘I can’t be too excited or I might miss the jackpot. Let’s not attack carelessly and wait for a chance.’
Grid was a greatsword lover. Except for the Ideal Dagger that he made for a quest, he had always used a greatsword since starting Satisfy until now. He was confident that he had a higher understanding of a greatsword than most users did.
All out power! Deadly blows!
“Phew.”
Grid grasped Dainsleif tightly and took deep breaths. He waited for a moment. The awakened guardian stared at Grid, then a red light flashed in its eyes. It made a posture like a sprinter, then quickly narrowed the distance towards Grid.
Grid timed it.
‘One. Two. Now!’
It was perfect timing. As soon as the awakened guardian ran into Dainsleif’s attack range, Grid released all his tensed muscles.
Kwaang!
An explosive sword strike! Dainsleif caused a dark red afterglow as it accurately struck the guardian’s chest.
[Critical!]
[You have dealt 5,700 damage to the target.]
The awakened guardian’s health gauge was reduced around 1/100. Grid was convinced.
‘Just like the size is several times smaller than the original, its defense and health are reduced as well.’
Monster types could be divided into the main categories of: attack, defense, support, and balance. While it was possible to classify them in more detail depending on species, attributes, skill, etc, these were just the basics.
The Guardian of the Forest was a typical defensive monster. As a peak golem, it possessed both abnormally high defense and health. On the other hand, the Awakened Guardian of the Forest was undoubtedly an offensive monster. It was obvious that it was an aggressive monster when its health was reduced by 1/100 by a single blow, as well as the fact that it killed a knight instantly.
‘The advantages are its fast speed and high attack power.’
This was a good thing. Grid could exert overwhelming attack power, so he found it more comfortable to deal with offensive types compared to defense types. It was possible to take care of the opponent quickly.
“I will kill you in an instant.”
The awakened guardian was stronger than the pope? He was also stronger than the pope. Grid’s eyes were filled with confidence. But he still remained calm. His head was cold while his chest was hot.
“…”
Grid didn’t move first. He waited for another chance, just like before.
Peeng!
Indeed. As an offensive type monster, the awakened guardian was aggressive. It didn’t learn and aimed for a frontal attack again.
‘Now!’
Grid calculated the perfect timing for a counter. He swung Dainsleif the moment the awakened guardian entered his range of attack.
Chaaeng!
This time, it was a vertical slash. The heavier blow fell upon the guardian’s shoulders.
[Critical!]
[You have dealt 6,380 damage to the target.]
Kik. Kkikikik.
The awakened guardian was hit and let out a strange noise. It paused for a moment before heading directly to him again.
‘Hehe, you idiot. Is your IQ in the single digit~?’
On the other hand, Grid believed that his IQ was in the double digits! He prepared for the third counter. He once again swung Dainsleif with proper timing. But this time, there was a completely different result.
The same move no longer worked. The awakened guard avoided the attack by moving its upper body the moment Grid struck. Then it moved around Dainsleif towards Grid’s side.
‘The same stupid lunge was a fake?’
A chill went down Grid’s spine. A monster using a trick! Then the guardian rotated, gathering the centrifugal force before kicked Grid’s face.
[You have been hit by a lethal blow!]
[You have suffered 13,090 damage.]
“Kuheok…!”
This wasn’t a skill. It was just a kick. In other words, a simple blow. Except, that “simple blow” made him instantly lose a third of his health. This was twice the damage that Grid could deal with his critical attacks. Considering Grid was also equipped with legendary equipment, it was a stunning sight to behold.
[The effect of Doran’s Ring has been activated.]
[The option of the Holy Light Armor has been activated.]
[19,635 health has been restored.]
“Damn bastard!”
The broken nose bone was restored and the nosebleed disappeared without a trace. However, Grid’s anger didn’t fade. Falling for a monster’s tricks? Grid didn’t expect to be so stupid! Then Grid fired Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Link.
Pipit! Pipipipipi-!
17 swords of light covered the awakened guardian’s body. But it didn’t do much damage. The awakened guardian surprised him by avoiding nine of the strikes.
‘Fast!’
Grid panicked as the guardian leapt into the air like a martial artist and evaded. Then it flew above Grid’s head and its heel descended. Grid hurriedly defended.
Jjejeong!
[The durability of +5 Dainsleif (Reproduction) has been reduced by 37.]
‘As expected from the blue orichalcum!’
Dainsleif was made of black iron, one of the finest minerals, and the durability hadn’t been damaged until now! Except for adamantium, its body was composed of blue orichalcum, which was known as one of the best minerals.
“I’ll kill you! I will tear your body to shreds! Blacksmith’s Rage!”
Grid didn’t shrink back. Rather, the momentum around him became stronger.
[Blacksmith’s Rage has been activated. Your attack power and attack speed will increase significantly for 20 seconds.]
Chaaeng! Chaeeeeeng!
The onslaught of the excited Grid began. The awakened guardian defended by crossing its arms. Grid’s attack speed after Blacksmith’s Rage was used was so fast that the guardian couldn’t counterattack.
Grid kept up this momentum.
“Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Wave!”
It was impossible for the awakened guardian to defeat against the waves being emitted in every direction.
[You have dealt 10,300 damage to the target.]
[The target’s attack speed has reduced.]
The awakened guardian stumbled like its body suddenly became heavi
er. It quickly corrected its posture but it was already too late. Grid accumulated a lot of combat experience and he wasn’t going to miss this moment.
“Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Kill!”
Kuoooooh-!
A powerful killing intent filled and suppressed the air. Romeo and the soldiers watching the battle from the bushes were scared, urinated or fainted. The awakened guardian also flinched in response. It perceived great danger from the black energy around Grid’s greatsword.
Kwang!
The awakened guardian struck the ground with its feet. Then the earth suddenly started to vibrate. One of the AOE skills possessed by the Guardian of the Forest could also be used in its awakened form.
“Ugh.”
Grid was immune to status conditions, but what about when the entire earth was shaking? He lost his balance. The subtle collapse of his posture dropped the accuracy of Kill significantly.
[Your attack has missed.]
‘Damn!’
His strongest move had missed? Grid was shaken. Then the guardian, who avoided Kill, started to fight back as it struck Grid’s body with both fists.
Pepepepeok!
The number of blows was higher than Link. The fists that could even crush steel slammed into Grid. It was the sight of a full-scale beating.
“V-Viscount Grid!”
The soldiers screamed. The volcanic ash blown by the wind pressure interfered with their sight, but they thought that Grid was being turned into a rag.
“We have to help. Our savior… He will die.”
Jude jumped to his feet. Romeo stopped him before he could go forward.
“Viscount Grid is safe! We will just interfere!”
Romeo’s words were true. At first glance, Grid seemed to be standing firmly on the ground. He never collapsed, despite being hit by the awakened guardian’s strike dozens of times. Meanwhile, the awakened guardian stopped punching. It seemed to think Grid was dead.
However, reality was different. Golden discs were flashing from within the ashes? The golden discs appeared in front of the guardian.
Kikik! Kik.
The awakened guardian belatedly noticed that it had been the golden discs that it had been hitting so far.