by Park Saenal
Lauel’s eyes shone as Grid ordered Huroi.
“Go to Khan’s smithy. Then bring Euphemina to the castle.”
“…Yes.”
Huroi politely answered and left the castle.
Winston Street.
As Huroi moved alone, a group was secretly following him. It was Shay’s group.
“According to the information collected, that guy is Grid’s aide.”
“He is 900th on the unified rankings.”
“His class isn’t anything special either. An orator?”
“According to our source, he’s the embarrassing type of person who always bows down to Grid. Considering his class, he will be weaker than we think.”
“Kill him. Won’t Grid be angry if we kill that guy? I want to see him shaking.”
“Yes, let’s kill him.”
Shay’s party had fairly decent intelligence. They looked at Huroi and made fun of him.
A deserted alleyway. Three assassins appeared behind Huroi, who was heading to Khan’s smithy.
“…You are?” Huroi asked calmly and Sniffer smiled.
“We are the ones who will kill you.”
Shay remarked.
“The villains have appeared. I guess?”
“…Villains?”
This was the first time he appeared in public since Grid participated in the National Competition.
Huroi frowned. “Someone dares touch My Lord… Aren’t your mothers ashamed of giving birth to people like you?”
“What…?”
Why was he suddenly talking about their parents? What was this wicked guy? Then a notification window flashed in front of Shay.
[You have been overwhelmed by the spiteful tongue. Defense and attack power will decrease by 30%.]
In this gap, Huroi pulled out his sword. It was a one-handed sword that seemed to be a compact version of Dainsleif.
Chapter 188
Chapter 188
If Pagma’s Descendant was a class that relied on items, orators were a class that specialized in talking.
They could get more favorable conditions for quests by talking to NPCs, or give buffs or debuffs with specific remarks. In particular, orators were absolutely necessary for nobles and lords. It was possible to boost the morale of the army through eloquence, and it was easily to appeal to the people and take control of the public opinion.
But an orator wasn’t a preferred class for users. Most users were reluctant to become orators, so they were a very rare class. The problem was that it was difficult to raise their level. The weapon they could equip was ‘books.’ They had only one attack skill. There were no defense or escape skills. They had lower health than a magician.
First of all, the problem was that their weapon was a book. A book had the option of adding to the narrative power, but it didn’t have the ability to increase magic power or store magic like orbs. They had to charge with the weapon and swing it at the target. But would the target be hurt if hit with a book? Not at all. The attack power was too weak. A book exerted much less damage than a blacksmith’s hammer.
The only attack skill an orator possessed was Spiteful Tongue. This was also a problem. It wasn’t practical at all, because there was a 80 second cooldown and it only dealt 200% damage to a single target.
It was practically impossible for an orator to hunt solo. They had to rely on hunting in parties. Unfortunately, it was difficult for an orator to find a party. It was due to the lack of viability. What did the great buffs and debuffs matter?
It was obvious when an orator participated in battle. Their constants words were tiring. The party members also had to keep on eye on the orator to make sure they didn’t die. Most users didn’t like having orators in their party. Apart from the orator class, there were clerics, black magicians, dancers, linkers, etc. to give buff skills, so there was no need to add an unstable orator to the party.
As a result, it was very difficult for an orator to level up through hunting. They weren’t able to level up through production like production classes, so they had to rely on leveling up through quests.
In other words, the level of difficulty for an orator was the highest among all classes in Satisfy, and most users avoided the orator class due to this. This was despite the fact that orators were a class that nobles and lords all over the continent would pay expensive money for!
Grid was truly lucky to obtain the 1st ranked orator as his subordinate.
‘…Does Grid know such facts?’ Lauel questioned as he looked at Grid, who always made Huroi run errands.
At the same time, in the outskirts of Winston.
“…Sword?”
The ‘unique’ Huroi who obtained a second class in Satisfy. Shay’s party was frowning at the horrifying debuff that was placed on them. Now the orator was armed with a sword? Moreover, the sword had a sinister appearance. Didn’t it resemble the greatsword that Grid used to smash them in the past? They felt anxious as the bad memory popped up.
‘It can’t be… No?’
Shay tried to calm down as he smiled awkwardly.
“An orator armed with a sword… Isn’t he still an easy threat? Right? Are you bluffing? You, you can’t wield that. Right?”
Huroi was exactly 937th on the unified rankings. This was a similar ranking to Shay, and was high enough to be compared to Kerb and Sniffer. Nevertheless, the reason why Shay dared face Huroi was simple.
Huroi was an orator. Wasn’t an orator the weakest? His level might be high, but it was thanks to Grid’s power and repeated party hunting. Huroi himself would be extremely weak. Why was he armed with a sword?
Shay rapidly became uneasy. It seemed that he couldn’t grasp Huroi properly.
“…Originally, I was a helpless existence.” Huroi gazed at Shay’s party and brought up an old story. “I raised my level while doing small quests. Then one day.”
Yes, he first met his lord in Winston.
“I acquired the first S-grade quest of my life.”
He was forced to do an outrageous quest where he was trapped in a narrow dungeon for 50 hours of real time. It was unimaginably painful. It wasn’t a level he could endure with his usual mentality.
He wanted to give up and logout many times. But he endured it. He persevered in the hopes of going beyond the limits of an orator. However, he kept waiting and waiting.
“I didn’t think the quest would end.”
A quest where he had to wait for a savior who might not appear. Huroi had gone half crazy by the quest. He couldn’t log out for more than 150 hours in game time and was trapped in a dark place. His sense of time blurred. He wasn’t aware of what he was doing. It was just hell.
Just before the quest’s time limit ended. A ray of light appeared in the darkness. It was the moment when Grid appeared.
“…My Lord saved me. Thanks to him, my wait wasn’t in vain and I was able to complete the quest.”
He got a new strength.
Second class: Apostle of Justice’s Partner.
* A matchless bravery.
* When you are with the Apostle of Justice, all stats will increase by 20%.
* The skills Unbreakable Justice and Sacrifice for Justice can be used.
Title ‘One who Overcomes Hardships.’
* Holds extremely high mental strength.
* Won’t give in to any trials.
* Skill ‘Strong Will’ can be used.
“Master has given me new strength.”
Now he was strong. He only existed for his lord!
“I won’t allow anyone to harm My Lord!”
Shay’s party was thrilled by Huroi’s story.
‘This is a touching story…’
‘Grid, this guy…!’
‘My heart is heavy!’
This was truly an orator. Huroi’s story made people listen to him. Therefore, Shay’s party couldn’t help concentrating on Huroi’s story. It was like they were the protagonists of the story. They were thrilled when Huroi got to the part wh
en he was saved. They couldn’t help thinking of Grid as wonderful, despite being their enemy.
That was the problem.
[You have become fascinated by the interesting story.]
[You feel like the main character of the story.]
[Thanks to the story, you have lost all sense of reality. You are unable to grasp the situation.]
[You will feel confused for 3 seconds.]
“Heok?”
Originally, an orator’s weapon was their mouth. Giving an orator a chance to use their mouth was no different from suicide.
“W-What is this…!”
“Shit! What is this fraudulent skill?”
Shay’s group never had experience dealing with orators, so they became easily confused. Huroi stared at them and shouted, “You dare try to kill me? Come!”
[Your morale has increased.]
[The next attack will be a critical hit!]
This was the highest buff skill of an orator, that applied a buff to all allies for two seconds. Then Huroi swung his black sword.
“Unbreakable Justice!”
[Unbreakable Justice Lv.5 (88.1%)]
Deals 650% of your attack power.
Skill Mana Cost: 500
Skill Cooldown Time: 100 seconds
Unbreakable Justice was an unique skill that only the Apostle of Justice and his partner could use. It dealt damage in a wide area and the cooldown time was very short compared to its power.
But Grid hardly ever used Unbreakable Justice after acquiring Pagma’s Swordsmanship. Compared to the legendary rated Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Unbreakable Justice had no advantages except that it was an immediate use skill. For Grid, it was more mana efficient to use Pagma’s Swordsmanship than Unbreakable Justice.
But Unbreakable Justice was Huroi’s main skill. He relied on the skill so much that he already built up tremendous proficiency with it. It was level 5. Now it dealt 650% wide area damage. Furthermore, the black sword that Huroi was currently armed with…
[Mass-produced One-handed Sword (Prototype)]
Rating: Unique
Durability: 49/51 Attack Power: 423
Attack Speed: -7% Accuracy: -2%
A trial work by the legendary blacksmith G.
A one-handed sword that can be easily used by anyone, and is designed to exert high attack power.
It’s an aggressive design made by referencing Dainsleif (Reproduction), and has succeeded in manifesting great attack power. However, it emphasizes convenience, so the overall perfection is poor, meaning additional functions such as durability are weak.
If steel was used as the main material rather than black iron, the limitations of this work would be more prominent and it would be treated as a consumable item.
User Restriction: Level 230 or higher. 300 strength. Beginner Sword Mastery.
Weight: 410
Huroi generated the Sword Mastery passive after acquiring his second class. He could now use a sword as a weapon. But he was an orator and his strength stat was very low, so it was impossible for him to use a proper sword for his level.
His troubles ended after Grid made the Mass-produced One-handed Sword (Prototype) for him. The name indicated that Grid planned to earn money through mass production of it someday, but the attack power was already beyond the limits of a one-handed sword. It was comparable to the minimum attack power of Dainsleif.
Half of Grid’s intentions when producing it was successful.
Kwaaaang!
[Critical!]
[You have dealt 7,910 damage to the target.]
[You have dealt 9,250 damage to the target.]
[You have dealt 10,180 damage to the target.]
Assassins invested their points into agility instead of stamina. Therefore, they relied on high evasion instead of defense. But they were in a state of confusion and couldn’t avoid the attacks. Shay’s party was struck by the power of Unbreakable Justice.
“Cough!”
“Cough!”
[You have suffered fatal damage!]
[You can’t regain your mental state.]
The enormous damage caused them to suffer from confusion again. It was the ‘confusion linkage’ that they had only heard rumors about. An orator managing to do something like this…
‘…Does this make sense?’
‘Ah… Really, shit…’
Shay was grouchy. They dreamed of getting revenge on Grid, only to be killed by his subordinate before even meeting Grid? And the subordinate was an orator?
“Damn…”
They couldn’t help cursing. Three assassins being beaten by an orator. If this was known, they would be ridiculed everywhere they went. They were also worried about their experience and items dropping.
Chapter 189
Chapter 189
“This is the end.”
Huroi was an ordinary orator until level 127, so he invested his stat points in both intelligence and persuasion. Since getting a second class at level 127, he was now level 236 and he invested his stats primarily into strength, stamina and agility.
It was to take advantage of the Apostle of Justice’s Partner class. The courage stat he acquired increased his attack and defense at the same time.
But it still wasn’t enough. Even considering the effect of his courage stat, his starting line was completely different. Therefore, Huroi was lacking in physical ability compared to others of the same level. His Sword Mastery was only intermediate level 2.
It would take more time for Huroi to demonstrate the true combat ability of his class. However, things changed recently thanks to Grid. Grid created and produced the Mass-produced One-handed Sword (Prototype) for him, which was enough to cover Huroi’s lacking combat power.
This was the power of items.
Swaeek!
The black sword that the group was confronted with!
“Ugh!”
Shay’s group tried to get revenge on Grid, but they would die without seeing him? No. They still had a means. Just before his heart was pierced by the sword, Shay shouted urgently.
“Kasim!!”
At that moment. A shadow emerged from behind Shay and wielded his daggers.
Chaaeng!
The movements were as fast as lightning. The dagger blocked the black sword and then sliced at Huroi’s neck.
[You have suffered 4,140 damage.]
“Ugh…!”
The bleeding Huroi retreated and immediately took a potion to restore his health. It was instincts that caused him to move and avoid death. The person who appeared from the shadow, Kasim, looked at Huroi and asked.
“You escaped a fatal wound? Your sensitivity is better than I thought?”
‘He isn’t a player?’
It was a thin man wrapped in grey clothing. The name ‘Kasim’ floating above his head was green, indicating an NPC. Huroi was baffled.
‘An NPC assassin is escorting them.’
He wasn’t a normal assassin. Huroi lost 4,000 health from one blow. It was estimated that the opponent was at least a level 280 named assassin. How did Shay’s party get such a big shot as an escort? Huroi was questioning it while Shay overcame his confusion and shouted while taking a health potion.
“Willingly give up your life! Kasim is a third advancement assassin! You’re not his opponent!”
‘Third advancement class?’
Huroi started sweating. The abilities of a second and third advancement class were as different as the sky and the earth. If two level 299 and one level 300 person fought, the third advancement level 300 person would win.
Furthermore, Huroi was only level 236. Not just the class difference, but the level difference was enormous. For him, the current situation wasn’t good. He had to judge carefully.
‘Calm down.’
It wasn’t a matter of pride. He didn’t know who these people were and he didn’t want to die. First, he had to escape from them and secure his safety. Then he would send a whisper to Euphemina. As Huroi was making a decision,
Shay’s party became excited and their momentum increased.
“We completed a S-grade quest and paid a huge sum of money to hire Kasim! All in order to get revenge on Grid!”
“Before we kill Grid, we will experiment with Kasim’s power on you!”
“What…?”
They wanted to hurt Grid? He finally figured out why he was attacked. Huroi froze in place instead of stepping back. Then he glared like a devil at Shay’s party.
“You guys, I will kill you here.”
He would wipe out Shay’s group, even if he died from that NPC assassin. It was his duty.
“I will never let you see My Lord’s shadow!” The furious Huroi summoned his drake. “Descend! Lord of the Skies above the Grasslands!”
The naming sense of the Mongols was emotional and descriptive. The fire drake ‘Lord of the Skies above the Grasslands’ flew above Huroi’s head. Shay’s party were pushed back against the walls by the wind pressure.
“Drake…!”
After the National Competition, the drakes had lost most of their dignity. In the pet marathon, dozens of drakes were defeated by Grid’s cat. Some people dismissed drakes, stating that their reputation was exaggerated.
But what was the truth? Drakes were still great pets. Their combat ability, mobility, intelligence, stamina, and all other abilities were overwhelming. Grid’s cat, the best demonic beast of hell, was just unusually strong.
“This guy has strong items and a strong pet? What the, you! You are compatible with Grid!”
Huroi didn’t respond to the shouting Shay. He just commanded the drake.
“Turn these people to ashes. I acknowledge you. You are the strongest drake, so you can do it.”
Kwaaaaah!
[Your drake ‘Lord of the Skies above the Grasslands’ was inspired by your words and his morale has risen. His attack power and magic power has greatly increased.]
Hwaruruk!
The drake was powered by the orator’s buff skill and spewed out a mighty fire breath. This was a narrow alley. Shay’s party couldn’t escape it, while Winston became covered with flames. Many people witnessed it.
“What? A drake?”
“Wow… Is it a fight between rankers?”
“In the middle of the city? Amazing! Let’s go!”