by Park Saenal
The eyes of a man closely watching him shone. It was Damian.
‘This is the time!’
Since Grid arrived in Reidan. Damian had been waiting for the right timing to say hello and he finally grabbed the chance. Grid seemed to be in a good mood right now!
“Grid! It has been a long time!”
Damian went forward and greeted him. He was nervous, but tried not to show it to Grid. He went down on one knee and bowed.
Grid asked, “Who are you?”
“Heok.” It was an unexpected response. “Y-You don’t remember me?”
Damian felt like crying. Grid looked at the disappointed person in front of him. From Grid’s standpoint, Damian was nothing more than an extra in the pope raid. It was also a long time ago.
Damian reminded himself of this and formally introduced himself. “I am Damian, a paladin of the Rebecca Church and the Goddess’ Agent. Around one year and two months ago in Satisfy time, I buffed Grid while you raided Pope Drevigo.”
“Ah.”
Now Grid remembered Damian. The otaku paladin. He hadn’t known it at the time, but looking back now, Damian’s buffing ability was remarkable.
“I remember. Then why are you here?”
Did he perhaps want to join the Overgeared Guild? Grid was filled with big expectations when Damian suddenly cried out.
“Please save Isabel-chan!”
“Isabel?”
Who was that again?
‘Ah, I remember.’ One of Rebecca’s Daughters. She had blonde hair and used an exceptional spear. ‘Did something happen to her?’
No, why was this person asking for help from Grid?
‘Ah right.’
A chill went down Grid’s spine. He remembered what he did.
‘Lifael’s Spear.’
It was a special weapon for Rebecca’s Daughters that Pagma had sealed. He had released the seal. Then he neglected to return.
‘Dammit.’
Isabel was dying because of him. Grid became uncomfortable as he identified the situation. He felt guilty about putting someone’s life at risk, and he was also worried that Damian would claim compensation for the damages.
‘I have no money.’
Damian begged the nervous Grid again. “I will give you all my assets! So please… Please save Isabel-chan!”
“Eh?”
Grid through Damian would claim compensation for damages, but he was actually rewarding Grid? And it was money?
‘A pushover?’
At that time, Lauel sent a whisper to Grid.
–Damian is a pope candidate. How about helping him? If he becomes a pope, Reidan will be able to form a friendship with the mighty forces of the Rebecca Church. The profit from it can’t be converted into money.
‘Pope candidate…’
In fact, Grid intended to help Damian from the beginning. More than anything else, he felt sorry towards Isabel. In addition…
‘Lifael’s Spear.’
A divine item. It was a great opportunity to observe it in detail.
‘Finally.’
It would be possible to create divine items. A weapon above Failure. No, maybe an item that exceeded Pagma’s works would be born. A smile appeared on Grid’s face.
“How much?”
“Huh?”
Damian panicked at Grid’s sudden question. Grid explained to the bewildered Damian. “How much will you give me in return for sealing Lifael’s Spear? How much?”
Grid had to take everything he could. This wasn’t a shameless greed. It was foolish to miss the opportunity to obtain something, unless he was a pushover.
‘I have already been a pushover in the past.’
Damian said carefully, “I have currently prepared 530,000 gold…”
It was the amount he prepared as a deposit.
“Hrmm.”
How much was that in Korean money?
‘636 million won…’
Grid calculated it in his head. Damian felt anxious when Grid showed no reaction and hurriedly said.
“I-If I dispose of my mansion, I can get an additional 1.2 million gold!”
“Mansion?”
“Yes! It is a small mansion where I live in Tokyo, Japan!”
‘He will sell his house in reality just for an NPC?’
In the past, Grid would’ve laughed at Damian. But not anymore. Irene, Khan, Piaro. Grid experienced the love of NPCs so he felt more affinity towards Damian.
‘He isn’t a bad person.’
He was a pushover. That wasn’t all. Damian was a pope candidate. The possibility that Damian could become a pope should be kept in mind.
‘I have to think about future relationship rather than be greedy for money now.’
If he did this favor for Damian, it would be a great help to Grid in the future.
“I will accept just 530,000 gold.”
“Heok?”
Damian was well aware of what a greedy person Grid was. He was completely determined to save Isabel-chan and had been expecting to spend a huge amount of money. He was even prepared to sell his organs if he had to. But it was a misunderstanding. Grid wasn’t that evil. Rather, he was a generous person.
“Thank you! I really appreciate it!”
Grid was willing to help him! Damian was so thrilled that he started crying. Grid, who was willing to spare Isabel-chan from suffering pain, looked like an angel to Damian in this moment. On the other hand, Grid was excited.
‘This is an opportunity to observe a divine weapon.’
He felt like he found a bundle of money on the way to picking up his lottery winnings.
Chapter 262
Chapter 262
After accepting Damian’s request, Grid received administrative reports from Rabbit and the Overgeared Guild. It couldn’t be helped. It was the least he had to do as the lord. As a result, one hour passed.
‘I’m tired.’
The fatigue accumulated over his five week quest was too high. The problem was the lack of sleep.
“Grid, are you departing for the Vatican?”
Outside the meeting room. Damian came up to him and asked. His eyes shone brightly and Grid waved his hands at him.
“I have to rest first. I will contact you later, so head to the Vatican first.”
“Yep.”
Frankly, Damian wanted Grid to go to the Vatican right now. His heart hurt when he thought of Isabel, who was suffering at this moment. But he couldn’t rush Grid and obediently stepped back. He had been waiting a few months, so couldn’t he wait a day or two?
He bowed politely to Grid who logged out. Then Grid headed straight to bed.
***
Since the National Competition.
10 months of Satisfy time had passed and Yura had dedicated herself to only one quest.
[Path of Penance]
Difficulty Level: SS
Meet the First Servant unharmed.
Quest Clear Rewards: ???
It was a quest that didn’t give her any clues. During the quest, Yura had to face countless adversities. She had experienced frustration several times. But she didn’t give up. If she was a person to give up easily, then she wouldn’t have become 5th in the unified rankings. Her tenacity and obsession exceeded the category of ordinary people.
‘I finally found it.’
The dirt and blood didn’t cause Yura’s beauty to fade. She was still beautiful at the end of the long struggle, when she finally reached her destination. It was hard to find one flaw with her beautiful white skin and ebony hair.
Step step.
Deep in the cave. Yura climbed onto the altar in the middle of the cave. There was a pure white flame on the altar.
[Lovely child, you have reached this place with your weak human body.]
Was this the voice of an angel? A very sweet and beautiful voice came from the flame. Yura’s eyes trembled. Her long eyelashes quivered.
‘My guess was right.’
Everything about Ya
tan’s First Servant was veiled. He wasn’t a human. The evidence? The white flame in front of her. The identity of this flame was the soul of a demon.
[You are entitled to receive my, Amoract’s, power.]
The demon of conflict, Amoract. One of the 33 great demons was Yatan’s First Servant.
Demon, demonic views, religion founded by a demon. That was the Yatan Church. There were many hints.
The aim of the Yatan Church was to bring the 33 great demons to the earth. Yatan’s servants included the demonkin Balak and others. Legend said that the 33 great demons were creatures of God Yatan.
Combining all these features, it wasn’t a religion that existed for humans. It was obvious that the Yatan Church was the enemy of humanity.
[Child, I will give you infinite power.]
Amoract enticed her.
[I will help you break away from that weak human body.]
Then a notification window popped up in front of Yura.
[The quest ‘Path of Penance (SS)’ has been cleared.]
[If you accept Amoract’s magic power, you will be changed from human to half demonkin. Demonkin can evolve into demons.]
[Will you accept Amoract’s magic power?]
‘I’m being given a choice?’
She could choose if she wanted the compensation or not. It was unheard of for the quest to leave it up to the user. What did this suggest? Yura’s brain was activated. Based on the information and experience that she had accumulated over the years, her high intelligence quickly analyzed the situation.
Yura found the answer.
“I’ll refuse.”
Amoract’s soul was shocked. It shook at the unexpected choice.
[Child, why? Why are you refusing my power?]
“…”
[Child, do you intend to betray God Yatan?]
After becoming a black magician and joining the Yatan Church. Yura had committed many wrongdoings. This was the fate of a black magician. The quests given to black magicians always required causing conflict or harming people.
Did she feel guilty? It was uncomfortable, but it was a level that she could endure. Satisfy was essentially a game. It was different from reality. She had a clear distinction between good and evil, and she wasn’t evil. Yura just faithfully played her role as a user who chose the path of evil. The result was that she became Yatan’s Servant.
But now she felt irritated. Was she belatedly feeling guilty? No. There was a reason.
“Yes, I intend to betray you. If I accept your strength and remain God Yatan’s Servant forever, I will eventually become the enemy of that man.”
[Man? Who are you talking about?]
“Grid.” Yura’s clear eyes pierced into Amoract’s soul. “The Yatan Servants’ Slaughterer.”
[What?]
Not long ago, Yura received the news that Grid killed Dark Bus, making it a total of three Yatan Servants. It had been a long time since the Yatan Church designed Grid as an enemy. Yura didn’t want to support the Yatan Church anymore. But she couldn’t leave the Yatan Church. It was a foolish act, since she would lose everything she obtained so far.
Now the situation changed. Why did a choice exist for a SS-grade quest reward? It was easy to guess. If she refused the compensation, she could get a corresponding ‘hidden reward.’
“Yatan’s Servant, I will quit. In fact, I didn’t like Yatan from the beginning.”
She just chose a black magician because it seemed interesting. If she knew that she had to unconditionally serve God Yatan, she wouldn’t have become a black magician in the first place.
[Disgraceful girl!]
Amoract’s warm and gently voice changed to something terrible. The momentum alone seemed like it could kill Yura. But Yura didn’t shrink back. She was well aware that it wasn’t possible for Amoract to appear on the earth at this time.
Ttiring.
[You have refused Amoract’s magic power.]
[You have been deprived of your position as Yatan’s Servant.]
[You are expelled from the Yatan Church.]
[You have lost your black magic power.]
[The Yatan Church will be forever hostile to you.]
[The legendary class, Demon Slayer, has been obtained.]
[Your level has dropped.]
[You are now level 1.]
“Oh my.”
She had expected to get a legendary class. However, she had no idea that she would drop to level one. The list of newly acquired skills appeared in front of the surprised Yura.
On this day.
Yura’s name disappeared from the list of rankers. Of course it was a big topic. All types of speculation occurred across the world.
***
He woke up at 4:30 in the morning. He had slept for 13 hours. Youngwoo exited his room with a blank expression, where his parents greeted him.
“Son! Why is it so hard to see you when we live in the same house?”
“It has been 10 days.”
Youngwoo’s parents were farmers who grew crops and sold them at their vegetable store. They went to work early in the morning and came home late at night. On the other hand, Youngwoo spend most of his day in the capsule. In particular, he had been playing for an exceptionally long time during the past 12 days because of the quest. It couldn’t be helped that it was hard for the three people to see each other.
“I heard Youngwoo’s story on the news a few days ago. I know that you are busy doing big things, but don’t overdo it.”
“Take care of your health. I’m concerned because you haven’t been exercising recently. If you get sick, we won’t be the only ones who will feel sad.”
‘A big deal… The nation…’
Youngwoo was treated as a hero after raising the status of South Korea in the National Competition. To be honest, he still hadn’t adapted to it. It was too big of a gap from when he was taunted as a game obsessed loser.
‘I have become successful in my field.’
It felt good. He was very proud of it, especially when he saw how proud his parents were of him. Youngwoo was stretching while listening to their words, when he suddenly wondered.
“I appeared on the news?”
“Yes, there was something about how the seven or eight guilds invaded your city?”
“Huh?”
“Youngwoo, you and your colleagues repelled them without any damage?”
“Huh?”
“Asura? Ashur? Some unbelievably great earl helped you?”
“Eh?”
“The experts who appear on TV praise our son every day. Ohoho.”
“…”
Youngwoo was confused as soon as he woke up. He couldn’t understand anything the two people were saying.
‘Roughly speaking… An alliance of seven guilds tried to invade Reidan and it seems like they were defeated by Earl Ashur.’
Why didn’t he know about this?
‘That Lauel.’
The ‘little thing’ he talked about was referring to this incident.
‘It was trivial.’
Youngwoo laughed. He was able to guess why the Overgeared Guild didn’t report this incident to him.
‘There was no damage, so it wasn’t important.’
They didn’t want to disturb his quest. Then when he returned from completing the quest, he was too tired to stay connected for long. He could feel that his companions’ thoughts towards him were growing.
‘I reap what I sow.’
In the past, Shin Youngwoo was filled with poison and only concerned about himself. At that time, he was always alone. He didn’t respect anyone. He didn’t care for others. But not anymore. After he succeeded, he could afford to care for others, and as a result, he was respected. Now he could call them ‘friends.’ These were truly happy days.
“Hasn’t it been a while?”
He finished eating breakfast with his parents. Then Sehee greeted him as she came out of the bath. Her sister had become prettier in the short time they
hadn’t seen each other.
“You have grown…” Youngwoo said as he looked at her from head to toe, causing Sehee to blush.
“Where are you looking like a pervert?”
“Pervert?”
Why should he be called a pervert when he was just confirming his sister’s growth? Sehee threw a white sweatshirt towards the bewildered Youngwoo.
“Now that you have some time to relax, shouldn’t you go exercising?”
“Is that so?”
In the last 12 days, he hadn’t moved his body except when he was doing some light stretches and push-ups.
It was frustrating, so Youngwoo was pleased that his sister offered to go running with him. He went out after a long time and ran excitedly. Youngwoo’s body and spirit felt refreshed from the clean air entering his lungs.
Then they returned home. A man was waiting at their house for Youngwoo..
“It’s the first time that we’ve met in reality.”
Peak Mine… No, Peak Sword.
Chapter 263
Chapter 263
“It’s the first time that we’ve met in reality.”
Youngwoo returned home after jogging with Sehee. Youngwoo encountered a man in his mid-30’s in a nice suit.
“Peak Sword?”
He gave off a stronger feeling in the game, but it was definitely Peak Sword. He was a South Korean who always asked foreigners ‘Do you know?’
“Hahaha! It’s an honor that God Grid recognized me.”
“It isn’t unusual.”
In fact, Youngwoo had a close relationship with Peak Sword. A friendship formed after they raided Hell Gao in Cork Island Dungeon together, as well as the Sakura Guild. Youngwoo didn’t feel uncomfortable despite Peak Sword visiting without any notice. Rather, there was a pleasant feeling. But he was confused.
“I heard you’re usually jogging around this time, so I came to find you in the morning. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to meet you, but luckily, I got the timing right.
Peak Sword extended a card.
[Korean Patriotic Association]
President Kang Daehan.
Kang Daehan. It was Peak Sword’s real name.
“Korean Patriotic Association? What is that?”
“Our task is to spread South Korea to the world. For example, if we encounter a foreigner…”
“I understand.”
He didn’t want to hear a more detailed explanation. He could guess it was something absurd just from the description.