by Park Saenal
Teteteteng!
The flail flew forward. Like a feather duster, it moved without hesitation towards Grid. It scattered something with every move, reminiscent of dust.
“Ugh! Kkuk! Keok! Kek!”
This dust. Grid kept moaning. His health gauge fell in an instant. Iyarugt was astonished.
[I can’t read the trajectory!]
‘Useless!’
In fact, he wasn’t in a position to blame others. Grid felt helpless. Piaro was really strong. He used all types of items and skills to win, but he couldn’t narrow the gap. Yes, it felt like he was facing a wall that couldn’t be overcome.
However, Grid didn’t give up. He still had a trump card remaining!
“Piaro…! I’m not backing down yet!”
What were the God Hands doing now while Grid was being beaten by the flail? Why didn’t they come and protect their master? Piaro saw Grid’s confident face and suddenly found the four hands hammering at an anvil behind Grid.
‘What is going on?’
Piaro was alert.
[You have succeeded in combining Failure and Grid’s Greatsword!]
Grid smiled. The God Hands flew quickly and handed the greatsword to Grid. The combination of Grid’s Greatsword and Failure was truly transcendent. This wasn’t the end. In the center of the merged greatsword, the Darkness Rune was installed. Then an explosion demonic energy was emitted from the greatsword, making it a perfect match with the blackened Grid.
But it didn’t work against Piaro.
Peok!
“Ugh.”
So what if he had the strongest weapon in hand? He couldn’t even swing it! The duration of Quick Movements was over, so Grid could overcome Piaro’s speed in the Natural State. He allowed attacks and in the end, he was forced to admit it.
“You as a farmer…! Farmer! Ugh! I will recognize your path as a farmer!”
At the same time.
[Your health has fallen to a minimum, so sparring mode is finished!]
[The hidden quest ‘Lord’s Confidence’ has been completed.]
[Piaro’s stats and skills will significantly rise.]
As a result of today, Piaro was able to be reborn as a true legend. His level was still low compared to the previous legends, but all other aspects were comparable. Then Grid…
“Damn! I’m also a legend, but why am I in this shape?”
The great demons, Braham, Marie Rose and now Piaro. There were too many mountains to overcome. Grid was eager to become stronger. He didn’t want to feel this helpless again, or experience failure.
‘In order to become stronger.’
Increasing his control and agility was a top priority. The means that could help both grow at the same time was naturally hunting.
‘Level up!’
But before that, there was something Grid had to do. It was to create a set of farming equipment.
Ttang! Ttang!
As the best weapons (?) used by his top subordinate, Grid devoted a few days to making it. Thanks to that, even Piaro was equipped with the power of items. In short, a monstrous scam was born.
“Okay.”
Grid was barely satisfied with his work and headed towards the vampire cities. He joined the Pavranium Expedition and hunted until the experience and item acquisition buff was over. By the time he reached level 305 and returned, there was less than a month left before Irene gave birth.
***
Epilogue
“Huh?”
Chris and the Five Captains were bewildered as they plowed the fields. It was because Piaro had six sheaths hanging at his waist. He normally wore farming equipment there, so why were there sheaths?
‘No, is he holding a knife?’
‘There are six of them…’
Were they going crazy?
Piaro cleared his throat as he approached Chris and the Five Captains. Then he proudly straightened and pulled out the knife from the sheath… No, it was farming equipment. That’s right. The luxurious sheaths at Piaro’s waist were actually for farming equipment. It was the work that Grid had carefully made for Piaro.
“Wow.”
Chris was filled with a strong desire to possess them. He also wanted to have such nice storage places for farming equipment. Chris was third on the unified rankings.
Chapter 324
Chapter 324
“Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Transcended Link!”
Kwa kwa kwa kwang!
Dozens of blue-black energy blades covered the vampires. The vampires cursed as they suffered damage.
“Damn human!”
“How ludicrous!”
“Hiik!”
50 vampires rushed over in unison, so Grid had no choice but to run away.
“Hohohohut!”
“He’s intimidated!”
The vampires enjoyed hunting humans. They herded Grid like a bunny and surrounded him.
Flop!
Grid’s legs loosed with fear as he saw their sharp fangs and he sank to the ground. The trembling and tearful Grid was reminiscent of a frail girl. It was a sad sight that stimulated protective instincts. But the vampires didn’t have any mercy.
“Eat!”
The moment that the hungry vampires were going to pounce on Grid.
“Nyang!”
A black cat fell on a vampire’s head. The vampire screamed as the front paws hit his forehead.
“Kuaaaaak!”
“What is it? Heok?”
He was in pain from a cat? The vampires freaked out when they discovered the identity of the cat.
“Memphis…!”
Noe puffed up his plump belly and laughed.
“Nyahahat! That’s right! This is the best demonic beast of hell! Nyang!”
“Why is a great demon’s pet cat here?”
“I’m not a cat! Kyang!”
“Get rid of him!”
The vampires were also demonkin. However, they were expelled from hell and became hostile towards other demonkin. They no longer aimed for Grid and started attacking Noe, when four white flashes penetrated their chests.
Magic Missile.
“Cough!”
“Keook! How can Magic Missile deal so much damage?”
The astonished vampires turned their gazes in the direction that the magic came from. There were four golden hands holding greatswords and a dagger.
“What is that?”
Hands that could move on their own and fire magic? The vampires couldn’t understand the golden hands. The golden hands flew towards the confused vampires and wielded their swords.
Chaaeng! Chaeng!
The swordsmanship wasn’t great, but it was fast. Moreover, the weapons were so powerful that they couldn’t avoid a deadly blow when hit.
“Kyaak!”
The vampires screamed due to the demonic beast of hell and the unknown hands! It happened when they were feeling extreme confusion and fear.
“Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Wave.”
Kwaang!
After the waves of energy, a person appeared wielding a demonic sword. The vampires weren’t able to cope and turned to a grey light.
“I’m still scared.”
The demonic Grid looked at the Grid who was crying on one side. To be precise, it was Randy who copied him. Randy kept crying as she returned to the appearance of a young girl.
“I won’t cry next time!”
“You are admirable.”
“You should praise me! Nyang!”
As Grid, Randy and Noe were having a conversation, the God Hands were struggling with the vampires.
[The Sword Mastery of ‘God Hand’ has increased to beginner level 6.]
‘Okay.’
A grin appeared on Grid’s face as he confirmed the notification window. The mastery level of God Hand grew steadily in proportion to the number of times it was used. It was quite powerful compared to when he fought with Piaro. Indeed, it was encouraging.
On the other hand, the Overgeared members w
ere speechless.
‘This is a scam.’
‘It is outrageous.’
They met Grid again a week after the Elfin Stone raid. He had become an incomparable monster in just a few days. It wasn’t just the concept of increased control.
Four golden hands, Noe and Randy. They moved in all directions around Grid, so Grid’s hunting rate was unmatched. Grid hunted at least 10 vampires in the time it took Pon and Regas to hunt two or three. This was an average figure, and he hunted up to 100 vampires at a time.
It was a combination of being overgeared and his pets. This hunting speed was much faster than the top ranked necromancer. Thanks to that Grid was able to gain four levels in 42 days. It wasn’t just due to his speed of hunting. There was the power of the buffs from the Elfin Stone raid and the experience potion from the Reputation Store.
That’s right. After being defeated by Piaro, Grid was filled with a desire to become stronger and tried his hand at gambling again. The result was that he exhausted all his reputation, but could gain three experience potions.
Grid thought positively.
‘In the first place, the high value products have a limited number of purchases per account.’
Assuming that they were purchased only when absolutely necessary, it wasn’t a bad choice to invest his reputation into experience potions. But due to the nature of the drawing, there was a possibility of not giving a single item he wanted if his luck was bad.
***
Grid reached level 305 and returning from the vampire cities, deciding to stay in Reidan for a while. Irene was going to give birth in less than a month, so he wanted to always stay beside her.
He planned to use this time to fulfill his duties as a lord and blacksmith.
[Minerals Strengthening]
Increase the hardness and strength of specified minerals, while lowering the brittleness.
Hardness meant the hardness of the mineral’s surface, strength meant the degree to which the mineral could withstand force and brittleness was how fragile it was. Generally, hardness and strength were directly proportional to each other, but brittleness tended to increase from impacts. After completing the third class quest, Grid obtained Minerals Strengthening. If he used this skill, he could make the ideal mineral.
‘It doesn’t seem useful right away.’
Minerals Strengthening wasn’t an immediate skill. If he put 30 grams of a mineral in the strengthening frame, he needed to wait 30 days. An average of 4kg worth of minerals was needed for a one-handed sword, so it didn’t seem that useful. Grid was honestly disappointed at first.
But after thinking about it more, he wondered if Minerals Strengthening was the foundation for Minerals Creation.
‘Just like Pagma and Braham created the pavranium, one day I will be able to create my own mineral.’
Grid thought positively about it and placed a small amount of blue orichalcum in the strengthening frame. He wanted to strengthen the pavranium, but that meant having to disassemble one of his hands.
It was something Grid wanted to avoid if he was going to quickly raise the rating of the hands.
[30 grams of blue orichalcum have entered the strengthening frame. There are 30 days until the strengthening is complete.]
“There is no time acceleration function.”
Grid pulled out the 30 grams of enhanced blue orichalcum that he had put in the frame before going to the vampire cities. It was certainly a bit harder than the normal blue orichalcum.
“Um… I have to steadily use this function.”
Grid was experimenting in a corner of the smithy with a notification window appeared.
[Congratulations! The level of the alchemy facilities in Reidan have risen to intermediate level 4!]
At the same time, Administrator Rabbit ran in.
“Duke Grid! The level of the alchemy facilities finally reached intermediate level 4! If we can keep up this speed of development, it can become an advanced facility in one year and one month!”
Once the alchemy facilities reached an advanced level, they would be able to fully utilize the yellow mithril. After that, they would be able to randomly assign special options to items and the value of the items would skyrocket.
However, Grid’s expression wasn’t good.
“One year and one month? I invested 30 million, but we still need to wait one year and one month?”
“As you know, alchemy is a discipline that is neglected in all kingdoms. The field isn’t systematically developed and it’s hard to find experts, so the development itself is bound to be delayed. The work has been progressing faster than planned thanks to your investment, so I hope that you will wait for me.”
Administrator Rabbit was capable. He was the great man who made the ghost city of Reidan turn a profit, so Grid absolutely trusted him. Grid nodded and had a question after he confirmed the status of the estate.
“But look at this. Why is agricultural our most profitable area? It is ridiculously high compared to the investment amount. Is this all thanks to Piaro?”
“…That’s right. Sir Piaro’s ability as a farmer is wonderful enough to be written in the history books. It was truly a wise decision when you allowed him to remain a farmer.”
Lauel, who was with Grid all the time, also agreed.
“I think it was a good decision as well. The person who was hoping Piaro would become a sword saint is now appreciating him as a farmer, I never dreamt this day would come. It was a wise and charitable choice.”
Charitable? Wise?
‘Bullshit.’
There was no deep meaning behind Grid acknowledging Piaro as a farmer. He just lost. However, he couldn’t bear to tell the truth to his subordinates, so he remained silent.
***
Shin Youngwoo’s current total account balance was 5,013,009,281 won. Youngwoo’s day started by accessing his Internet banking. 5 billion won! Every time he checked the account balance, he still couldn’t help thinking this was a dream, causing him to cry.
“One year ago, I was debt-ridden…! Sob!”
Why did he get tears every time he checked in the morning?
Blow!
Youngwoo pulled the tissue away from his nose and prayed again.
“God, Buddha, gods of heaven and earth. Please take care of me…”
Youngwoo requested every time despite never making a donation to a church or temple. He wandered into the kitchen and made an espresso with the coffee machine he bought a while ago. He took a sip and handed it to his sister Sehee, who emerged from her room.
“Drink. This is called a morning coffee.”
“…Can I not drink?”
“No? Didn’t you want to drink from the beginning?”
Youngwoo earnestly mixed the coffee. Sehee sat in front of the TV and asked him.
“Are you coming to my school festival?”
It was the autumn festival held at the Young Ladies High School in three days. There were many pretty girls and the scale was big, so it was a fairly famous festival. Many ordinary people came to visit. Youngwoo recalled the text he received from Yerim a few days ago and shook his head.
“Yerim invited me, but I’m not going.”
Braham’s actions might’ve caused him to get millions of anti-fans. He was still afraid to search up his name on the Internet, so he couldn’t go outside. Recently, he had to cover his face with a mask when going jogging.
‘Maybe someone will be aiming to kidnap me.’
Usually ordinary people enjoyed themselves when they became rich, but Youngwoo was different. He cherished his body even more. A wide smile appeared on Sehee’s face.
“Good.”
Sehee hummed as she headed towards the bathroom and Grid sighed.
“She is ashamed of her brother…”
It couldn’t be helped if he was hated by his younger sister. He was now helping his family, but he had been acting pathetically for decades. Youngwoo rose from his spot and headed towards the capsule. He would s
oothe his heart by spending time with his lovely Irene and concentrating on work.
On the other hand, in the empty living room, news was flowing out of the TV about the Young Ladies High School’s festival.
[It’s said that actor Kim Doohyun will participate in the autumn festival of the Young Ladies High School…]
Chapter 325
Chapter 325
The 31 year old Kim Doohyun.
A male actor from South Korea who boasted a warm appearance. Three months ago, he became popular as a world star in the Hollywood movie, ‘The Diary of a Murderer.’ Over the last three months, he had shot 15 CFs, and his popularity rose.
During a time when Satisfy’s rankers were crowding the CF market, Kim Doohyun’s breakthrough had given hope to other actors.
“You want to cancel a shoot to attend a festival? Hey, Doohyun. Why are you doing something so stupid? Are you trying to cause a stir?”
The representative of the company tried to persuade him, but it was useless. There was a look in Doohyun’s eyes that couldn’t be read. He exuded a mysterious charm as he looked out the window and spoke firmly.
“There is something more important than immediate money and popularity. I will attend the Young Ladies High School festival.”
The expression of the representative darkened.
“Don’t tell me that the rumors are true?”
“What rumors?”
“You are… There’s a rumor that you are a high school girl killer.”
“…”
Doohyun remained silent. He had a reticent personality and he didn’t feel there was any value in answering this question.
“Hah.”
The representative could only sigh. He worried that if a scandal broke out after touching a high school girl, it would be fatal to Doohyun’s popularity.
***
“I’ve come to ask you to repair the sword.”
The master of the Giant Guid, Chris, now had to often visit Reidan. It was troublesome and tedious, but it couldn’t be helped. The only person who could repair Grid’s Greatsword was Grid.
“It isn’t too bad? While hunting the desert monsters on your way, you can get experience and items.”
“I won’t deny it.”
Chris hunted in the basilisk area on the way to and from Reidan. The desert basilisks usually moved in groups of three, so rankers were unable to hunt them alone. However, Chris was third on the unified rankings.