by Park Saenal
“Why would the pope commit such butchery?”
“A murderer is trying to lie! Disgraceful person! Get out now!”
“…”
After a while, Damian was able to enter Reidan due to Lauel. However, Grid wasn’t there anymore.
***
There were countless players hoping to cross to the East Continent.
There were those who wanted to get ahead of everyone else, those who aimed for a reversal in a new land, etc. All types of people tried to reach the East Continent. The wealthy even invested an astronomical amount of money.
However, most of them failed to reach the East Continent. They became stuck at the Dead Sea. Only a very small number of people succeeded. Out of two billion users, less than 1,000 succeeded in figuring out how to get to the East Continent.
They were the people who grasped the existence of Sage Sticks by clearing a lot of linked quests. However, fewer than 10 people managed to cross to the Eastern Continent.
Behen Archipelago. It was a difficult task to break through the 66 islands, which were like an instant dungeon.
“Sigh.”
After a long journey, Grid arrived at the Behen Archipelago and took a deep breath to calm himself down. Was he nervous because he remembered Kraugel saying that even famous high rankers had been eliminated at the first island?
No. Grid was actually filled with confidence. The reason for his deep breathing was to stop himself from becoming angry.
“Now, shall I get started?”
Grid readied himself and started to cross the bridge between the mainland and the first island. A notification window appeared at the end of the bridge.
[Do you want to enter the instant dungeon ‘Behen Archipelago’?]
“Yes.”
[The ‘Behen Archipelago’ is limited to one person and the escape method is unknown. Death is highly likely. Do you still want to enter?]
“Go.”
At the same time. Grid’s body was sucked into the gate.
***
“It’s been a long time since there was a challenger.”
The hidden sage, Sticks. He gazed into his magic ball and saw a man with black hair. Sticks examined him closely and didn’t feel inspired.
“Anyway, he will be eliminated.”
The first island dropped the challenger’s stamina to the limit. Faced with the terrible limit, they would cause their own self-destruction. Over the past few decades, most challengers lost their lives at the first island.
Sticks was sure that the same thing would happened to this black-haired man. However, the result was different from what he expected.
“Heok! N-No, how…?”
Sticks was shocked. He looked like he saw a ghost. It was natural. The first island. The goal was to take advantage of the island terrain to hold out against the monsters that appeared ‘infinitely’ for 20 minutes.
They should reduce the area that the monsters could attack from by moving to the highlands or into narrow places. It was a common strategy, but most people didn’t survive for 20 minutes even if they knew the strategy. There was a limit to their stamina.
However, the man with black hair used an unconventional method. He cleared the first island easily without using a strategy. After summoning four golden hands that each held a weapon, he waited for the monsters to appear and killed them. It was a method that destroyed common sense, making even the sage Sticks embarrassed.
Chapter 358
Chapter 358
[You have entered the first island.]
The first island was much smaller than Grid expected. The area of one tenth of Yeouido Park. The structure was very simple. There were several rock piles, as well as white sand.
“There isn’t anything?”
Grid was looking around with confusion when he saw the notification window that popped up.
[A mission will be created.]
[First Island]
Survive for 20 minutes!
First Clear Reward: 1 Challenger Point.
[The mission will start 30 minutes from now.]
“Survive?”
This place was Behen Archipelago, where even high ranking users died. What terrible things would happen in the future that he needed to ‘survive?’ Ordinary people would be extremely nervous and uneasy.
But Grid was the person who broke the sky above the sky. This created a high pride, and he wasn’t easily upset. Grid was only focused on the compensation.
‘Challenger points? Is it something that only applies to certain areas?’
Reputation was used as the currency in the Reputation Store.
‘What can I buy with this?’
Grid was full of anticipation. He used Braham’s Boots and looked over the island from the sky. It was to grasp the situation before the mission started.
‘Magic circle?’
There were four large magic circles engraved on the island. What were they for? Another person would’ve been able to grasp it more quickly, but Grid just had the intelligence of an ordinary person and only came up with an idea after a while.
‘Are they places where monsters are created?’
Since it stated that he had to survive for 20 minutes, it meant he would be threatened for 20 minutes. Grid guessed that monsters would pour out of the circles as soon as the survival mission started.
But he wasn’t fully convinced. It was to leave his mind flexible to cope with unexpected situations.
“I have to prepare.”
There was a few minutes left until the start of the mission.
In order to secure the minimum of safety and prevent himself from wasting mana, Grid landed on some rocks. He summoned the God Hands and gave them the strongest weapons, before moving them to the different magic circles.
“Attack as soon as the enemy appears.”
The four God Hands swung their weapons as if in reply to Grid’s command. After a while.
[The first island’s mission has begun.]
Pak!
Pa pa pa pat!
A smile appeared on Grid’s face. He was delighted that his expectations were correct. That’s right. Monsters were created at the four magic circles.
Kieeeek!
Kyaack!
The monsters that emerged from the magic circles were the creepy sellobu.
‘It has been a long time.’
Sellobus. They were a spider type monster with low defense and stamina, but high attack power and speed. The sellobus were so fast that humans couldn’t counter. They were ghastly monsters that slaughtered players all over the continent.
‘Only level 200.’
Now Grid could destroy the sellobus in one blow. But the God Hands were different. The God Hands only had 30% of Grid’s stats. In addition, his Sword Mastery was only beginner level 7. They had the most advanced weapons, but they couldn’t stop the sellobus instantly. It took them an average of three to four hits.
‘Too slow.’
The speed at which the sellobus were created was much faster than the speed of the God Hands’ hunting. Their numbers started to get out of control and they shot poisonous liquid at Grid.
“Kuk.”
As expected of an offensive monster, their damage was flawless. The cumulative damage was a burden on Grid.
‘It’s a waste of experience, but it can’t be helped.’
Grid used Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Transcended Link, to kill the sellobus around him, then pulled out his next method.
“Noe, Randy.”
“Snack time! Nyang!”
“Randy, Grid okay.”
Noe and Randy, who was in the form of Grid, appeared. Grid ordered the two of them.
“Support the God Hands in the east and north. I will support the hands in the south and west.”
“Nyang!”
Noe replied energetically, moving his wings and heading east. On the other hand, Randy didn’t know where the north was. However, he soon moved quickly when Grid pointed. Thanks to them joining, the
east and north God Hands could quickly kill the sellobus.
Grid also wasn’t idle. He reached out his hands to the left and right and fired the Magic Missiles, assisting the God Hands that were suffering under the sellobus. From this point on, numerous notification windows appeared in front of Grid.
[You have killed a sellobus.]
[612,000 experience has been distributed.]
[Your pet Noe has acquired 204,000 experience.]
[Your pet Randy has acquired 204,000 experience.]
[You have killed a sellobus.]
[612,000 experience has been distributed.]
[Your pet Noe…]
…
…
“Wow, this is a big hit.”
Grid was astonished. He killed almost four sellobus per second, so the speed of his experience gain was beyond imagination. It was around 10 times faster than the current best hunting ground, the vampire cities.
This wasn’t the end.
[The Sword Mastery of ‘God Hand’ has increased from beginner level 7 to beginner level 8.]
[The Sword Mastery of ‘God Hand’ has increased from beginner level 8 to beginner level 9.]
The Sword Mastery of the God Hands grew at a tremendous rate as they wielded their swords without a break. Grid trembled with something that was beyond joy. As the Sword Mastery level of the God Hands increased, the speed of the sellobu hunting became even faster, causing an equivalent rise in the speed of acquiring experience. Now it was 20 times faster than when hunting in the vampire cities.
[You have killed a sellobus.]
[You have killed a sellobus.]
[You have killed…]
…
…
[The level of Noe has risen!]
[The level of Randy has risen!]
[The level of Randy has risen!]
“Yes! This is honey! Amazing!”
Grid was so excited that he couldn’t help cheering. The first island that frustrated so many challengers…
The land of despair turned into a great hunting ground for Grid.
***
[You have cleared the first island.]
[You have acquired 1 challenger point for the mission success.]
[Challenger Point]
Can be used to purchase items from the Challenger Store that exists somewhere in the Behen Archipelago.
“Ah, too bad.”
Grid ended up hunting for 20 minutes. He gained an extra 15% experience.
“It would be nice if the mission was surviving for 20 days instead of 20 minutes… Or maybe 20 hours…”
Grid’s heart wanted to take advantage of the first island. He wanted to repeatedly clear the first island so that he could catch up with Kraugel’s level. But it was a stupid idea. There were still a lot of islands. Wasn’t it likely to have a better hunting ground later on?
‘In the first place, I need to escape from here before I can do it again, and I don’t know how to escape.’
Grid hadn’t yet fully grasped the system of the Behen Archipelago. He needed to be more careful. He disciplined his heart and stepped onto the newly created bridge. The gate to the second island was located at the end of the bridge.
***
[You have entered the second island.]
This island was at least 10 times larger than the first island. The scenery was also different. There was the sound of waterfalls from the lush jungle, as well as a small mountain at each end of the island. There were also lakes and caves.
“Huh? Treasure chest?”
Grid looked around and noticed one place. It was a towering rock wall just behind the starting point. There were 10 golden boxes shining brightly.
“What is this… No, is it a trap?”
Grid didn’t act carelessly, unlike the past, and notification windows appeared in front of him.
[A mission will be created.]
[Second Island]
Open the locked treasure chests!
There are 10 keys hidden throughout the island.
It is important to find as many keys as possible, as each box has a different key.
Time Limit: 3 days.
First Clear Reward: Every time you open a box, 1 Challenger Point.
* If two or more boxes can’t be opened within the specified time, you will be expelled from the island.
[The mission will start 30 minutes from now.]
“This time, it involves searching.”
It seemed to be very difficult to find the keys if the time limit was three days.
‘Of course it’s hard.’
The island was big and the terrain was too complicated. There were bushes, lakes, waterfalls, caves, and cliffs all over. He had to find a small key in this place? It was no different from finding a needle in the desert.
But Grid didn’t show any signs of being troubled. He still had a bright smile on his face.
***
“The second island had the most dropouts.”
Sticks observed Grid through the magic ball. He didn’t have much expectations.
It was true that the black-haired man broke through the first island in an extraordinary manner, but the difficulty of the second island was extremely high when compared with the first island.
“In order to break through the second island, you need the intelligence to bring together the different clues observed, without missing a single one. But…”
The black haired man was sitting in front of the magic circle and just resting during the 30 minute preparation time before the mission began. He was wasting this time and not even looking for clues, so it was like the black haired man had already given up.
“I don’t have much expectation for him.”
Sticks was surprised when he looked at the magic ball. Why was he so surprised?
“Keok…! Keok keok…. N-No! Don’t tell me that person is a legendary thief?”
Sticks was bound to think so. The treasure boxes that couldn’t be opened unless it was the right key, the black haired man opened them with one key in his possession. It was a dexterity that could only be admired.
“T-The second island in just 10 seconds…!?”
It was an unprecedented record. It was the moment when Sticks, who was called a sage because he was wiser than anyone else, became a fool. On this day, Grid reached the ninth island. It also meant that Sticks was surprised a total of nine times.
Chapter 359
Chapter 359
[You have cleared the ninth island.]
[You have acquired 24 challenger points for the mission success.]
‘I have a total of 102 points.’
Grid reached the ninth island at a fast pace and was still okay. There were no signs of exhaustion at all. It was natural. He didn’t get tired because it wasn’t hard for him.
“It’s easier than expected.”
To be honest, Grid felt deflated. But he didn’t become overconfident. Wasn’t the Behen Archipelago the place that caused difficulty for Kraugel?
‘The difficulty is likely to rise exponentially over the next few islands.
Grid thought this and controlled his heart. He didn’t know.
The endless monsters on the first island, the hidden keys on the second island, capturing the escaped fox mice on the third island, swallowing the raging fire on the fourth island, surviving the blizzard on the fifth island, passing through the poisonous sixth island, the seventh and eighth islands where the strong boss monsters appeared…
And the ninth island that he just cleared…
From a general point of view, they weren’t easy. Grid was the only person who felt like the hell islands were easy. Even Kraugel suffered on the first and second islands.
[Do you want to enter the 10th island?]
“Yes.”
Grid was sucked into the gate.
***
The 2nd National Competition was to be held in Paris in around two months.
Thanks to that, the employees of the S.A. Group were
constantly busy. They ate rice and frequently worked overtime, so they couldn’t stay healthy. They had to coordinate the details before the opening of the global festival.
“Hah, it’s hard.”
Even Chairman Lim Cheolho, who was more passionate than anyone, was sick. As soon as he returned from Paris, he sat down in his massage chair at work.
“I’m too old. No matter how much I manage myself, I quickly become exhausted.”
Kkuok. Kkuok.
The massage chair worked on his shoulders and back, giving a very good effect. Chairman Lim Cheolho properly recovered from his fatigue and asked the supercomputer Morpheus.
“Did anything happen to them?”
Them. They were the five miracles, including Grid and Kraugel. They were people who repeatedly caused results that even Morpheus couldn’t predict. Chairman Lim Cheolho watched the five of them with interest.
Before leaving for Paris, he asked Morpheus to monitor them. Morpheus reported with a mechanical voice.
[Kraugel and Grid confronted each other, while Agnus encountered Braham’s soul. The other two are just raising their level.]
“Huh?”
Lim Cheolho doubted his ears. His focus wasn’t on the part about Agnus and Braham. The meeting between the two of them was scheduled, so there was nothing special about it. On the other hand, Kraugel and Grid were different.
“What did you say just now? Kraugel and Grid fought? Why?”
[Kraugel visited Reidan after acquiring the Sword Saint quest.]
“Hah…! He has the Sword Saint quest already!?”
Kraugel was really amazing. As a player, he was perfect without lacking anything. No, his perfection could be described as transcendental. That’s why even the supercomputer Morpheus couldn’t predict all his actions.
“He will safely become a sword saint.”
It would be easy for him to deal with the relatively weaker Grid.
Sword saint. The most powerful battle focused class. In the future, how much stronger would Kraugel become? Chairman Lim Cheolho’s expectations were amplified. Morpheus spoke unexpected words.
[Kraugel failed to obtain the sword saint class.]
“…?”
Lim Cheolho’s eyes widened with surprise.
“It can’t be… Surely he didn’t lose to Grid?”
Chairman Lim Cheolho knew better than anyone how great Grid’s power was. It wasn’t an exaggeration. Lim Cheolho evaluated Grid higher than Grid did himself. But Kraugel was different. In particular, he was an overwhelming presence in PvP. Apart from Agnus, there was no player who could win against Kraugel in a one-on-one match.