by Park Saenal
‘The timing is different.’
The action that connected Link and Kill, in the case of Linked Kill, it seemed to have been done immediately. However, Linked Kill Wave seemed to have a slight gap. But he didn’t know the exact interval.
‘I will try it once.’
Grid didn’t delay once he had this thought. He got up and used Grid’s Greatsword to try and connect Link and Kill with a little time difference.
Then Link was triggered.
‘The interval is too long.’
There was no need to worry about it. He would shorten the interval in the next attempt. Grid took a deep breath and made a second attempt. The result? It was also a failure. In order to used Linked Kill Wave, the timing of Link and Kill had to be sophisticated and perfect.
‘I will challenge until it succeeds.’
Failure wasn’t shameful. It was a stepping stone to success. Grid knew this fact better than anybody because he had repeatedly lived a life of failure.
After that.
Grid failed to use Linked Wave Kill several times, but he didn’t give up to the end. A smile appeared on the face of the watching Sticks.
‘Truly Pagma’s Descendant.’
Sticks knew that Pagma’s Rare Book was one of the treasures that couldn’t be found. Yet Grid managed to find it. Sticks guessed that Grid’s tenacity was great, but it was actually even more than he expected. In Sticks’ eyes, Grid was the type of person who would have a much brighter future.
Chapter 387
Chapter 387
[You have entered the 20th island.]
The time it took Grid to pass 19 islands and reach the 20th island was exactly 45 hours and 19 minutes. He broke through the treasure hunt mission with a versatile key and avoided the thunderstorm with a giant lightning rod. These missions wasted a lot of time for ordinary contestants.
It was the same with the Overgeared members. The Overgeared members were prepared due to Grid who had reached the 40th island. They were able to enter the 20th island as fast as Grid.
‘The mission of the 20th island is to avoid the eyes of the hell moon.’
The Overgeared members thought of the method that Grid came up with.
Sururuk.
They used the invisibility cloak and hid their traces on the island. Thanks to that, the hell moon couldn’t do anything. All of this was thanks to Grid.
***
39 days remained until the National Competition.
The 1st ranked Kraugel stood at the crossroad of choice. For the remaining period of time, he could re-challenge the Behen Archipelago or re-challenge Piaro.
‘I can acquire skills and elixirs in the Behen Archipelago.’
If he won against Piaro, he could change to a legendary class. Even if he only succeeded in one of the options, Kraugel could play an overwhelming role in the National Competition.
‘Both are likely to fail.’
Could he challenge Piaro and win? Kraugel calculated that the odds were only 30%. Then what about the Behen Archipelago?
‘The probability of clearing the Behen Archipelago is even lower.’
The reason why Kraugel couldn’t re-challenge the Behen Archipelago was the nonsensical 31st island. The 31st island recreated his past trials. There, Kraugel had to fight the great demon Furfu. It was in a state where his level was lower than 180.
‘Furfu…’
One of the great demons who lost to Sword Saint Muller. In the past, Kraugel had dismissed Furfu. A great demon who lost his body. Kraugel was confident that he could raid Furfu by himself, despite Furfu borrowing the body of an intermediate demon.
The result? It was terrible. He had been killed three times in succession, with Furfu chasing him to the ends of the world. If he hadn’t received help, he might’ve died a few more times.
‘The Behen Archipelago isn’t a place I can clear with my abilities.’
Kraugel’s expression was bitter as he made this judgment. He compared himself with Grid. Grid, the first player who defeated him. He said he passed the 30th island. Grid was a man with the amazing ability to overcome past trials.
“…Hrmm.”
Kraugel thought this and turned his attention to the East Continent. He could gain exclusive White Swordsman items, exclusive skills and rapid level increase from the East Continent. There were many rewards that were less valuable than the Behen Archipelago or Piaro, but they couldn’t be ignored.
‘I have to stay on the East Continent until the National Competition.’
Kraugel made his decision and used the East Continent’s portal scroll.
***
“This is very hard.”
The 41st island.
Grid studied the combination of Linked Kill Wave and Pinnacle Kill in three days of game time, but didn’t achieve the desired result. It wasn’t easy to catch the timing if Linked Kill Wave and Pinnacle Kill.
‘It is absurd.’
He tried from 0.1 seconds to 3 seconds to connect Link and Kill. But rather than Linked Kill Wave, only Link or Linked Kill were activated, making Grid go crazy.
‘I’ve been doing this for three days already…’
The fact that he couldn’t get the results he wanted despite doing his best was irritating him. Grid’s head hurt. He once again lamented his low talents. But he wasn’t frustrated. Grid still had hope.
‘Perhaps it isn’t the gap between Link and Kill, but the fulfillment of other conditions.’
How could he figure out what conditions there were?
“I will fight my clone one more time.”
Grid knew better than anyone that he couldn’t win against his clone in his current state. However, Grid wasn’t afraid. If he was afraid of failure, he would become stagnant.
“Do it again.”
Grid breathed in deeply and moved through the gate of the 41st island. He would once again fight with the clone, while taking note of the process for Linked Kill Wave and Pinnacle Kill.
***
[You have entered the 41st island.]
[A mission will be created.]
[41st Island]
Fight with yourself and win.
First Clear Compensation: You can raise the level of one skill.
A flat island with no geographical features. The moment Grid stepped onto the small island, the clone came forward to meet him.
“Pagma’s Swordsmanship.”
Indeed, it was the same as three days ago. Grid’s clone attacked the moment Grid entered the island.
‘Will he open with Linked Kill Wave again?’
Grid focused. He watched the movements of the clone without blinking in order to figure out the secret behind Linked Kill Wave. Then the skill was used.
“Transcended Link.”
“Dammit.”
It used Transcended Link instead of the skill Grid wanted? Grid also used Transcended Link, as dozens of energy blades were fired. The bombardment caused the earth to shake. The impact was enormous as it was a clash between legendary skills.
Kuaaaaang!
“Kuk…!”
The swirling sandstorm disturbed Grid’s visibility and he retreated backwards, while the clone made another choice. Despite the pain of the sand getting into the eyes, the clone persevered as he rushed forward and swung Iyarugt at Grid. It was immediately after using Transcended Link and Grid was still armed with Grid’s Greatsword, so he couldn’t read Iyarugt’s orbit.
Seokeok!
Grid’s thigh was cut. He belatedly swapped to Iyarugt, but…
“Wave.”
The clone swapped from Iyarugt back to Grid’s Greatsword, and used a skill, hitting Grid successively.
‘Why is his weapons swapping speed so quick?’
Weapon swapping required a series of processes. It required opening the inventory, putting in the item then bringing out the desired item. In Grid’s case, the process took around 2 seconds on average. Grid was confused because the clone did it in less than a second.
Grid suppressed the confusion and thought as positively as possible while wielding Iyarugt. It was necessary to deal as much damage as possible while the clone was armed with Grid’s Greatsword.
Puok!
Iyarugt stabbed at the clone’s side, leaving a blood-like glow.
‘I have to continue this momentum.’
Grid didn’t use a skill. He quickly wielded Iyarugt, not giving the clone a chance to use skills. It was clearly an effective choice. The clone was forced to concentrate on defense.
Chaaeng! Chaeng!
The battle entered a lull. Iyarugt and Iyarugt collided with each other, leaving a bloody afterglow in the area.
‘Let’s think about it.’
How could he shake off the clone in order to use a skill and change the shape of the battle? The clone extended a finger while Grid was thinking.
“Magic Missile.”
Peeng!
“Kuk.”
Magic Missile (Enhanced)’s casting time was only one second. It required one finger to be extended, so it was possible to cast while wielding a sword. Grid also knew this, but the one who changed the battlefield using Magic Missile was the clone. It proved that the clone’s thinking ability was better than Grid’s.
“Pagma’s Swordsmanship.”
Grid winced as he was hit by Magic Missile. The clone swapped to Grid’s Greatsword in an instant and carried out the footwork of Link. Grid also wanted to offset it by using Link the same way, but the problem was that it took time to swap to Grid’s Greatsword.
The moment Grid’s Greatsword was pulled out, the clone’s Link was already complete.
‘Shit.’
Grid gritted his teeth. It was to prepare for the pain. But the pain didn’t come. The clone was still continuing its sword dance.
“Kill.”
Link and then Kill.
‘Linked Kill!’
It was lucky. He wouldn’t have been able to cope if Link was immediately used, but he was given time.
Taack!
Grid hurriedly pulled out the Divine Shield.
“Wave.”
“…!”
The clone combined Linked Kill with Wave. It was Linked Kill Wave.
Kurururung!
Subsequently, waves of Kill attacks filled the air.
‘I understand!’
Grid gained enlightenment. In order to combine Linked Kill Wave, it was essential to withdraw back before connecting each sword technique.
‘Finally, I also…!’
Grid watched carefully. But it wasn’t a situation where he could just sit back and enjoy.
Pepepepeng!
8 Kill attacks were directly aimed at Grid. Grid summoned Randy and had him use Revolve.
Chaaeng!
The 8 Kills were sucked in by Revolve and turned around, heading back to the clone. The clone remained calm. He also summoned Randy and responded by using Revolve. In the meantime, Grid was completely aware the movements of Link and Kill.
He calculated the time accurately and didn’t forget to step backwards before connecting Link and Kill. Then he started on the sword dance for Wave.
Kuwooooh!
A powerful energy centred on Grid. It was the energy of Linked Kill Wave.
‘Okay!’
Grid was filled with joy. After two Revolves, the more powerful Kill attacks headed towards him.
Kuaaaaaaang!
There was an explosion and the earth shook. Did Grid receive catastrophic damage? He succeeded in Linked Kill Wave, but couldn’t even use it? No, that wasn’t it. Grid wasn’t in a crisis.
“Linked Kill Wave.”
“…!”
By changing his position with Randy, he was able to appear at the side of the clone and unfold the best skill.
Chapter 388
Chapter 388
“Linked Kill Wave.”
Kukukukung!
A thunderous sound burst from Grid’s sword. It was the strongest skill, which cast Kill eight times continuously and attached the features of Wave to it, Linked Kill Wave. The momentum and strength was legendary.
[The new skill fusion has succeeded.]
[Your intelligence has increased by 10 due to the successful fusion of a new skill.]
[Linked Kill Wave is added to the list of Pagma’s Swordsmanship techniques.]
[Linked Kill Wave]
Performs three sword dances simultaneously.
Summons eight consecutive Kill attacks that inflicts 1,500% attack power, chasing all objects within a 2m radius.
The targets hit will have all speeds reduced by 50%.
* This skill doesn’t share a cooldown with Link, Kill, and Wave.
Skill Mana Cost: 2,000
Skill Cooldown Time: 20 minutes.
It was a targeted skill that dealt up to 12,000% damage. Depending on the number of targets, it could be used as a single or wide area skill. The three combination skill was several times stronger than the two combination skill, and the utilization was also high. It was truly a legendary skill.
Pepepepeng!
The fierce momentum of Linked Wave Kill shot towards the clone. At first glance, it seemed to be Grid’s victory. But what about the clone? Just as Grid summoned Randy to deal with Linked Kill Wave, the clone could use the same method.
“Kyaaak!”
The clone’s Randy was hit by Linked Kill Wave instead, turning him to grey.
Grid’s eyes looked all over the place.
‘Where?’
Randy’s ‘Change Locations with the Copied Target’ was similar to Teleport. Depending on where Randy was when switching positions with the target, he could aim for the enemy’s blind spot. Grid nervously looked around with the Slaughterer’s Eye Patch.
Kuooooh!
A menacing aura of hatred and killing intent filled the air. The clone was using Kill. Grid determined that it was difficult to avoid or defend against and used a skill.
“Freely Move.”
It was the skill attached to the title ‘Secret Hero.’ There were limits to the range of use, and the cooldown time was one hour. However, it was a top dashing skill that allowed him to avoid all non-targeting skills until he reached his target.
Suuk!
He avoided Kill and at the same time, leapt towards the clone and used Pinnacle.
Puok!
Blood spurted from the clone’s chest. But the clone didn’t shrink back. Pinnacle had the advantage of being a targeted skill, but the power was less than Kill. It was difficult to inflict death on the clone who was armed with all types of items.
Chaaeng!
Grid defended against the clone’s counterattack. Since both sides had equal stats, no one was overwhelmed in a frontal battle. A tense contest began.
Kikik! Kkikikik!
Grid exchanged blows with Grid’s Greatsword and provoked the clone.
“Why don’t you use Pinnacle Kill? Won’t it be hard to beat me without that?”
“…”
The clone didn’t say anything. The clone was Grid, but it capabilities were confined. The clone was a puppet doll without feelings. The reason for the clone’s existence was to kill Grid, so it had no thoughts or comments.
“Magic Missile.”
“Magic Missile.”
It was at the same time. Grid and the clone looked at each other through interlocking swords and fired Magic Missiles, both of them flying back with damage.
‘This time, we did it simultaneously.’
Grid was satisfied. Previously, he hadn’t been able to use Magic Missile first and was one-sidedly hit.
Pa pa pa pat!
Four golden hands appeared behind the clone’s back. It was the copied God Hands. They were armed with the Ideal Dagger, the Doppelganger’s Greatsword, Failure, and Iyarugt. Grid also summoned the God Hands.
Pahat!
It was truly spectacular. Four golden hands holding weapons were behi
nd Grid and the clone. Someone who could use five weapons at the same time. It was a nonsensical fraudulent character from the point of view of an ordinary person.
‘How can I take advantage of God Hands in this situation?’
The reason Grid didn’t take out the God Hands was because it wasn’t useful. What would happen if he took out the God Hands? The clone would just use his God Hands to neutralize it, and it would eventually become a one-on-one match again.
Cheook!
Did the clone want to prove Grid’s thoughts wrong? The clone started to actively make use of the God Hands.
Hwiririk!
‘Wheel formation?’
The God Hands formed a circular shape and rotated, wielding the weapons one after another at Grid’s God Hands. Rise and fall. Rise and fall. The effect of the wheel formation, which didn’t have any breaks between attacks, was amazing.
Grid’s God Hands were completely overwhelmed and made obsolete.
‘This is possible!’
The commands that Grid gave to the God Hands were simple. It was classified as attack, defense and waiting. He only gave detailed commands when he wanted them to grab onto something. It was because Grid didn’t have the ability to concentrate while giving more complex commands.
Think about it. Focusing on battle while giving complex commands to four God Hands? An ordinary person couldn’t do it.
On the other hand, the clone was different. He had the same stats as Grid, but was optimized for battle. Since he only existed to hurt Grid, his concentration was extremely excellent.
Jjejeong!
The clone’s God Hands kept rotating. Grid’s God Hands were attacked with no time difference and they stiffened in order, then the clone’s God Hands flew towards Grid. Of course, the God Hands couldn’t threaten Grid.
The wheel formation? How funny. The God Hands only had level 2 intermediate Sword Mastery, so Grid was able to shake them off with no difficulty. But the problem was the time spent in the process. The clone approached while Grid was dealing with the God Hands and used Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Link.
Pipit!
Pipipipipit!
“Ku…ack!”
Blood splattered from Grid’s body. If the God Hands hadn’t lost their stiffness and flown over to defend him, Grid would’ve suffered unimaginable damage. Grid fired Magic Missile and retreated in order to drink a health potion. However, there was no time to drink a potion because the clone’s God Hands attacked.