Overgeared

by Park Saenal

  “You absolutely can’t crack the sky. I will smash you before you reach the sky!”

  Hao declared. Then…

  『 The last match of the 1st round! Grid vs Hao, the match will start now! It has started! 』

  The host shouted. That was the signal.

  Taack!

  Hao rushed as soon as the match started. He simply moved straight ahead, so it was easy for Grid to deal with. The Slaughterer’s Eye Patch, Iyarugt, and his high insight meant he could anticipate Hao’s point of attack and respond with Iyarugt. But at that moment, something amazing happened. Hao’s sword suddenly split into three!

  ‘What?’

  Which of the three swords were real? Grid was confused.

  Seokeok!

  Hao’s sword slashed at Grid’s waist.

  ‘Unbelievable!’

  Hao had a passive that ignored some of the opponent’s defense. Grid was amazed when he saw the rising notification window. Hao read his expression and smiled.

  “It must be bad.”

  “…”

  Grid didn’t say anything. He just gazed at the notification windows in front of him. The shock was too great. Was it because the attack damage was too big? No.

  [You have suffered 2,900 damage.]

  3,000 damage. It was high, despite the fact that Triple Layers and his helmet reduced physical damage. However, this damage wasn’t enough to threaten Grid, whose health was as high as 70,000. To be honest, Grid could express it as a tickle. Why was Grid so surprised? There was a reason.

  [The experience of Tiramet’s Belt has increased by 0.1%!]

  ‘Jackpot!’

  Grid trembled with joy. The growth type item, Tiramet’s Belt. This epic rated item, which increased its experience whenever it was attacked, only increased by 0.1% whenever it was struck 100 times by a vampire. Yet Hao’s one attack raised the experience! It was comparable to when Grid fought the drake!

  ‘Doesn’t this mean that Hao’s attack power is high?’

  Grid was thrilled by Hao’s work. Maybe…

  ‘I might be able to increase the rating of Tiramet’s belt in this round!’

  There were two main reasons why Grid planned to fight Hao for an hour. First of all, he wanted to buy as much time as possible for the cooldown of Assimilation to end. Secondly, he wanted to maximize the experience of Iyarugt, Elfin Stone’s Ring, and Tiramet’s Belt. But he had no idea the experience would increase so much.

  ‘The class is different.’

  Grid acknowledged it. This much experience hadn’t accumulated when he allowed hits from Bondre and Alexander. Certainly, Hao seemed to be different from them. In fact, Iyarugt was also nervous. He spoke for the first time in ages since the Piaro and Kraugel duel.

  [This person’s attacks are very good. They are difficult to predict.]

  ‘I feel it every time. You are really useless when fighting strong opponents.’

  [Eek…! It can’t be helped! I can’t exert my power in this sealed form!]

  Iyarugt had a strong pride as hell’s best swordsman, so his sword kept emitting petals of a bloody light as he protested. The beautiful effect dazzled Hao and the viewers.

  “That sword is too much for you.”

  “This guy is so cool because of me.”

  He invested a huge amount of money into the alchemy facilities, but the option that was added was ‘Coolness.’ Grid shuddered as he recalled the terrible result and said to Hao.

  “How long are you going to rest? Come…”

  Shortly before his words finished. Hao moved in a zigzag to approach Grid and stabbed. In contrast to the earlier attack, this path was simple and easily blocked by Grid.

  Chaaeng!

  The moment the two swords collided.

  Chwaruruk!

  Hao’s chain wrapped around Grid’s waist with the aim of temporarily stopping Grid’s actions.

  “…!”

  The resistance to abnormal statuses didn’t work with physical restraints. Grid’s body was pulled forward and Hao stabbed with his sword. It was two attacks.

  [You have suffered 2,830 damage.]

  [You have suffered 2,910 damage.]

  [The experience of Tiramet’s Belt has increased by 0.2%!]

  “Kuah! It’s true.”

  It was good that his item experience was rising, but it was uncomfortable to be hit so one-sidedly. In addition, the accumulation of damage was burdensome.

  ‘Very strong.’

  The passive that ignored defense reduced the effect of Triple Layers. No, maybe Hao had a passive that dealt extra damage in PvP. Grid frowned as he released the chains and tried to counterattack. He launched a straight and narrow attack to prevent Hao from avoiding it. The sword with the shortest orbit threatened Hao, but he easily blocked it.

  But there was a problem. It was Grid’s ridiculously high strength.

  Kkirik! Kkikikik!

  ‘What is this…?’

  Was this the feeling of being trampled on by an ogre? Grid’s strong power started to crush Hao, who couldn’t bear the weight of Iyarugt.

  Chwaruruk!

  Hao winced, stepped back and once again threw his chain. However, Grid had rich battle experience and was unlikely to be hit by the same pattern. The moment that Hao threw the chain, he narrowly moved to the left, avoiding the chain. At this point, Hao didn’t try to hit back because he was off balance. This gave Grid the change to use Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Kill.

  ‘Let’s increase Yakult’s experience!’

  Kuooooh!

  The extreme sword filled with killing intent! Hao gulped at the fearsome energy and hurriedly moved.

  ‘I can’t allow it to happen!’

  Half draconian Hao didn’t have too many active skills, but he had a variety of passive skills. Increase in PvP attack power and defense, ignore some of the target’s defense, neutralize some of the damage received, fast recovery etc. It was easy to say that he had a body optimized for combat. In a battle between players, it was possible for him to deal more than 10,000 damage. Depending on the situation, he would deliberately allow the enemy to attack and then use it to counterattack.

  However, Grid’s attack power was too burdensome. Hao thought of other rankers dying in one blow and desperately moved his hands.

  Teook!

  It was perfect timing. Hao grabbed Iyarugt with his hand and twisted it slightly.

  [Iyarugt has been unequipped!]

  [This is the result of a skill. You won’t lose ownership of the item. In 12 seconds, the item will return to your inventory.]

  It was the usage of Weapon Shed. A secret technique that needed to be used at the perfect spot that was marked! It was a skill with the highest difficulty, much harder to use than a counterattack, and it made Iyarugt drop to the ground.

  “Haaap!”

  Hao used Dragon’s Breath and stabbed his sword at Grid’s heart. Grid was empty handed and couldn’t block the attack, but it was too fast to be avoided. Hao was convinced that he would deal a deadly blow to Grid.

  ‘It doesn’t matter if he uses the God Hands.’

  Hao was ready to threw chains to constrain them. In this situation, the only way for Grid to resist was with Magic Missile. Hao just needed to avoid that and…

  “What?”

  Hao, who was smiling confidently, became shocked.

  Jeeeong!

  What gap did he pull it out of? Grid equipped himself with a blue black sword in lieu of the lost Iyarugt. The camera zoomed in on Hao’s shaky gaze as the attack was blocked.

  Chapter 451

  Chapter 451

  Hao was confused.

  ‘It can be dangerous to have my judgment impaired in this state.’

  Hao made a brilliant decision and leapt back, opening a wide distance from Grid. He was worried about the possibility of Grid catching up and dealing a counterattack. Hao thought about it after securing a safe distance.

  ‘He pulled out a new weapon in one second?’

/>   It was simple to swap to new items. First open the inventory, reach inside the inventory that was created in the air and think of the ‘desired item.’ However, it took at least 2.5 seconds to complete this sequence. This was also based on high rankers.

  The time it took to open the inventory and reach inside was around 1 second, then it took around 1.5 seconds to clearly recall the item they wanted. A player with very high concentration could shorten that time to 2 seconds, but to do it in 1 second?

  It was impossible. Yet Grid did it.

  ‘What did he do?’

  Hao couldn’t understand it and touched on something sensitive.

  “A bug?”

  It was a ridiculous question for anyone who knew the game. Satisfy was famous for never having a bug since it opened. Grid stared serenely into Hao’s shaky gaze and laughed.

  “I have been stupid since I was young.”

  No matter how hard he studied, he couldn’t do better than others. He couldn’t even maintain an average score. In particular, he always got less than 30 points on tests in subjects where he had to understand formulas. There were times when he didn’t even get one point.

  “Thus, I was obsessed with simple memorization. Every day, memorize, memorize, and memorize…”

  As a result, he was able to receive 80 points for subjects with simple memorization. He barely succeeded in enrolling in university, a placed described as ‘where those with money can enter.’ But it was very difficult for him to follow the university classes.

  “Then the virtual reality game was released and I committed to it.”

  However, his lack of talent grabbed his ankles even in the game. Grid played Satisfy all day, but couldn’t reach an average player. He became debt-ridden instead of making money.

  “I was stupid and kept hunting the same mobs. While others were hunting 10 or 20 of one mob, I was hunting thousands. But what was the point of that? My level and items didn’t develop and I couldn’t pay the capsule fee, forcing me to finally find construction jobs.”

  He tried hard at first. But what did it matter?

  “I couldn’t learn skills because I lacked comprehension.”

  Thus, he focused on simple tasks. Shovelling, carrying materials, cleaning, and so on.

  “I was always bored.”

  Study, gaming, and work. He couldn’t do anything other than simple tasks, making him feel ashamed and not enjoy it. But he didn’t give up. He complained about his lacking talent and just wanted to be average. He didn’t want to be ignored by people anymore!

  The result that Grid obtained? Indomitable tenacity. Once the goal was set, Grid focused on it without giving up to the end. In other words, Grid’s concentration was greatly disciplined and this was steadily proven after he changed to Pagma’s Descendant. Every time he made an item, he hammered for many hours and didn’t give up when facing various trials.

  “Therefore, I think my concentration is better than others.”

  Grid spoke casually, but his concentration was already beyond the category of a human. He was about to summon the inventory and think about the item he wanted at the same time. It was also in the middle of combat. Of course, this wasn’t easy.

  It happened since he fought his clone in the Behen Archipelago. He was inspired after seeing the clone swap items as needed and steadily practiced.

  “Well, this is the power of effort.”

  “…?”

  Hao couldn’t understand any of what he just heard. Grid’s words were too ridiculous. Because he was an idiot, he tried hard and gained a concentration that exceeded humans?

  ‘Isn’t that more of a genius than an idiot?’

  There weren’t many people who could overcome their limitations with effort alone. Hao saw Grid as a genius. It was absurd that Grid was so obtuse. On the other hand, Grid was conscious of the camera.

  “Indeed, the diamond class capsule from the Comet Group is great. As soon as I thought about it, all systems reacted and the inventory was opened immediately. I was able to escape from the crisis thanks to this.”

  “…”

  PPL even in the midst of this?

  ‘Stop being so ridiculous!’

  Hao looked at Grid who picked up Iyarugt from the ground with renewed killing intent.

  “Yes, it doesn’t matter if you are an idiot or a genius. Anyway, I’ll be the winner! I’ll show you my real skills!”

  Jjejeok!

  Jjejejejeok!

  Hao screamed as his skin split apart and red scales started to emerge. It was the step to transform into a draconian. A pair of huge wings emerged from the back of his body, grabbing the attention of the viewers.

  『 The power of a draconian is finally being used! 』

  『 Hao is very strong in this state. He beat Katz, one of the strong winning PvP candidates, and fought against Damian for a while. 』

  Hao’s eyes turned completely gold and fangs were revealed as he opened his mouth. Then he fired flames at Grid.

  Peeng!

  Grid avoided it. Triple Layers reduced the damage of physical attacks, but a breath was filled with magic power.

  “How long can you last?”

  Hao flapped his wings and approached Grid, who was bending back to avoid the breath! The speed was lightning fast as he waved his hands.

  Jjejeong! Jjejejeok!

  There was a reason he threw away a sword after turning into a draconian. Hao’s sharp claws, which were stronger than a sword, struck Grid’s Triple Layers.

  [You have suffered 3,230 damage.]

  [You have suffered 3,260 damage.]

  [The experience of Tiramet’s Belt has increased by 0.3%!]

  ‘Amazing!’

  The more Grid was hit, the more thrilled he felt. He wondered how many times he had such happy moments in his life! The commentators and viewers were alarmed as they saw Grid smiling while being wounded.

  ‘Smiling during this…’

  Was Grid a pervert? There was also the time he was hit by the flail during the siege, causing speculation to grow.

  “Can you feel the difference?”

  Hao shouted. As he kept hitting Grid, Hao was convinced that the class difference between himself and Grid was like the difference between the sky and the earth. Grid’s health had already fallen to almost half. Hao’s attack speed after throwing away his sword was so fast that the speed of Grid’s health loss accelerated.

  Chwaack!

  “…!”

  Hao’s sharp claws cut at Grid’s chest. Grid was hit hard by the critical, but he wasn’t the one surprised. It was because Hao’s claws were caught on Triple Layers and wouldn’t move!

  [The draconian’s claws have been bound to this armor!]

  [The draconian’s claws have been forcibly pulled out!]

  [The durability of the draconian’s claws has decreased by 3!]

  ‘How absurd…!’

  After transforming into a draconian, his claws had a durability of 10. Repairing them wasn’t possible and they would be destroyed when the durability was low. It took a day for them to grow back. But Hao had never experienced the durability of his claws falling.

  A half dragon’s claws were very hard. His claws were always fine when hunting golem based monsters or attacking a high ranker’s weapons.

  ‘This is huge armor…’

  Hao was astonished by Grid’s items as he rotated in the air and the heel of his foot precisely struck Grid’s jaw. At this moment, Grid’s health gauge dropped to one-third. Hao believed that Grid would use the God Hands and Blackening and started attacking more fiercely. He fired breaths and swung his claws.

  On the other hand, Grid didn’t even counterattack. He could only block or avoid attacks. Nevertheless, he allowed most attacks, showing how good Hao’s control skills were. The commentators were embarrassed by this one-sided battle.

  『 I knew that Hao was the counter to Grid, but this… 』

  『 I didn’t realize the level difference was so big. �
��

  『 Now Grid is just holding on. 』

  “Blackening.”

  Peeok!

  “Use it!”

  Peeeeok!

  “It won’t succeed!”

  Kwa kwang!

  Hao’s momentum rose as the one-sided violence continued. Grid kept being hit, hit, and hit. Hao confirmed that Grid’s health was down to a quarter and prepared the final blow.

  “This is the end.”

  20 minutes had passed since the match started. He couldn’t keep his promise to beat Grid in 10 minutes. Hao was very sorry, but what could he do? Grid’s defense and health were ridiculously excellent! But this was the end. He dealt the ending blow.

  “Dragon Claws.”

  Kiiing.

  Hao’s claws grew longer. In other words, the draconian’s claws became harder and sharper. At this moment, Hao’s claws were strong enough to match a real dragon’s claws.

  “Die!”

  The moment when Hao’s claws moved from left to right and hit Grid. Grid stepped backwards and used Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Revolve. The commentators and viewers regarded it as Grid’s last hurrah. Nobody imagined that Grid, who hadn’t been able to resist until now, would be able to get the right timing.

  However, a chill went down Hao’s spine. The timing of Grid’s counterattack was too perfect!

  Jjeejeeeong!

  “Kuaaaaack!”

  Hao screamed and shed blood.

  [Critical!]

  [You have dealt 25,600 damage to the target.]

  [You have recovered 1,280 health thanks to Elfin Stone’s Ring!]

  In a single strike, Hao’s health was reduced by almost half while Grid recovered his health. Grid, who moved back and blocked the chain thrown by Hao with Lantier’s cloak, secretly put on Doran’s Ring and provoked Hao.

  “The next 40 minutes. Can you endure?”

  “You bastard…!”

  The cooldown time for any counterattack skill was long. In addition, few users had two or more counterattack skills. The duration of Dragon Claws wasn’t over yet, so Hao swiped at Grid’s face.