by Park Saenal
This was natural from Grid’s point of view. But that conviction caused him grief.
[The Return Scroll doesn’t work. Intercontinental movement isn’t possible with the formula in this scroll.]
“…What’s this?”
Intercontinental movement was impossible! It was enough to cause Grid confusion.
“Eh… Um.”
Grid made a blank expression. There was only one recurring phrase in his head.
XX!
One day ago in reality. Therefore, three days ago in game time, Grid called Bunny Bunny and spoke to him. Grid would return to the West Continent as soon as he cleared a quest, so announce his appearance to the world at the time he set. He wanted everyone’s attention to be concentrate on him. As always, Grid would impress the world by appearing in a dramatic moment.
Finally, the promised time arrived. Grid finished the Subjugate the Armored Needles (2) quest and acquired five more silver thread. He was completely ready to act in the world. He would condemn the enemies who dared to invade his territory and attack his precious colleagues.
But what was this?
“The return scroll doesn’t work!”
Grid started sweating while Braham became angry at him.
‘How did you come to the East Continent? Wasn’t it because of an intercontinental movement scroll? It is natural that an intercontinental movement scroll would be needed to return.’
“…Intercontinental movement scroll? Where do I get that?”
‘The sage who handed you the scroll to the East Continent.’
“…”
Grid thought back. It was the time when he received the East Continent Movement Scroll from Sticks. Sticks had looked shocked when Grid used the scroll as soon as he received it. Now he knew why.
‘He was embarrassed when I left without a scroll to return to the West Continent…’
‘…’
“…”
It was a situation where they had nothing to say. Grid sighed. He resented his own impatience.
‘I should always be calm and cautious instead of making constant mistakes…!’
He was a pathetic person! Grid was pulling at his hair when Braham spoke.
‘It’s true that you are pathetic, but should you blame yourself? Anyone can make a mistake unless they are a dragon or a god. It’s the same for the great demons or geniuses.’
“…Are you comforting me right now?”
Braham, whose ego was as high as the sky, was comforting others? Grid doubted his ears and Braham raised his voice.
‘W-What! That’s not it! Find a way to get out of this current situation instead of being self-defeating! It’s frustrating to watch!’
“Ah, yes… I don’t have time to do this.”
Now wasn’t the time to lose his soul. Overgeared was limited in numbers while the enemies were infinite. The Overgeared members would reach their limit and have all their territory taken. Grid had to find a way to return to the West Continent quickly. He soon figured out how. In fact, it wasn’t difficult.
“Isn’t it just a simple phone call?”
Communication between the East Continent and West Continent was impossible. Grid was unable to send whispers to players on the West Continent and the summoning knights skill was also blocked. Grid logged out. Then he made an international call to Lauel.
-Master, I’m honored that you have contacted me. But I’m still in the game and am quite busy. I really don’t have time.
“…”
-I won’t forget my sin today until my life ends and my bones decay. I will be punished for the rest of my life.
Lauel tried his best to learn Korean but was speaking nonsense. Grid frowned at the words.
“If you’re busy, then I’ll speak quickly. I want you to take a West Continent Movement Scroll from Sticks and come to pick me up.”
-Huh? Surely you didn’t leave without a scroll to return to the West Continent?
“I did.”
-Kukuk! Oh dear, oh dear. Lord is truly great. It’s unusual for someone to escape from the worthless prison called common sense.
“…Just hang up quickly, connect to the game and come to pick me up.”
-I’m sorry, but that’s impossible.
“What? Ah, it makes sense since you’re in the middle of a war. If you’re busy, then send someone else on your behalf.”
-No. I’m your servant. I won’t break your orders in any situation. It’s just impossible to go to the East Continent because Sticks isn’t present.
What was he saying?
“What do you mean? Where is Sticks?”
-Sticks not only has a vast knowledge, he has excellent magic abilities. So I asked him for a few favors.
“What favor?”
-I asked him to take command of the Ul Clan, including Princess Hwarin, to attack the rear of the Eternal army and then go to Siren.
The Ul Clan. A minority that Grid had rescued from the empire in the past. They had excellent magical talent, especially the royal family. If Sticks led them then their talents would sublimate to another level. Grid was able to guess half of Lauel’s intention. But he couldn’t understand the other half.
“Why do you want them to go to Siren afterwards?”
-It’s to call someone who is farming in the sea.
There was only one person Grid knew who was farming in the sea.
“Piaro?”
-Yes.
One of the biggest differences between a player and NPC was the ability to whisper. NPCs weren’t able to whisper. In order to communicate with them, they had to use old-fashioned means such as letters or magic communication devices. Siren wasn’t a developed city. Grid was convinced about the reason why Lauel asked Sticks to call Piaro.
“The most efficient method is to have Sticks use teleportation to bring Piaro as soon as possible… But won’t Siren be in danger if Piaro leaves?”
In the first place, the reason why he left Piaro in Siren wasn’t simply due to farming. It was to protect Siren from Blood Carnival. Lauel’s peculiar laugh was heard by the concerned Grid.
-Kuk…! Kukuk! Aren’t you becoming gentler? Lord, let me remind you of why we have to protect Siren.
“It’s to safeguard the treaty…”
-I’m sorry to interrupt you, but why did we ally with Siren in the first place?
“It’s for the sake of our development.”
-That’s right. How can we care about Siren when we are on the verge of destruction?
“…”
-We can’t worry about Siren’s well-being right now. The water clan of Siren will join us in this war to help. Just as we have an obligation to protect their territory, they have an obligation to defend our territory.
That’s right. But wasn’t it very hard to mobilize the water clan that still hadn’t recovered from the war? The more worrisome part…
“Lauel, haven’t you been planning to be hostile to Eternal long before the alliance with Siren? Then Siren was a victim from the beginning?”
-I can’t say that they will be a victim. I’m not planning to use them as simple arrows, but an army. The number of human casualties will be higher. In addition, there’s no guarantee that Blood Carnival will invade Siren again.
“Hrmm… Yes.”
Grid couldn’t denounce or deny Lauel’s words. In the first place, he gave Lauel all authority because he trusted Lauel. Based on the need to protect Overgeared, Lauel’s plans and ideas were justified. Lauel said goodbye.
-I have been gone for four minutes. This will lead to a confusion in the command system. I have to return to the game.
“Yes, you worked hard. Please send Sticks to me as soon as possible. Tell him to come to the White Hammer smithy in Pangea.”
-Yes, he will probably arrive in 5 days.
The call ended. The conclusion?
“Bunny Bunny… I’m sorry for making you a liar…”
Grid’s return to the West Continent was a failure.
The current Grid didn’t have the means to help his colleagues who were undergoing the greatest crisis since Overgeared were formed. He couldn’t help feeling nervous.
“Always be calm and careful.”
Grid calmed his mind as much as possible.
First of all, he connected to the Internet and watched the war videos in order to grasp the power of his teammates from the point of view of a blacksmith.
‘Yura changed her main weapon. It’s a good thing. I can finally make her a weapon. Pon is still using the armor I made five months ago? He isn’t as lucky as me. Regas will soon reach the limit of the gauntlets’ durability because he blocks the items with his hand…’
Overall, the equipment status of the Overgeared members was poor. It was the result of Grid concentrating on personal growth for a while.
“Among them, the one in the most urgent need of a new item is…”
Grid watched the video of Patrian. In the video, the beautiful woman with golden skin was struggling. Grid closely observed the bow she was using.
“Jishuka, I will start with you.”
Tak tak.
Grid stood up. He entered the capsule and headed to the White Hammer smithy as soon as he connected to Satisfy. The blacksmiths of the White Hammer smithy actively welcomed the hero who helped them win the competition. They had all the requirements needed to help Grid produce an item.
Ttang! Ttang!
The furnace swallowed up the white phosphorus wood. Grid squatted in front of the heat, hammering at the anvil without stopping. It was the Red Phoenix Breath, which looked like a ruby.
‘This can be attached to an item…’
Grid thought that it seemed possible to refine the ruby so that it burned more strongly. He thought that the stronger the breath was, the stronger the Red Phoenix Bow would be. Therefore, Grid challenged smelting the Red Phoenix Breath. But the breath was the essence of the Red Phoenix. It was difficult to handle it completely with the techniques of a legend. This smelting operation was the hardest thing Grid had done since becoming Pagma’s Descendant. He spent at least four days hammering at the anvil.
Any normal person would reach the end of their patience. But Grid was filled with strong ambition.
‘It’s an honor to work with the finest materials.’
Ttang! Ttang!
The sound of Grid’s hammering return the atmosphere of the White Hammer smithy to its peak.
Chapter 550
Chapter 550
“This is embarrassing.”
In the spacious fields of Reidan, farmer and Aura Master Hurent was impatiently waiting for Piaro to return. He grew nervous during trainingbecause he received the news that Overgeared was in the midst of a massive war. From his point of view, the news was like a lightning bolt out of the blue. He was worried that his valuable training ground would be ruined in the midst of the messy war.
“It has been busy in the last few weeks… They were preparing for war.”
Piaro taught Hurent to understand himself (?) and forgive (?) after he tried to invade Reidan. The training course he made according to Piaro’s suggested method was valuable. He was proud every time he saw grains and vegetables sprout in the land that he cleared, and his heart pounded when he saw people happily eating them…
“No, this isn’t it.”
Why was he thinking about this? Hurent shook his head and denied his heart. But the fields were his training grounds and he wanted to keep them. He believed that showing the intact fields to Piaro would be a way to repay the favor. But how? The method was obvious.
“I have no choice but to fight.”
Hurent opened a map of the Eternal Kingdom. He looked at Reinhardt in the east, Bairan in the north, Patrian in the south, and Reidan in the west.
‘They have to pass through Patrian in order to advance from Reinhardt to Reidan.’
Reidan and Reinhardt weren’t able to get to each other apart from through Reidan. The areas around Patrian were blocked by mountains or hills.
‘This is deliberately designed terrain.’
It was easy to deduce. To the west of Reidan and the south of Patrian was the Saharan Empire and Gauss Kingdom respectively. In other words, Patrian was a fortress designed to defend the kingdom from foreign powers. Eternal chose Patrian’s position in order to intercept the Saharan Empire or Gauss Kingdom if they ever invaded.
‘Patrian is a natural fortress. But now it’s been taken by Grid?’
It would be painful for Eternal. In order to get rid of the rebel Grid, they needed to reclaim Patrian. But it wasn’t an easy fortress to capture.
‘It will be difficult to attack a fortress that is built as a means to stop the invasion of two nations. Eternal will concentrate on Bairan.’
It was best to attack Patrian from the north and the east simultaneously. They needed to occupy Bairan in order to do this. Hurent was convinced that Eternal’s top priority would be the occupation of Bairan.
“Then I will protect Bairan.”
Hurent decided to defend the fields of Reidan and immediately left Reidan. He once dreamt of becoming a sword saint. However, after realizing the value of aura, he pursued the ultimate path of an Aura Master. He was incomparably stronger than he was during the 1st National Competition and now he was moving for Overgeared.
This was a variable that even the genius Lauel couldn’t think of.
***
Eternal’s navy sent the R77 unit to infiltrate Cork Island through a secret tunnel. They believed that the elite forces of R77 would do a great job. After assassinating the enemy commander and paralyzing the command system, the navy would gain a foothold for victory.
But the atmosphere was terrible. Originally, the flares should’ve appeared four hours ago. However, the set time had passed and there was no news. Cork Island in front of them was uncomfortably quiet.
“Did they fail the mission?”
Someone couldn’t help asking. It was Navy Admiral Lebuck. The staff members flinched and started to give their opinion.
“Until four days ago, only the king knew that there was a secret tunnel on Cork Island. It is absolutely impossible for the rebels to deal with the infiltration of the R77 unit.”
“It is a fact that R77 landed safely on Cork Island. They will be performing their mission as scheduled. But there are always variable that will delay the time.”
Lebuck frowned.
“Isn’t there a possibility for R77 to be caught after they landed on the island?”
“Admiral, R77’s covert nature is the best in the navy. It is unlikely that they would be discovered.”
“Wait a little longer. Good news will surely come.”
“…Hrmm.”
Lebuck decided not to fret any longer. Combining all the factors, including the abilities of R77 and the use of the secret tunnels, the probability of the R77 unit failing was almost zero. Then he was rewarded for his faith.
Peeeeeong!
“Ohhh!”
The promised signal appeared from Cork Island. The color of the signal flare was blue. It was the signal that indicated the leader of the enemy was destroyed and they should go.
Lebuck ordered the entire fleet. “Don’t damage the island, since it will soon be our property again! Stop ranged bombardment and move forward! Land and show the enemies the full force of our strength!”
The resistance of the enemy would be low after losing their commander. The artillery and magic shot from the coastal fortifications weren’t threatening at all. It would be a vain resistance!
“Full landing!”
“Assault! Assault!!”
The navy ships arrived on the coast and the soldiers poured out at once. The soldiers’ morale was sky high from the assuredness of their victory. Peak Sword laughed from the fortress as he confirmed their appearance.
“The blue signal that you told me was correct. I was a little suspicious.”
“I have already committed myself to Overgeared. I have no desire
to lie.”
“That is a very good attitude. Keep this attitude for the rest of your life and learn from God Grid.”
“Thank you for giving me a chance.”
Soldier who was killed by Peak Sword. As soon as he resurrected, he came to Cork Island and expressed his intention to surrender. Why did he risk his career in the navy? It was because he realized there was no future in the Eternal Kingdom.
Two nights before. Soldier was thrilled after infiltrating through the secret tunnel. Once he saw Peak Sword waiting in front of the secret tunnel, he realized that the intelligence network of Overgeared was above the Eternal Kingdom. Soldier was convinced. The winner of this war would be Overgeared, not Eternal. Immediately after the war ended, Overgeared would develop into a national unit.
He made a decision. He would serve Grid and Overgeared, becoming a great success in that kingdom.
‘A perfect opportunity to be a founding contributor. The chance fell down from the sky.’
Soldier would succeed in the new country.
On the other hand, Peak Sword was also excited.
‘I waited for my stamina to fully recover before launching the signal and succeeded in making the weak navy land at my feet. Maybe…’
Was he going to break everyone’s expectations and succeed in defending Cork Island? It was a big jackpot.
***
“Hoh?”
The second army that appeared to reclaim Borneo contained Seuron. He was amazed after attacking the Overgeared troops on the wall with his soul spears. The archers he thought were going to die were still alive?
‘They have 20% of their health left?’
Like any other game, Satisfy showed a disparity in strength depending on the level difference. It was virtually impossible for a level 100~200 user to survive the skill attack of a level 300 user. Katz was able to massacre the Borneo army using this fact.
Objectively, Seuron’s attack was superior to Katz, but the Overgeared members didn’t die. Who was Seuron? A unique class specialized in combat. His skill damage coefficient was so high that it couldn’t be compared with normal skills. But the lowly soldiers survived his skill?
“How is this possible?”
“If the soldiers’ bodies are this durable, how strong are the knights?”