by Park Saenal
“Why are you so quiet? Are you mute?”
Grid frowned. A mysterious player who completely hid his face and ID. Based on the contents of the quest, he was the master of this dungeon. How did he become the master of the dungeon? Was it possible for a player to own a dungeon? There were many questions he wanted to resolve, but the other person remained quiet like he was mute.
“Who are you?” Grid urged.
Then Dark made a ridiculing sound.
“Your personality is just as dirty as I heard. How can you act like this when you’re the villain who infiltrated another person’s area and destroyed everything? If you have a bit of conscience, isn’t it normal to feel sorry?”
“I didn’t know. How could I imagine that this dungeon was someone’s possession?”
“Is it not a sin just because you don’t know?”
“No, it isn’t.”
As Dark said, Grid had a trash nature in the beginning. He was selfish and greedy. He didn’t hesitate whenever there was an opportunity to get a profit. But now he was different. He didn’t seek profit if it dealt great damage to innocent people. If Grid had met Dark before he received the ‘Insane Dragon Egg’ quest, he would’ve felt sorry for Dark.
“But right now, I’m performing a quest. Aren’t quests the most important content in a game? I’m sorry for you, but it can’t be helped. Hand over the insane dragon egg.”
Yes, it was a rationalization. Grid rationalized his own selfishness and greed in the name of a quest. In Dark’s eyes, Grid was a terrible villain. But he didn’t criticize Grid. He also used any means and methods to achieve his goal. This was the fate of those dreaming of being the best.
“You’re after the insane dragon egg…”
Dark shook his head. How much had he done to protect the dragon egg he accidentally discovered a year ago? Dark sought to be the only player with a dragon as a pet. He made all types of unreasonable profits from Blood Carnival in order to create this dungeon. However, one day a person like Grid asked for Dark’s egg. He couldn’t accept it.
“Disgraceful person.”
Kwaduduk!
Dark emitted killing intent.
“You’re taking me too lightly.”
Dungeon Maker was a hidden growth type class and it had reached a unique rating. He specialized in producing dungeons, but like Pagma’s Descendant, he also had combat ability. In particular, all his stats and skills were increased in the dungeons he created. His class benefits were activated and he could show a more powerful ability.
“Who cares if you broke the sky? I am the new sky!”
Kwarururung!
Dark shouted and the dungeon started to stir. Zone 8. All the walls and ground were a trap to protect the dragon egg. They activated and covered Grid.
‘What?’
Grid was startled. The trap was larger and more threatening than any trap he had experienced since he started playing Satisfy.
“God Hands!”
As Grid shouted, the God Hands started blocking the arrows and spears. However, they were only four of them, no matter how quickly they moved. They couldn’t block thousands of weapons.
“Wave.”
Kurururung!
Grid brought through the defense of the God Hands and swept away the flying weapons with a wide area skill. He allowed several attacks in the process, but didn’t suffer a big blow thanks to Triple Layers and Lantier’s Cloak. The problem was the traps installed on the ground. The ground split in half and boiling lava tried to swallow Grid.
Grid hastily swapped to Braham’s Boots and flew up. This was a mistake.
Kukukung!
The ceiling fell down. It crushed Grid with an awful weight. Grid failed to prop it up with strength and used Freely Move to break through the traps and reach Dark.
“Kill!”
The moment that Grid thrust his sword forward.
“Building Walls!”
Kwa kwa kwa kwang!
Dark took out a huge hammer and slammed it down on the ground. Then stones walls stronger than a magician’s barrier sprang out, blocking Grid’s attack.
‘It completely absorbed the damage of Kill used with the +9 Failure?’
The fragments of the wall scattered all over the place. Grid ignored the sharp chunks of stone and attacked Dark again. Of course, Dark’s resistance was tough. He used a shovel to pour cement and block Grid’s Link.
[You have become ‘petrified.’]
[You have resisted.]
[Due to the effect of the ‘First King’ title, ‘Great King’s Majesty’ is activated.]
[Reflecting the status has failed.]
‘You!’
Grid and Dark stared at each other as their alertness thickened. They acknowledged that their opponents were tough. Grid counterattacked Dark’s shovel with Revolve and immediately used Blackening. Dark’s posture was collapsed by the counterattack. He used Throwing Bricks to interfere with Grid’s course. Grid missed the perfect attack timing and was convinced of Dark’s identity.
‘Based on his skills configuration and complete control of the traps…’
This guy, was he a dungeon maker? This player had the ability to create a dungeon?
“It must be a hidden class!”
“Now you understand! I will also be a legend!”
Kwa kwang!
Kwa kwa kwa kwang!
Grid used Blacksmith’s Rage and started the onslaught, but Dark expertly coped with it. He used the traps at exquisite timing to disturb the connection between Grid and the God Hands.
‘Recreating the battle videos of Grid that I have seen so far, the biggest disadvantage is the short duration of his buffing skills.’
The highest priority was to endure until Blackening ended. The counterattack was after that. Dark determined as he stared at Grid. He was certain that his strength and agility overwhelmed Grid’s.
‘I have been making dungeons for over three years!’
He would use the stamina he had trained to withstand Grid’s fierce attacks. Dark was sure he could hold on until Grid was exhausted. Yes, he waited for Grid to be exhausted. However…
‘Pant pant, what the hell is this guy?’
15 minutes after the battle began. Blackening was lifted, but Grid was still assaulting Dark. He continued without any signs of exhaustion. On the other hand, the confident Dark was breathing hard. Dark couldn’t understand it.
‘How can he have higher stamina than me, the king of labor?’
He even received the dungeon buffs!
‘This is items…!’
It was obvious that Grid was wearing an item that reduced stamina consumption. But what was reality? If Dark was the king of labor, Grid was the god of labor. He spent days manually making an item while others could press the production button and make it quickly. Looking at stats that developed based on labor, Grid was higher than Dark.
‘He’s finally worn out?’
Every time Grid tried to deal a fatal blow to Dark, he failed due to traps or labor skills. He was impressed with Dark’s power and as he focused on the battle, he noticed Dark’s subtle changes. The deployment of traps and skills slowed down.
“Can you Become the King of the Dead?”
Clack!
Clack clack!
Dark recoiled in surprise while facing Grid and the God Hands. It was due to the skeletons that threw silver thread.
‘A necromancer’s strength?’
But they were just skeletons throwing threads. They weren’t a significant threat. Dark ignored the skeletons and tried to defend against Grid’s attack. This was a mistake.
Chwaruruk!
The silver thread successfully bound Dark’s body and Grid finally landed a blow.
“Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.”
Peeng!
Pepepepeng!
Linked Kill successively destroyed the walls built by Dark.
Kurururung!
During the course of Linked Kill, Dark lost his d
efenses and was exposed.
“Kuaaaaak!”
Dark screamed as he was swept up in energy blades. They descended like lightning bolts in his field of view.
[You have suffered catastrophic damage!]
[You won’t die easily in your dungeon. You can resist all attacks for 2 seconds with a minimum of health. The dungeon escape skill ‘Emergency Exit’ is activated.]
“Alive?”
Dark didn’t collapse after facing his strongest skill? Grid looked at Dark with greed, while Dark’s expression was awful.
“You! I will someday pay back this grudge!”
Dark was turned to rags. The mask that covered his face was shattered. Then the ID he was hiding was revealed.
[Eat Jokbal in Bed]
“…”
“…”
The fierce atmosphere died down and silence flowed. Dark made an awkward expression. No, Eat Jokbal in Bed used the Emergency Escape skill. There was a crack in thin air and a door was created.
“S-Son of a bitch! Wait until I get an ID change ticket!”
Pahat!
Eat Jokbal in Bed couldn’t hide his embarrassment as he moved through the emergency door.
“…Korean?”
Grid was attracted by Eat Jokbal in Bed’s dungeon making ability and combat skills.
‘I should search for Eat Jokbal in Bed later.’
If that was the name of a business, he might get a hint that would allow him to get in touch with Eat Jokbal in Bed. That’s right. Grid wanted Eat Jokbal in Bed to join Overgeared. It was natural. The dungeon making ability of Eat Jokbal in Bed in bed was unique and his combat ability was superior to many people in Overgeared.
‘Then I can properly compensate him for the damage I did.’
It would be fair to judge the outcome after gaining the insane dragon egg. Grid approached the cut rock in the center of the dungeon. There was a large oval egg that was much bigger than Grid.
Chapter 618
Chapter 618
“It’s comforting.”
Eat Jokbal in Bed sighed after escaping from the dungeon and checking his status window. Grid had killed the monsters in the dungeon and destroyed all the traps, so Eat Jokbal in Bed gained a large amount of experience.
‘Thanks to this, I gained two levels. Above all, I’m able to accurately grasp the level of my armed forces.’
The opportunity to compete with someone strong like Grid was worth a million dollars. Eat Jokbal in Bed planned to use his struggle with Grid as a platform for growth. That’s right. Eat Jokbal in Bed wasn’t frustrated, despite losing the insane dragon egg that he’d guarded for a year. His mental strength was too strong to collapse after one failure.
To borrow Peak Sword’s phrasing, this was the will that Koreans showed when foreigners invaded. The strength of South Korea, which had been a powerhouse in e-sports for more than half a century, was becoming more prominent in Satisfy.
‘It’s unfortunate that I have lost my dream of becoming the first player to own a dragon.’
In fact, it was unlikely that the dream would come true in the first place. Based on the conversation with the evil eyes, the possibility that a dragon would follow a human was almost zero.
‘It’s the same for Grid.’
Based on Satisfy’s story and setting, it was likely the insane dragon egg was to keep hell in check. It wasn’t something that could be handled by one player. Eat Jokbal in Bed controlled his heart and sent a whisper to his old friends, the three founding members of Blood Carnival.
-Grid has discovered us.
-What? How did he know?
-His intelligence network is far beyond our imagination. He knew I was the head of Blood Carnival and had information about the insane dragon egg.
-What a monster…
-He’s the first king for a reason. We can’t predict him. Let’s not take bigger risks. We will disband Blood Carnival. We’ll stay quiet for the moment.
***
[Insane Dragon Egg]
The oval egg lying on the altar was twice as big as Grid. It was a tremendous size, considering that Grid was a muscular man at 181cm tall.
“If I make egg bimbimbap with this, I could feed a few hundred people… A dragon puppy is bigger than a person the moment it hatches?”
“It’s a hatchling, not a puppy.”
“Ah, really?”
Minor, who had been hiding during the battle, approached Grid. The evil eyes were with him. Why didn’t the evil eyes join the battle between Grid and Eat Jokbal in Bed? It was due to the contractual relationship. The demonkin couldn’t harm a human they were in a contract with. There was a restriction due to faith, but the evil eyes had extraordinarily high faith among the demonkin. It was due to their own righteousness and compassion that they weren’t hostile to Eat Jokbal in Bed.
“When is the egg scheduled to hatch?”
Grid used the Legendary Blacksmith’s Appraisal, but couldn’t confirm the details of the insane dragon egg. The evil eye with the ability of foresight replied to Grid’s question.
“Once the two moons repeat in the darkness of the night sky nine times, and a poem is sung… I guess? Kukukuk.”
“It’s said that the two moons appear once every four months. Then it’s in three years.”
It was hard to understand. Grid seemed to know why the evil eyes were kicked out of hell. A notification window popped up as he sighed.
[The quest has succeeded!]
[As a quest reward, the 17 evil eyes will be your subordinates.]
[Affinity with the evil eyes has increased. Exchanges with the evil eyes are possible.]
“You have secured the insane dragon egg. We will be your subordinates as promised. Kukuk, realize the honor.”
“Give any command. No matter what you expect, we will give you more than your expectations. Huhut.”
“…”
Their way of speaking was slightly rude, but they had a sense of loyalty. He didn’t hate it because he thought of Lauel.
“It’s too much of a burden to manage you directly. You’ll be under the direct control of Lauel. That guy should be able to utilize your abilities.”
“Lauel? Who is that?”
“Didn’t we say we would serve you? We have no intention of serving another human. No human deserves to be our master other than you.”
“No, he’s someone who will fit in your heart when you meet. Lauel is a friend from your past life.”
“A friend from a past life? Hoh, they are good words.”
“What are you going to do with the insane dragon egg?”
Even if the insane dragon egg hatched, would it follow them? Grid didn’t ask this type of question. Since he starting playing Satisfy, Grid’s understanding of the game grew. Yes, Grid already understood based on the contents of the quest. The insane dragon’s hatchling… No, it couldn’t belong to Grid.
‘In the first place, it makes no sense for a dragon to be a player’s personal possession.’
The game would go bankrupt. It was at the level of a bug, not a problem of balance. Grid was convinced and got rid of his lingering attachments. Then the evil eyes explained.
“First, I will take it to our village and they will protect it until it hatches.”
“The dragon will grasp the truth of the world the moment it hatches. It will repay its father’s enemies by working with the evil eyes.”
“In a thousand years, the child of a dragon will become an adult and hell will be chaotic. Huhuhut.”
“A thousand years?”
Crazy. It took 1,000 years for a dragon hatchling to grow into an adult?
‘I will die of old age and the great demons will still be fine.’
The insane dragon egg wasn’t an episode that had a direct influence on a player.
‘This is better. The players won’t be able to do anything if an episode on the scale of a dragon unfolds.’
It wouldn’t be fun. Grid decided to be satisfied with ju
st getting the evil eyes.
“Human, come to the evil eyes village with us just once.”
“Our king will give you a great reward.”
‘A reward is something that a superior gives to his subordinates.’
Grid felt somewhat uncomfortable, but he nodded easily. A new species would assist the future of his kingdom. It was also necessary to exchange with a strong species.
‘I have to be careful about my pride and attempt to make all of the evil eyes species an ally.’
Grid made a decision and nodded.
“Okay, I will go to your village.”
But before that.
“Start mining.”
It was necessary to mine the walls of Zone 8. The evil eyes were exhausted by the time Grid left the Beware Dogs dungeon.
***
“Noble with foresight, I have a question for you.”
“Resident with blazing eyes? Kukuk, good. Go ahead. I swear on the honor of a noble that I will answer your questions faithfully.”
“We are committed to serving the human called Grid and he deserves to be our master. But is it okay to guide him to our city? Isn’t this an act of betrayal?”
Around 1,000 evil eyes lived in the village. The number was small, but they all possessed great power. In particular, the evil eyes’ minister possessed something that caused completely submission. If Grid was exposed to it, a terrible situation could occur.
“Grid will become a slave to the evil eyes forever. It means we will trap Grid. I don’t think our high pride will allow this.”
“Don’t worry. Grid is a human who helped secure the insane dragon egg. Our minister is more prideful than us and can’t afford to harm him.”
Ttang! Ttang! Ttang!
The destroyed Zone 8 of the Beware Dogs dungeon. The evil eyes learned the Mining skill and worried about Grid during the mining process. They were demonkin with incredible loyalty. Of course, this didn’t apply to all the evil eyes. Just like humans had different personalities, the evil eyes were the same.
The 17 evil eyes recognized the importance of their promise to Grid, but that didn’t mean all the evil eyes in the village would be the same. But Grid wasn’t aware of this fact. He just looked forward to exchanging with a new species.
Lululala~
Grid hummed as minerals related to the insane dragon piled up in his inventory.