Overgeared

by Park Saenal

  The darkness on Grid’s face lifted. He was reminded of the flexibility of his items.

  ‘It’s the greatest advantage of Pagma’s Descendant.’

  He could create new items. Grid didn’t doubt it. It would be much easier to deal with Agnus if he had items for the undead.

  ‘I’m sure. Agnus is different from Kraugel.’

  Kraugel’s control and senses were a strong foundation that made him feel like a hard wall. But Agnus relied on skills and seemed to have a lot of blind spots. Items were the correct tool to use against skills.

  “Then next time…”

  He would win. A big smile appeared on Grid’s face as he vowed. The game was too fun and there was no time to be bored.

  ***

  Outside the Belto Kingdom.

  Chik…

  Chiiiik!

  Agnus was alone and his body started turning to grey. The duration of his half-lich transformation was over.

  [You have died.]

  [You have lost a large amount of experience.]

  “Kik… Kikikik! Grid…”

  Agnus wasn’t furious, despite his supposedly glorious debut being stained with humiliation. Was there another opponent who had pushed him so far since Kraugel? No.

  “Grid! Kihat! Kikikik! Kuhahahat!”

  Agnus was happy. He felt gratitude for Grid, who covered his memories of suffering. At the very least, he would be able to sleep soundly tonight.

  Chapter 666

  Chapter 666

  Agnus.

  Born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, he was constantly harassed by his classmates during his school years. The intensity of the harassment was so high that there were countless horrible stories. Surprisingly, this intense bullying continued even into adulthood.

  “Why was he the subject of harassment?”

  Lauel asked after reading the papers and the detective lit up a cigarette and replied.

  “It was due to his tone of speech.”

  “Huh? That was the reason?”

  Lauel responded like it was absurd. The smoking detective shrugged with a bitter expression.

  “It originally doesn’t take a lot to annoy people. It’s fun to see a soft target be in pain, and then it will become a normal part of life… Well, there’s no need to lengthen this story. The thing that should be noted is that Agnus’ lover, who was his sole resting place, met a terrible end.”

  “…”

  The contents were terribly cruel. The people who harassed Agnus for many years. No, the trash raped Agnus’ lover as a group. It was also in front of Agnus.

  “The big shock caused her to eventually commit suicide. From that time on, Agnus changed. He enacted a terrible revenge and was sentenced to 28 years in prison by the court. But thanks to a human rights organization, he only served three years before being released from prison.”

  “Satisfy was just released when he got out…”

  “Agnus’ psychiatrist highly recommended Satisfy as part of his social readjustment program. Since then, Agnus became a so-called gaming addict and the people around him were relieved. They liked the fact that a ticking time bomb was locked into the game.”

  “…”

  Indeed, there was no better method to ignore reality than a game. Unlike reality, the game world was filled with fun and interesting stories and a fair system that allowed a person to get rewards.

  Dok dok.

  Lauel knocked on the table before grabbing the papers and getting up.

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m getting paid, so I should thank you instead. Call me again the next time you need something. You can come to Seattle at any time.”

  “…”

  He left the detective and returned to his mansion. Lauel was in deep thought.

  ***

  “Noe, why aren’t you eating?”

  “I don’t want to eat, nyang.”

  “Why?”

  “Why do you care if I don’t eat, nyong?”

  “…”

  Pets were creatures. Even if they stayed in the pet inventory without doing anything, they needed to eat to survive. In addition, Noe was a pig who was always waiting for meals. Yet he was refusing a meal! Grid felt worried after seeing Noe’s thin belly and asked carefully.

  “Is it because I didn’t summon you when I fought Agnus?”

  Flinch.

  Noe’s triangle-shaped eyes twitched. His tail stood upright as he cried out.

  “That’s right, nyang! Why, nyang? Why didn’t you call me when you were fighting?”

  Noe had long since recognized Grid as a parent. It was natural since Grid was the first person Noe saw when he hatched from the egg and Grid raised him. Noe always wanted to help Grid. He was worried when Grid was fighting against a mighty enemy.

  “This body is the best demonic beast of hell! I am the noblest being in this world and you should depend on me! Nyang!”

  Noe opened his eyes as big as possible. Grid smiled as he saw Noe’s heart.

  “I’m sorry. I won’t forget you in the future. But you should eat.”

  Did Grid really forget about Noe? That wasn’t the case. He couldn’t forget about Noe, the strongest pet, while dealing with Agnus. In fact, Grid wanted to summon Noe several times during the battle with Agnus. But Agnus had contracted with Baal, the 1st great demon, and the memphis was a great demon’s pet.

  That’s right. Grid was just scared. He was afraid that Noe would be affected by Agnus’ aura and betray him.

  ‘Betrayal might be too much. However, I can’t rule out the possibility that Noe might be influenced by Agnus.’

  There were still too many things Grid didn’t know about Baal’s Contractor.

  ‘I don’t know much about necromancers, let alone Baal’s Contractor…’

  There were no necromancers in Overgeared. In the first place, necromancer was a class that specialized in solo play and few of them joined guilds.

  ‘I have to understand necromancers better.’

  In particular, he wondered about the structure of a death knight. Grid hunted monsters and gave their souls to Noe before logging out.

  ***

  Necromancer. They were magicians who could summon the undead such as skeletons, zombies, ghouls, skeleton warriors, skeleton archers, skeleton magicians, etc. The higher the domination stat, the more undead that could be summoned. In addition, the level of the undead was affected by the summoner’s level. An average level 300 necromancer had an estimated 1,500 domination stat. This meant they could summon 150 skeletons or 15 skeleton magicians at the same time.

  In other words, the number of the domination stat required for every undead was different. In order to summon a death knight, available for third advancement necromancers, at least 1,000 domination points were required.

  Death knights. A death knight was made using the body of a warrior who built up a high reputation during their lifetime. Since the level and skills varied depending on the body used as a material, it was important to secure a body that was strong in life. Once created, the death knight could be used permanently. Like a pet, it could raise its level through hunting. The death knight’s tendencies depended on where the stat points were invested after levelling up.

  A third advancement necromancer could use the ‘Death Knight Production’ skill only one time. But people guessed that this would increase with the fourth advancement.

  “Agnus, how much of a scam is he?”

  Shin Youngwoo clicked his tongue after collecting information about necromancers from various communities. The more he knew about necromancers, the more fraudulent he realized Agnus was.

  “There’s a reason why people are talking about Agnus these days…”

  It was two days after the battle. The people of the world were in a heated debate about Agnus. People were excited and speculated that he would be the owner of the next legendary class after Pagma’s Descendant and Sword Saint.

  “Not many people know about the hidden
growth classes. Hrmm…”

  After gathering information about the necromancers and replaying Agnus’ combat abilities, Youngwoo turned off the computer. He had a meal and got back into the capsule.

  “The Behen Archipelago.”

  The death knight Lantier guarded the 61st island. He would create items for the undead inspired by his battle with Agnus. Then he would finally conquer the Behen Archipelago and grab Pagma’s heritage. Shin Youngwoo had this as his immediate goal. He was convinced that it was a shortcut to a fast increase in strength.

  “Login.”

  ***

  Grid didn’t waste a single second after connecting to Satisfy. As soon as he connected, he moved to a field outside Reinhardt and summoned the four God Hands, Noe, Randy, and the two Overgeared Skeletons. He had them hunt to gain experience, while he sat down and worked on increasing his tailoring experience. It was almost macro-level… No, it was the level of a necromancer’s automatic hunting.

  “Item Information.”

  While stitching, Grid brought up the information about Tiramet’s Belt.

  [Tiramet’s Belt]

  Rating: Unique (Growth)

  Experience: 58.9%.

  * Reduce damage received by 10%.

  * Stamina +250.

  A belt that contains the unique magic power of Vampire Viscount Tiramet. If this belt grows to a legendary rating, the wearer can summon Vampire Viscount Tiramet.

  Weight: 13

  “58.9%…”

  It had been several years in game time since he acquired Tiramet’s Belt. But Tiramet’s Belt was still stuck at the unique rating. It was really hard to raise it to the legendary level.

  “Once I can summon Tirament, it’s likely that my attack power will sharply rise.”

  Tiramet’s tanking ability was one of the highest among the vampires. Grid would be much more stable in battle if he could summon Tiramet.

  ‘I don’t have to give the God Hands an order to defend. Tiramet’s bite means I can maximize stability and attack power at the same time.’

  Grid started to burn with motivation. Considering the strength of Lantier on the 61st island, the experience of Tiramet’s Belt would increase exponentially every time he was hit.

  “I need to strike the iron while it is hot.”

  Grid started moving without stopping his sewing. He planned to visit Sticks to move to the Behen Archipelago.

  ‘Wait.’

  Grid stopped in place.

  He was much stronger than before. But it was still hard to assure victory against Lantier.

  ‘I have already finished making armor for Lantier… It would be nice to make a new weapon.’

  He didn’t know how many years he had been using Failure. Grid hadn’t been able to produce a famous sword since Failure, to the extent that he was still using Failure after making the most recent Sword Ghost.

  ‘Hrmm.’

  Grid had the materials that he secured from Belial’s raid. In addition, he learned how to use Belial’s accessories properly in the process of creating items for the meritorious retainers. Grid decided to make a sword he had dreamt about. But there was one thing.

  ‘Belial’s accessories contain too much demonic power to be made into the weapon I need…’

  It was unfortunate that using the material of a great demon to make a weapon meant the weapon was specialized for only one characteristic.

  ‘What if there was a true master weapon that was strong against normal monsters, strong against people, strong against big monsters, and strong against the undead?’

  But was such a weapon possible? Right now, the myth rated Red Phoenix Bow and Lifael’s Spear were each specialized in fire and divine power. It was impossible for a perfect all-rounder weapon to exist.

  “…No, wait.”

  Lightning struck Grid’s mind. An idea surfaced. The hidden skill Item Combination gave him inspiration!

  Chapter 667

  Chapter 667

  “It’s virtually impossible to create an item with all-encompassing effects…”

  The myth rated Red Phoenix Bow and Lifael’s Spear only had one attribute. The materials used to make an item were limited, so it was theoretically impossible to create all-rounder items. But the weapon Grid wanted didn’t necessarily have to be ‘all-rounder.’

  ‘How… Ah!’

  The Item Transformation skill passed through Grid’s head, followed by Item Combination and Sword Ghost.

  ‘Is it possible to make an item that can transform or combine without using the skills?’

  Like a detachable Sword Ghost!

  ‘I have caught a strand!’

  The excited Grid noted some of the options and information of Sword Ghost.

  [+7 Sword Ghost]

  Rating: Legendary

  …

  …

  * Can be separated into small and large pieces.

  * When separated, the attack power of the small and large piece are applied separately.

  …

  …

  There are two knobs, one in the middle of the blade and one in the bottom, made of drake fangs. Turning the knob in the middle will separate the pieces. In addition, you can deal serious damage to the enemy’s mind if you hit the enemy with these knobs.

  Since the surface is entirely black and the circumference of the blade and the knob is the same, it isn’t easy to distinguish the knob with the naked eye.

  …

  …

  ‘What if I make multiple Sword Ghosts with different attributes that can be separated and attached?’

  It would have the all-purpose ability that he dreamt of! He could use a suitable blade depending on the situation!

  ‘However, the problem is…’

  There was an inevitable gap in the process of attaching and detaching the blade. Grid summoned the Sword Ghost from the inventory. Then he separated them and reattached them.

  ‘0.5 seconds for separation and 0.7 seconds for attachment.’

  In addition, it took another 0.5 seconds to retrieve a new blade from the inventory.

  ‘Around two seconds…’

  This speed was possible because Grid had high dexterity and was familiar with swapping items. An ordinary person would take a minimum of four seconds. But that wasn’t comforting.

  ‘All the enemies I have to deal with are far from ordinary.’

  Monsters, NPCs, and players. The enemies that Grid had to confront in the future were all transcendent. Revealing a gap of two seconds to them would be fatal. ‘The protection of the God Hands isn’t absolute and it isn’t possible to summon Tiramet right now.’ He could protect his body with the two Overgeared Skeletons, but it was limited to two attacks in total. It was difficult to rely on them. He couldn’t use the Overgeared Skeletons as a shield forever.

  “…Ah?”

  Grid suddenly stopped frowning. He succeeded in thinking of a new idea.

  ‘Silver thread!’

  [Silver Thread]

  Attack Power: 100~????

  Durability: 1,000/1,000

  Fragments of silver armor that have been shaped in the blood vessels of the armored needles for many years.

  Unlike ordinary silver thread that only has a thin coating of silver, this is made of pure silver. It also contains the powerful magic power of the armored needle.

  Depending on the skill level of the user, it can be used in various ways due to its different forms.

  * It is classified as a secondary weapon.

  Conditions of Use: Secondary Weapons Mastery Advanced Level 5. More than 2,000 dexterity.

  * The silver thread can be shot quickly if you have more than 2,000 dexterity.

  * If you have more than 2,500 dexterity, you can twist 5 or less strands of silver thread together to create the desired shape.

  * If you have more than 3,000 dexterity, you can twist 10 or less strands of silver thread together to create the desired shape.

  * If you have more than 4,000 dexterity
, the speed at which you can control the silver thread is doubled.

  * If you have more than 5,000 dexterity, you can twist 20 or less…

  …

  …

  * The silver thread can be used as a material for making items. However, a craftsman level blacksmithing skill is required.

  Weight: 5

  He only explored the possibilities of using the silver thread as a secondary weapon. Until now, Grid had focused on using the silver thread as a secondary weapon. But reality was cruel.

  ‘It’s hard for me to use the silver thread in practice.’

  It was too difficult to utilize the silver thread, even with Grid’s high dexterity. There was no time to control the silver thread while using the sword and magic. In particular, the silver thread wouldn’t work against strong opponents such as Agnus. It wasn’t reasonable to be obsessed with using the silver thread as a secondary weapon.

  ‘Let’s use it as an item making material.’

  In the first place, the silver thread was a ‘material that all blacksmiths of the East Continent dreamt about having.’ Grid had forgotten about this fact while obsessing with the silver thread as a secondary weapon. Grid was able to think more rationally than before since dealing with Agnus.

  ‘Putting the thread between blades… If I use this as an item making material, it would be a highly useable secondary weapon.’

  The usage that Grid thought about?

  “Being drawn together!”

  “Nyang?”

  Noe was surprised by Grid’s sudden and loud shout. Grid stroked the head of the little guy whose eyes had become rounded.

  “I can connect the parts of Sword Ghost with the silver thread. With one click of the button, the silver thread will be pulled and the blades will fly, automatically attaching to the Sword Ghost!”

  “…Nyang?”

  Noe couldn’t understand what was happening. Noe made a confused expression, but the excited Grid didn’t care.

  “It is easy to imagine it as Spiderman shooting a thread from the wrist. I will make an item.”

  One of Grid’s few advantages was that he wasn’t indecisive. Once decided, he acted quickly.

  “Legendary Blacksmith’s Creation!”

  [Legendary Blacksmith’s Creation]

  You can create three equipment item production methods every time the skill level of the ‘Legendary Blacksmith’s Craftsmanship Skill’ goes up.