Overgeared

by Park Saenal

  Then who was it? Who had reached the last gateway of the Behen Archipelago? This was a huge topic. The media outlets around the world were busy guessing the main character of the world message. And the most likely candidate was Kraugel.

  Grid, Agnus, and Ares, who showed skills beyond common sense in the Belto Kingdom war, were also considered candidates, but the sky above the sky Kraugel overwhelmed all of them. It was natural. Kraugel had won against Grid when he was just a normal class. Now that he was a Sword Saint, it was estimated that he was much better than the three players.

  ‘They can’t imagine it.’

  The Overgeared members who saw the news could only laugh. Kraugel had already failed to break the Behen Archipelago and Grid was actually the main character of the world message. They were excited about the turmoil that would once again happen once the news got out.

  The Overgeared members didn’t know either. The impact of capturing the Behen Archipelago wasn’t just at this level.

  ***

  [You have entered the 66th island.]

  [You deserve praise for reaching this place.]

  [Give rest to the last remaining hero…]

  “The notification windows are very interesting.”

  The guardian of the 66th island was the last remaining hero. It was right to interpret that the legend who became a death knight was also in a painful position.

  “Umm…?”

  Grid was slightly confused when he saw the 66th island. It was just flat ground. That’s it. The 66th island was a stage without small stones and bushes. There was no place to hide and the terrain couldn’t be taken advantage of when facing the enemy.

  -A place where you can’t use shallow tricks.

  Grid was convinced after hearing Braham’s voice.

  “A stage where pure combat is prioritized… Indeed, the owner of this place is Madra right?”

  Braham agreed.

  -Right. He was the ultimate warrior before he was a genius strategist. A place for a one on one match with no variables is the best for a guy like him. In the first place, he can achieve a perfect victory on any terrain.

  ‘A genius? The ultimate? Perfect? Braham is praising him so much…?’

  Braham’s evaluation of Madra was at least equal to Muller and Mumud.

  “…Sigh.”

  Grid felt his heart pounding. Was it due to fear? Yes. Did he want to run away? No. Grid was glad to be enough to fight against an opponent that caused fear. He didn’t want to run away.

  Sticks would be amazed if he found out about this, but since winning the First King title and quickly becoming powerful, Grid didn’t have experience with fighting with all his strength. He hadn’t met the right opponent. It was the same in the Behen Archipelago.

  ‘In that sense, I want to fight the first knight. Even if I would’ve lost.’

  But he couldn’t fight Mercedes. If he fought with her, it would be the end of the Overgeared Kingdom. However, now things were different. There weren’t any external factors involved. He just had to fight with all his strength to obtain the rewards.

  ‘If I can figure out my skills here, it will be a big help in the National Competition.’

  The schedule for the 3rd National Competition was later than usual. One of Grid’s goal was to win against Kraugel in the National Competition that would be held in three months. In order to face that day in a perfect condition, Grid was happy to fight strong opponents.

  Step.

  Step, step.

  A death knight wearing majestic armor was slowly approaching. There was an amazing sense of power from the gait, despite it only being a body made of bones.

  ‘Sword… I thought he could use a variety of weapons because he is the ultimate warrior.’

  The name ‘Madra’ clearly appeared in gold above the head of the death knight in majestic armor. He held an ordinary long sword around one meter in length and looked Grid up and down with a purple light.

  “It has been 100 years since a human guest appeared. One day, Pagma died, my strength weakened and the invasion of the great demons was over.”

  “….!”

  Grid was startled. He held that Madra was likely to maintain his intelligence, but he hadn’t expected Madra to speak clearly like a human. Madra asked the confused Grid.

  “Did you beat the halflings guarding the previous islands?”

  “…?”

  The halflings guarding the previous islands? Who were the halflings? Grid cocked his head and replied firmly.

  “All of them except for Lantier.”

  “I see…”

  Indeed, the halflings that Madra spoke of were the death knights of past legends. He called the legends halflings! How strong was Madra?

  ‘Will this be tougher than I imagined?’

  The tense Grid grinned. Madra, who was still looking him up and down, nodded like he understood.

  “Well, it’s Pagma’s fault. Their names are legends, but they fell after becoming death knights. Once Pagma died and the supply of power was cut off, they couldn’t exert their strength properly. But you’re still pretty good. For a human to hurt those halflings… You’re also a present legend… Hrmm?”

  Madra cocked his head. It was because he found it hard to determined Grid’s identity.

  “Despite being armed with a sword, you aren’t the peak swordsman. You bear the soul of a hybrid vampire, but only have this much magic power? But you have the dignity of a king…?”

  A human who reached the 66th island. Madra called Grid a present legend. But he wasn’t a swordsman nor a magician. It was difficult to gauge his true identity because only his high dignity could be seen. In the end, Madra couldn’t resolve the question and asked openly.

  “What do you call yourself?”

  “Call myself…”

  What did he want the world to call him? Shin Youngwoo? Grid? Pagma’s Descendant? He was all of them, but more so…

  “Overgeared King… I am the Overgeared King.”

  “Overgeared King…? Hoh, a king!”

  Madra showed great interest in Grid’s answer. Since he was also a legend and a king, he felt a strong sense of kinship with Grid.

  “Yes, what does overgeared represent?”

  Madra was never defeated, which was why he was called the Undefeated King. Then was why the human in front of him called the Overgeared King? Madra waited for the answer like a kid filled with pure curiosity. Grid was thinking about how to explain being overgeared and summoned the God Hands. The God Hands were armed with Mjolnir.

  “Hoh?”

  Grid explained to Madra, who was surprised to see the golden hands moving by themselves.

  “Overgeared is being able to make the best use of these tools. That is why I am called the Overgeared King.”

  Best? A person who knew Grid would say that ‘he has no conscience.’ But the only ones here right now were Grid, Braham, and Madra. Madra didn’t know the truth.

  “I see. You have the ability to make good use of battle gear… Um?”

  Madra nodded with interest, only to suddenly frown. Looking back, there weren’t any legends who didn’t have this ability. In other words, is was a basic thing for all the legends to be overgeared. But the human in front of him was speaking as if this basic thing was his own outstanding ability.

  “This… Maybe you are mocking me. Well, you don’t need to reveal your identity if you don’t want to. It is reasonable to be reluctant to show it before a fight.”

  This conversation was coming to an end.

  “Your purpose is to purify the now useless Behen Archipelago. If you want to cleanse it, then you have to beat me. As a death knight, my existence is to repel all intruders. A fight is inevitable. In addition.”

  Supaak!

  “Whether alive or dead, I have never experienced defeat. Not even once.”

  “…!”

  The voice of Madra, who was in front of him just a moment ago, was suddenly heard right beside him. Madra in f
ront of him had suddenly disappeared. The moment Grid realized this.

  [You have suffered 11,200 damage.]

  “Kuk…!”

  Grid was sliced in the side. Death Knight Madra recreated the top level footwork that Garam showed. He had never been defeated, became the Undefeated King and maintained this position in the Behen Archipelago. He had become weaker after becoming a death knight and weaker again after Pagma’s death.

  “100,000 Army Massacre Sword.”

  Chukak.

  Chukakakakak!

  Madra’s majesty remained. The sword technique that was twice as fast as Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Link cut at Grid’s body 40 times per second.

  Chapter 690

  Chapter 690

  Peng!

  Pepepepeong!

  100,000 Army Massacre Sword. Like the name, it was a skill with ridiculous power. The scope of the sword wielded by Madra affected not just Grid, but a radius of 100 meters around Grid. Thousands of energy blades filled the vast plains. It was a wide area skill.

  [You have suffered 10,900 damage.]

  [You have suffered 11,310 damage.]

  [You have suffered 10,870 damage.]

  [The experience of Tiramet’s Belt has increased by 0.12%!]

  [You have suffered 11,100 damage…]

  …

  …

  …

  [The First King title effect is activated.]

  [A great king puts his safety first. You have lost 70% of your maximum health, so a shield containing the health you lost within the last minute will be created. All terrain adaptability has increased by 100% while movement speed and defense has increased by 10%.]

  [You have obtained a shield containing 61,722 health.]

  [You have suffered 9,870 damage.]

  [You have suffered 10,200 damage.]

  [You have suffered 9,930…]

  …

  …

  [The experience of Tiramet’s Belt has increased by 0.12%!]

  [The shield is destroyed!]

  “Freely Move!”

  It happened in less than a second. It was impossible to Grid to have rational thoughts. Once his health gauge fell tremendously and the effect of the First King title was activated, he just demonstrated his survival instinct. But it was an instinct that came from a lot of experience and it worked properly.

  Supak!

  Pa pa pa pat!

  “…Um!”

  Madra was surprised when his attacks that hit Grid suddenly started to miss. Then Grid’s sword fell towards his neck. Four strikes per second!

  Puk.

  Puuok!

  [Critical!]

  [You have dealt 7,600 damage to the target!]

  [You have recovered 912 health thanks to Elfin Stone’s Ring!]

  [The experience of Elfin Stone’s Ring has increased by 0.2%!]

  [Critical!]

  [You have dealt 7,540 damage to the target!]

  [Critical!]

  [You have dealt 7,660 damage to the target!]

  [Critical!]

  [You have dealt 7,590 damage to the target!]

  “I can’t avoid it… I have really weakened…”

  “Weakened…”

  Grid gulped. He belatedly realized. At the time of the 2nd National Competition, the Undefeated King’s armor worn by Bubat posted high defense and physical resistance.

  ‘My criticals deal less than 8,000 damage. Madra is a monster who combines tanking ability with attack power.’

  A superior version of Grid. This was Madra. As the enlightened Grid was filled with a greater tension, Madra’s hands tightened their grip on the sword several times.

  “It isn’t easy to use the sword with a body that is only bones. I can only used 100,000 Army Massacre Sword in this shape.”

  “…!”

  Bosses who disturbed the story must be attacked by players. There must be room to defeat them. Unless they were a dragon that was made impossible to attack in the first place. Therefore, the S.A. Group would put in an appropriate arrangement. Based on the actions of the boss, the players could get a hint on the strategy.

  Of course, it was up to the players to find the hint. The experienced Grid noticed that Madra’s right hand seemed somewhat uncomfortable.

  ‘Madra’s hand bone is cracked!’

  In retrospect, Madra was giving several hints. He emphasized several times that he was weakened, acted as if the hand holding the sword was uncomfortable and said it was hard to use the sword with an undead body. Grid’s brain was activated.

  ‘Madra is the type of boss that gets weaker as we fight.’

  There were occasionally bosses like this. The bosses were ridiculously strong, but weak when it came to endurance.

  ‘Every time he uses the sword, his body will collapse and he will eventually self-destruct.’

  It meant Grid only needed to endure the first and middle parts. But Grid had already lost the First King title and Freely Move.

  Would it be that easy to hold on?

  “I will soon see! God Hands!”

  Tong!

  Teteteteng!

  The God Hands moving around Grid started their assault, aiming Mjolnir at Madra from different orbits. But Madra was the incarnation of war. He always fought against many enemies. He could attack while blocking the four God Hands.

  “One Million Army Breakthrough.”

  Pahat!

  Madra’s movements were alert. He spun his body and avoided all the attacks of the God Hands, managing to reach Grid.

  “…!”

  “200,000 Army Crushing Sword.”

  Kuoooooh!

  Sword cutting through the plains! Shock waves of aura in a half moon shape were emitted from the top of Madra’s sword.

  Kuwaaaaaah!

  The physical earthquake caused Grid’s body to stagger as an aura blade aimed at his upper body. The power was enough to separate Grid’s upper and lower body. However, Grid had already been thinking ahead. After he ordered the God Hands to attack, he used Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Revolve.

  “Huh?”

  Kwajak!

  Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

  Grid’s circular sword swallowed Madra’s explosive attack and returned it. The purple aura that should’ve turned Grid into a corpse struck Madra instead.

  [You have dealt 2,118,000 damage to the target.]

  Grid grinned as he confirmed the notification windows.

  ‘…Isn’t this crazy?’

  Was it called 200,000 Army Crushing Sword? Madra, whose defense was so powerful and Grid only did 7,000 damage to, ended up receiving 2 million damage. Grid clearly understood that allowed Madra’s attack to hit once meant losing his immortality.

  “Pagma’s Descendant.”

  Madra finally realized Grid’s identity. After the usage of 200,000 Army Crushing Sword, Madra switched his sword to his left hand.

  “Very interesting. It’s Pagma who made the current place, and now his descendant is going to purify it.”

  “…?”

  Grid was surprised. It was because Madra’s attitude was too light.

  “As you have discovered, I am Pagma’s Descendant. The Pagma who turned you into a death knight is like my teacher. Don’t you have anything special to say to me?”

  “What should I say to you?”

  “…Pagma has been holding you here for over 100 years.”

  “Hrmm…? Kukuk, I see. Do you think I would have a grudge against Pagma and then shift that grudge onto you?”

  “…”

  That’s right. Grid recognized the legends that guarded the Behen Archipelago as ‘victims.’ They couldn’t rest comfortable after they died, but were instead forced to resurrect and fight in solitude for over 100 years. Strictly speaking, he felt sorry for them. Madra shrugged as he read Grid’s heart through his eyes.

  “In fact, the only poor person is the hybrid vampire inside you. He is the sad fellow who was betrayed by Pagma and now has to sponge off Pagma’s Descendant.
In later years, he started to feel human emotions and is craving for affection.”

  -This bastard…!

  Since entering the 66th island. Braham had been in a state of discomfort since Madra called him a hybrid vampire. Now he could no longer resist feeling anger after being mocked. Grid barely suppressed Braham who was attempting to run wild.

  ‘Please stop being a troll.’

  During the battle with Agnus, Grid was forced into the assimilated state and was unable to exert its original strength. He didn’t want another similar situation to occur again. Relying on Braham during important fights always had unintended results, so he was reluctant to pass the responsibility onto others.

  ‘I will teach him a lesson. So believe in me and watch.’

  -Grid…

  Braham was moved. Nobody had ever told the strongest magician in history to depend on them. Grid’s words were unfamiliar to Braham and caused Braham’s soul to shake. But he didn’t express it.

  -Bah…! Don’t let it get to you! You should keep this in mind! The current Madra is weak! You can’t lose!

  ‘Uh, yes…’

  Madra was weak. This was when compared to his previous life. Grid didn’t know the Madra of the past, but it was correct to say that the current Madra was his strongest enemy. There was no room for cockiness.

  “Quick Movements. Blacksmith’s Rage.”

  Grid pulled out the Ideal Dagger and aimed at Madra’s right side after using the buff skills. It was a weakness because Madra was less likely to fully use his cracked right hand. Grid wore the Slaughterer’s Mask and Slaughterer’s Eye Patch, activated Vital Spot Detection and aimed at only that point.

  “Pagma’s Swordsmanship! Link!”

  Pit!

  Pipipipipit!

  It might look shabby compared to 100,000 Massacre Sword, but Grid’s Link also boasted speed. 20 energy blades per second poured towards Madra’s right side. But Madra responded easily. He moved to Grid’s left side and tried a flowing counterattack.

  At that moment.

  Chaaeng!

  “…!”

  Madra’s back was hit by a God Hand wielding Mjolnir. Madra was hit because Grid anticipated he would avoid to the left. Braham cheered.

  -Yes! That’s it! Now he is just a skeleton! He doesn’t have a brain and is hit by your shallow trick!