by Park Saenal
“Your last will?”
Ares admired Dia’s outstanding dance and sacrifice and asked him. It was the greatest honor given to an enemy in a war.
“I…”
Dia’s eyelids were growing heavy. His vision blurred.
Flop!
Dia, who endured to the last moment, finally fell to his knees. His legs were weak and he couldn’t stand anymore. But he still didn’t let go of the sword in his hand.
“…I… Believe in Piaro… I never once doubted you…”
One day.
“One day, your stigma as a traitor will be washed away.”
Swaaah.
Who was this last will for? Dia coughed up black blood and his body turned to grey. Ares was silent.
***
Kyle fled and Agnus took his own life. Grid sat to one side and regained his stamina. He watched the strength of Valhalla’s army end this war. Then Braham’s heavy voice was heard.
-Grid.
“What, you’re fine?” Grid grumbled at Braham. “You fainted the last time you saw Mumud. How did you hold on today? Oh my, how great.”
Braham never helped in the critical moments. This time, the result ended up well, but Grid still didn’t like it. Braham sincerely said to the dissatisfied Grid.
-I’m sorry.
“…?”
A person who thought he was the best in heaven and earth! There was no phrase more suitable to describe Braham. Yet he was apologizing to a human?
“W-What? Did you eat something bad?”
Braham questioned the confused Grid.
-I failed to recover my body and went to meet you in the Behen Archipelago. Do you remember what I said when I borrowed your body?
“…?”
Unlike usual, Braham’s voice was gentle. It was almost kind.
‘Why is he doing this?’
Braham was different from usual! Grid was feeling confused when he suddenly recalled a quest.
[Legendary Great Magician]
★ Hidden Quest ★
Braham has failed to recover his original body. He wants to stay in a safe space until he recovers his exhausted magic power, and has chosen your body as that space.
If you accept Braham’s soul, you will gain a powerful force.
Quest Acceptance Reward: 50% increase in affinity with Braham, the legendary second class ‘legendary great magician.’
It was an ongoing quest. Grid got a legendary second class thanks to this quest and since then, he had been with Braham’s soul. Then Grid realized one fact.
‘That’s right… Braham asked to borrow my body for 1~4 years.’
Now it had been three years since they were together. This was in terms of Satisfy time.
“…Have you recovered your magic power?”
Grid’s voice shook as he asked the question. Once he was reminded that he wouldn’t be with Braham forever, he felt agitation and sorrow. Grid couldn’t help feeling affection for Braham. He liked Braham. Despite being a troll, how much had Grid won thanks to Braham? There were many enjoyable days. Braham was a strong assistant and also a precious friend.
Braham read Grid’s feelings and sniffed.
-Yes, I have recovered. It’s something to be happy about. But what is with your reaction? Do you really like me?
“…”
Grid didn’t deny it. Braham was too precious to deny just because he was ashamed.
-…
Braham remained silent when Grid didn’t speak. In fact, this wasn’t the normal Braham. After being expelled from the world of vampires and living as a human, he became aware of feelings of affection. He treasured Pagma, felt jealous and worried of Mumud, and now he liked Grid. In the midst of this awkward atmosphere, Braham spoke in a forced cheerful voice.
-This is a happy occasion. Now you and I are free. I will restore my body and you don’t have to be hurt by my actions.
Hurt. Braham’s words made Grid’s chest feel numb. Grid noticed. Braham blamed himself for being out of control every time he met Lich Mumud. Grid hurriedly denied it.
“No, Braham. You have never done any damage to me. Think about it. Can’t I be here now because of your presence? I was always happy and thankful to be with you.”
-…Thank you.
Braham said with difficulty. His voice was also trembling. There was a lump in Grid’s throat.
Paaaat!
A source of great power was nestled deep in Grid’s chest. Braham’s soul started to stir. He was going to leave.
Grid hurriedly exclaimed. “What? Why are you in a hurry? Take it slowly! Slowly leave!”
-Kukuk, I have been waiting for this moment for three years. I want to leave. I want to recover my complete body as soon as possible.
‘But even so! It is too abrupt! Haven’t we been together all these years? Unburden your innermost thoughts!”
Grid shouted tearfully. It was difficult for him to accept the sudden separation.
Brrururung.
Braham’s soul shook. He was deeply moved by the fact that he became a precious person to someone.
-…I will give you a present. I will put my magic formulas into your body. Later, you will be able to learn new magic once you have sufficient intelligence. You won’t feel my absence.
“Braham…!”
-Kukuk, don’t be a girl. Didn’t I tell you? I will reclaim my flesh. We live in the same age. We will meet again.
Paaaat!
Braham’s soul emerged from Grid’s chest. Braham’s voice was no longer heard.
“Braham!”
Grid reached out to Braham’s soul which had reached the sky in an instant…
‘Stay well.’
Braham’s soul disappeared into the sky without looking back. A blue soul moved as a beam of light.
Jjejeok! Jjejejejeok!
It cracked little by little.
‘In my current state, I can’t guarantee victory against Lich Mumud. I will drive Grid to death.’
Braham knew from the beginning. His presence was becoming disruptive to Grid. Of course, he didn’t care at first. Grid was just a vessel to stay in while his magic was restored. But it changed once they were together. He didn’t want to trouble Grid anymore.
‘Don’t worry. I will repay you, even if I die and fall into hell. Be well. Live life with no regrets.’
Jjeok! Jjejejeok!
More and more cracks appeared in the blue soul. But Braham didn’t care. He focused on saying goodbye to Grid.
‘New legend, I praise you, feel awe towards you and love you.’
Chapter 712
Chapter 712
[Braham’s soul has left.]
The friend he built up many memories with had left him, but there was only a short notification window.
The system didn’t understand the friendship between the two of them.
“Braham…”
Grid was left alone and felt depressed. He could no longer feel Braham’s soul in his chest, causing him to be overwhelmed by a sense of loss that was difficult to describe.
“…”
His legs wouldn’t fall. Grid stood firmly in place, looking at the blue trail that Braham’s soul left in the sky. He continued for a long time after the trail had completely disappeared.
***
Oasis. He became a candidate to be the Undefeated King’s descendant, but he was gradually moving away from his dream. He was stunned in this war. Pagma’s Descendant, Grid. The hero of this era who became the first king with natural talent (?). Wealth, fame, and women. Having secured everything, now he used the Undefeated King’s swordsmanship.
Oasis felt a sense of deprivation. Why was the world so unfair? This world was for main characters only! The awful reality made Oasis sad. He felt that Grid was dominating all the luck in the world and resented the world’s unfairness. But now.
‘…He is truly an amazing person. Yes, like Ares said, good luck doesn’t exist. Grid was qualified, so he could become a main cha
racter.’
Oasis no longer blamed the world. He couldn’t envy Grid. The five pillars. Oasis shook as the Ares Army dealt with the remnants of the empire and observed Grid.
‘Grid… He has been locked in thought for five hours…’
Why was Grid staring up at the sky after the battle?
‘He’s replaying the fight.’
Oasis was convinced. Grid was like this all the time.
‘After experiencing some incidents… Grid always spent hours replaying the situation. Then he would use it as food for growth to develop constantly.’
Replaying the battle. It was easy to say, but who could do it every time? In particular, Grid invested a few hours.
‘Amazing… Really amazing. I can’t even be jealous. Grid is different from me.’
Well, of course. While he was an ordinary person, Grid was the best ranker who achieved countless great feats. No, he was one of the best. He couldn’t be compared.
Kkuok.
Oasis gripped the Undefeated King’s old sheath tightly. He was conflicted. Could he really keep this sheath? He had lost his qualification to become the Undefeated King’s descendant. After much struggling.
‘I can’t.’
The Undefeated King. It was impossible for Oasis. He realized reality.
‘The rightful owner of the sheath is Grid.’
Grid already had the Undefeated King’s swordsmanship. If he obtained the old sheath, he would be immediately chosen as the Undefeated King’s descendant.
‘He is already Pagma’s Descendant… He has a second class.’
Step, step.
The determined Oasis approached Grid.
Dugun dugun!
He looked like a tycoon from afar. Oasis’ heart beat like crazy. Finally.
“H-Hello?”
Oasis was so nervous after greeting Grid that he bit his tongue. Grid glanced at him.
“…!”
The moment he met Grid’s black eyes, Oasis got goosebumps all over his body. Grid’s eyes were so deep that he couldn’t believe they were the same age. It was a totally different feeling from looking at a distance or through the screen. Oasis was confronted with the reality of Grid and gulped.
“What can I do for you?”
Grid asked politely. If someone who knew Grid was in this place, they would be shocked. Why? It was because originally Grid wasn’t polite. Since a long time ago, Grid rarely used honorifics on his opponent. In fact, this wasn’t a problem of Grid’s nature.
It was an overall feature of Korean gamers. Korean gamers lost politeness due to the AOS genre game ‘rules’ in the past. Since a certain point in time, informal conversations in game was a basic culture. But at this moment, Grid’s thoughts changed. It was a change that occurred when he looked back at himself and regretted that he had never been polite to Braham, who was hundreds of years older than him.
Grid didn’t know if he would develop a relationship with the person in front of him in the future, but he shouldn’t make this person disgusted with him. He came to know the concept of ‘respect.’
“Ah, t-that…”
Oasis was confused and nervous, since the image of Grid that he knew was different than the one he faced. He was in a muddled state.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but feel free to speak your mind.”
Grid smiled kindly. He could see his past self in the obscure Oasis. He always lacked confidence so he bowed his head and was afraid of even meeting people’s eyes a few years ago. Now Grid knew. Even pathetic people deserved respect. He had wanted to be respected in the past.
‘But now I am.’
He had never respected the weak. He never harassed anyone unless they were an enemy, but he only helped his allies if they were in distress.
‘I never thought about the position of that person.’
He was vigilant and suspicious of everyone before he got to know them. Yes, it was the same with Braham. He was wary and didn’t feel respect because Braham was a demonkin.
‘Just once.’
If only he talked to Braham about being betrayed by Pagma, if only he said words of warm comfort. When Braham encouraged him, Grid could also give Braham hope.
‘Why didn’t I show any interest in Braham?’
Grid knew his position. He could try to help Braham with his resurrection. But Grid didn’t. He just treated Braham the way he wanted. Nevertheless.
“Nevertheless, you… You liked me…’
Kkuok!
Grid bit his lower lip hard. He was trying to stop himself from crying. Oasis had a great misunderstanding after seeing Grid.
‘I don’t know anyone who is so kind and looks at me with such friendly eyes…?’
King Grid. It wasn’t just limited to Satisfy. He had a reputation and power to reign like a king in the real world. But rather than being arrogant, he was such a warm person. It was surprising.
‘He can control his mind… That’s how he was able to succeed…!’
The arrogance exposed through various types of broadcasts was a false production. He didn’t want his true self to be seen by potential enemies. It was indeed admirable. ‘Yes, this is the ideal Undefeated King’s descendant.’ Oasis’ tension was released once he saw Grid as such a big person. He had a warm heart like believers in front of a Buddha statue.
“Please accept this.”
Oasis handed the old sheath of the Undefeated King to Grid. Of course, it wasn’t without good reason. He wasn’t a fool. In any case, if he made Grid the descendant of the Undefeated King, he might get a separate reward in return.
‘It might be a few legendary items.’
He would be able to live a different life. The moment that Oasis thought so.
“Hey, sh… Is this a joke?”
“?????”
Grid frowned after being given the old sheath of the Undefeated King. The gentle atmosphere had completely disappeared. His eyes looked like he was going to curse at Oasis.
‘W-What? Why so suddenly?’
Oasis panicked. The angry Grid threw the old sheath back to him.
“A person is trying to suppress his emotions. Why are you giving this japtem to me? What is wrong with you? Eh? What is it?”
“Jap…tem?”
An item that provided a legendary class change quest was called japtem? It was impossible. Oasis thought that something was wrong with the Undefeated King’s old sheath. Then he heard a voice that hadn’t been present since he failed the quest in Lubana.
-Do you think you can surrender ownership at will? The choice isn’t your burden.
“…I didn’t lose my qualifications?”
Oasis asked in a quivering voice. The voice from the old sheath hummed.
-It’s a problem for me to judge. Don’t think about it.
“…”
Oasis’ eyes turned red. Deep emotions flickered as the dream he thought was long gone appeared again. Grid’s eyes were flat when they looked at Oasis.
‘Talking alone in front of a person… He is completely crazy.’
Once again, he shouldn’t be kind to anyone. This was just a strange and twisted person. Then someone on a horse ran towards Grid. It was Ares returning after the war. Ares got down from his horse and bowed deeply to Grid.
“I really appreciate it this time. Thanks to your help, I was able to achieve a bigger victory than I expected.”
In the war that Ares planned, Liberon Forest was just the ‘first interception.’ Despite taking advantage of the terrain and climate of Liberon Forest, Ares knew that this line of defense would eventually be overcome. He prepared other traps in various places, but was able to get rid of the imperial troops before they were exposed. It was a tremendous benefit in the long run. Ares was truly thankful and grasped Grid’s hand.
“No, I didn’t do it for your thanks.”
“I know.”
The reason that Grid participated in this war was for the future of the Overgeared Kingdom, not Valhalla.
Ares also knew this fact.
“But it’s clear that Valhalla greatly benefited as a result. Allow me to repay you.”
Clap clap.
Ares clapped and 500 soldiers ran over. At a glance, they were clearly well-trained.
“They are elites who have been given top attributes. The war raised their level to 270. Maybe they can grow into knights?”
“…?”
“I will give them to you.”
“Huh?”
“These soldiers, please accept them.”
“…”
Valhalla would supply troops to the Overgeared Kingdom, while the Overgeared Kingdom supplied items to Valhalla. This was the ideal alliance that Ares dreamt of.
“I hope that the exchanges between the two kingdoms will be more active from today.”
“…I understand.”
The grateful Grid left Valhalla with the soldiers. Oasis looked at his back and questioned the old sheath.
“Isn’t he a fit for the ruler you’re looking for? Honestly, won’t he fulfil your wish?”
The answer he received in return was:
-He is already a ruler. His vessel is too big for the small part of my soul in this sheath to handle.
“…”
An amazing person who was recognized by an arrogant ego item. Oasis’ eyes filled with envy as they looked at Grid’s back.
‘Someday, I will stand side by side with you… No, I will become a person you will be aware of. Until then, please win.’
The footsteps left by a hero of heroes, countless people followed them. Now Grid was someone else’s goal. Just like Grid’s goal was Kraugel.
Chapter 713
Chapter 713
Name: Hail
Level: 271
Occupation: Soldier
Strength: 1,090/1,700
Stamina: 1,047/1,700
Agility: 600/1,000
Intelligence: 306/800
Skills: Intermediate Sword Mastery Lv. 1, Intermediate Spear Mastery Lv. 1, Beginner Bow Mastery Lv. 7, Beginner Shield Techniques Lv. 7, Beginner Horse Riding Lv. 3, Beginning Swimming Lv. 1.
Hidden Attributes: Terrain Adaptability Increase, Climate Adaptability Increase, Increased Amount of Experience Gained, Recover all Resources at Level Up, Status Resistance Correction, Decreased Morale Drop Rate.