Overgeared

by Park Saenal

  -Grid has already showed some excellent skills. Maybe he’s trying to show off his talent again by facing Hao?

  As everyone was feeling expectant.

  “Pon? Regas? Or perhaps Kraugel? I don’t know who you are.”

  Grid held his blunt weapon and pointed to Hao.

  “Let’s fight. I’m curious. What level am I at now?”

  Flinch.

  Hao saw Grid’s eyes, which were visible through the mask, and instinctively sensed something. The opponent was a predator like himself.

  “I preferably want to win…” Hao smiled bitterly. Then he let out a sigh and took a fighting stance. “I can’t avoid the fight, since you asked so proudly.”

  Chapter 741

  Chapter 741

  ‘It’s difficult to adjust to this body.’

  Hao was a martial artist ahead of being a high ranker. In reality, he was a monster who practiced martial arts around the world to the limit. He had a transcendent body in Satisfy and the real world. Thus, he was forced to feel a lot of dissatisfaction with the newly granted body in Battlefield.

  It was a rotten body equivalent to a level 10 character in Satisfy. Heavy, slow, and weak. Hao’s perception was already far away while his body was still in place. Hao filled that his whole body was covered with shackles. He was shocked that he wasn’t even aware someone was watching him.

  ‘But.’

  Hao thought. This unreasonable situation, it wasn’t just him. All other participants were experiencing the same thing. He wasn’t the only one disadvantaged. It was an equal situation. Hao tried to identity the man in front of him.

  ‘It isn’t Kraugel.’

  Kraugel was the strongest person that even Hao envied. It was absurd that such a person would say that they wanted to test their abilities. Hao identified the blunt weapon in the man’s hands and thought of a few people.

  ‘Damian, Vantner, Toban, Bubat, Shane, Ronam…’

  They were the rankers who focused on blunt weapons. Among them, Damian favored the sword. But he was a paladin, so he was probably used to blunt weapons. Hao thought about it and came to a conclusion.

  ‘Damian.’

  Hao decided since Vantner, Toban, Bubat, Shane, and Ronam were two or three levels below him. He was sure that this was the truth.

  ‘If they saw my skills, they wouldn’t dare come forward.’

  On the other hand, Damian was different. Damian, one of the few people who played a close match with Grid in the last National Competition, was Hao’s competitor.

  ‘But that’s in Satisfy.’

  In Satisfy, Damian reigned as the pope. As the pope, his skills composition was beyond the realm of a player. Hao couldn’t guarantee victory. But this was Battlefield. This was a separate world where he didn’t need to be afraid of Damian’s fraudulent skills.

  ‘If we fight under the same conditions, I will definitely be superior.’

  Supak!

  Hao promised and moved the spear in a straight line. It was the basic thrust of the spear. Hao had steadily trained in the sword for 20 years, but he also had considerable skill with the spear. Moreover, he had Weapons Mastery and often used the spear in Satisfy. He was able to use spear techniques with a lot of difficulty.

  Then why use a basic thrust? Difficult techniques would just grab his ankles. Hao judged that it was counterproductive in his present body. It would just expose gaps. Thus, he decided to rely on the most familiar and efficient basic operations. The result?

  Puok!

  Hao’s basic thrust was very powerful. Hao guessed that his opponent was Damian. In other words, Hao’s spear pierced Grid’s chest. Grid couldn’t respond to Hao’s spear, which moved through the shortest route. Grid recognize that Hao’s spear was coming almost at the same time that Hao’s spear reached Grid’s chest.

  ‘This is my chance!’

  Hao immediately withdrew the spear. He wanted to accumulate damage with continuous stabs. But he couldn’t pull the spear back. It was because Grid moved forward the moment Hao started to retrieve the spear. The distance between Grid and Hao narrowed in an instant. It was a distance where Grid’s blunt weapon could be effective.

  Peng!

  Grid rush and the blunt weapon narrowly brushed by Hao’s head.

  ‘Once again, a non-threatening action won’t stop the enemy from attacking.’

  As he listened to the ringing in his ears, Hao felt pity that he could only deal fixed damage. Normally, that attack would be enough to threaten the opponent’s life. But how could the opponent in front of him be so brave?

  Puuok!

  Hao avoided Grid’s attack and retreated, security a safe distance for the spear. Then he stabbed without hesitation. Grid was hit again as he rushed forward.

  Peng!

  Grid’s blunt weapon once again brushed by Hao’s face. This time, he twisted his body to avoid Grid’s attack. He turned his spear to recover. Once his waist was back in its original position, he wielded it again.

  Pakak!

  Hao’s spear struck Grid’s forearm! Grid accumulated 3 damage in an instant.

  ‘Vantner or Toban?’

  The level was lower than expected. Hao realized that his opponent wasn’t Damian and the audience sighed.

  -Ah… He couldn’t even hit Hao once while he was hit three times.

  -The result is too obvious. What is Grid thinking?

  -A fool mistakenly gained courage and his illusion was dissipated.

  -That’s the current Grid.

  The audience clearly saw Grid’s talent and thought that Grid was stupid and frustrating to challenge Hao. Did Grid upset himself with unfounded self-confidence? Was he crazy or stupid? The moment everyone thought this.

  Cheook!

  Grid was hit in the forearm with Hao’s spear. Hao retreated to reclaim the spear again. Then Grid moved to the left and right in front of Hao. The movement was too ludicrous to be simple evasive action. It was like a dance. At that moment.

  ‘These movements…!’

  Hao’s eyes widened.

  -Eh…?

  -Isn’t this vaguely familiar?

  The viewers felt something strange. Then Grid’s blunt weapon struck once.

  Peng!

  The second blow.

  Peeng!

  The third blow.

  Kwajak!

  Hao allowed several blows. On the other hand, Grid avoided all of Hao’s stabs. It was the side to side movement of Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Link, performed by a level 10 character.

  “Grid…!”

  Hao shouted in a trembling voice after finding out who he was fighting with.

  Grid retorted.

  “It’s best with behavior the body is familiar with. Right?”

  Grid became familiar with Hao’s basic motions of stabbing and used the Pagma’s Swordsmanship that he was accustomed to. Pagma’s sword dance had been used repeatedly over the years and was the ‘base’ of Grid. Grid reminded himself. Unlike other skills that could be activated just by crying out the skill name, this damn skill had the disadvantage of going through a ‘process’ before Pagma’s Swordsmanship could be used.

  The experience he had in Satisfy was shown here in Battlefield. The unavoidable accumulation of experience was sublimated into a powerful weapon at this moment.

  “Pagma’s Swordsmanship.”

  Grid started moving again. It was the skilled footwork that had been repeated hundreds of thousands of times. The moves he used to approach Hao weren’t ordinary. It was evasive and charging forward. Therefore, Hao shrank back. Hao’s excellent eyes grabbed his ankles at this moment.

  “Kill!”

  Peeng!

  A technique that rushed towards the target while raising the killing intent. Unlike Satisfy, the damage was only 1. However, the momentum expressed was scary. Hao forgot that this was Battlefield and sensed his death. But it was only an illusion.

  [You have suffered 1 damage.]

  “Kuk…!”

&
nbsp; He forgot to breathe as he was beaten by Grid’s attacks. The notification window reminded Hao of reality. He recovered his composure. But Grid already had the momentum.

  “Endless Pagma’s Swordsmanship!”

  No mana consumption! No cooldown! Grid didn’t rest but kept moving. He used the footwork for Link, Kill, Wave, Pinnacle, and Revolve. He started to avoid, attack, and counterattack. Finally.

  Peok!

  Puk!

  Jjejejeok!

  Grid’s attacks now hit once every three attempts while Hao’s attacks fell to one hit every three attempts. The situation of the two people was temporarily the same. The commentators and viewers couldn’t close their mouths as they watched the fierce fight.

  -Grid and Hao are even…

  -Is this a dragon fight?

  -Wow, Grid is cool. He’s the best even without items.

  -Where are all the people saying that Grid’s skills are only because of items?

  -Grid has proved it.

  -How he managed to get recognized as a legend. How he became king and how he got into the Hall of Fame.

  He showed his experience winning, losing, fighting strong enemies, and winning to the world as he fought Hao. He was also a high ranker!

  “Uraaaaaat!”

  “Ugh…!”

  Peng!

  Peng! Pepeng!

  Was he too excited? Grid roared like a beast and kept wielding the blunt weapon. In order to make sure that Hao couldn’t use the long reach of a spear, Grid got up close and used the threatening nature of the blunt weapon. Due to the thick end, it was difficult to completely avoid the blunt weapon and it boasted a relatively wide attack range.

  ‘It truly is Grid…!’

  Grid was already acknowledged by Hao since the 2nd National Competition. He praised Grid so much that he probably would’ve followed Grid if he hadn’t met Kraugel first. But he didn’t give up.

  ‘He has fully grasped the use of the blunt weapon with his natural talent.’

  Hao’s gaze temporarily moved away from Grid to behind Grid. It was the side of the cabin. Since they started fighting, Grid had been backing up towards the cabin.

  ‘I made a sufficient gap in the beginning. In the end, I will be victorious. But it is difficult to suffer from this damage.’

  Hao’s eyes were caught by the long sword dropped by the competitor he previously defeated. It was at the side of the cabin entrance. Hao decided that if he could get the sword, he would be able to fight against Grid in a melee. He believed he could overpower Grid without any more damage. He was much more accustomed to a sword than a spear in the first place. However, there was a problem.

  “Why do you think our positions have changed this way?”

  Grid was aiming for the sword from the beginning. Grid was approaching the side of the cabin because Grid guided it this way. On the other hand, Hao had only recently become obsessed with the sword. At first, he didn’t even care about the sword. He was confident that he could overpower the opponent with just a spear. His brow furrowed.

  Grid opened the distance from Hao and picked up the sword! He laughed at the despairing Hao and opened the scripture in his other hand.

  At the same time.

  Shaaaaaah-

  Light covered Grid’s body and his health was restored. Even here, it was the power of items.

  Chapter 742

  Chapter 742

  ‘What?’

  As soon as Grid pulled out the blue booklet, Hao got goosebumps. He knew what the identity of this book was.

  ‘Scripture…!’

  Swaaaaah.

  Grid’s body was surrounded by light. The wounds that proved the fierceness of the battle disappeared like a lie. Hao’s eyes shook.

  ‘He selected a cleric?’

  In the character selection value, Hao saw the cleric’s value as low. A magician exerted a unique attack power after getting a magic wand, while a producer could make bows and arrows themselves. Both were excellent classes. In particular, Hao thought that Grid would choose the producer class. It was a speculation considering his identity as a legendary blacksmith. Yet he was a cleric?

  Hao gulped.

  ‘Grid, did you know from the beginning?’

  In the character selection window, Hao saw the cleric as a bad class. Immediately after entering the battlefield, he realized after seeing that there were dozens of shrines on the mini-map. In fact, the cleric was the class with the greatest potential. Why? The scriptures, which he thought relied on pure luck, were actually items that could be secured strategically. If a cleric secured a large number of scriptures, Hao predicted that the cleric would be the greatest hurdle.

  But he didn’t worry much. He was sure that no one among the high rankers would choose a cleric.

  ‘I don’t anyone would’ve realized that the scriptures can be secured so easily just by looking at the character description.’

  The scriptures were described as being all over the map. There was no explanation that it could be secured in a specific area. The other rankers were likely to evaluate a cleric lowly. But Grid was different. He selected a cleric.

  ‘Grid, you read a few steps into the future. Indeed, you are the person that I acknowledge. I can only say that you are great.’

  Hao was impressed and thrilled. Now he had 7 health left. On the other hand, Grid read the scripture and had 15 health.

  ‘I need to hit him 15 times.’

  The situation had become worse. The word ‘defeat’ entered Hao’s head. However, Hao didn’t know how to give up.

  ‘There’s still a chance. The possibility that Grid has secured two scriptures is very unlikely.’

  He had to do two or three hits for every time he got hit! Hao held his spear and raised his concentration to the extremes. He had already become accustomed to Pagma’s Swordsmanship.

  ‘Grid turns when he uses Link and Wave, while he can respond with a faster thrust when he uses Kill. He doesn’t attack when using the footwork of Revolve and will narrow the distance when he uses Pinnacle.’

  Hao was a person who was praised as the master of fighting. His ability to identity the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses and reverse the situation were excellent. He had excellent analytical abilities and improvisation so it wasn’t difficult for him to grasp Pagma’s Swordsmanship. Hao believed that he could observe the direction of Grid’s feet during the sword dance and cope with it, allowing him to easily win.

  At that moment.

  Teong!

  Grid stepped forward. The weight on his leg was different from simply moving. It was the precursor of Kill and Pinnacle.

  Hao quickly identified it and moved his right foot backwards. He watched clearly how Grid’s feet moved and took preliminary actions to cope with a stab or avoidance. At this point, Grid moved forward again. He narrowed the distance to Hao more than necessary.

  ‘Pinnacle!’

  Hao detected it! Hao didn’t want to confront it with his low health and took one step back. He chose to take evasive action. At the same time.

  Sakak-!

  Grid’s sword moved through the area where Hao had just been standing. It was an attack with more sharpness compared to using blunt weapons. A smile appeared on Hao’s mouth.

  ‘Now!’

  It was time to counterattack. Hao moved his right foot in a wide manner. The spear in his hand stretched out like a flash. It was aimed precisely at Grid’s heart. Hao was confident that he would completely stab Grid. But at that moment. Grid’s sword falling towards the ground stopped in the air. The moment Hao came closer to Grid. The descending strike was converted into a stab.

  Pinnacle Kill.

  ‘What?’

  Puk!

  Hao’s spear stabbed at Grid’s chest.

  Puoook!

  Grid’s sword pierced Hao’s heart. Of course, Grid was faster. Before Hao could reclaim the spear, Grid retrieved the sword and attacked a second time. It was possible because the length of the sword was sho
rter than the spear.

  Seokeok!

  “Kuk…!”

  Hao’s shoulder was cut. Grid recovered his sword again and Hao, who already finished retrieving his spear, belatedly struck a second time. Hao tried to maintain his composure. If he could hit two more times, they would return to the starting point. Therefore, he decided not to fret. However, Hao’s second blow didn’t hit.

  Jjejeong!

  Just before Hao’s spear reached his chest. Grid turned his sword in the air and blocked Hao’s spear. Revolve.

  ‘What happened?’

  Hao’s eyes twitched. Not only did Grid’s swordsmanship became more diverse, but it was surprising since it was linked at a faster timing than before. It might be a small change when other people saw it. But in Hao’s case, he was directly dealing with Grid and Grid seemed to have been transformed into a different person.

  Hao was confused.

  “Sword dance, sword dance. It is no wonder that a sword is more appropriate for it than a blunt weapon.”

  Grid informed him of the situation. That’s right. Grid changed the moment he switched from a blunt weapon to a sword. Now he was showing off his true talent.

  ‘I can’t lose with a sword!’

  From the beginning, Grid saw Hao as a tough opponent. Thus, he was keenly looking for a sword from the moment the battle began. On the other hand, Hao saw Grid as below him. He wasn’t obsessed with the sword at first.

  ‘This is the result of carelessness!’

  Hao realized the difference between himself and Grid. Grid was humble, while Hao was arrogant. This difference showed in the current results. Hao thought so. But the reality was somewhat different. Hao used various weapons thanks to Weapons Mastery. He was skilled with all weapons because of his excellent talent. That’s why he wasn’t obsessed with a specific weapon. On the other hand, Grid had no talent like Hao. He used a variety of weapons but he wasn’t accustomed to weapons other than swords. Therefore, he had no confidence with other weapons. This was why he was so obsessed with the sword.

  One who had talent and one who had not. The two of them were divided here. It wasn’t because Grid was humble. It was a truth that no one knew.

  ‘I can’t win.’

  Hao judged. He sensed it the moment Grid used two sword dances in a row.