by Park Saenal
Yet it was impossible. Why? It was because this was farmland, and farmlands were Piaro’s field. The aura of nature made Piaro even stronger, like how Demon Slayer Yura who became more powerful in hell. This was something Grid had overlooked because he didn’t become stronger when fighting in the smithy.
“Kuk…!” Piaro continuously took advantage of the hand plow’s short reach and quickness to attack. His attack power was even more threatening compared to one month ago. The fast and powerful Mercedes hurried to defend herself. “As expected from Piaro…! You have become stronger in such a short time!”
Facing a legend with farming equipment…!
Mercedes felt a sense of discomfort and didn’t question why Piaro attacked her. She was well aware of Piaro’s obsession with the strong. Pulling out one more sword, she cried out as she defended against Piaro’s hand plow, “Are you finally reaching the level of a Sword Saint?”
If it was like this…
“I’ll help you!”
She would duel wholeheartedly so that the old hero could reach a higher level. A silver sword energy sprung up behind Mercedes. It was in the shape of beautiful wings, reminiscent of an angel. The silver wings—Mercedes’ wings—spread out. She had some capacity for flight, and she also constantly released sword energy from the wings in order to deal damage to a target.
Mercedes great power collided with Piaro. Strong winds like that of a storm rose and ruined the farmland, swirling the grains in the air.
“I’m no longer the young girl from your memories. Draw your sword,” Mercedes suggested. However, Piaro was stubborn. Instead of a sword, he drew a sickle. Now, he struck back with a hand plow and sickle.
Mercedes’ expression stiffened. “…You will regret it.”
Mercedes felt the need to convince Piaro that she was no longer a young girl. She didn’t just want to be acknowledged. It was necessary to validate her skills with her future colleagues.
“Sword of Honor.”
Then something amazing occurred. Mercedes’ two swords hit only one point. Her swift assault with her flapping wings rushed toward Piaro, forcing him to defend.
‘Ha!’ Piaro defended against a stab that couldn’t be followed with an ordinary person’s eyes. The hand plow and sickle had been made personally by Grid, yet cracks started to appear on the farming equipment made of materials from Great Demon Belial. The reason for this phenomenon wasn’t because Mercedes’ two swords were better than Grid’s hand plow and sickle.
It was just the limits of farming equipment. Farming equipment used a much smaller amount of metal than weapons, making them less durable. This was a flaw Mercedes had already discovered.
‘I didn’t expect to be attacked with this strategy.’ Piaro admired the fact that Mercedes truly had an amazing insight as he twisted his crossed hand plow and sickle.
Then…
Kakakang!
“…!” Mercedes’ sword was pushed to the side. Piaro expected Mercedes’ stride to become twisted and lose balance. “Hah!”
However, Mercedes’ used transcendental movements to keep her balance. She swung her other sword and grazed Piaro’s chest, turning her upper body along with the sword.
“Draw your sword now, please.”
“The hand plow and sickle are my best weapons. Why should I draw a sword?”
“Stubborn to the end…!”
During the past 12 years, had Piaro become like this to cope with the terrible suffering? Mercedes was convinced of this. ‘It is clear that Piaro has regressed.’
How could he have made progress? How could he have afforded to train his mind and body when it was hard just surviving? Mercedes determined that Piaro had become narrow-minded due to what had happened.
“Knight’s Resolution.” An energy sword formed on her chest, and her mind and body became stronger. Mercedes felt a sense of obligation. She felt obligated to defeat Piaro to remind him of the painful reality and give him a chance to develop further.
‘Piaro must become a Sword Saint.’
What about Kraugel? She couldn’t accept a person she hadn’t heard of suddenly becoming a sword saint. The moment Mercedes made her resolution…
“Free Farming 7th Style.”
Thousands and then tens of thousands of seeds were scattered in the aftermath of the battle.
“Polishing.”
“…?!”
Pepeng! A series of explosions occurred on the ground and in the air. There were literally thousands or even tens of thousands of explosions. The seeds were what exploded, so the size of each explosion wasn’t great. However, it was big enough to compare to magic.
“Ugh…!” Mercedes was trapped in the blast and couldn’t take a single step. She wrapped her body with the silver sword energy to minimize the damage.
‘What is this…?’
The seeds suddenly exploded? Was it possible to take advantage of sword energy to do something like this?
‘It can’t be!’
Mercedes shrank back in her wings and belatedly realized that Piaro had already reached the same realm as herself. In other words…
“A Sword Saint…” The explosions ended, and Mercedes’ expression became jubilant as she opened her ragged wings. “Are you already a Sword Saint?” Mercedes asked.
She was expecting a brilliant resurrection of the old heroes. However, Piaro brutally destroyed her expectations.
“No, I am a farmer.”
“…?”
Was he still joking around right now? The baffled Mercedes tried to open her mouth to speak. Then Piaro pulled out a pitchfork. “Free Farming 4th Style, Plowing the Field.”
Supapak!
The ground around Mercedes was quickly cleared.
“Sowing Seeds! Grow!”
New crops were planted, and Piaro used the energy of nature to make them grow.
“…” Mercedes was stunned as she was suddenly surrounded by a golden wheat field. It was a nightmarish night.
Chapter 812
Chapter 812
They were the people who were praised as ‘pillars’ for supporting the empire. However, Mercedes and most of the empire didn’t acknowledge the Five Pillars. No, to be precise, they couldn’t acknowledge the Five Pillars. It was because the Five Pillars didn’t have anything to show. They were strong, but they hadn’t achieved any particular feat.
Well, it could be said that they strengthened the emperor by protecting the emperor’s side, maintaining the empire’s balance as a result. However, on the other hand, what about the former pillars called Piaro and Asmophel? They had defeated countless enemies and protected countless people. They were a paragon of the people and the nobles, saving the empire whenever it was in a crisis and giving courage to the imperialists.
Piaro and Asmophel were great people.
“…A farmer.”
‘Don’t joke around.’ Mercedes couldn’t speak her wishes and hopes. It was because her insight was telling her that it was real and not a trick. Piaro’s farming power had indeed created a new field in an instant.
“Why…” Mercedes was pale as she bit her trembling lips. She wanted this moment to be a nightmare. However, this was reality. It was terrible.
“Why are you a farmer?”
The occupation of a farmer was exclusive to the peasants.
Mercedes cared for the people but she was still a noble. She had been taught that there was dignity in every profession, and she acknowledged it. However, Mercedes was nobler than anyone. She couldn’t understand or acknowledge that the Piaro she had long admired was now a humble farmer.
Piaro understood her feelings as he was also from the nobility. However, now Piaro realized that… “I like being a farmer better than a great swordsman.”
Piaro held the pitchfork and pulled out a flail. It was a tool used to thrash grain. “There is no job that is better than another. If we have to discuss it, a farmer is nobler than a great swordsman or Sword Saint. Without a farmer, there is no food for
daily use. If there was no delicious food, humanity couldn’t have developed this much and be happy.”
“…”
After all, if there was no hunter, meat or leather couldn’t be gathered. Mercedes rejected Piaro’s extreme remarks and felt a sense of duty instead. During the past 12 years, she had felt a sense of duty to help the ‘broken’ Piaro recover from his hellish life.
“There isn’t the time for questions and answers.”
Her torn silver wings shone brilliantly again.
Kuooooh!
Mercedes’ two swords started to glow. The pure brilliance filled the darkness of the night and swallowed up the moon.
“Piaro! Regain your mind!”
Mercedes’ attacks were exceptional. The white light attacks created numerous wounds on Piaro’s body. Piaro was only wearing thin cloth clothes and couldn’t resist Mercedes’ sharp attacks. However, there was a bigger problem. Mercedes started to swap weapons. She accumulated damage on Piaro without giving him time to rest and opened the distance to avoid a counterattack.
Of course, Piaro was persistent. He used his rapid growth ability to create a barrier of plants and cut off ranged attacks. Rice, wheat, potatoes, and cabbages flew in the air.
“…!” Mercedes withdrew. The grains and vegetables contracted like they were going to explode. However, this time they didn’t explode. They struck her body instead. Piaro linked this attack with the Free Farming 6th Style. It became a barrage of attacks!
Mercedes shook as the flail hit her back. Her defense was quite weak since she was only wearing old leather armor, so she felt great pain. It was more painful than when she was stabbed by a sword or spear. For a noble knight to be beaten by a farmer… Her mental suffering was incomparable.
“How about it? This is the power of a farmer! I am much stronger and healthier than I was during my days of a great swordsman. I can bring happiness to more people! This is it!”
“Kuk…!”
“This is my new path!”
The earth was in turmoil. The effects produced by two legends fighting was gorgeous enough to be compared to the raid of a great demon. It was on a different scale as all the farmland in the path of the two people disappeared. Grid watched the two people fighting from a distance and gulped. “A dragon and tiger fighting…!”
A dragon and tiger…
However, that wasn’t Grid’s problem right now. He was too busy feeling in awe.
‘Was Piaro always this strong?’
The grains exploded without a break. Crops rose from the ground and stretched around Mercedes’ body. Mercedes’ actions were severely restricted as her wrists and ankles were caught by the crops that kept growing. Mercedes’ perfect balance of swapping between all types of weapons—sword, axe, bow, shield, spear, and so on—on a case by case basis collapsed before the crops.
In the end, was this another nerf? Had Mercedes weakened the moment she became his ally? No, that wasn’t it. Mercedes was still strong. It was just that Piaro was stronger than her.
Grid noticed belatedly, “The farmland…”
These were the fields that Piaro had been working on for years. This place…
“It is Piaro’s field…!”
Piaro was already beyond the standards of an NPC. The legendary Piaro was now a boss monster. Grid’s heart beat excitedly as he had great confidence in Piaro who always showed overwhelming strength. He felt that he could infinitely count on Piaro.
As for the regret that he felt about Piaro becoming a farmer? That had blown away. It would be strange if Grid felt regretful about it. After all, Piaro was now fighting several times better than Sword Saint Kraugel!
“Piaro!” Grid’s cry resonated in the farmland. “Show me the power of the strongest!”
His shout echoed. It pierced through the sound of the hand plow and sword colliding in the air and into Piaro’s ears. Piaro’s hands trembled as he held the farming equipment. “If this is Your Majesty’s wish…!”
The wind raged, and Mercedes’ silver wings fluttered like in a storm. Piaro’s hands rotated. “Free Farming!”
“…!!” Mercedes’ eyes widened. It was because her two swords were sucked into Piaro’s rotating hands.
‘Supreme Swordsmanship 4th style…!’
Piaro’s old swordsmanship had been a great contribution to bringing down the great demon Astaroth.
“Watermill!”
It was sublimated and expressed as a more powerful agricultural method. This was enough to neutralize Mercedes’ weapons and cause the ground to shake. Then a water pillar erupted and struck Mercedes’ body.
“Ah…” As Mercedes flew through the air, she realized, ‘One occupation isn’t more noble than another.’
Her way of thinking expanded. At this moment, 1st Knight Mercedes set up her first chivalric code.
‘Don’t be prejudiced.’
At this moment…
[Legendary Knight Mercedes had created a new chivalric code.]
[All of the legendary knight Mercedes’ stats will increase by 10% and the chance of weak spots being exposed will decrease by 80%.]
“…?” Grid’s expression became one of astonishment as he watched the two people duel. Mercedes crashed to the ground and bowed her head to Piaro. “We have been reunited after 12 years. I wasn’t able to show my development but I received your teachings. I am ashamed and thankful.”
“I have also learned a lot. I can’t be assured of victory if you fought with all your power.”
“No. I would’ve lost anyway.”
“Huhu, you are too modest.”
The night deepened with a warm sight.
***
“Are you just leaving?”
After the battle was over, Mercedes and Piaro unburdened their hearts all night and came to Grid in the morning. Piaro said he would leave for the vampire cities. “Yes. Now that the best knight is with Your Majesty, I can leave feeling reassured.”
“Why are you so diligent? Hasn’t it been a long time since you reunited with Mercedes? Why don’t you stay for a few more days?”
Piaro was a valuable person to Grid, so he didn’t want Piaro to be stressed. Piaro spoke a surprising name to the concerned Grid, “I was shaken when I heard the news about Khan. If I had succeeded in growing the golden walnut a bit sooner… If I had, Khan might’ve been able to live a bit longer.”
Grid’s grief and suffering at Khan’s sudden departure was passed onto Piaro, who lived with regret.
“Your Majesty, I am going to be more diligent.”
“…”
Piaro’s true heart was transmitted to Grid, and Grid could no longer stop him. Feeling thankful, Grid grasped Piaro’s hands. “Thank you. But keep this in mind. Don’t overdo it. I won’t forgive you if you leave like Khan.”
“…Yes.”
It was a touching scene. Mercedes smiled as she saw the leader and subordinate caring about each other.
“Piaro, wait!” Someone’s shout rang out. The person who showed up was Administrator Rabbit. He first politely greeted Grid before handing a piece of paper to Piaro. “This is the cost of the damage dealt to the farmlands yesterday! I’ll get it from your pay!”
“…”
The reason why the Overgeared Kingdom had been able to make steady progress during Grid’s absence was thanks to all the people who worked so hard.
***
“What amazing children.” Sage Sticks was now the principal of the Overgeared Academy, and the smile couldn’t disappear from his face. “They were a bit slow to learn at first. But once they got the hang of common sense, they evolved remarkably. All 23 children will surely grow into great scholars and magicians.”
They were talking about the children Grid had brought over from the Tower of Eternity. The children, who had been misunderstood as Grid’s children, had recently been the topic of discussion in the Overgeared Kingdom. It was because all the children had genius brains.
A smile appeared on Grid’s face.
“This is good news. Are the kids healthy?”
“Yes. The shades in their hearts have been removed. I think that the affection Your Majesty showed while bringing the children here healed many of their wounds. You did well. You did very well.” Sticks’ eyes were warm as he gazed at Grid.
The noble elf species—they disliked the selfish and violent tendencies of humans. Were they any elves in history who felt great affection for humans? There were none. Yet Sticks felt great affection toward Grid who gave him new feelings. Thanks to Grid, Sticks got rid of his prejudices against humans. It was a hasty change.
Simultaneously…
“I finally found it.” Merchant King Kir was the first player to find the World Tree’s Forest. A species quest was about to be opened by a player, and it was actually in the worst form.
Chapter 813
Chapter 813
According to last year’s statistics, the number of players who chose a merchant as a class was 41,715,997. It was comparable to the most popular combat classes such as swordsman and magician. Why? That was because it was a class that gave hopes and dreams to ordinary people. In modern society where in-game goods were traded for cash, it was natural that a merchant class which was meant for making money would be popular.
Of course, reality was tough, and most merchants didn’t make money. However, a few merchants gained fame by accumulating a huge wealth. A typical figure was the 1st ranked Kir. As he was the first player to make a company, he had been accumulating wealth steadily. He had tens of thousands of people under him, and some people called him the merchant king.
“I finally found it.”
The forest of the world tree—it was also known as the Elven Forest, and Kir was the first player to step foot in there.
[You are the first player to discover the elves’ territory!]
[It is an achievement that will remain in history! The first discovery will give you various benefits!]
[You can easily raise affinity with the elves, and you will receive a 20% discount on the prices of items purchased in elven villages. There will be 20% more profit when selling goods.]