Overgeared

by Park Saenal

  “Wow…” Grid was appalled. He had analyzed Mercedes’ worn equipment with a Legendary Blacksmith’s Eyes and thought it should have a level limitation of 200. However, he had no idea that the performance of the armor was such garbage. The usage condition was level 180, but the leather armor’s actual performance was like a set of level 20 armor.

  “Fighting with something like this… Heok.” Grid turned his gaze toward Mercedes, only to close his eyes with horror. It was because he’d caught a peek at Mercedes’ body as she just started wearing the red and purple full plate armor. Grid blushed while Mercedes was casual about showing her naked body. She wasn’t embarrassed since this was the process that a knight used to wear equipment.

  “It is shameful to blame the equipment.” There was a determined expression on Mercedes’ face as she adjusted the hinges of the armor. “However, I changed my mind since using the sword that I borrowed from Your Majesty.”

  The more formidable the equipment, the higher the strength would be. It was an undeniable truth. The newly enlightened Mercedes made a new chivalric code, “Overgeared… Is that what you called it? In the future, I will also be overgeared.”

  It happened at this moment.

  [Legendary Knight Mercedes has created a new chivalric code.]

  [Legendary Knight Mercedes’ stats have increased by 10%. Every time she wears a high rated item, she will receive a compensation effect.]

  [If the legendary knight Mercedes wears epic rated items, she will receive an additional 5% increase in the item stats (apart from the options). If she wears unique rated items, she will receive an additional 7% increase in the item stats (apart from the options). If she wears legendary rated items, she will receive an additional 10% increase in the item stats (apart from the options). If she wears myth rated items, she will receive an additional 20% increase in the item stats (apart from the options).]

  [The legendary knight Mercedes has equipped the Hero King’s Armor.]

  [Due to the class bonus of wearing heavy armor, there is a 20% increase in defense.]

  [A myth rated item has been worn. The stats of the Hero King’s Armor that Mercedes is wearing have increased by 20%.]

  “What?” Grid’s eyes grew bigger and twitched as he realized the unique nature of a legendary knight’s chivalric code was more than he’d imagined. In awe of Mercedes, Grid felt a greater liking toward her.

  ‘Pagma’s Descendant in the future…’

  Grid was well aware of the fraudulent nature of Item Creation. He could mass produce a large number of high rated items. However, Grid’s own stats didn’t increase when he used Item Creation. On the other hand, Mercedes had overwhelming growth every time she made a chivalric code, while Sword Saint Kraugel was able to build his own skills based on Swordsmanship Creation.

  It was evident that the attack power of Pagma’s Descendant would fall over time compared to other classes. Just as Grid was feeling frustrated, a voice entered his ears.

  “My strength is Master’s strength.” It was Mercedes’ soft voice. Grid looked at her and once again admired her. She was so beautiful. The intense combination of white hair and transparent skin with the red and purple armor took Grid’s breath away.

  [Hero King’s Armor]

  [Rating: Myth

  Durability: 1,430/1,430 Defense: 1,190

  * Strength increased by 200.

  * Two of the wearer’s highest stats will increase by 15%. If strength or intelligence increases at this time, there will be 300 additional attack power. Physical defense will increase by 300. An increase in agility will raise accuracy and evasion by 12%.

  * Increases magic resistance in proportion to the wearer’s intelligence.

  * The effect of the wearer’s highest level skill will increase by 25%.

  * The cooldown of the wearer’s two lowest level skills will decrease by 10%.

  * Attack power will increase by five for every hit (Up to 500).

  * The power of all wide-range skills will increase by 20%.

  * When a large weapon is equipped, attack power will increase by 10% and attack speed by 5%.

  * There is a low probability of accumulating ‘incomplete fighting energy.’ Stats will rise every time the incomplete fighting energy rises by 10 points.

  -An armor that the legendary blacksmith Grid, who even the gods admire, made for the legendary knight Mercedes.

  -A heavy armor made of black mithril filled with the red energy of the Saharan emperor, ogre bones and rosar tin, and the fighting energy that was given by Grid.

  Due to the limitations of the rosar tin, there is less defense. However, it has the ability to give more aggression to the wearer as the battle continues.

  Weight: 3,020

  Conditions of Use: Grid or Mercedes.]

  It was an armor that couldn’t be sold. Who would buy it for an expensive price when Grid and Mercedes were the only ones who could wear it? Still, Grid wasn’t worried.

  After all, the Hero King’s Armor was made only for Mercedes. Grid had no thoughts about commercializing an armor with such excellent performance in the first place. He wasn’t certain that he could get another black mithril that contained the emperor’s red energy.

  ‘The defense is lower in exchange for offense.’

  Step. Step. Step.

  Mercedes wore the armor and steadily walked through the forest that was transforming into farmland. The giant cave cricket’s antennae detected Mercedes as its aggro was still focused on her. Then it moved soundlessly. The cave cricket swung its legs through the air. The sharpness of its legs cut through the wind, air, and space in 0.1 seconds to reach Mercedes.

  Mercedes’ might’ve had a 10% increase in stats from making the chivalric code, but it was still impossible for her to avoid the cave cricket’s attack completely. Not only was the cave cricket fast, but it also aimed at all types of gaps in her defense. Mercedes disregarded defense and took the offensive. This was a judgment that was different from before as when she wore the leather armor, she had tried to block some attacks.

  The cave cricket made a confused sound. The small creature stuck to its legs. The sweet smell of blood disseminated and flew away, while the creature clung to it like a rock.

  “It hurts.” Mercedes gulped as blood flowed from her side and grasped the White Tiger Sword more firmly.

  Step. Step. Her pace didn’t stop. The distance between Mercedes and the cave cricket was now only four meters. The cave cricket’s ability to detect danger was fast, just like an insect’s instinct. Compared to the past, the number of Mercedes’ offensive attacks had increased, and the cave cricket had no intention of allowing Mercedes to get close to it.

  “Kuk…!”

  The cave cricket had become faster…?

  Mercedes was forced to use White Tiger’s Attitude once the Hero King’s Armor started to lose its durability. She maintained a slow pace as she advanced steadily. Suddenly, four golden hands flew in and started to assist. They were Grid’s God Hands.

  Then what was Grid doing? A strong aura came from the sky. Grid had flown up there. He swung the Enlightenment Sword and shouted, “Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!”

  Kuwaaaaaang! The storm of fighting energy descended. It was Grid’s signal.

  “Growth! Threshing! Polishing!!” After finishing the clearing, Piaro quickly spread all types of fast-growing grain and seeds, making them explode. The farmland received a lot of damage and collapsed. Mercedes was the only one who had access to the cave cricket.

  “Ohhhhh!”

  Thanks to the Hero King’s Armor, Mercedes was able to exert more damage by accumulating damage. Her swords hadn’t been able to penetrate the skin of the cave cricket earlier, but they entered easily now and caused great damage. The cave cricket struggled as some of its nerves were damaged. Its eight legs moved strangely in every direction, forming a sight that could induce someone to vomit.

  However, Grid wasn’t shaken at all. He had learned to control his emotions after see
ing the boys and girls raised like cattle in the Tower of Eternity. Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle crushed the shell of the cave cricket.

  “Fated to Perish!” Piaro ultimate attack dug into the cave cricket’s inner flesh.

  Kyak kyak! Kyak kyak kyak!

  “Lightning Discharge! Discharge, nyong! Nyang nyang nyang!”

  The Overgeared Skeletons, Randy, and Noe also attacked the cave cricket with all their might. The cave cricket’s cries stirred up the forest at dawn. The effect of God’s Command was activated, and Grid used a second Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.

  [Your level has risen!]

  A really welcome notification window popped up in front of him. The growth of his pets and the items dropped were a bonus…

  [Your memphis Noe’s level has risen!] x8.

  [Doppelganger Randy’s level has risen!] x3.

  [The level of Overgeared Skeletons One and Two have risen!] x15.

  [3 ancient weapon enhancement scrolls have been acquired.]

  [5 ancient armor enhancement scrolls have been acquired.]

  [59 ancient steel have been acquired.]

  [67 shells of an ancient species have been acquired.]

  …This wasn’t a bonus. It was too big to be called a bonus.

  Chapter 825

  Chapter 825

  A loud siren rang out, and the red lights installed all over the production team’s offices flashed without interruption. The mechanical sounds rang out repeatedly.

  [x:;72ZX987B19 has disappeared.]

  [Three large episodes will be permanently deleted.]

  [188,490 out of 390,112 related quests are now unlikely to occur.]

  [Restoration of x:;72ZX987B19 is recommended.]

  [Correction.]

  [x:;72ZX987B19’s dropped items have been acquired by a specific player. It is recommended to rollback the server.]

  “What?”

  Category x:; entities had a great influence on Satisfy’s world view. Among the great demons, only eight were given the code ‘x:;’ and there were only five NPCs. It was extremely unlikely that contact with players would occur, so the ancient species were classified as ‘secret monsters.’ Among them, the giant cave cricket was classified with an x:;.

  The dark elves episode, which was scheduled to take place, was meant to reduce the number of elves to one-tenth of their current population and darken the 12 Te. The 12 Te would then sell their souls to the great demons and become dark elves. As a result, players would be able to select from various types of species and create different power structures during the ‘Great War’ episode.

  However, this all flew away at once. Why had this suddenly happened?

  The leader of the third production team, Rahul, saw the warning messages on the monitor and shouted, “Convene an emergency meeting right now! It is the first bug in Satisfy’s history! We have to respond quickly!”

  Rahul’s Korean was so perfect that it was hard to believe he was Indian.

  Chatter chatter! The production team was upset and hesitant about where to start fixing this.

  “It isn’t a bug.” The manager of the operations team, Yoon Nahee appeared. She handed paperwork to Rahul. “It is something that happened due to two players. There is no bug in the current situation.”

  “Did I learn Korean wrong?”

  Rahul was a genius with an IQ of over 180, so it had been easy for him to learn Korean which had become more influential since the launch of Satisfy that now dominated the world market. He asserted himself that his listening and speaking abilities were perfect, yet he couldn’t understand Yoon Nahee’s remarks. It seemed like an alien language.

  “Players encountered an x:; code monster and raided it? Do you expect me to believe such nonsense?”

  “It is true. Will it make sense if I say that the Overgeared King and Merchant King are involved?”

  “The Overgeared King and Merchant King…!”

  “Yes. This is how it happened. Merchant King Kir succeeded in discovering the forest of the world tree and simultaneously tried to obtain wealth from the elves.”

  Kir had briefly made the world tree sick and deceived the elves. Then he returned and captured them. As a result, the incident of some of the elves being eaten by the cave cricket was absent.

  “…It prowled the area after losing its food and ended up meeting Grid?”

  “Yes.”

  “…” Rahul could no longer deny reality. He knew the power of Overgeared King Grid better than anyone. How surprised was he when he saw the character details of Grid, the protagonist of the Fourth National Competition’s Breaking the Hero? Rahul had almost fallen down. He could still feel the bruised bones from that time. Rahul thought that no one would be able to clear the Fourth National Competition’s Breaking the Hero.

  ‘It might be possible for the Five Miracles, including Kraugel. But…’ Rahul shook his head.

  “Was Mercedes with him?”

  Mercedes’ legendary knight story had caused a huge impact in the S.A Group. How many NPCs were there that had SSS potential stats? There were thousands. However, most of them were waiting for their talents to blossom. In the meantime, some NPCs sadly perished.

  It meant that the expectations of the S.A Group toward the youngest of them, Mercedes, hadn’t been high. Moreover, she had originally been scheduled to be killed by the insane dragon. The empire would then fall on that day. However, this episode had been deleted due to Grid and Kraugel. Afterward, Grid saved Mercedes and she became his knight.

  “You should remember the leader of the fourth team. Mercedes was supposed to be a short-lived character, so he designed her with greater affection.”

  Keen insight—it was a passive skill that would show an overwhelming performance as time passed and the skill developed.

  The leader of the fourth team, Chen, had said that if Mercedes could grow, then she would be able to develop ‘foresight.’ However, since she was a short-lived character that was unlikely to exert an influence on Satisfy’s subsequent world setting, she had been given a fraudulent skill.

  “How can she stop that monster…? …No?” Rahul was trying to convince himself when he suddenly cocked his head. He was reminded that the combat power of the giant cave cricket was equivalent to the 28th great demon.

  “How can the cave cricket… Ah!”

  It was due to Knights Summoning! A chill went down Rahul’s spine as he remembered the characters Grid had obtained from a long time ago. “I understand… Now I understand everything.”

  Merchant King Kir had used his unique intelligence and resources to obtain the elves, while Grid had used his unique strength and people to handle the cave cricket. Rahul was convinced of the situation once he recalled all of their abilities. “Yes… In the end, a rollback won’t happen. We can’t reverse history written by the players themselves.”

  “That’s right. Even if it was a bug, I wonder if he would’ve allowed a rollback.”

  The water was already spilled, and there was no fault behind the water being spilled. It was a natural phenomenon. Rahul was able to calm his mind. “I’m glad it wasn’t a bug…”

  Their chairman would be happy again. Rahul thought about Lim Cheolho’s interest and affection for the Five Miracles.

  “Why aren’t you convening a meeting straight away?” An angry voice rang out from the office’s entrance. It was Chairman Lim Cheolho. Hadn’t he been enjoying the variables created by the Five Miracles over the past few years? Who would have imagined this…?

  Lim Cheolho headed over to the confused Yoon Nahee and Rahul and explained the severity of the situation. First he asked, “How many players and NPCs have a myth rated item?”

  “Well…” The production team leader, Rahul, couldn’t answer.

  On the other hand, Yoon Nahee of the operations team replied immediately, “There are 17.”

  “Have any of them succeeded in enhancing the myth rated item?”

  “No.”

  “What if someone streng
thens multiple myth rated items by themselves?”

  “…The balance will crumble.”

  Enhancing an item increased its stats. The higher the basic stats of the item, the higher the increase would be. This was why the probability of enhancing a myth rated item was extremely low.

  “This…!” Rahul made a dumbfounded expression and sighed. He was reminded of the items that the cave cricket dropped—the ancient weapon and armor enhancement scrolls! They were supposed to emerge when at least 20% of the players were armed with legendary items. What if Grid succeeded in enhancing a myth rated item that ordinary players didn’t even have access to?

  “Not only the Five Miracles but most of the existing named NPCs won’t be able to resist.”

  Lim Cheolho clearly remembered that the ancient scrolls definitely increased the item’s enhancement level by 1–3. Grid had three weapon and five armor scrolls, so it was possible for him to make a myth rated armor or weapon ranging from +4 to +7.

  “What should we do? Should we shut down the server once?”

  There was no concept of a pause in Satisfy. Having it formed a structure that would just drive players away from the game. Lim Cheolho smiled. “No. We can’t damage hundreds of millions of people just for one person. I will go and meet directly with Grid.”

  “You will go and speak with him directly?”

  There were rumors in the company that the chairman’s account would be a ‘god’ in Satisfy. Would they finally see a god? Yoon Nahee and Rahul gulped as their expectations rose to the extreme. Their expectations were huge enough for them to forget about the seriousness of the situation.

  “I know that I can’t use my position to force anything upon Grid. But I am certain I will be able to persuade him as he also loves Satisfy sincerely.”

  After all, it was a case where Grid’s life was changed by playing Satisfy. His affection for Satisfy had the potential to be greater than Lim Cheolho’s. Lim Cheolho felt hopeful as he logged into Satisfy.

  [Name: S.A Group Chairman Lim Cheolho

  Level: 29

  Class: Fisherman

  * The longer the fishing time, the greater the probability of catching good fish.