by Park Saenal
‘No! I can’t afford any more spending!’
Shit, how good would it be if he could summon his knights at this time? Kir only owned three knights, but he had already summoned all of them a few minutes ago. The cooldown time meant it was impossible to summon them again right away. Feelings of regret surged inside him about how he had summoned the knights to slaughter the elves just to get petty revenge on Grid!
The wyvern’s breath turned the forest into a sea of fire, and Kir barely evaded it on his horse. The bushes and thorns obstructed Kir’s vision as his white horse broke through trees and rocks. Huroi’s eyes widened, finally noticing a small white horn on the horse’s forehead. “A unicorn?”
The size of the horn was small enough for the unicorn to be mistaken as a horse. Based on the size of the horn, it wasn’t an adult yet. However, even a baby unicorn had astronomical value. As far as Huroi knew, only a few NPCs who were royalty possessed unicorns.
“The rich are truly different!” Huroi got back on his wyvern and hurriedly chased after Kir, with Faker joining him after a moment.
Kir felt a great threat as there were people chasing him on the ground and in the sky.
‘Why… Why do I have to suffer like this?’ Revealed between the gaps in his matted hair, Kir’s eyes were filled with anger and fear. It was a shabby appearance. The majesty of the Merchant King—who boasted the highest reputation after Grid, Kraugel, Agnus, Ares, and so on—was long gone.
***
“This is a really unpleasant mission.” Banus, one of Kir’s knights, was complaining.
Beside him were 20 elves tied together. His mission was to massacre and kidnap women who couldn’t resist. Even if they were a different species, the mission from Master Kir upset Banus. To be honest, Banus’ pride was pricked. It felt disgusting that a big person like him would have to perform the same duty as a third-rate bandit.
‘I picked the wrong master.’
His master, Kir, had promised him enormous wealth and honor. What was the biggest honor for a warrior? It was to win a fight against famous and strong people. Yes, this was what Kir had promised. According to Kir, Banus would get to fight countless giants. Every day would be fun. However, this was the reality.
“Tch.” Banus walked while swinging the whip that he held. It was to rush the elves who were walking slowly because they didn’t want to leave the forest.
“Ouch!” The elves moaned as their health decreased noticeably. It was completely different from when the members of Kir’s Company had hit the elves. This was an indirect glimpse of Banus’ strength. Banus warned the elves, “Don’t act silly and I won’t touch you. This is good for both of us.”
“Where are the other knights and elves?” At this time, a black-haired man fell from the sky and blocked Banus’ path.
Banus saw the man’s eyes that were as sharp as a bird and asked, “Overgeared King?”
As a mercenary, Banus longed for money and sought battlefields throughout the continent. He had been employed by the former Eternal Kingdom before serving Kir. The opponent in that war had been the Overgeared Guild. Banus couldn’t forget the exhilarating experience from that time. Was Toban the name of the dark-skinned paladin? Banus was still thrilled when he recalled the battle with whom he believed was the strongest warrior in the Overgeared Guild. He didn’t forget falling down after a one-hour-long battle, but Banus was confident. If he hadn’t caught the ankle of the Overgeared warrior, the former Eternal Kingdom would’ve been occupied by the Overgeared Guild much faster.
“Kuk! Kukukuk! That’s right! So, my master was running away from you?” Banus’ huge muscles started to swell. The force that could crush a man’s head burned heartily.
“I took a peek at your performance in the war from the distance. You swept through thousands of soldiers. Huhut, okay… This is very exciting! Thank you! Thank you for showing up in front of me!” Banus roared and rushed toward Grid without hesitation.
His muscles, which were trained to not be cut by a spear and had blocked a sword from the strongest warrior Toban, were combined with the defense of the legendary armor Kir had given him. With these, Banus dealt a vigorous blow to Grid.
“Ugh?” However, Banus suffered pain for the first time in decades. He was bewildered, but he endured with his physical strength, pushing his fist deeper into Grid’s chest. His swollen fist contained an ogre’s strength and had even dealt significant damage to Toban, the strongest of Overgeared warriors. Combined with his legendary-rated knuckles, Banus delivered an impact to Grid’s armor.
“W-What?” Banus felt like he was dreaming. His fist couldn’t even scratch the armor? No, the armor wasn’t the problem. In the first place, armor was designed to defend against attacks. Banus found it hard to believe that Grid could maintain his posture and not fly away from the weight behind the first.
“Is this the strength of a legend? I knew you would be stronger than Toban but I didn’t realize it was by this much…” Banus was amazed and excited at the same time. “This is the first time since a solo number knight that I am actually forced to use this power!” Banus screamed, and the mana around him stirred.
As the injury on Grid healed, Banus’ already swollen muscles swelled up even further. In particular, his right forearm was now thicker than an ogre’s forearm.
“From now on, it is the real battle!” Banus roared with extreme excitement. Confidence overflowed on his face as he used his ultimate technique which had inflicted serious damage onto the Ninth Red Knight. That’s right. The people who believed themselves to be the strongest were always filled with confidence… until they were hit by Grid!
“Revolve.”
“Keok!”
He was hit by his own fist…? This was an unfamiliar experience for Banus, who fell down while coughing up blood. Then Grid’s sword arrived at Banus’ neck.
“Where did the other two knights and the elves go?” Grid asked without expecting an answer. He honestly admired Banus’ high defense and high attack power, which had penetrated Grid’s defense. However, a named NPC with such high loyalty would rather choose to die than to answer. In fact, didn’t all the NPCs that served Grid boast high loyalty? Well, apart from Minor.
Unexpectedly, Banus answered in a hearty manner, “You will be able to meet them if you just go straight ahead. I just slowed down the march because I dislike being with them.”
“…” Grid was confused as he hadn’t expected Banus would answer so earnestly.
He was hesitating when Banus revealed his throat. “Well? Kill me.”
“…”
“Um? What are you waiting for? Didn’t you kill tens of thousands of people during the Eternal War? Go on and kill me. For a warrior, being defeated is no different than death. There is no point in living anymore.”
“…Yes.” Grid originally intended to get rid of all of Kir’s knights. He planned to take everything away from Kir. It was funny that he was hesitating now because he felt a slight affinity after seeing Banus’ skills and attitude. In the end, Banus advised Grid who was raising his sword, “The strongest warrior who defeated me. The other two knights you are chasing are completely different types of monsters. You should be vigilant. Kukuk.”
Banus turned to gray, leaving behind his knuckles. They were legendary-rated knuckles. Their performance was greatly inferior compared to the items Grid made, but they could be melted down and used as a material. Grid grabbed the knuckles and released the elves. “Go back to the previous place. Your family and friends will be waiting.”
“That…” One scared elf opened her mouth. Her name was Deruyaru. She was a beautiful girl reminiscent of a rabbit due to her round cheeks and big eyes. “I am one of the 12 Te. The Deru family… I want to thank you on behalf of my people.”
“You can say it later.”
He hadn’t saved everyone yet. Grid left Deruyaru and the elves behind him as he ran in the direction that Banus had indicated.
“Noe, Randy. Can you Become the
King of the Dead?”
Respecting the various warnings, Grid fully prepared for the worst.
Chapter 834
Chapter 834
“Pant! Pant! Pant! Cough…!”
No matter how much Kir ran, he couldn’t see the end. The forest, which he had believed to be a treasure warehouse, was now more terrible than hell. The beautiful flowers and trees, the fresh air, and the sweet fragrance of fruit all seemed like a deceitful curse. There were constant questions in Kir’s head as he swallowed a potion and checked his stamina gauge.
How had this happened? Why had he met Grid? Why had Grid become hostile to him? Was it that big a deal that he had enslaved the elves? Why did he have to experience this pain? Maybe Grid had planned this entire situation?
‘Was I dancing on Grid’s palm?’
When on earth had he started planning this? Had it been since Kir started investigating the forest of the world tree?
“Ugh..!” The huge shadow on the ground made Kir’s heart throb. He felt an infinite pressure as Huroi’s wyvern flew above his head.
“Pero! Avoid it!”
The white horse—no, the unicorn jumped sideways like a crab at Kir’s command. These movements weren’t possible for a normal horse. The flames emitted by the wyvern moved straight ahead and would’ve completely burned the spot where they had been traveling.
Kir followed the path of fire to the left and gulped. ‘A wyvern doesn’t have infinite mana.’
The wyvern had a limit of one or two more flame breaths left. Meanwhile, the unicorn, which was classified as one of the highest-rated rides, could use its evasion skill dozens more times. The unicorn’s basic mana far exceeded that of the drake!
‘I will live!’
Kir didn’t have time to resent the past or worry about the future. The present was more important. He didn’t want to face the worst experience of losing a large amount of experience and items by dying.
‘Somehow! I have to somehow make it back to my city!’
He would pay back the loss and shame of today by several times! Kir made this promise because he had something to believe in—the presence of his three knights.
Form King Banus, Dark King Dias, and Eating God Phou were the strongest people Kir recruited as he wandered around the continent as a merchant. Named NPCs were stronger than the Overgeared members at the moment, especially Grid and Kraugel. Kir knew this right after seeing Piaro play an overwhelming role during the Belial raid.
As such, Kir was certain that if he invested another year and concentrated on raising these three knights, they would be born again as stronger than Piaro!
‘The possibilities are endless! They haven’t developed yet but they’re the ones with the nicknames of ‘king’ and ‘god’.
Just as Kir was praised as the Merchant King, Banus, Dias, and Phou were already called kings or gods by the local NPCs when Kir first met them. They were so powerful that they exceeded the category of a player and had the unlimited potential of named NPCs. It was no wonder that Kir had high expectations for them.
‘If I escape safely, it is very likely that the Overgeared Guild will invade the city. I will ask for support from the Gauss Kingdom, defend with my three knights, and then move to the empire…’
Kir started smiling as he planned it out. The Overgeared Guild’s invasion was likely to be very beneficial for him.
Firstly, it was possible to make the Gauss Kingdom and Overgeared Kingdom completely hostile to each other. Then he would be able to shift public opinion of the Overgeared Kingdom to a negative one for invading another country, and he would also be able to create an alliance with the other countries that were anxious. It was a bonus that he would be able to move into the empire without fearing the Overgeared Kingdom.
‘I don’t like that the First Knight is with Grid.’
However, it shouldn’t be a big factor considering the emperor’s ambition of unifying the continent. Kir made this judgment as his body moved upward. It was because the unicorn carrying him jumped randomly. Kir soon figured out the reason why. There was a sword energy at the unicorn’s feet. If the unicorn had jumped a bit later, its legs would have been cut off.
‘This is ridiculous!’
To think that Huroi had swooped down fast enough to catch up with the unicorn’s speed and wield his sword…! Even if he was a ranker, wasn’t he an orator? Kir wasn’t convinced of this, and he looked back. Then his trembling eyes saw the source of the attack.
“Faker!!”
That Grid had pulled out his strongest card! A chill went down Kir’s spine. While growing to become the Merchant King, Kir’s greatest strength had been his information network. In the ‘player rating’ table that he’d made using his extensive intelligence, Faker’s power was S-class. It was just behind players like Grid, Kraugel, Agnus, and Haster. He was comparable to the top players when it came to killing power alone. They were both high rankers but Faker had a completely different force in comparison to the B-class Huroi.
‘This can’t be!’
Kir knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out after becoming Faker’s target and urgently shouted, “Pero! Use Brilliant Sprint!”
The body of the unicorn was then covered with a pure white light, and it disappeared from its location. To be precise, the unicorn made an extremely quick movement. It was a major skill that consumed most of the unicorn’s mana.
Faker looked beyond the forest as he was left alone. “Do you think you can get away?” Then Faker also disappeared from his position.
Huroi watched the two people from above and stroked his jaw. The wyvern flew in the sky as Huroi gave a soliloquy, “A unicorn… It would suit Master.”
Black smoke rose up from the forest.
***
In the forest of the world tree, Dias frowned when Phou said like a fool, “Hungry…”
The elves being dragged behind them had terrified expressions. They trembled because they had already witnessed the terrible scene that occurred every time Phou said he was hungry, and fear poured in like the tide. Dias scolded Phou, “Didn’t you just eat? They aren’t your food. They are Master’s goods.”
“Hungry…” Phou lost his intelligence when he became hungry and only cared about his stomach. It would be pointless to say anything to Phou.
“Sigh, do whatever you want.” Dias raised his hands. He didn’t have any authority or power over Phou and was quick to give up.
“N-No…!” The elves turned deathly pale as Dias retreated. Tears filled their eyes, but Phou just stared at them with saliva dripping.
“Haaap!”
The fate of the elf Phou snatched up was terrible. She was swallowed by Phou and turned to grey.
Gulp! A man had just devoured a female elf that was 170 centimeters tall, yet there was no glimpse of satisfaction on his face as he burped. His meal wasn’t over yet.
It was a horrible disaster for the elves, of whom there were only 30 left. However, the elves no longer cried or begged. They had gone insane from witnessing the gruesome sight of their family and friends being eaten several times. Now, they couldn’t even feel fear.
“Hungry…”
One of the elves didn’t resist as Phou’s large hand caressed her body. Then it happened when Phou opened his mouth and tried to swallow her. Four golden hands flew forth and swung their hammers. The hammers struck Phou’s large neck and thick biceps in rapid succession.
Additionally, a furry cat moved his short and chubby legs and then shot out like a lightning bolt toward Phou. “Lightning Discharge~! Discharge, nyong!”
“What are you doing?” Grid showed up next. His cloak flapped as he danced. There was a killing intent in his eyes as he stared at Phou.
“Kill!” Grid screamed as he swung the Enlightenment Sword. He was convinced that his enemy would become stiff from being hit by Mjolnir four times in succession, as well as Noe’s lightning. Additionally, Grid thought Phou would stop eating the elf and that his unprotected flesh would be
hit by Kill.
Gulp!
However, unlike what Grid had expected, Phou resisted the stiffness and electric shock. Instead, he swallowed the elf, who was making a hopeful expression, and then hit Grid’s Kill with his palm.
[The skill has been neutralized.]
“What?”
Phou had a defense that neutralized a legendary skill? Moreover, it was just by using his bare hands? No, how did he resist the stiffness and electric shock in the first place? Grid was making a shocked expression when Phou headbutted him.
“I don’t know who you are, but I’m sorry.” Dias shook his head. He didn’t doubt that the black-haired man would be beaten by the three-meter-tall Phou. However, Dias was mistaken.
“…”
The black-haired man was fine. One of the golden hands flew up and blocked Phou’s strike. The golden hand shook and stiffened, while Grid’s burning eyes peered over the golden hand at Phou.
“You pig-like dog!”
A dog and a pig, what was this? Dias scratched his head with confusion.
“Pagma’s Swordsmanship!”
‘Pagma?’
“Wave!” Grid drew a dark red half-moon with his sword. Simultaneously, a wave of energy emerged and hit Phou.
[You have dealt 28,310 damage to the target!]
[Decreases all speeds of the target.]
[The target has resisted.]
‘Slow resistance?’
Phou’s health was also high. There was no change in his health gauge despite receiving almost 30,000 damage.
‘His defense is relatively normal and his basic speed is slow…’
Grid wore the Slaughterer’s Eye Patch and was surprised when he looked at Phou. It was because Phou’s palm, which was three times bigger than Grid, was flying toward him. It would’ve been a disaster if the God Hands hadn’t responded right then as Phou was faster than suggested by his size. Additionally, after eating the two elves, Phou’s mild-looking eyes were now wild. He was baffled and angry by Grid’s iron-like defense.
“These hands… Phou’s attack… stop…” Phou firmly grasped a God Hand, placed it in his mouth, and tried to swallow it. However, he felt an instinctive rejection.