Overgeared

by Park Saenal

  “Me?”

  “Ahh, yes. You’ve grown better. Ah… Good… Good! Good! Gooood!”

  Agnus saw an illusion of his dead lover. His only reason for living smiled brightly at him, and he could feel that his reunion with her was imminent. He knew that resurrecting his lover wouldn’t be a futile dream if he could distort Satisfy’s world view like Grid and completely break the limits of the system. Agnus, who had been laughing and screaming like a lunatic, suddenly looked at empty air with a light in his eyes.

  “Is it time to take your medicine?” Feeling uncomfortable, Grid reacted sarcastically, but there was no response. For Agnus, ‘this moment’ was no longer important.

  “Kahahahat!” Agnus rushed toward Yura. The Great Demon’s Horn that he wielded reduced the durability and attack power of the Enlightenment Sword.

  ‘It affects even a myth-rated weapon?’

  Yura had already experienced the power of the curse emitted from Agnus’ sword during the previous battle, but now she felt greatly confused because she had thought a myth-rated weapon would be able to resist the curse. While Yura’s sword was tied up with Agnus’ sword, two skeleton warriors appeared behind her and attacked.

  It was an attack that couldn’t be allowed to land on Yura, who had only just recovered a decent amount of health after consuming potions. There was a possibility that her health would fall to a dangerous level again. As she escaped from Agnus, Grid shouted to her, “Don’t flee! Just deal with it!”

  Avoiding the enemy attacks would give the enemy time to defend and fight back. Staying to fight was the unique battle style of the overgeared, and right now, Yura was a true overgeared.

  “Okay!” Yura replied. She abandoned her techniques, ignored the skeleton warriors, and continued attacking Agnus. Then what about Agnus’ counterattack? He didn’t bother.

  [The option effect ‘Black Flames’ has activated from the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires…]

  [The option effect ‘Red Lightning Strike’ has activated from the Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires…]

  Yura’s gaze caused Agnus’ health to drop. Her health gauge wasn’t safe either, but it was fine compared to the speed at which Agnus’ health gauge was falling. Yura’s passive skill to alleviate damage from evil beings was also excellent.

  “Ohhhhhh!”

  “Kik! Kihahahahat!”

  Black flames, red flames, and red lightning mixed together in the darkness. There was no turning back for the two people who were fighting desperately. They didn’t care about their bodies and only wanted to injure each other. At first, Yura seemed to have the overwhelming advantage. This was because Agnus’ health gauge was depleted one step ahead of Yura’s health gauge, which still had one-third left.

  Nonetheless, there was a problem.

  [A legend doesn’t die easily.]

  Agnus still had the immortal passive skill, while Yura also consumed her passive.

  “Kuk…!” Agnus’ health was fixed at one point and didn’t drop anymore. Then Yura lost her momentum and stepped back. Her opponent became immortal for five seconds. Yura wasn’t immortal, so she needed to stall for these five seconds but Agnus was persistent.

  As soon as he entered the immortal state, he used a black magic and cursed the ground in a 10-meter radius around Yura. It was an excellent move. Yura would’ve resisted if he had cursed her directly, but the ground couldn’t resist the curse. The ground became like a rotted swamp and grabbed at Yura’s ankle, causing her to become stuck.

  “This…!”

  “Unni!”

  Eat Spicy Jokbal and Elizabeth paled. They thought Yura would soon die due to Agnus, who resisted all the attacks that Yura dealt to him. Agnus was also assured of victory while Yura felt defeated. Meanwhile, Bullet closed his eyes. The two people were his idol, Agnus, and his new colleague, Yura. This placed Bullet in a position where he couldn’t cheer on either side, so he didn’t want to see the end of this terrible battle.

  What about Grid? Grid suddenly pulled out Failure and moved. He blocked Agnus’ sword just as it was about to pierce Yura.

  “Who said it was a one-on-one fight?” Grid entered the battle and used Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Wave. Stabbed by Grid’s reversed sword, Agnus screamed. Then he tried hastily to retrieve his sword, but it was too late. Grid connected it to Link and persistently drove Agnus toward the swamp. Blood gushed from Agnus’ body as he lost momentum before Grid’s continuous slashes.

  Eat Spicy Jokbal, Elizabeth, Bullet, and Yura were stunned. Grid was getting involved in a big fight…? Everyone was speechless at the sight of the cowardly (?) Grid.

  It was funny.

  “Kik! Kilkik!” Agnus, the victim of this cowardice, wasn’t afraid. After all, it was natural. How could there be a fair fight in this world? In the end, the winning side was defined as the one that was right, while the loser was the one in the wrong. Agnus was a former loser, so he knew this better than anyone.

  “Kuk…!” Grid was swinging his sword when he fell into the swamp. Agnus succeeded in stopping Grid before the duration of his immortality was over. Grid, drowning in the swamp, hurriedly shouted to Yura, “What are you doing? Finish him quickly!”

  “U-Understood!”

  Agnus was currently distracted by Grid, so it was a golden opportunity for Yura. She dealt the final blow to Agnus, who was showing his back to her. Simultaneously…

  [Baal’s Contractor has been defeated!]

  [You have cleared the fourth class quest, Old Enemy!]

  [As a quest clear reward, your sealed stats are released.]

  [The new skill, Sword of Light, has been acquired. Acquiring the Sword of Light skill has removed the Sword Mastery skill.]

  Agnus was one of the best players who had dominated Eat Spicy Jokbal and Yura alone. Yet he died in a state where most of his skills were exhausted, and the swampy ground returned to its original state. Yura was wrapped in a blue light as she collapsed to the ground.

  Then she heard Grid’s gentle voice saying, “Good job.”

  “Thank you.”

  Grid and Yura smiled as they sat facing each other. Alas, they knew that the fight with Agnus would continue in the future. This was a natural fate because the path that Agnus had chosen was against humanity.

  ***

  “…”

  The first thing Agnus did after resurrecting was open his inventory. He was worried about having dropped the Stone of Life after he died. Thankfully, the Stone of Life was safe.

  “How fortunate. It is lucky…”

  Agnus’ eyes reddened with relief as he hugged the Stone of Life. Then he heard Baal’s whisper.

  -Do you want more power?

  “Shut up.”

  -You can’t refuse me.

  [The class quest ‘Massacre (1) has been created.]

  [Massacre (1)]

  [Difficulty: Class quest.

  1st Great Demon Baal wants human souls. Slaughter humans and give their souls to Baal.

  Quest Clear Conditions: Kill 1,000 players (0/1000)

  Quest Clear Reward: 200,000 demonic power. Quest linked to Massacre (2).]

  “I am… busy…”

  Agnus’ back seemed pitiful and lonely as he started moving with precarious steps. The madman that people knew was nowhere to be seen.

  Chapter 855

  Chapter 855

  [The bright morning has arrived. The list of Overgeared Kingdom quests has been updated.]

  [Contribute to the City’s Security]

  [Difficulty: Overgeared Kingdom’s Daily Quest

  Please visit the security department. Today’s new mission is waiting for you.

  Quest Reward: One Grid’s Set Exchange Ticket.

  *If you collect 40 Grid’s Set Exchange Tickets, you can obtain one of Grid’s mass-produced items. If you collect 120 Grid’s Set Exchange Tickets, you can acquire one of the Grid’s mass-produced items made by a craftsman.]

  [Contribut
e to Securing City Resources]

  [Difficulty: Overgeared Kingdom’s Daily Quest

  Collect 100 leather and bones from at least level 100 monsters or collect 200 resources—such as minerals, stone, wood, herbs, and so on—and present them to the Procurement Department.

  Quest Reward: One Grid’s Set Exchange Ticket.]

  [Contribute to Agriculture Development]

  [Difficulty: Overgeared Kingdom’s Daily Quest

  Please visit the farmlands. Today’s new field work is waiting for you.

  Quest reward: One rainbow potato. Affinity with the farmers of the Overgeared Kingdom will rise by 1.

  * If affinity with the farmers of the Overgeared Kingdom reaches the maximum and is maintained, you are likely to receive a hidden quest from a ‘special character.’ However, the probability is very low.]

  [Administrator Rabbit’s Call]

  [Difficulty: Overgeared Kingdom’s Daily Quest

  The official looking for you today in the Overgeared Kingdom is Administrator Rabbit. Administrator Rabbit needs your help.

  Quest Clear Reward: Gold.

  * Administrator Rabbit is well known for paying a cheap salary. It will be a great help if you urgently need money. However, the salary amount will vary greatly depending on your performance.]

  [Overgeared Member Nyangmong’s Advertisement]

  [Difficulty: Overgeared Kingdom’s Daily Quest

  Overgeared member ‘Nyangmong’ has announced a daily mission.

  Bring food to 10 sheep and 10 street dogs.

  Quest Reward: One Grid’s Set Exchange Ticket.]

  [Earl Pon’s Advertisement]

  [Difficulty: Overgeared Kingdom’s Special Quest

  The Overgeared Kingdom’s noble, ‘Pon’ has announced a special mission.

  Earl Pon wants a new skill book. If you have an epic or higher rated skill book related to the ‘spear’, please look for Earl Pon.

  Quest Reward: ???]

  [Duke Jishuka’s Advertisement]

  [Difficulty: Overgeared Kingdom’s Special Quest

  The Overgeared Kingdom’s noble, ‘Jishuka has announced a special mission.

  Duke Jishuka wants a large number of jaffa arrows. If you have jaffa arrows, please look for Duke Jishuka.

  Quest Reward: The jaffa arrows will be bought at 1.5 times the market price. It will be three times the market price for special jaffa arrows.]

  [Visit King Grid’s Stone Statue]

  [Difficulty: Repeated quest in the Overgeared Kingdom.

  Once every three days, go to the Hall of Fame and worship at Grid’s stone statue.

  Quest Reward: One Grid mass-produced item for every 20th consecutive visit.]

  “Hehe! I only have a few left now.” Ryan was a new user who started Satisfy after the 3rd National Competition, and he now had 32 set vouchers. Just like most fourth generation players, Ryan had chosen Reinhardt as the starting city. It was easy for Reinhardt, the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom, to lure new players because the infrastructure for players was well established.

  In fact, the satisfaction of the players was very high. They were able to get Grid’s set just by doing the daily quests every day, so they were able to get items faster than in other countries and were guaranteed a growth rate that was faster than average. Reinhardt’s convenient system, which couldn’t be created without thinking from a player’s point of view, was a great attraction.

  “If I finish today and tomorrow’s quests, I can finally get a Grid weapon…!”

  The performance of the various Grid mass-produced items could be seen in various communities, and they completely overwhelmed epic-rated items of the same level. It was difficult to compare them to unique items of the same level which some players carried around, but when the set effect was added, they weren’t that inferior to unique items.

  In the previous years, the growth rate of new players had been fast when they purchased high rated low-level items with gold. However, that was no longer the case. There wasn’t a big difference amongst the Overgeared Kingdom players who had gathered Grid’s set. Still, Grid was the hero of the common people.

  “What are you so excited about?” Alcolman’s group approached Ryan while he was laughing. Alcolman was a person who had started playing the game at the same time as Ryan.

  Ryan coughed and proudly raised his nose. “By tomorrow afternoon, I will have 40 Grid’s Set Exchange Tickets.”

  “Wow!”

  “Amazing!”

  The eyes of in Alcolman’s group members shone. They hadn’t been able to finish the quests and gather 40 exchange tickets, so Ryan looked amazing in their eyes. They wanted to congratulate him on obtaining a Grid weapon, but they also felt jealous.

  “Ryan, will you be our bus driver tomorrow?”

  “What bus driver? You will be our captain if you have a Grid weapon!”

  “Hehe, let’s challenge the Cigna Cave tomorrow.”

  The Cigna Cave—it was a dungeon where at least five level 60–70 players had to party together to clear it easily. Of course, it was possible to hunt in the dungeon with fewer people, but then the cost would be much larger than the profits gained.

  For the level 50 Ryan and Alcolman’s group, the Cigna wasn’t an appropriate hunting ground. However, the group thought it would be possible if Ryan had a Grid weapon. This was because the strength of Grid’s weapons was already well known.

  “By the way, today is a bit disappointing.”

  “Yes. The epic rated skill books are only dream items unless high-level bosses are raided, and the jaffa arrows are like a blacksmith only quest.”

  “Isn’t it possible to buy jaffa arrows from the auction? Jishuka is going to buy them for 1.5 times the market price.”

  “They are already sold out on the auction. I think Jishuka already bought them all yesterday.”

  “There is a rumor that she is deep in debt. Where is she getting the money?”

  “With Jishuka’s hunting speed, she can easily earn back the money she spent on the arrows…”

  “I really want to see Jishuka hunt just once.”

  “Me too…”

  When were they going to step onto the threshold of the high-level Overgeared players? Still, as newbies, did they think they could get the opportunity to hunt with the best Overgeared members? Ryan and the Alcolman group were filled with expectations as they moved. They passed the hundreds of wagons belonging to the Muto Company and headed to the security building.

  “I came to do today’s security activities. I am Ryan.”

  “You are a level 51 swordsman. I will give you a list of suitable quests.”

  Ttiring~

  The friendly receptionist handed Ryan a list of eight quests. However, the difficulty of today’s quests was quite high. They were quests which required a minimum of level 60 to perform.

  “It looks a bit tough… Are there any easier quests?”

  Upon hearing Ryan’s question, the receptionist looked embarrassed. “It’s hard to get easier quests. It is the time when the two moons overlap, so the level of the monsters that pop up are higher.”

  “Urgh! What should I do?” Ryan and Alcolman’s group were disappointed with today’s daily quests. It was a tremendous loss for them to miss even one Grid’s Set Exchange Ticket. They were in a quandary when the receptionist made a suggestion, “Would you like to do a cooperative quest?”

  “A cooperative quest?”

  “Yes. It is a time-limited quest under the auspices of the empire that is designed to commemorate the armistice agreement between the Overgeared Kingdom and the Saharan Empire. You can cooperate with people of the empire to do the quests, and the quest rewards are equivalent to the daily quest rewards of this kingdom.”

  “Cooperate with the empire…” The expressions of Ryan and the Alcolman group weren’t very good.

  Most players who started in the empire had the ideal of ‘the empire is the center of the world.’ In fact, the empire didn’t re
frain from spending money to help new players, and the early growth rate of the new players in the empire was much faster than new players in the Overgeared Kingdom (who hadn’t yet acquired the Grid set). So, it felt uncomfortable in many ways to cooperate with people of the empire.

  The receptionist reassured them, “It is safe because it is a quest made by Lauel who wishes for there to be exchanges and developments between the two countries. There is no need to worry.”

  “It isn’t because it will be dangerous…”

  “Huh?”

  “Nothing.”

  The receptionist didn’t know anything about the world of newbies, but Ryan and Alcolman sighed and exchanged glances. They quickly came to a decision.

  “Okay. I will participate in the cooperative quest.”

  Ryan and Alcolman’s group couldn’t miss out on the exchange ticket. They had to clear the daily quests, so they accepted the receptionist’s suggestion.

  An hour later…

  “Hello. Are you the ones who received the cooperative quest?”

  “Ah, yes.”

  In Reinhardt Capital, the Ryan party encountered six imperial players.

  Ryan’s group greeted them politely while the imperial players remained silent. One of the empire’s players saw the shabby weapons and armor of Ryan’s group and said sarcastically, “It is just like the rumors. The Overgeared Kingdom is really stingy with supporting beginners and are just exploiting them.”

  “I agree. They are likely to die when hit by boars in those outfits. Kilkil.”

  Of course, the imperial players knew about the Grid mass-produced set. Still, the Grid mass-produced set wasn’t something that could be obtained for free. It was a reward which could only be obtained by repeatedly clearing daily quests for several months and contributing to the kingdom’s development.

  On the other hand, the Saharan Empire supported all new players with gold. As a result, the imperial players were able to purchase the best equipment from the beginning and wore flashy armor. It was different from the Overgeared players who couldn’t get the Grid set yet.

  “It doesn’t matter how good the Grid set is. It isn’t a lifelong item anyway.”

  “I agree. It is better to receive funding, quickly reach level 100, and go to the higher-level hunting grounds.”