by Park Saenal
[You have survived!]
It was a gray dawn. Agnus’ ribs were cracked as he hid in the shadow of a slanted pillar. He was in danger of losing his balance. This was a crossroad of life and death. It was an urgent battle situation where his head could be blown away at any time. The usual Agnus would be laughing madly, expressing his joy at exhilarating moments that made him forget the awful reality.
However, it was different now. The only emotions that could be seen on Agnus’ face were confusion and pain. Agnus wasn’t confused over protecting the hateful Grid’s family. He had protected them because he projected his dead lover onto them, thus Agnus had no regrets about that.
Rather, the origin of the pain and confusion Agnus was feeling right now was Grid specifically. Why was Grid so different from him? Was Agnus the one who was wrong?
‘No! No!’
“You are wrong!” Agnus’ sword penetrated the darkness and stabbed Grid’s side. It contained a powerful curse which weakened all the resistances that Grid had. In particular, Grid’s dark resistance was completely destroyed.
“Cough!” Grid coughed up blood and was reminded of the notification windows that rose a few minutes ago.
[The goddess of light, Rebecca is awaiting your response.]
[You have once again been given an opportunity to gain great power through the goddess’ blessing.]
[War God Zeratul is feeling satisfied with your choice.]
[War God Zeratul supports the goddess’ affection toward you.]
Like Agnus, Grid had yet to check his notification windows. From the first day they met till this moment, Agnus was always hurting someone. Grid disliked this type of person who could trample on others easily and feel bliss while doing so. Now Grid’s precious family members were sacrifices for Agnus’ joy?
“Crazy jerk!” A desire to kill bubbled up inside Grid. He felt a sense of responsibility to kill Agnus. The killing intent Grid felt toward Agnus was real, and the fighting energy around him became thicker.
“Wave!” Waves of sword energy stretched out around Grid. He was using this wide-area skill to capture Agnus who had suddenly become invisible.
“…There!” Grid detected Agnus. It was when Grid felt that some of the waves were being blocked by something, Then Grid focused and started a sword dance—Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle Kill. The manifestation of the fusion swordsmanship was an obvious mistake though.
“Kuk…!”
Flop! Grid stopped the sword dance as his legs weakened. He had been too agitated that he overlooked the state of his stamina.
[You are on the verge of running out of stamina. You can’t use any combat skills.]
“Overgeared… Corn…”
Grid urgently needed to recover his stamina by communicating with his unicorn. It was the first thing he thought of, but how could he communicate with the unicorn during the battle? His enemy wasn’t a fool, nor was he dull-headed… especially not the enemy he was dealing with right now!
“Kikikik! Kihahahahat!” Agnus’ body was penetrated by Wave, and the darkness was removed. Half of Agnus’ body was just a bunch of white bones, but his momentum was fierce as his disheveled hair moved in the wind.
Grid felt a sense of crisis. Now that he’d placed the God Hands, Noe, Randy, the Overgeared Skeletons, and the light elemental in the role of protecting Irene and Lord, there was no one left who could defend him. Moreover, it was hard for him to even move his fingertips.
“Grid!”
With his blurry vision, Grid could see Agnus charging toward him.
“…!!”
“…!!!”
The surroundings were noisy. He could hear the voices of people talking, but the contents didn’t enter his ears.
‘Why?’
Would he die like this? No, his opponent was exhausted and on the verge of death. Agnus’ use of Lich Transformation could be considered his last resort.
‘Maybe he still has his immortality and Bentao’s Mockery remaining…’
Grid painfully opened the Rune of Darkness, using Cray’s Power which absorbed 100% of the damage done to the target. Determined to maintain his life against Agnus, Grid swung his sword in a basic attack. He still had the effects of the First King title, Tiramet’s Power, and his immortality. So, he judged that he could win if he continued fighting.
In the first place, Grid was in a position where he just had to keep enduring. In order to protect Irene and Lord, he absolutely couldn’t collapse. Grid pledged this firmly while swinging his sword. Meanwhile, Agnus used an attack skill as he plunged through Grid’s basic attack and hit Grid’s body.
The two people, who were trying to harm each other, tangled together. Then there was a flash of light. Compared to the past, its strength was now ridiculously weakened, but it was clearly the sword that had hurt Yatan’s Third Servant Aliburn.
Grid’s and Agnus’ eyes turned toward Damian at the same time. Damian had also evolved a step further after regaining the holy sword and preventing the invasion of the Yatan Church. As Grid and Agnus finally started looking around, Damian said to them, “This is a sacred place that serves the will of the goddess. Stop fighting. In the capacity of the pope, I won’t allow any further killing.”
“Why?” Grid questioned him. Agnus was the enemy. Putting aside personal feelings, he was still Baal’s Contractor. He was a person who should be targeted by the Rebecca Church. So, why didn’t Damian take the chance to punish Agnus? Grid couldn’t understand it.
Damian pointed to Irene, Lord, and Lich Mumud. “Look.”
“…?” Irritated and suspicious, Grid followed Damian’s gaze and was shocked. He witnessed Lich Mumud’s shield floating in front of Irene and Lord. Lich Mumud was protecting Irene and Lord from the aftermath of Grid’s battle with Agnus.
“What…”
Irene and Lord’s shouts came to the mind of the troubled Grid. They had said that he was a good skeleton. Lich Mumud protected them…
‘Their words were true?’
Why though…? Damian watched Grid’s trembling eyes and said carefully, “I understand Grid’s feelings, but… let’s end the fight for today.”
The Rebecca Church saw Baal as an enemy. Baal’s former contractor, Pagma, had tried to defend the Hall of Fame, but ultimately, he still sold his soul to the great demon. The Rebecca Church didn’t regard Pagma as a hero in his later years and thought that the new Baal’s Contractor should be punished.
However, Pope Damian judged that now wasn’t the time for it. “I think it is better to leave each other alone today.”
Damian didn’t know why Agnus had betrayed the Yatan Church and helped them. He wondered about the reason but didn’t dare ask. The most important thing was to rectify the situation. He believed a chance for that conversation would come someday. Still, this reason didn’t seem enough to satisfy Grid. “What are you up to? Why did you protect my family?”
“Ah? What nonsense are you saying? I never did anything like that.”
“Answer seriously!”
“I didn’t know it was your family.”
“…?”
“I just saw a pretty woman and didn’t want her to die. Kikik… I wanted to play with her.”
The duration of Lich Transformation had ended, and only death was waiting for Agnus. He didn’t want to miss this opportunity when he didn’t know if it would come again. This was a great chance for a fight with the Overgeared King Grid while he was unprotected.
“Sigh.” Agnus gave a reason that nobody would believe and swept his hair back. He neatly arranged his hair, exposing his cold golden eyes. “Don’t speak.”
“…?”
“Just fight and kill. Huh? Kik! Kikikik! Kihahahahat!” Agnus broke away from the appearance of politeness and rushed toward Grid. Agnus ignored the pope. Consequently, the Rebecca followers watching quietly couldn’t stay still anymore. Isabel’s spear and the paladins’ sword pierced and stabbed Agnus’ skinny body. Agnus was fully restrained before even reaching Grid.<
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“Why did you…?” Damian’s lamenting cry rang out, but Agnus didn’t pay any attention to it.
Instead, Agnus’ gaze went back to Irene and Lord who were sad and tearful, before looking at Grid again. “You…”
“…”
“…Become stronger.”
This was the end. Agnus’ body slowly turned to gray after being stabbed by the spear and swords. Mumud followed behind him.
“Skeleton knight…”
‘When will they be saved?’ Lord grew sadder as he saw Agnus’ and Mumud’s sorrow. The red-eyed child tried to hold back his tears.
Then Pope Damian went to talk with the elders. They sent the royalty and the imperial prince away to rest. After that, they started to investigate how they had allowed this invasion to happen and also examine the extent of the damage.
“I saw your struggle. Your Majesty is truly a hero. I was impressed by your moves several times.”
“I’m flattered,” Grid responded passively to 2nd Prince Dulandal’s words and was only able to face the goddess after confirming that Irene and Lord were asleep.
-Hero, bless you.
Chapter 875
Chapter 875
He was sleepy. Today had been extremely long and hard. He lay down in his bed and thought his sleeping cap looked like an angel. Grid felt thankful that this beautiful woman was his wife and that this bright child was his son.
“…”
Grid’s expression was very dark as he stroked their heads carefully. He was also feeling greatly confused.
‘Agnus, why…?’
Irene’s and Lord’s claim about Agnus helping to protect them hadn’t been their misinterpretation. The Rebecca followers, Overgeared knights, and even Pope Damian testified to it. Everyone spoke unanimously. It was thanks to Agnus that Irene and Lord were safe.
‘Why the hell did he do that?’
According to the testimonies, Agnus was originally helping the Yatan Church but betrayed them to help Irene and Lord. Grid could easily guess how much Agnus had lost with this single choice. Why had Agnus saved Irene and Lord while suffering big losses?
‘A madman who feels pleasure through fighting and trampling on others…’ This was Grid’s evaluation of Agnus.
In fact, the Agnus that Grid met was no different from the rumors. He always laughed as he trampled on someone. Yet that madman fought for others? Moreover, they were Grid’s wife and son? Grid tried to read Agnus’ intentions, but it was impossible. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t understand why Agnus had sought to protect Irene and Lord.
“…In the first place, isn’t it too much to try and understand him?”
Agnus wouldn’t be called a madman if he could be understood.
‘He is an opponent who is fickle and doesn’t think too deeply…’
Indeed, Grid shouldn’t waste time and energy on useless things. He shook off his thoughts and decided, ‘I just need to protect those important to me. That’s enough.’
It was a promise that he had to keep. In any case, he was grateful for Agnus’ actions that protected Irene and Lord. It was an unforgettable favor.
“Sigh…”
Irene’s and Lord’s breathing sounds stabilized Grid. Grid took a deep breath and calmed his mind before looking at the notification windows which were still on one side. He checked the unconfirmed notifications, belatedly remembering that he was in the middle of a quest.
“Ah…”
He had completely forgotten about the quest. It wasn’t a game for him today as he had only focused on saving Irene and Lord.
‘That’s right. I gave up the sword…’
If he hadn’t given up the holy sword, he would be a half-god overwhelming the world right now.
“…Hat.” Grid led out a scoff. He felt disgusted about the greed that had almost made him give up his family, colleagues, and kingdom.
‘However, it is natural to be greedy.’
[Reward for Gaining the Incomplete Holy Sword:
The ‘Holy Sword of the 4th Evil’ will be acquired.
* Your race will evolve from a human into a half-god. A half-god is a race that transcends humanity and approaches being a god. There will be room for great increases of all abilities.
* The passive skill God’s Command is strengthened. The probability of activating God’s Command will become 100%. However, a critical hit won’t be applied to skills that God’s Command is used on.
* The skill ‘Corrupted Holy Sword’ will open.
* You will be cursed by Goddess Rebecca, God Dominion, God Judar, and God Zeratul.
* Affinity with the Rebecca Church, Dominion Church, and Judar Church will fall to minus values.
* Followers of the Warrior God will chase you.
Reward for Returning the Incomplete Holy Sword:
Goddess Rebecca’s blessing. Affinity with the Rebecca Church will rise to the maximum.
* Affinity with the Rebecca Church is already at the maximum.]
This was the reward for the Crossroad of Good and Evil hidden quest. The difference in rewards between giving up the quest and not giving up the quest was too large.
‘I know how great the goddess’ blessing is.’
He had acquired the Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle skill thanks to the goddess’ blessing. Grid was likely to get another four fusion skill with the goddess’ blessing. It would become one of the strongest skills he had gained. However, was it better than a 100% chance of activating God’s Command? Once God’s Command had a 100% chance of activating, Grid would be able to use all the skills twice in succession. He was able to assert that the value of the 100% God’s Command was much higher than Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.
‘…Well.’
There was no point in regretting now, even if the reward was very low. In the end, he was able to keep everyone safe. Grid controlled his heart and finally responded to the notification window that said: [The goddess of light, Rebecca, is awaiting your response.]
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
-Yes, I was waiting. It is very nice to see you care for your family.
“…!!” Grid was astonished by the answer of Goddess Rebecca. He had already heard Goddess Rebecca’s warm voice several times, but this was the first time their conversation was so clear. Wasn’t a ‘divine message’ a one-sided communication? Grid had previously recognized the gods as a part of the system, but he could now establish a new hypothesis.
‘NPC? Is the god an NPC?’
He should’ve noticed it ever since getting the jealousy of the blacksmith god. Clearly, the gods had personalities and had a form somewhere in existence.
‘If one day I meet a god… Ah?’
A chill went down Grid’s spine as he thought about it. The ‘truth’ that he’d heard from the legendary great magician Braham in the past crossed his mind.
‘Once human desires reach the peak, chaos will come to the world. In other words, if Goddess Rebecca no longer controls the world, God Yatan’s destructive instinct will be exercised. God Yatan will emerge to destroy the world, then Goddess Rebecca will once again create a new world. The two opposing gods on the surface are actually cooperating with each other. Great demons, angels, and humans are all playing in the hands of the gods.’
These were Braham’s claims.
‘No, there were no gods in the first place. Yatan? Rebecca? The gods aren’t the omnipotent beings that we think they are. Like machines, they are accessories that exist for the world’s providence. There is no reason to serve their existence or endure their trials.’
They were made like that in the first place. The gods were just accessories of this world. Grid agreed with Braham’s claims since he knew that Satisfy was a game. Both Yatan and Rebecca were part of the system Lim Cheolho had created, and they were passive existences that conformed to the will of the world (Lim Cheolho).
However, Grid’s thoughts changed once he realized the gods were NPCs. The gods had personalities. They
weren’t passive presences like what he had expected. Maybe the individual’s judgment could go against the system. For example…
[Crossroad of Good and Evil]
[★ Hidden Quest ★
After all sorts of adventures, you have won the power ‘God’s Command’ that the fourth malignant saint ‘Taren’ left for later generations.]
The setting of Satisfy, which Lim Cheolho created, stated that this quest is something ‘Taren left for later generations.’ This was a ‘truth.’
‘Human, this isn’t Taren’s arrangement. It is Dominion’s and my arrangement. Don’t listen to the voice of the corrupted one.’ This statement suggested that War God Zeratul’s claims might be false. Grid’s entire body got goosebumps.
-Thank you again for fighting for the peace of humanity.
Goddess Rebecca’s voice was so warm that it felt creepy, yet Grid was blank-faced and didn’t show any response.
[The goddess of light, Rebecca, is awaiting your response.]
This notification window floated in front of Grid, forcing him to answer. Grid answered hurriedly, “I just did what I had to.”
He thought that the gods weren’t evil or part of the system. They were just NPCs with individual personalities.
‘Why does it matter?’
They were beings who stayed in the distant sky and were strong allies who gave humans the power to fight against the great demons. Yes, there was no problem. He was just one player, and he didn’t need to worry about them.
‘Just…’
It was worrisome that the seven malignant saints might not be evil, unlike what had been known in the past. A group of bright lights enveloped Grid’s body while he frowned.
-I will give a gift to the hero who fought hard.
[Rebecca the goddess of light has given you a blessing.]
[The goddess of light, Rebecca, respects you for overcoming the temptation of the seven malignant saints’ offer to strengthen the power of God’s Command.]
[‘Skill Enhancement’ has been acquired as compensation.]
[Skill Enhancement]
[You can strengthen one skill that you possess.
The power of the skill will rise.
However, this only applies to class-specific skills.]