by Park Saenal
Chapter 902
He knew the meaning of the word ‘worry’, but he was never worried about himself. After all, the purpose of his birth was clear. Ahead of him, there was a dimensional gate swirling with magic power.
Step, step.
There was no hesitation in the clone’s footsteps as he approached it. Baal’s voice rang out, -Poor being, the world beyond the door is the real hell. No one will welcome you. Only pain and solitude are waiting for you. Even so, do you still want to cross the gate?
“Reply. Do the great demons here welcome me?”
‘In the first place, I don’t know how to feel anything other than pain and solitude,’ the clone wanted to add. He didn’t say it for some reason though.
-At the very least, the great demons don’t hate you. They are just afraid.
“Meaningless. There is no Grid here.”
-Kuk… kukukuk! Yes, go. Show me what awaits at the end of your fleeting life that had only one purpose. I will enjoy the pain, loneliness, and despair that you will feel in the future.
“…”
The clone was already entering the dimensional gate. His body and vision spun as the endless universe spread out before him. Then he emerged in the sea—the Red Sea. The clone who arrived in the center of the world removed Blackening.
“Grid…”
His sharp eyes which resembled Grid’s faced the western sky.
***
[You have suffered catastrophic damage!]
[A legend doesn’t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]
When the world’s first virtual reality game—Satisfy—was released a few years ago, Yura had been shocked to find infinite freedom and a vast worldview. She had no doubt that Satisfy would set deep roots in people’s lives at the level of replacing online games and social networks, and she predicted that Satisfy’s success would have a major worldwide impact. This was how she had started Satisfy.
Yura had set the goal of escaping from the confines of her family by becoming successful and recognized in Satisfy. Then she did it. She became one of the best rankers and a star beyond predictions. The whole world had enthusiastically thrown money at her, and she escaped from the image of a rich girl who happened to have good parents. Yura then became a walking company and was liberated from the bondage known as her parents. She gained a true sense of freedom and felt a full sense of pride.
There were two billion players in Satisfy. Yura had been able to realize how superior a talent she possessed when she was crowned the top five of a game that a quarter of humanity played. She had been confident that she could become a player with a unique place, not just the top five. However, it wasn’t that easy in reality.
Yura was a true genius. Yet she realized that in front of someone else, her talent which everyone praised was trivial and the amount of knowledge and experience she had been gaining was shameful. That someone else was Kraugel. It was then that Yura had sensed her limits. She realized that no matter how much effort she put in, she couldn’t go beyond the records of the real genius called Kraugel.
Nevertheless, she didn’t become frustrated. Satisfy was a game, not reality. She still had countless opportunities before her. Following that, Yura sought to evolve her class to jump over Kraugel. The first step was choosing to become Yatan’s Servant. She tried to narrow the difference in talent by establishing a better environment. The person she met in the process was Grid. At the time, Grid was just an unknown person, but he showed Yura a sense of disappointment and frustration. He shattered Yura’s pride, dreams, and hopes in a single blow.
‘It has been many years since then.’
Yura had gone on to become involved in all types of incidents and feel complicated emotions, leading to her changing her path several times. The result was that the legendary class, Demon Slayer, landed in her grasp, and she became confident that she was gradually narrowing the distance with Grid and Kraugel. However, she was mistaken.
“I-It is the power of items. I’m sorry.”
“…”
Grid’s attitude of rushing and apologizing to her created a new crack in Yura’s pride.
“You aren’t weak, I’m just overgeared… A-Are you okay?”
“…”
Grid was restless after knocking down Yura in a single blow. He was worried that she had experienced a great shock. It was a cautious attitude that he would never have shown if he recognized Yura as an equal. Had Grid comforted Kraugel like this after beating him? Had he shown pity? No. Currently, Grid was treating Yura like a weak lamb, not a competitor. From Yura’s point of view, it was a terrible attitude, since she was someone who dreamed of becoming his competitor.
“I know. I’m not weak.” Yura’s cheeks puffed up as she ignored Grid’s hand and got up. It was obviously a sulky appearance. This was a long way from her usual intellectual and cultured appearance. “I’m not agitated. Wasn’t it just an experiment? If it wasn’t an experiment, I would’ve used my defensive skills and wouldn’t have been knocked down in one blow. Don’t you know? I wouldn’t have been knocked down under normal circumstances!”
“Ah, t-that. That’s right.”
Was this woman showing her feelings? It was an unfamiliar and exciting sight for Grid, who thought of Yura as a cliff flower living alone.
‘She looks younger.’
Yura was three years younger than Grid, but he often had the illusion of her being older due to how mature she acted. Grid once again thought Yura looked cute. His heart which was always nervous when facing the most beautiful woman in the world calmed down for the first time. He looked at Yura who rarely expressed her emotions and thought she was adorable.
The atmosphere between the two people wasn’t bad, causing Jishuka to twitch from where she was watching. “…That fox.”
-What are you doing here?
‘Huh?’
Grid suddenly received a confusing whisper. It was a whisper from Euphemina.
-Your Majesty, why are you in Juden?
No, what was this? Where was Juden?
“Ah…!” Grid had been feeling confused by Euphemina’s words when he suddenly shouted at Lauel, “Where is Juden?”
“It is the capital of the Murray Kingdom. The Murray Kingdom is a sea kingdom connected to the beginning of the Red Sea.”
“I think the clone has shown up there.”
“…Huh?”
All of a sudden…? Everyone felt surprised by the sudden development. Yura regained her cool and explained, “It is one of the paths between the ground and hell.”
Grid was already sending a whisper to Euphemina, -That isn’t me! It is the enemy! Get out of there right now!
The answer that he got in return was: -Sir Asmophel is already…
-Euphemina? Euphemina!
***
“…Grid?”
It was a series of unexpected appearances. Asmophel had shown up and caused her to miss the timing of a deal with Agnus, and now there was this. She couldn’t understand why Grid had personally come to this faraway country.
‘Sir Asmophel is on a mission to find and persuade the old Red Knights members.’
It was hard to see Grid working with Asmophel when he was busy as a high ranker and king. Grid’s appearance was likely to be separate from Asmophel’s mission. In fact, Asmophel was also shocked. “Y-Your Majesty? Why are you here?”
“…”
Grid didn’t reply to the confused Asmophel. He didn’t even look at Asmophel. In fact, Grid ignored all the attention focused on himself.
-What are you doing here? Your Majesty, why are you in Juden? She sent a whisper, but there was no answer.
‘What?’
Euphemina started to feel suspicious as Grid walked alone without speaking. The armor, boots, and weapons that Grid was armed with were both familiar and strange.
‘Aren’t they the items he used in the old days?’
They were even rusty like years of weatherin
g had passed. It was strange that the blacksmith Grid would wear such shabby items and not repair them. Then she received a whisper, -That isn’t me! It is the enemy! Get out of there right now!
“Hah?”
This Grid wasn’t Grid…? Euphemina’s eyes suddenly widened. It was because Asmophel had suddenly gotten up and stabbed Grid in the back.
“Who are you?” That’s right. Asmophel had detected it. He knew that this Grid wasn’t the real Grid. “An evil great demon who dares to copy His Majesty’s appearance… Ugh!” Asmophel—who was stabbing the clone in the back—was blown away, and he collapsed on the side of the street. The fist that flew at his face came from golden hands, the God Hands.
‘What is this?’
This Grid had old equipment and the God Hands? Euphemina’s confusion deepened, while Haster was intrigued after seeing Asmophel attack Grid. “It is highly likely this is a fake… but can’t I use it to measure Grid’s power?”
“Kik… kikik… I am busy…” Agnus left this place during the confusion.
“Who are you?”
“Drop your weapon now!”
The Murray knights and soldiers were on the move, unable to tolerate an unidentified person causing turmoil in their kingdom. They lined up in place of the already exhausted Singuled and pointed their spears and swords at Grid.
“Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Wave.”
“…!?”
The clone used the sword dance that symbolized the Overgeared King and massacred the soldiers. No, he tried to kill them. The sword energy that flowed out in all directions was blocked by dozens of golden shields. The identity of these shields was a spell, and the person who cast the spell was a young girl standing on the roof.
“Don’t act up. I can’t allow you to damage Grid’s reputation.”
“…Judgment. Dangerous.”
The clone’s aggro was attracted by Euphemina. He jumped up and aimed his sword at her, while she blocked him with skills she duplicated. A spectacular confrontation beyond the battle between Singuled and Asmophel began to unfold.
Chapter 903
Three years ago in Satisfy time, the confrontation between Euphemina and Agnus was decided when Euphemina received the hidden quest ‘Mumud’s Soul Liberation.’ Euphemina had acknowledged Agnus’ strength and committed herself to increasing her specs. Then four months ago, she set up a full Agnus hunting plan and mobilized her contacts and money to gather Agnus’ information and neutralize his strength. She went on to duplicate multiple skills all over the continent.
“Link.”
“Blood Rain!”
Euphemina created a magic shield as dozens of dark energy blades flew through the air toward her. After playing its part, she exchanged glances with the clone over the shattered fragments of the shield which scattered and disappeared. The clone was still expressionless. He showed no signs of agitation or irritation despite the fact that his attack skills had been neutralized a few times. Was he relaxed?
‘No, he just doesn’t have any emotions.’
During the unexpected battle, Euphemina was receiving Grid’s whispers in real time. He explained the background and characteristics of the clone, and Euphemina measured the clone’s level based on Grid’s explanation and the clone’s actions. Then she came to a conclusion, ‘The clone is several times weaker than Grid.’
She couldn’t rule out the possibility that the clone had grown over the years, just like how Grid had grown. Yes, as Grid had expected, his power was similar to the clone’s. The problem was the equipment that the clone was wearing. The rusty sword and defensive items were equipment which Grid used previously years ago. The equipment was extremely inferior to Grid’s current items and didn’t pose a big threat to Euphemina.
“The items before Triple Layers… You can’t beat me with old items.”
There was a saying about a has-been. Wasn’t this the Holy Light Set? Euphemina could easily break the clone who was wearing armor that lost most of its power. This time, Euphemina started the offensive first. She had duplicated a large number of skills to fight Agnus who could summon undead, so her attacks were brilliant and effective.
Dozens of rocks were formed, and they fell from the sky toward the clone. The diameter of one rock was over one meter. So whenever a rock fell, the earth shook and thousands of spectators stumbled.
“H-Hik! Avoid it!”
“Uwaaaaack!”
‘Use this gap.’
In the confusion caused by the massive spell aftermath, Euphemina attempted to strike the clone trapped in the rocks. She used Absolute Zero which she had duplicated from Bondre—the first ranked ice mystic currently in Valhalla. The clone’s body froze as he crawled out from the gap in the rocks. He looked like a statue built in the Arctic.
‘Now the finishing blow!’
Lightning struck this time. The ultimate technique hit the frozen clone. Euphemina judged that the clone would lose all his health since he had similar stats to Grid. She thought that she would win without any problems. However, she was mistaken.
[You have dealt 29,000 damage to the target!]
‘Eh?’
It did less damage than expected…? Shouldn’t it be two or three times the damage? This was the same for the damage from the rockfall and Absolute Zero. As a result of being thrown back by the lightning and escaping from the ice, the clone’s health gauge which had been hidden by the rocks was now exposed. Euphemina saw that 9/10th of the clone’s health gauge still remained.
It was then that Euphemina realized two facts. The Holy Light Armor, which she had thought to be obsolete now, was still a fraudulent item. Additionally, the clone was a named boss. The Holy Light Armor reduced magic damage, and the clone had at least 10 million health.
‘A Grid with millions of health?’
Wasn’t it a scam?
‘I can’t beat him.’
Euphemina was shaken. The clone rushed toward her and swung his sword. It was a basic attack, a basic attack, a basic attack…
“…?” Euphemina’s eyes widened as she summoned a magic shield and defended. It was because she caught the subtle changes in the clone’s movements. His feet were moving.
‘A sword dance…!’
“Pinnacle Kill.”
It was a skill that ignored defense. This was one of the strongest fusion skills that Grid possessed. Being hit by it was deadly.
“Ugh!” Euphemina was unable to escape because her physical abilities were lower than her magic. Therefore, she had to take out the trump card that she had been saving—Teleport. She used magic to avoid death, and Pinnacle Kill cut through the air. Euphemina’s small body was swallowed up by light, then she appeared behind the clone.
“Black Winds!”
“…!”
The ultimate technique of Zednos, the first ranked wind magician, emerged from Euphemina’s fingertips and cut at the clone’s back. Blood splattered out, and the clone’s eyes shifted to Euphemina. He ignored the Murray magicians, who were using magic to calm the turmoil, and only stared at Euphemina. Euphemina gulped. She was aware that she was one of the strongest players, so it was rare for her to feel so nervous.
“Wicked monster! Pull off your mask right now!” Finally, a savior appeared. Asmophel had escaped from the containment of the four God Hands. As soon as he succeeded in causing the four God Hands to freeze simultaneously, he leaped across the roofs of several broken houses and swung his fire sword.
“Sir Asmophel!” Euphemina’s cute face turned rosy. She felt relieved that the greatest power of the Overgeared Kingdom, after Piaro and Mercedes, was with her. However, this only lasted for a second. Asmophel wasn’t in perfect condition after struggling with the former Red Knight Singuled, and he wasn’t a match for the clone. He was still faster than the clone, but his movements were restricted due to the obstruction of the God Hands.
“Kuoh…!”
“No…!” Euphemina cried out as the clone grabbed Asmophel’s neck. Asmophel was an NPC. Unli
ke players, he only had one life. His death would be a big blow to the entire Overgeared Kingdom, and Grid and the Overgeared members would feel deep sorrow. Euphemina remembered what Khan’s death had caused and felt fearful. She tried to shift the aggro of the clone back to herself.
Then a magic bombardment began. Euphemina went on the offensive to prevent the enemy from harming Asmophel. The clone’s gaze shifted from Asmophel to Euphemina again. “Question. Do you think you can avoid death?”
“…!!”
The clone used the Holy Light Armor and penetrated through the magic bombardment, aiming his sword at Euphemina’s neck.
“Ah…!” Asmophel was devastated by the sight.
“Of course!” Euphemina answered the clone’s questions and stopped using her duplicated skills. She used her unique strength that she hadn’t wanted the world to know yet. “Flowing River.”
Splash! The clone’s sword was surrounded by water. Euphemina’s Flowing River was a spell that showed the strength of Mumud’s water magic, which had the characteristic of ‘magic power can be converted to water and ice and used for the desired purpose.’ The clone’s rusty sword couldn’t penetrate the water that surrounded Euphemina. The physical abnormalities of ‘weakening the power’ and ‘slowing down’ which occurred every time the sword was submerged caused it to become a truly rusty sword.
“Is that an elemental?” The players watching the battle were unable to close their mouths. The blond woman who had suddenly appeared to save them seemed like a hero. Every time Grid hit the girl, the water flowed smoothly in all directions to prevent Grid from attacking. This led them to misunderstand that she was a water elemental.
“Heok! T-That woman…!”
The clone’s attack from above was blocked by the water while he kicked the girl’s ankle. Euphemina was hit, and she fell from the roof. As she descended to the ground, she became close enough for the players to see the ID above her head.
“Euphemina!” The players who were impressed by the battle became shocked. It was because they knew Euphemina. Wasn’t she an ally who had been supporting Grid since the Reinhardt golem invasion a few years ago? It was difficult for them to understand why she was fighting against Grid.