Overgeared

by Park Saenal

  “…” Grid’s fists clenched from uncontrollable anger, and his gaze shifted toward Tiramet’s Belt. Tiramet’s Belt was an item that had remained at the unique rating for many years. Its experience had been stuck at 96% just a while ago, and now it exceeded 97%. The yangban, Garam, had lightly attacked dozens of times, and 1% of experience was accumulated.

  ‘It is impossible to win.’ Grid hated Garam till his dying breath. From the first day they met, Garam was a person Grid didn’t like at all. Still, he had to acknowledge Garam’s skills. Garam’s level must be close to 600, and he had overwhelming stats.

  ‘There is no chance in a fight. I will lose. Still…’

  Grid, who was covered with a purple red energy, turned his head. The trembling blacksmiths and residents were staring at him.

  ‘I can buy time for them to flee.’

  At the present time, Garam was an overwhelming powerhouse. His fighting energy and the speed at which his item accumulated experience proved this fact. Garam was less likely to be wary of Grid. For example, it was clear that he had once again been careless just now. Grid believed there would be an opportunity and sent a whisper to the blacksmith Jin Haecheong.

  -I will buy time, so escape with the residents.

  -I-I can’t understand the current situation…

  -The quest is up to here. It is because of me that you came to the East Continent and lost your level and stats. I’m sorry.

  -D-Don’t say that! The help we got from Grid is much greater! Coming here is worth losing some levels and stats!

  -…Thank you.

  -Please…! I wish you all the best!

  Jin Haecheong finished whispering to Grid and sent a message with his eyes to the other blacksmiths. They had to save the residents. The blacksmiths understood Grid’s feelings. Unlike the players, the residents only had one life. Thinking about the last three days they had spent making items, the blacksmiths felt the desire to protect the residents.

  “I don’t know why you are clinging to a meaningless life,” Garam said in a ridiculing tone once the people started to move. He seemed to have no intention of letting them go.

  Tong, tong, tong. The chain of explosions began around Garam.

  “Pagma’s Swordsmanship.” Grid immediately came forward. One step, two steps… The dance strides were shorter than before as the Enlightenment Sword roared.

  “Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!”

  “You…!”

  It was as Grid expected, and Garam’s face distorted for the first time. Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle—the strongest technique that had hurt Garam previously—was being used by Grid to provoke Garam. Seeing this, he no longer paid attention to the residents.

  Instead of his smoking pipe, Garam now held a short spear and started responding to Grid’s bombardment. Garam slashed his short spear and defeated the incoming energy blades, raising the spear above his head to block the final blow that was like a lightning bolt. This was the moment when the whole process of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle was completely disrupted.

  Grid had expected this, so he wasn’t shaken. On the other hand, Garam hated it as Grid’s sword was emitting black flames.

  “What?” The flames surrounding Garam devastated the area. The cave shook and Garam stepped back. The blacksmiths didn’t miss this opportunity. They ran as hard as they could with the residents.

  “Kuk…! Kuaaaaah!” Garam screamed as he was surrounded by flames. It wasn’t because of pain though. Rather, Garam was fine. Only the tip of his hair was slightly burned. However…

  “Is your pride hurt?”

  That’s right. It was a matter of pride. Originally, Garam had been planning to trample on Grid like he was an insect. He had wanted to laugh as Grid died without resisting. Yet Grid had once again resisted and even damaged Garam’s body. It might just be his hair burning slightly, but…

  “You…! Youuuu!” Garam suffered great damage to his pride, and he could never recover from this wound in a lifetime. He was using a weapon instead of a smoking pipe and had opened up the power of wind, which was one of his abilities. Yet he still allowed this insect to counterattack.

  Garam swung the spear angrily, cutting one of Grid’s arms and causing him to slam into the cave wall. The reach and speed of the attack was much greater than before. Garam’s spear kept stabbing at Grid and he moved backward. Despite summoning the light elemental and Blade Aiming at the Gods, Grid was unable to cope with Garam’s offensive. In the end, Grid was pushed into the depths of the cave.

  “Cowardly bastard!” Garam shouted and his short spear aimed precisely at Grid’s heart when he no longer had room to escape. It had an attack power which had dealt 10,000 damage just by scratching his arm. Grid would die if a vital spot were hit.

  So, Grid made a decision and used Blackening and Quick Movements. “Revolve!”

  He didn’t step back and unfolded a counterattack. It was almost instantaneously. The tip of the spear, which aimed at Grid’s heart, was swept up in Grid’s sword and changed its trajectory. The tip of the spear pierced Garam instead of Grid. No, it seemed to pierce him.

  “You.”

  Garam used the ultimate footwork that leaped through space itself—Shunpo. The moment Grid deployed the counterattack, Garam used Shunpo and appeared by Grid’s side. The spear only pierced the afterimage that was left behind by Garam. Grid’s face was caught by Garam’s hand, and it was like hard granite slammed into it. One, twice, three times, four times…

  [You have suffered 4,900 damage.]

  [You have suffered 5,150 damage…]

  [One eye has been severely injured. Your field of view isn’t properly secured. Your body has become dull.]

  Grid’s face literally became a mess. The bloody Grid couldn’t even groan as he was held by Garam. Garam’s face was like the devil’s.

  “I can’t understand it. You are just an ignorant person. Why do you want to anger me every time? What the hell do you believe in?”

  Garam transferred all responsibility for this situation onto Grid. He treated Grid as a sinner. However, Grid wasn’t a sinner. He was a king.

  “Once again…” Grid’s tingling lips opened. Grid was angrily staring straight into Garam’s eyes. “I… won’t… succumb… your… strength.”

  “What?” Garam thought he would hear begging, but his ears were contaminated. Using the power of the wind, Garam blew away the light sword and the Blade Aiming at the Gods and then slammed Grid’s face into the ground. It happened at this moment.

  [The First King title effect has been activated.]

  [A protective shield containing the health that was lost in the last minute has been created.]

  [All terrain adaptability has increased by 100% while movement speed and defense has increased by 10%.]

  A bright orange shield formed around Grid. He fully adapted to the terrain of the cave and opened up Ruson’s Power, further amplifying his speed and gaining the ability to smell blood. Grid suddenly moved, and Garam hurriedly stabbed at him with the spear. He felt irritated when he couldn’t keep up with Grid’s speed and hit the protruding limestone instead.

  “You rat bastard!”

  At this moment, Garam decided he had no more pride left to be crushed and opened up his second power, which was the holy attribute. Meanwhile, Grid discovered the daoist hiding in a corner and stabbed him. The daoist couldn’t cope with the destructive power and turned to ash.

  “If I’m going to die anyway, shouldn’t I get more rewards?”

  Garam’s response was surprisingly intense. “Y-You! You snake!”

  Was Garam angry about Grid gaining more rewards? Garam emitted a killing intent that had never been seen before. Grid opened Belial’s Power and used Item Combination to join together the Enlightenment Sword and the Blade Aiming at the Gods.

  “Youuuuu!” Garam seemed like he was being chased by something. His eyes were manic as he stabbed the spear at Grid. However, the spear didn’t reach Grid. It was due to the vampire who popp
ed out of Tiramet’s Belt’s, which had just reached the legendary rating. Tiramet reached out and caught the spear with both hands.

  “Nyaaong!”

  “Pagma’s Swordsmanship.”

  Noe released lightning from his mouth, and Randy—who copied Grid’s appearance—stood by Garam’s side. The three monsters aimed at Garam’s heart.

  “Linked Kill.”

  Long energy blades were fired continuously. Grid’s level and stats were much inferior to Garam’s, but the power of his super myth rated weapon and the power of the rune penetrated Garam’s skin without much difficulty.

  “Cough!” Garam coughed up blood. Then Grid discovered why Garam had become nervous and exposed a gap.

  [★Hidden Quest★ ‘Hunt the Daoist’ has been cleared.]

  [You have acquired three elixirs from the quest clear reward.]

  [A linked quest will occur as a quest reward.]

  [Back to the West Continent…]

  [★ Hidden Quest ★

  Thanks to your efforts, the people of Pangea have regained peace. Now, Pangea will be able to stand on its own.

  Quest Clear Conditions: Return to the West Continent within 24 hours.

  Quest Reward: A Pangea’s Secret Dungeon Pass.]

  [Moving between continents is now possible again.]

  “…Aha.”

  “Griiiid!” Garam’s power started to run wild. Noe, Randy, and Tiramet were swept away by the magic power and turned to gray. Garam leaped toward Grid, but it was pointless.

  “Goodbye, you stupid jerk.” Grid had already disappeared in a flash of light.

  Chapter 926

  The ultimate calligraphy filled the hanji (traditional Korean paper made from mulberry trees). There was a stroke that stretched out without a hitch, and the trajectory of life in one stroke was infinite.

  「The Cho Kingdom should take care of Pangea. 」

  Once Hanul finished the last point, the ‘word’ was finished. The Cho King would be thrilled when he received this ‘word.’ He would be able to look after the city and people he had turned away from due to fearing the Hwan Kingdom. Garam stood next to Hanul, unable to understand Hanul’s actions. “Why are you giving an opportunity to those nasty people?”

  “An opportunity? This isn’t an opportunity but a reward.” Hanul put down the brush and looked at Garam. There was compassion in Hanul’s eyes. “The opportunity was yours, and the people of Pangea were sacrificed to give you that chance.”

  Rain also fell in the desert. The sky never abandoned the earth.

  “I have to reward them as much as I forced them to sacrifice. This is the duty I have to uphold.”

  The sky (Hanul) was in a position that couldn’t be one-sided. The intolerance of heaven would make too many lives wither. The world could collapse as soon as the sky lost sight of its duty. This was the reason why Grid was rewarded for answering Hanul’s call.

  “…”

  A person with no desires didn’t exist completely. Garam had feelings of admiration and rejection toward Hanul, a man who was like him but also completely different from him.

  ***

  “Hrmm.” Grid’s expression wasn’t very good when he returned to the West Continent. He was unbelievably depressed for a person who had just gained astronomical rewards.

  “This game is really… hard.”

  A quest had appeared in a form where he had to bite the bait. There was an enemy that was too hard to deal with. Then there was the gaming system which required higher talent. Grid sighed as he looked at the skills and magic windows. “Hah. The skills and magic are too much.”

  With Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Braham’s enhanced spells, the Rune of Darkness, and items and skills attached to various titles… Grid now had close to 30 combat skills available. If he counted those attached to all the items he’d made, he would have over 50.

  It was too much for Grid. He lacked the wits and sensitivity to take advantage of the skills he possessed. In particular, the stronger the opponent and the more intense the situation, the worse Grid’s thinking became. It was difficult for Grid to use his skills in the right place. After all, it was hard for effort alone to overcome pure talent. The so-called geniuses could handle 50 or 60 skills instead of just 30.

  “I can afford to try different things when dealing with weak enemies, but it has been a long time since I’ve faced such a strong person.”

  Grid replayed his fight with Garam. First, there was the intangible wind. Grid hadn’t been able to figure out the path of the wind with just ‘sound.’ It hadn’t been visible, and he had looked ugly while getting severely beaten by the wind that was coming from all sides. If Grid had the minimum of ‘sound sensitivity’, then he wouldn’t have been so defenseless.

  ‘Well, yes. I was fine using the pieces of falling stone as footholds when I was stuck in the ceiling. It was really good that I thought about it.’

  He recalled the good parts as well as the bad parts. This wasn’t arrogance but necessity. Grid replayed the battle because he wanted to develop. It was important to think about what he was good at and what he wasn’t good at. This meant he could reduce his mistakes and highlight his strengths.

  “Hrmm.”

  The more he replayed the battle, the better he did. Waiting for his fighting energy to reach 100%, counterattacking, using buffs such as Blackening, using Doran’s Ring, using the effect of the First King title, opening Ruson’s Power, and using the cave terrain, and so on…

  ‘Of course, I could do more…’

  Grid hadn’t used any magic, and he hadn’t been able to give detailed commands to the Light Sword and the Blade Aiming at the Gods. He hadn’t been able to control Cray’s Power completely, and he had totally forgotten about Dark Bus’ Ring, which had the ability to delete a skill. Dark Bus’ Ring reminded Grid of how Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle was completely neutralized by Garam. The spear had the ‘energy’ to delete a skill and Garam destroyed all the stages of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle by swinging the spear faster than Grid’s skill casting speed.

  “Oh! How rotten! There are too many skills and items! Additionally, Noe, why do you fail to use Soul Ingestion whenever it is important?”

  “No, his attack penetrated through Fluidization, nyong… Too strong, nyang… I was hurt…”

  “Sigh.”

  Grid thought about it a few more times and concluded the difficulty of the game was too high. How many players were there in the world who could take advantage of their many skills and items like Kraugel?

  ‘Increasing the power while reducing the number of skills and magic will make it much more comfortable to play.’

  He would make a suggestion to the customer center for the first time after a long time. It would be a very ‘polite’ message. The seriously distressed Grid brought up the details of Tiramet’s Belt. His studying and grumbling were over, and it was time to face reality again.

  [Tiramet’s Belt]

  [Rating: Legendary

  * Reduce damage received by 15%.

  * Stamina +250.

  * Health +10,000

  * The skill ‘Wind of Regeneration’ is generated.

  -A belt that contains the unique magic power of Vampire Viscount Tiramet.

  ★ The final evolution of the item is complete.

  You can summon vampire viscount Tiramet by consuming 1,500 mana. If Tiramet is killed in battle, he can only be summoned again after 24 hours.]

  [Wind of Regeneration]

  [Passive.

  Tiramet’s magic power boasts excellent regeneration power and makes the wearer’s body healthy. The speed of health recovery is greatly increased, and 500 health per second will be restored.

  This effect will disappear when hit. A 10-second wait is required before the effect will be reapplied.]

  “Ku…” Grid’s body trembled. Had he been raising the experience for four years? Five years? No, maybe the item—which had been stuck at the unique rating—would’ve re
quired much longer before finishing its final evolution. Now, it happened at a critical point just before the upcoming demon king event.

  ‘The damage reduction rate has increased by 15%, and health has increased to 10,000. This is why I was able to endure more of Garam’s attacks.’

  It was completely different from when it was of the unique rating. The rumor about the true power of a growth item not being shown until its final evolution was the truth. Grid glared at Elfin Stone’s Ring, whose experience still hadn’t risen, and brought up the information for Tiramet.

  [Name: Tiramet

  Age: 295 Gender: Male

  Species: Vampire

  Level: 300

  Title: Immortal Noble

  * Immediately recovers 30% of the damage. This skill is charged once per hour and can be charged up to 12 times. However, if the amount of damage received from one strike exceeds 60% of his maximum health, it won’t recover. Additionally, recovery isn’t possible with divine attacks.

  * Resurrected with 100% health in the case of death. All stats are increased by 20% for one hour after the resurrection. It is an effect that will activate after reaching level 360.

  Title: Depressed

  * He feels ashamed for being bound to a human despite being a child of Shizo Beriache. His self-esteem is so low that it is negatively affecting his morale. All stats are degraded.

  Physical Attack Power: 2,150 Magic Attack Power: 100

  Health: 100,000 Mana: 3,000

  Defense: 2,500 Magic Resistance: 500

  Possessed Skills: Block One Blow! (A), I Wonder Why I’m Alive… (C), Headbutt (C)

  Status: Depressed (Resurrected after a long time and died soon after. Why am I alive… I’d rather die…)]

  “…Being depressed at this time…”