by Park Saenal
[The +2 Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has been successfully enhanced, and the enhancement level has increased to +3!]
[The +3 Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires has been successfully enhanced, and the enhancement level has increased to +4!]
[The item enhancement has failed.]
“Uh…? Three in a row…?”
This was really an X probability game. Content that was based on luck gave deep despair to most people. They clung to these contents because the joy and value of success were great.
[You are the first player to succeed in enhancing a myth rated item to +3!]
[The perk has increased the damage of the target item by 1%.]
[You are the first player to succeed in enhancing a myth rated item to +4!]
[The perk has increased the damage of the target item by 2%, resulting in a ‘setting sun’ effect.]
“…”
It looked like it was glowing. The +4 Enlightenment Sword glowed orange, and it was enough to make Grid lose his soul. Grid stared blankly at the sword for a while before using his remaining weapon and armor enhancement stones. The Enlightenment Sword stopped at +4 while Valhalla of Infinite Affection became +3.
[+4 Lightning Sword Born from Enlightenment and Strong Desires
Attack: 4,611]
[+3 Valhalla of Infinite Affection
Defense: 1,622]
“Haha!”
Grid felt several times stronger. He could feel power boiling inside him.
Chapter 928
Grid gained a total of 2,340 stat points from the 234 elixirs. Only one-tenth of them went into the four major stats, but that was still more than 200 points. If calculated simply, it was like gaining 20 levels. Furthermore, Grid managed to secure a large number of good luck stats and successfully enhanced his item. He couldn’t calm his excited mind. By visiting the East Continent, he jumped several steps at once. It was the feeling of receiving a windfall.
‘Pangea’s secret dungeon should also be a great place.’
Grid wanted to use the admission ticket that he earned from the last quest reward. However…
“…Garam.”
It could also be a damn trap. Compared to Garam, Grid was still a helpless little boy. Jumping a few stairs at once…? It was futile. He had to climb hundreds of steps just to be at eye-level with Garam. It wasn’t just Garam. There were many strong enemies on the West Continent, and Garam was just one of the few trials Grid would have to face.
‘I’m still lacking.’
The afterglow of joy was brief. Rather, it made Grid extremely thirsty.
‘I am still missing a lot. It is insufficient.’
He needed to be stronger. Grid thought about a few colleagues—Euphemina, Faker, Regas, Yura, Jishuka, Chris…
He hadn’t forgotten what he had seen from them. They didn’t repeat mistakes, their learning speed was unthinkable, and the way they applied what they learned was inspiring. Grid sometimes got goosebumps when he went hunting with them. The difference in interpretation was like the difference between an adult and a child. Yes, they were in the realm of geniuses, and he was the one who had gathered these geniuses. Although, the real genius was actually Kraugel.
“I won’t catch up next year. The next year, or the year after that, I will suppress them with my stats and items.”
They were his respected competitors. As long as they didn’t disappear, Grid’s passion and development wouldn’t stop.
***
Lauel didn’t just take care of the internal affairs of the Overgeared Kingdom. He also managed the Overgeared Guild. One of Lauel’s tasks was to ensure that the Overgeared members enjoyed better benefits and developed further. The Galgunos Temple—Lauel invested a lot of time and effort into finding this new hunting ground. It didn’t drop rare items such as elixirs or vampire rings like the vampire cities, but it gave a large amount of experience.
The problem was the level of difficulty. Considering the number, type, and level of the monsters that appeared, the Galgunos Temple was twice as difficult as the vampire cities.
[You have entered the Galgunos Temple.]
[You can feel the source of the demonic energy.]
[All stats have decreased by 10%, and health recovery has decreased by 50%.]
[You have resisted.]
“The atmosphere here…”
It was a temple with a complex structure like a labyrinth. Grid shook off the curses and remembered Lauel’s words.
“Pon, Regas, and Chris are hunting here these days… They can’t resist the curse, but it isn’t hard…”
Based on their personalities, the three people were unlikely to have formed a party. They probably scattered and were hunting alone all over the labyrinth. In any case, they weren’t ordinary people.
“An intruder.” Galgunos’ messenger—a humanoid monster roaming the labyrinth—found Grid and rushed over. It was at an extremely fast speed that meant the messenger had at least 2,000 agility. However, it wasn’t enough to pressure Grid who had over 3,000 agility. Compared to Garam’s speed, it was slow enough to make Grid yawn. He avoided the messenger’s attack and struck back.
[You have attacked the weak point!]
[The target has received 16,940 damage.]
[Black flames have exploded!]
It was overwhelming damage! The Galgunos’ messenger wore sheet metal armor and seemed to have high defense, but it was useless in front of Grid. Grid’s basic attack alone reduced the messenger’s health by one-tenth. Thanks to the increase in the good luck state, his targeting of the weak points, his critical attacks, the black flames and red thunderbolts emerged more often than usual. It took only five seconds for the messenger to turn to grey.
“Jackpot.”
It wasn’t an elite monster, but it dropped an amount of experience that was similar to that of a direct vampire? The messenger was an ungrateful monster who didn’t drop any items, but it was still lovable.
“I should stay here until the National Competition. There is a reason why the kids didn’t leave here…”
Grid needed to get stronger. As such, he decided to go hunting. Grid planned to raise his stats and resources by focusing on leveling up, which he had been neglecting for a while.
“Summon Tiramet!” Grid shouted, and a vampire emerged from a dark-colored belt. Tiramet was manly, unlike the usual neutral appearance and long hair of the vampires. His sharp eyes and ruffled hair gave a fierce impression.
“Um…” Unlike his impression, Tiramet was timid. He prepared for an attack as soon as he was summoned. It was due to the incident where he had come to the outside world after a long time, only to be killed by the yangban Garam.
“Hey. It’s okay. Don’t be scared. There are no enemies.” Grid patted the shoulder of Tiramet, who flinched like he was a scared cat. Then he and gave Tiramet several items.
[+7 Duliani’s Sword]
[Rating: Unique
Durability: 1,250/1,250
Attack Power: 1,890 Defense: 340
* Creates a shield when attacked. The amount of the shield is proportional to the maximum health. It can accumulate up to five times.]
[+7 Emous’ Armor]
[Rating: Unique
Durability: 785/785 Defense: 930
* Reduce damage by 12%.
* 50% increase in health recovery.
* Two set effect: 10,000 additional health.]
[+7 Emous’ Helmet]
[Rating: Unique
Durability: 566/566 Defense: 675
* 20% reduction in the probability of a hit in a vital spot.
* Two set effect: Addition 50 defense.]
There was a total of 23 items to choose from in the unique rated production methods. Grid chose items that would strengthen Tiramet’s advantages and even enhanced them using the remaining enhancement stones.
“The shoes and gloves are epic rated, but please use them for now. I will recreate them wh
en I get Emous’ gloves and shoes.
“I understand…” Tiramet was different from Iyarugt. He equipped the items and stood upright beside Grid. It was a compliant attitude.
‘Indeed. I’ve known this since seeing the status window.’ Grid smiled.
As Grid had expected, Tiramet was the perfect pet. In the case of Iyarugt, he had the stats and the nature of an NPC, while Tiramet had completely changed to the nature of a pet. Like pets, his summoning time was indefinite. This was why Grid greatly appreciated Tiramet. Right now, it was difficult because of Tiramet’s depression and low level. Still, if he hunted with Grid, then his growth potential was high. There was plenty of room for him to be the best partner after Noe.
“Please serve me actively.”
“…I understand. I am honored to serve the master who has the Qualification of a Blood King.”
‘Oh, this is great.’
Grid discovered why Tiramet’s attitude was compliant. It wasn’t just because Tiramet was a pet. He was also attracted to Grid’s title. It was very positive news. Earl Elfin Stone was the most powerful noble that Grid had dealt with. Grid felt excited at the thought that he would one day summon Elfin Stone and have that guy be loyal to him.
‘Iyarugt isn’t a problem.’
In the meantime, Grid had entrusted Iyarugt to Peak Sword. Iyarugt’s poor speech was somewhat annoying, but the main reason was that Iyarugt’s sheath maximized Peak Sword’s power. Grid had asked Peak Sword to raise Iyarugt by using it until Peak Sword obtained a better weapon. This was a win-win situation for Grid and Peak Sword.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
Grid summoned the Overgeared Skeletons, Noe, and Randy and started the full-scale exploration. As Grid, Tiramet, the Overgeared Skeletons, Noe, and Randy headed deeper in the labyrinth, more and more messengers attacked the party.
Galgunos—he was only the servant of a great demon, but he was a powerful lich. The statues in this temple released endless amounts of demonic energy, and Galgunos’ messengers exerted an explosive attack power. They used the demonic energy of the temple as a resource and unleashed attack skills. However, the firepower wasn’t enough to neutralize Tiramet who had become overgeared.
[Your pet ‘Tiramet’ has recovered from some of the damage received.]
[Your pet ‘Tiramet’ has recovered from some of the damage received.]
[Your pet ‘Tiramet’ has recovered from some of the damag…]
“Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Link!”
“Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Wave!”
Tiramet was tanking while Grid and Randy attacked the messengers. The messengers were hit hard, but they were fearless and tried to counterattack. However, they were interrupted by the Overgeared Skeletons who shot the silver thread from a distance. Additionally, when there was a chance, they approached and broke bones, restricting the messengers’ actions.
“Punish the intruders!”
The monsters’ fast recovery speed exceeded Grid’s expectations. While Grid’s party were busy dealing with 20 messengers, new enemies appeared in the rear. They were messengers wearing robes, not sheet armor.
“This is really…” Grid detected danger. It was as he had expected. The messengers in robes were magicians. They chanted spells, and red magic spheres were formed everywhere with the attack spells aiming at Grid’s party. It wasn’t a big threat to Grid, but it was different for Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons. Grid thought that Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons would have their summoning canceled.
‘I wanted to raise their levels as much as possible…’
Then dozens of huge fireballs came flying. Grid wanted to intercept them with Transcended Link, but he soon realized it was pointless. An explosion would occur as soon as the fireballs and Transcended Link hit each other. Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons would have no defense against the splash damage which would occur at that time. Lauel had said that in order to deal with the ‘intermediate bosses’, Grid shouldn’t waste Blackening or Quick Movements.
This was the moment when Grid gave up on Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons.
[Your pet ‘Noe’ has leveled up.]
[Noe has reached level 100 and acquired a new skill.]
This notification popped up the moment one of the messengers being attacked by Randy and the Overgeared Skeletons died.
“Nyaang!” At the rear of the party, Noe faced the flying magic and suddenly raised his paws. A lightning curtain appeared in front of Noe. It was a powerful shield that blocked all the spells shot by the messengers.
“Huh?”
It completely destroyed dozens of spells…? Grid was more confused than the messengers. Laughter rang out in the midst of the silence, “Nyahahahat! This is a memphis, the best demonic beast of hell… Nyang…”
The situation was reversed again by Noe’s actions. Grid entrusted the messengers in front to Tiramet and shot to the rear, using Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Link, to quickly neutralize the magicians. After that, Grid took care of all the messengers attached to Tiramet before confirming Noe’s status window. Grid was curious about Noe’s new skill.
[Become Majestic (SSS)]
[Hell’s best demonic beast, a memphis, has pushed the power of the thunder stone to the limit. A shield of lightning that blocks all attacks will be created for two seconds.
Cooldown Time: 30 minutes
* The user will become drained for one minute after using the skill.]
“I love you, Noe.” Grid’s words were sincere. There was love in Grid’s actions as he hugged Noe tightly and rubbed his face against the fur. Noe purred like he was happy. After that…
“Grid, I also raised my level. You should hug me as well.”
“Y-Yes, Randy. I’ll do it once the transformation is released.”
Clack! Clack clack clack!
“Overgeared Skeletons, I also congratulate you.”
Grid moved through the temple labyrinth rapidly. His speed was at least four times faster than Pon, Regas, and Chris who were soloing at different locations in the labyrinth. The experience gauge of Noe, who had evolved and had his level reset, and Tiramet rose quickly in just half an hour. Grid’s experience gauge was the same.
It was a moment of regret for the experts who had been talking about the fact that Grid had fallen to the 80th rank in the past year.
Chapter 929
Lim Cheolho was the first to build a concert hall. The world’s largest concert hall with complete acoustics was born in Seoul. Why bother to build a concert hall? In the interviews, he dismissed it as being a classical music enthusiast, but…
“I think differently. Lim Cheolho is revealing his ambition.”
Two men were sitting side by side in the S.A Concert Hall where Mozart’s Magic Flute was being played. The middle-aged man was the director of OGC, Lee Gookrae, and the white-haired gentleman was the president of OGC, Kim Jaeshik.
“In the past 300 years, Mozart’s music has been playing nonstop. It is played every single day all over the world.”
There were often people who misunderstood classical music as an antiquated culture. Many people mistook it for the culture of a certain class, which rich people used as a means to fill their vanity. They didn’t know that it was a fact that people unconsciously hummed classical music.
“Over 1,000 albums containing Mozart’s music have been released, and hundreds of millions of copies have been sold worldwide.” Kim Jaeshik had the wisdom of someone over 60 years old. That’s why he was the president of OGC, a leading gaming station in modern society. After a short introduction, he got to the main point. “Lim Cheolho is dreaming that Satisfy will become a classic. He hopes that the orchestra (players) will play the song (game) he made for eternity. Is the best maestro of this time Grid? It doesn’t make sense.”
Lee Gookrae thought it was an appropriate analogy. Whenever he appeared in public, Lim Cheolho never referred to Satisfy as a game. Instead, he expressed it as another world. He wanted Satisfy to be like mu
sic that lasted forever. He wanted it to go down in history. Satisfy’s history was currently being created by a master called Grid. Chairman Lim Cheolho couldn’t be too happy that Grid wasn’t participating in the best stage called the National Competition.
“Even if Grid doesn’t participate in the National Competition, don’t you think that Chairman Lim Cheolho would somehow place Grid on stage?”
“Yes. The player Grid might refuse, but he will be placed on stage in a different role. Of course, he will sprinkle a better reward than a gold medal as bait.”
“A role other than a player?”
“It is our job to find out what that role is. I’m personally anticipating the Breaking the Hero event.”
Breaking the Hero—last year, the hero had copied 100% of the specs of the last PvP winner while the other participants challenged the hero. It was an intuitive reminder of how far the players had progressed during the year. There were elements that excited the audience.
“The hero this year is Grid… What if it isn’t the artificial intelligence controlling it but Grid himself?”
Last year’s hero had been Kraugel. However, it couldn’t really be called Kraugel. It was because the artificial intelligence, not Kraugel, had been controlling it. This was poison. The artificial intelligence might’ve reproduced Kraugel’s control skills, but it had failed to copy his senses. The result was that its combat power fell far below the original’s.
On the other hand, it was speculated that this year’s hero would be better. The hero Grid was completely different from the hero Kraugel. Grid didn’t have awe-inspiring control or senses; his skills were relatively normal (?) for a high ranker. It was why many experts and enthusiasts were looking forward to the 4th National Competition’s Breaking the Hero.
They all wanted to see an AI play Grid’s character. They wondered how much better Grid would be if he had more talent. Yet what if the hero was controlled by Grid this year, unlike what people expected? Lee Gookrae and Kim Jaeshik got goosebumps at the thought.
They seemed to see the reactions of the audience members in front of them. The audience would be confused when the artificial intelligence Grid’s combat power turned out to be far less than expected. However, they wouldn’t boo him. Grid was still strong, and all the other participants would kneel before him.