Overgeared

by Park Saenal

  However, Zhang Jian’s experience was lacking. He couldn’t see the difference between the artificial intelligence that controlled last year’s Hero and the artificial intelligence in front of him. It was a defeat. Kraugel’s artificial intelligence was cautious, and because of that, he gave up seizing the opportunity. Meanwhile, Grid’s artificial intelligence was aggressive and didn’t intend to yield. He rotated like a spinning top and cut twice in succession.

  “….!?”

  The moment the game began, Zhang Jian crossed a river and couldn’t go back.

  [You have blocked a powerful blow.]

  [The durability of Crying Warrior’s Sword has dropped by 78!]

  [Your right wrist has been fractured!]

  [You have suffered 2,900 damage.]

  [You can’t move your right hand for 15 seconds.]

  ‘Isn’t this crazy?’

  Of course, he was aware of it in advance. Grid’s attack power was crazy. There would be serious damage even if it was a basic attack. Yes, he knew this when he permitted the attack. Yet his defense wasn’t sufficient? He had even selected accessories that increased his strength.

  Grid’s next attack was coming. This time it was a stab. Zhang Jian moved his sword from his right hand to his left hand and used a skill.

  “Heavenly Body!”

  It was a status skill. It was an avatar based skill that made him immune to physical conditions and reduced the damage received. Originally, he planned to use it at the end of the battle but he realized the fight would end immediately if he saved it. He blocked Grid’s sword and Zhang Jian’s counterattack followed.

  Then Grid’s cloak flapped in an unusual manner and four golden hands could be seen. Zhang Jian was struck by a bombardment of white flashes. It was magic that ignored magic resistance and the damage was overwhelming. Zhang Jian kept striking at Grid’s chest.

  “Who will die first…!”

  It was a mud fight from now on. Zhang Jian used a strong attack buff and followed up with a cut.

  [The target has received 5,380 damage.]

  [The target has received 5,290 damage…]

  ‘Isn’t this crazy?’

  He used an attack buff and wielded a legendary weapon, yet he only dealt this much damage? Zhang Jian’s eyes shook and a dark smile appeared on Grid’s face. It was a provocative smile, as if saying Zhang Jian was cute.

  “You jerk!”

  An artificial intelligence was taunting him? The anger of Zhang Jian, who had been crowned as a new hero candidate by billions of Chinese people, was boiling. However, this didn’t last long. It was due to the flames around Grid’s body. They were flames that burnt anyone who approached.

  “Uwah!”

  Zhang Jian screamed and involuntarily stepped back. It was because the damage of the flames accumulated faster than the damage of the sword.

  “W-What… Heok!”

  Zhang Jian retreated and used a sword technique to block Grid’s path as much as possible. Then he paled as he tried to take a potion. It was because Grid easily broke through the technique and reached him in an instant.

  “G-Get lost!”

  The frightened Zhang Jian started randomly using attack skills but it was useless. The strongest attacks of the famous ranker couldn’t penetrate Grid’s defense.

  “Hahat!”

  The Hero laughed like it was fun. He grabbed Zhang Jian’s face and Queen’s Flames of Hell exploded. It was only 1 minute and 13 seconds. This was the time it took for China’s rising star to be destroyed by the Grid of one year ago. The problem was that Grid’s health gauge remained almost unchanged. The people of China were silent from the big shock.

  ***

  『 Ahh! In the end, Player Mei Xiao was eliminated! 』

  『 It was a breathtaking tightrope until the end, but this is the result. It is a shame. Still, Player Mei Xiao fought well enough. 』

  Mei Xiao was different from the three players before her. She used a sharp iron whip and her magic power to charge at Grid like an angry bull. In five minutes, Grid’s health dropped by nearly 50%. Of course, it was a brilliant fight against Grid considering he had the recovery effect of Tiramet’s Belt and the First King title. Mei Xiao was clearly superior compared to the other participants who died within three minutes and couldn’t even scratch Grid’s health.

  “Waaaaahhhhh!”

  The 100,000 spectators and billions of viewers around the world cheered for Mei Xiao. However, Grid sitting in the waiting room wasn’t inspired.

  “It is a rough way of fighting.”

  The Grid of one year ago. This year’s Hero seemed like a bulldozer under the control of the artificial intelligence. The only thing that pushed the opponents were Grid’s specs itself. There were no skills to admire. Grid smacked his lips together. He had been thinking of using the artificial intelligence as a means of study to improve his control. However, that regret only lasted a moment.

  “Kraugel…”

  Grid sat upright as soon as the last participant of Breaking the Hero appeared on the stage.

  “…?”

  Just like he did to the other participants, the Hero flew toward Kraugel. Kraugel avoided it and stepped on the Hero’s body in the air. At the same time, the White Tiger Sword rose. The Hero’s stomach was pierced and blood sprayed into the air. The Hero who had laughed at the other participants now had his lips firmly closed. The God Hands fired Magic Missiles at Kraugel and then armed themselves with Mjolnir.

  “Wave!”

  The Hero used a sword dance after landing on the ground and the energy rushed toward Kraugel. The Hero combined his high insight stat and the Slaughterer’s Eye Patch to predict Kraugel’s escape path in an exquisite manner. On the other hand, Kraugel had the Control Sword skill. Four swords emerged from Kraugel’s inventory and tangled together with the God Hands.

  “Perfect!”

  Grid jumped up from his seat. Control Sword was a difficult skill. Unlike the God Hands, Kraugel needed to mentally control the swords to make them move. Last year’s Kraugel couldn’t fully utilize this. He made a mistake by trying to control the swords and lost concentration. This year was different. He was in complete control of his body and the swords. It was the control of five bodies using one mind.

  Kraugel used White Light Steps and appeared behind the Hero. The Hero read this with insight and turned around, his sword moving. The two swords collided and black flames covered Kraugel while sharp stony thorns penetrated the Hero. No, it seemed to penetrate him. The Hero swiftly moved Lantier’s Cloak and bounced back most of the thorns, which were classified as projectiles.

  “…”

  Everyone had their mouths shut. The billions of people were sweating as they focused on the screen. Then…

  “That’s it.”

  Grid was filled with joy. He stared with wide eyes, determined not to miss any moment of Kraugel’s fight against the Hero.

  Chapter 943

  It was natural to defeat the Hero. One year in real time. In Satisfy time, the Hero had stagnated for three years while the contestants made steady progress. Indeed, last year’s Hero was defeated by many challengers. His fall reminded the world of how great the power of time was.

  On the other hand, this year’s Hero was different. He blocked the challenges of the famous powerhouses and cruelly slaughtered those who didn’t understand who they were up against. This was the Hero’s true nature. How powerful was the Overgeared King Grid, who made even time meaningless? People deeply questioned this and shook. The huge presence of the monster called Grid was eroding the entire planet.

  However, Kraugel remained calm as he competed against the Hero. His time, efforts and development were denied but he didn’t show despair. It seemed like he had been prepared a long time ago.

  It was two years after becoming a Sword Saint. Kraugel, who had lost a lot and got back up, was much stronger than he was last year. He had a vast amount of knowledge and information accumulated during the process
of becoming the peak of two billion users. The transformed Kraugel was like a fictional character who returned to the past and was living a second life. He started again from the beginning and was the only hope against the monster called Grid.

  Kraugel neutralized the Hero’s blow with Shedding and inserted his sheath into the ground.

  “…?”

  At the same time, the Hero’s sword dance stopped. The skill was cancelled because the path of the footwork was blocked by Kraugel’s sheath. What happened next? The Hero naturally reacted. He started a new sword dance. Kraugel’s sheath blocked the path again. The same thing was repeated many times.

  Kraugel was familiar with all of Grid’s sword dances since last year. Nevertheless, the Hero didn’t panic. Once all his footwork started being read, he responded by mixing them with false information. He corrected the path of the footwork in real time, using footwork that wasn’t related to the sword dances in order to confuse Kraugel.

  The Enlightenment Sword and White Tiger Sword collided without stopping. There were occasions where black flames hit Kraugel and stone thorns created wounds on the Hero. In the midst of this continued fighting, Kraugel drew out an additional sword. He summoned two new swords from his inventory while placing sheaths in the ground to seal off the Hero’s footwork. Kraugel’s swords and sheaths kept hitting the Hero.

  “Kuek…”

  Anger flared in the eyes of the Hero. He was agitated enough to express his emotions, making an opportunity for Kraugel. The insight-induced predictions became dull the moment the Hero lost his composure and the experienced Kraugel didn’t miss it.

  “Splitting the Sky.”

  It was the technique he learnt from Great Swordsman Piaro. The sword technique that dealt a deep wound to Great Demon Belial was released from Kraugel’s sword after he avoided the Hero’s attack.

  “Cough!”

  The Hero coughed up blood. Three bars disappeared from the health gauge, which was divided into 10 bars. The Hero had allowed a lot of hits throughout the battle. Thus, this sword technique was a considerable burden despite the Hero’s high defense.

  “…Am I seeing correctly right now?”

  “What is this… Cutting off the sword dances with a sheath? How did he come up with that idea?”

  “It isn’t just the idea. The body will follow.”

  The majority of people didn’t understand the battle but there were some who felt admiration. In particular, the impact on Chris was great since he was pursuing the ultimate swordsmanship.

  ‘The range of his thinking is different.’

  At this point, he doubted the heavens. What was the reason for a monster called Grid after there was a genius called Kraugel? Then Lauel’s voice was heard. “If the two of them were born in different eras, they wouldn’t be able to grow this far.”

  Going beyond the limits. Grid and Kraugel recognized each other as rivals and were able to drive themselves to the limit because they were conscious of each other. They reached their present state by overcoming their limitations several times.

  “Isn’t it the wish of heaven that a transcendent beyond a human is born? It is advising us to prepare for the attack of some huge enemy. Kuk, kukukuk… Sooner or later, the door of a second dimension might open on Earth.”

  “Ah…? I see…”

  Why did Lauel come to the waiting room of another country and talk nonsense? Chris got goosebumps.

  『 Blackening…! The true power of the Hero is being shown! 』

  On the monitor, the Hero facing Kraugel turned black. His black hair rose as demonic energy appeared around him. It was the precursor to Transcend. The Hero moved away from Kraugel and started releasing sword energy. He subdued the enemy from the distance while opening up Cray’s Power, which had a 100% blood-sucking effect. The blood from the wounds formed red tails that threatened Kraugel. It was a huge momentum that seemed like it would kill anyone who came near. The God Hands were trying to get rid of the swords in the air. Kraugel was busy trying to control the swords while avoiding the bombardment.

  ‘Shedding doesn’t work.’

  The Sword Saint’s passive skill Shedding was a technique where if he blocked the target’s attack with a sword type object, it would deflect it without him receiving any damage and had a certain probability of destroying the enemy’s stance. It was impossible for Shedding to cope with the energy blades that exploded at the moment of contact.

  The duration of Transcend was approximately 30 seconds. Kraugel knew Grid and there was no way he could miss this. He planned to avoid the Hero, who increased his attack speed and attack power with Blackening and was bombarding him with Transcend.

  Kraugel used True Clouds, his sword emitting a blue fog that erased his presence. Sparks of white magic power appeared in the sky above the blue fog. It was the Alarm spell. It was one of the abilities Grid could use when he had the mental power to afford it. The Hero had set the combination of Alarm + Magic Missile every time the cooldown ended since the battle started. This was an attack optimized to aim at the defenseless Kraugel.

  The light came pouring down. Dozens of energy blades from Transcend came from the front while Magic Missiles poured from the sky.

  ‘Did he match the timing of the spell’s activation to Transcend?’

  Kraugel was trapped between the magic and energy blades. He activated Super Sensitivity and retreated. He moved faster than the energy blades of Transcend. His appearance as he flew through the fog while blocking the Magic Missiles with Sword Curtain was fast and complex. The viewers found it hard to follow him.

  However, the Hero utilized insight and the Slaughterer’s Eye Patch to the limit and never lost sight of the target. The fog created by True Clouds, which disturbed his view and blocked detection, didn’t show much effect. The continuous movements directly related to the consumption of stamina.

  After confirming that no more Magic Missiles poured from the sky, Kraugel stopped and adjusted his sword. It was due to the ‘Reveal Sharp Teeth’ effect attached to the +8 White Tiger Sword that had grown to the unique rating. The Hero didn’t miss this opening. He sensed that the target had stopped and pulled out the Ideal Dagger. His right hand held the Enlightenment Sword and the left hand held the Ideal Dagger.

  “Quick Movements.”

  The Hero’s agility was maximized. Now that it was useless, the Ideal Dagger was thrown through the air like a dart as the Hero fired six continuous energy blades at the frozen Kraugel. Kraugel twisted his back.

  ‘Just a bit more.’

  The attack speed was very fast. The energy blades poured down with almost no break. Kraugel waited until a breathtaking moment. He waited until more than 12 energy blades reached him. The number of energy blades that reached his nose was exactly 12. Kraugel swung his sword along with six additional swords.

  Even so, the timing was a bit off. It was because one of the swords dealing with the God Hands was hit by the Ideal Dagger and flew away. The God Hand was temporarily freed and struck Kraugel’s collarbone with Failure.

  “Kuek…! Tearing the Sky!”

  The storm of sword energy tore into the sky like a beast’s claws. Four of the 18 energy blades pouring toward Kraugel hit him and the remaining 14 returned to the Hero. The Hero didn’t intercept or avoid them. The direction of the counterattack Tearing the Sky was limited to above. The 14 deflected energy blades passed over the Hero’s head and exploded.

  『 Ah! He failed with his aim? 』

  『 I think he lost his balance after allowing the God Hand’s attack. The damage done by the energy blades seems quite big… 』

  The commentators watching the situation felt pity as Kraugel walked through the fog. Unlike what the commentators thought, Kraugel accomplished his intentions. The series of explosions over the head caused a massive shock wave in the vicinity and caused the Hero’s body to shake.

  Kraugel stood in place and swung his sword. The distance between Kraugel and the Hero was approximately 15 meters. It was
a distance that the sword couldn’t cross. Still, not one person thought that Kraugel was hitting the air. They knew about the sword that split apart the world. The neat cutting sound produced by Kraugel spread out into the distance.

  The clouds in the sky…

  The land between Kraugel and the Hero..

  The things that made up the landscape were split in half, as if they were like that from the beginning. It was the effect of Space Sword, one of Kraugel’s ultimate techniques.

  “…!?”

  The eyes of the Hero widened. This guy was learning.

  Chapter 944

  [Critical!!]

  [The target has received 44,099 damage.]

  [The target has suffered irreversible damage! All stats are reduced by 20% and all speeds are reduced by 50%!]

  [The target has resisted.]

  [The cutting has failed.]

  [The target has exposed his weakness! If you hit the target within 30 seconds, an unconditional critical hit will be applied! The critical damage applied will be 1.5 times higher!]

  […!]

  [!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

  [Your powerful sword has separated the world!!!]

  “…!?”

  The Hero’s stance collapsed. He knelt down and a fountain of blood spurted from his chest and was absorbed into the red tail, as if the red tail was seeking more blood. This was an attack that ignored a certain amount of defense, dealt additional damage in proportion to the current health of the target, unconditionally applied a critical hit and had a high probability of activating the cutting effect.

  The destructive power of Space Sword decreased the Hero’s health gauge by five bars. The Hero immediately recovered a considerable amount of health due to the First King title but it was obviously huge damage due to the consumption value.

  It happened when the gods were restoring the split apart world. Kraugel was used to the bitter taste of the potion that he had taken several times already and used White Light Steps. The Hero’s red-purple aura was at its peak so Kraugel wanted to avoid a long battle.