Overgeared

by Park Saenal

  “Of course.”

  “I will help actively. I am interested in the knowledge of the evil eyes people that is sleeping in the library. Then let’s go.”

  Grid, Sticks, the former Giant Guild members, and 2,000 soldiers moved through the portal. They panicked the moment they arrived at the village entrance. The situation in the city was completely different from what Grid’s group had expected.

  “…”

  The village entrance was blocked by the Overgeared soldiers, and they were a wreck. It was hard to find any armor, and their bodies were covered with wounds. Grid got a glimpse of how bitter the fighting had been over the last month. It seemed like hell. They must be tired. Then what was this? The Overgeared soldiers were as tempered as a strong sword. They gazed at the enemies with unshakable eyes.

  On the other hand, the gazes of the opponents facing them were completely dead. The enemy soldiers were wearing luxurious armor and still had physical strength left, but they shrank back like dogs who had lost the fight.

  “…?”

  What was this situation? Grid’s group turned their gazes to what was going on inside the city. Behind the Overgeared soldiers gazing at the enemy, there was a scene of blood and flesh scattering. A beautiful black-haired woman stabbed her sword into a knight’s stomach and pointed her gun at his head.

  “S-Spare me…” The knight coughed up blood and pleaded, but it was useless. The beautiful black-haired woman mercilessly pulled the trigger, and the knight’s head burst like a watermelon.

  “Waaahhhhhhhh!” The Overgeared soldiers roared like beasts and stomped their feet. The soldiers were already in a state of despair and stepped back with surprise.

  “Oh, you came?” The black-haired beauty neatly handled the remaining enemies and smiled after finding Grid. Her smile was so brilliant it was hard to believe she had slaughtered four knights.

  “Y-Y-Yura, you went through a lot of trouble.”

  Was it the application of the Hell Leap skill? Yura’s sword disappeared through a passage in the air and appeared again in a completely different direction, causing Grid to be stunned beyond being in awe of her. He thought he wouldn’t be able to respond to her attacks.

  ‘Incredibly strong…’

  What if? If he really married Yura, wouldn’t he receive a one-sided beating whenever they fought? He was afraid since combat senses could be demonstrated in reality.

  ***

  The empire divided the evil eyes village into 16 points—the east and west entrances, the central library, the eight roads leading from the entrances to the library, the castle of the evil eyes king, and the four roads leading from the library to the castle. Most of the outside forces that the empire sent to the village came from these 16 points.

  The same was true for the Blue Flame Knights. The main members of the Blue Flame Knights appeared in front of the library and in particular the castle gates.

  “…The raid is short-term.”

  It was the Peak Sword and Vantner duo. They stretched and slowly opened their eyes before standing up. 30 knights could be seen. They wore full plate armor and yellow cloaks and held silver long swords with a cross handle. Just by looking at their armed state, one could tell they were unusual. It was obvious with one glance that expensive goods covered their bodies. They seemed to be knights of a senior noble or a royal family.

  “Don’t they look exceptionally strong?”

  The enemies that they had been dealing with for the past month were also formidable. However, these knights were extremely unusual. Peak Sword and Vantner felt troubled. They noticed that their biggest crisis had come.

  “We have to be tense. They will reach their goal if we’re careless.” Vantner raised his shield and stared at the rear of the knights. There was a young knight who didn’t wear a helmet in order to show off his good-looking face and the abundant hair he was proud of. He was called Apollo, and his name shone in silver. It meant he was a quasi-named NPC.

  “He is at least level 400.”

  That was at least 20 levels higher than Peak Sword’s. Additionally, quasi-named NPCs had higher stats than players. It seemed hard to beat Apollo even if Peek and Vantner worked together. Moreover, Apollo had many subordinates. They were estimated to be at least level 330.

  “You guys, enter the castle right now. There are evil eyes in the castle, so listen to their orders,” Peak Sword ordered.

  However, the soldiers refused. “We can’t leave the marquis!”

  “We will stay and buy some time, so the marquis and earl should retreat!”

  The soldiers put up a loyal appearance! They sincerely respected Peak Sword and Vantner and were determined to sacrifice their lives for the two people. Yet Peak Sword frowned instead of feeling impressed. “Get out of here quickly. That guy can’t run wild with you here.”

  “…?”

  This guy…? Run wild…? Who did he mean?

  Then it happened as the soldiers were tilting their heads to the side. The sword hanging from Peak Sword’s waist started to shake wildly. Iyarugt in the sheath was snapping at Peak Sword, -You are a young fool. Why aren’t you quickly summoning me? Shit, I will fall behind by following you.

  “…”

  Thanks to Peak Sword using him for the past three years and two months, Iyarugt’s soul had strengthened, and he could now speak without needing to be summoned. However, his tone was very harsh. He talked like a back-alley gangster. Was this the reality of hell’s best swordsman?

  Some people might be shocked and disappointed, but in fact, this wasn’t Iyarugt’s nature. Iyarugt just adapted to the change in environment. He was like this because of Peak Sword, who was sensitive to comments in articles, and Vantner, who was sensitive about his bald head. Iyarugt’s tone had changed after being stuck with them for a month, becoming tough.

  ‘…I’m glad Huroi isn’t here.’

  If Huroi were here… It was horrible just imagining it. Iyarugt might’ve fallen to the point of mentioning people’s parents.

  Peak Sword twitched and pulled Iyarugt out of the sheath.

  It was a clear red sword.

  -Peak Sword, as you know, this sword is just a medium that seals my soul. I don’t know what will happen to my soul the moment the sword breaks. I might be released or lose my body. Thus, be careful not to act stupidly. Iyarugt’s tone was fierce, but his soul felt worried.

  Peak Sword smiled and nodded. “Yes, I’ll be careful. I will never let you break.”

  On the other hand, the Blue Flame Knights were stunned. In particular, Apollo revealed a blatant feeling of greed.

  “It is a beautiful sword. It is a work of art that isn’t fitting for a man like you. I will have it.”

  “Pfft.”

  The magic sword was a work of art…? Was there a hole in his eyes?

  “Why are you laughing?” Apollo glared at Peak Sword with a terrifying killing intent that would crush a person. However, Peak Sword was fine. Apollo wasn’t terrible from the standpoint of Peak Sword, who had defeated the Hero in the National Competition.

  “Who wouldn’t laugh at a dog? Do I have to explain why I am laughing? Dog-like bastard. You don’t know the value of this sword yet you dare covet it. Sit down.”

  “…You will die soon.”

  “You’re the one who is going to die. Come! Iyarugt!”

  Iyarugt stated to emit a bloody light. Apollo and the Blue Flame Knights were shocked by the unusual aura and pulled out their swords, while Vantner paled and retreated with the soldiers. The mist solidified into a bead, and the shape of a man eventually emerged. He was Hell’s best swordsman, a Sword Demon, Great Demon Zepar’s only rival, and so on. It didn’t take long for Iyarugt to show up in the world with his tough words.

  “Fucking brat, summon me quicker next time.”

  An elderly man bent over with bloody flames wrapped around his body. A horn rose from his forehead, proving he was a demonkin as he flew forward with his sword.

  “…!?” Ap
ollo’s eyes shook while the other knights didn’t respond. The sword drew a full moon.

  “…?” The bodies of the knights who discovered it belatedly were split in two, and blood streamed like a fountain.

  “There are some decent guys mixed in.” Iyarugt licked the blood from the sword, and his gaze focused on Apollo.

  “Sublime Sword.”

  Iyarugt had achieved ‘breaking through his limits’ a total of five times with Peak Sword. He had regained almost half his power. It could only be sustained for a very short time since it was formed by the soul, but it was sufficient to clean up these small fry.

  Chapter 978

  Just like how some pets such as elementals didn’t have the concept of growth, Iyarugt didn’t have the growth concept of ‘level.’ This didn’t mean he was restricted or had limitations though. Rather, it meant that Iyarugt could grow through the process of restoring himself.

  [* By winning in a battle against the strong, he can regain a feeling of life. The more he wins, the more he will regain your skills. (5/10)]

  This was stated in Iyarugt’s status window. Every time he raided a named boss monster, he could break his limits and restore his strength. The power of Iyarugt’s current Sublime Sword was four times more powerful than Peak Sword’s Annihilate and was comparable to Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.

  “Kuek…!” Apollo blocked the sword with a shield and couldn’t help groaning from the shock. His left arm that was holding the shield spun through the air.

  “Captain!” The knights’ horrified cries rang out. A demonkin had suddenly appeared, and one of the knights’ captain’s arms was cut off. Apollo used the first aid skill Hit a Pressure Point available for a fourth advancement knight and asked in a resentful voice, “I don’t understand… The evil eyes are a species banished from hell. Why are you helping the demonkin?”

  However, Iyarugt wasn’t a conversationalist. He was only interested in pursuing fighting skills. Iyraugt had no interest in other people’s positions, nor was he kind enough to explain his reasons.

  “What a load of shit.”

  “…”

  The moment the atmosphere became tense from Iyarugt’s attitude, a voice rang out.

  “Shouldn’t you look at your own actions before blaming others?” It was Peak Sword who shouted from behind Iyarugt. “You are the invaders! Do you deserve to blame other people when you have invaded this territory, harmed the people and took away their peace? You are barbarians!”

  “…I omitted the introductions, so there was a misunderstanding. We are the Blue Flame Knights of the Gauss royal family. This is our territory, and we have the right and duty to defend ourselves. It is the evil eyes who are the invaders, not us.”

  “G-Gauss Kingdom? Keuk! Still, the evil eyes haven’t hurt your people!”

  “How do you know? Can you guarantee that they haven’t harmed anyone? They are demonkin. They must be ferocious to have been banished from hell.”

  “Uh…!”

  “No… Before discussing race, it is a matter of basic national security… Think about it from our perspective. If you find out that a certain armed group is living underneath your Overgeared Kingdom… would you be able to overlook it?”

  “…!” Peak Sword became more and more dumbfounded. It was because he couldn’t refute any of Apollo’s reasonable words. As an easy example, imagine if the Chinese army were living underneath South Korean territory. It was something that could never be tolerated for Koreans.

  “I-I see… I fully understand your position. Technically, you guys are the victims…” Peak Sword admitted it honestly. However—

  “Ah, I don’t know! In any case, the Gauss Kingdom is our enemy! I’ll get rid of everyone here!”

  It was enough to ignore the unfavorable truth. Peak Sword refused any further conversation. He pulled out a dark sword—a long sword that Grid had made out of Belial’s Horn. Just based on the performance alone, it was a weapon that was slightly more powerful than Iyarugt.

  “Let’s go, Iyarugt! Exterminate them!”

  The new Iyarugt was launched like a flash of light while Peak Sword stood in place and bent over.

  “Hell Moon Cut.”

  Simultaneously, Iyarugt had cut through the lead knights and was surrounded by the enemies.

  “Annihilate.”

  Peak Sword’s weapon swept through the enemies around Iyarugt. It was a ridiculously aggressive offensive. Apollo realized the opponents weren’t willing to talk and raised a blue sword energy from the tip of his sword. It was a flame-like sword.

  “My fire will protect my country!”

  It was a powerful wave of energy! Peak Sword was pushed back during the gap created by using Draw Sword, and Vantner ran to his side to set up a shield. After that, Apollo’s sword energy struck Vantner’s shield. Vantner murmured to himself, ‘It is a whole different level…!’

  As expected, a fourth advancement opponent was too much at this point in time.

  A third advancement class could overwhelm a second advancement class. Then what about a fourth advancement?

  It was difficult to deal with Apollo’s damage, despite his stats falling significantly because of his severed arm.

  While suffering an internal injury and coughing up blood, Peak Sword shouted, “Hey! Iyarugt! Get rid of that guy quickly!”

  “You aren’t my master so you should shut up.”

  The ferocious Iyarugt moved close to Apollo. He also knew that Peak Sword would be in danger if he didn’t get rid of Apollo.

  The swordsmanship of a demonkin was different from that of human swordsmen.

  The dazzling sword strikes that depended on the innate power and vitality of a demonkin suppressed Apollo fiercely.

  Apollo was aware that Iyarugt exposed one or two gaps, but he didn’t take advantage of them.

  They were a trap.

  Apollo had a hunch that he could suffer more damage if he was lured in by these gaps. It would’ve been easy to fight back and defend if only he hadn’t lost his arm. The biggest problem was that he failed to gauge the power of the first attack.

  “Good! Well done!”

  “Push him, Iyarugt!”

  Peak Sword and Vantner didn’t bother getting involved in the fight. It was because they weren’t in a perfect state and would just be a hindrance. Now there were less than 10 Blue Flame Knights left, and they vented their anger with an energetic shout. “These guys!”

  While they were fighting for their lives, these two people were hiding behind the crazy demonkin and cheering.

  “We’ll deal with you!” The blue flaming sword energy of the knights rose in unison. They had trained together for many years, and their cooperation was close to art.

  “Aack!” Peak Sword screamed as two swords pierced his left side while he was busy blocking. Another two attacked from the right, and Peak Sword would be in danger of being killed if he didn’t handle it right. Peak Sword forgot about his pride and rolled his body. He thought about Grid as he barely managed to avoid the crisis.

  It was hard to deal with four players at once. Then what about Grid who won against 400 players? It was really amazing. He was a truly great guy.

  ‘Cool! Too good!’ Peak Sword could only be described as crazy as he praised Grid while on the verge of dying, “God Grid is the beeeeest!”

  ‘He is sick again.’ Vantner clicked his tongue while hiding behind a sword. His shield’s durability was low and was on the verge of being destroyed. “…!?”

  ‘They are royal knights!’

  The Blue Flame Knights were truly powerhouses. Their level of swordsmanship was so high that it was difficult to find a gap of opportunity, and their attack power was also high. Eventually, the four blue flaming swords shattered Vantner’s tattered shield.

  “Eek! Hey! I’m dead!” Vantner cried out as he was stabbed in the stomach, but Peak Sword couldn’t afford to help him. Peak Sword was in the exact same situation was Vantner. He had already been stabbed in the
stomach several times.

  “Oh, shit! You are a tanker and should be protecting me! You should go before me!”

  “…”

  The two of them were part of the 10 meritorious retainers of the Overgeared Kingdom. The Overgeared soldiers watched the legends of the Overgeared Kingdom struggle. They had been expecting a fierce and wonderful fight, but the situation was a mess.

  “We will fight!”

  “Yes! Go!”

  The soldiers, who had been staring blankly for a while, raised their weapons. They hadn’t participated because Vantner had been urging them to stay away, but now they had hit a limit. The soldiers were prepared to die. They decided to sacrifice their lives to save Peak Sword and Vantner.

  “Waaaaahhhhh!”

  “Ugh… Run away…”

  Peak Sword and Vantner didn’t welcome the soldiers joining the fight. They might lose experience and items if they died, but they could resurrect again. On the other hand, the soldiers only had one life. Piaro, Asmophel, Jude, and the elite soldiers they worked hard to train… The two people didn’t want the soldiers’ to die after they had fought together for more than a month.

  Peak Sword escaped the immediate crisis due to the soldiers joining and shouted while coughing up blood, “Shit…! Iyarugt! Protect the soldiers!”

  Unfortunately, Iyarugt wasn’t in a position to respond to his call. Apollo was also a strong representative of his country. He was furious, and Iyarugt couldn’t shake him off easily. Vantner pushed the knights with his shoulders and saved his allies. Then he glared at the tightly closed gates.

  “Shit! Those evil eyes to the end…!”

  If there was such turmoil, they should open the gates and help. However, the evil eyes didn’t do anything.

  ‘These nasty bastards, who are we fighting for?’

  The people they were sacrificing their lives for were ignoring them. Thus, Peak Sword and Vantner felt that all their efforts were in vain. It was called sage time in jargon. Their frustration was decreasing their morale. At this moment, a flower bloomed in the middle of the battlefield. The red flower was blooming from the heart of a Blue Flame Knight.