Overgeared

Chapter 143

?????

The combat power displayed above the Awakened Guardian of the Forest's head was made of only question marks. If this were Grid from a few months back, he wouldn't have been able to guess why and probably would've thought it as a bug and grumbled about it.

However, now he was different. After many incidents, Grid had calmed and matured almost to the point of unfamiliarity. His thinking power finally belonged to the category of normal people.

'Is this implying that its combat power is too high for my insight?'

Peng!

“Ah, is my scouting broken?  What's with your immeasurable combat strength?"

Grid was reminded of a scene from an old manhwa. His insight had worked on the pope, so this meant that the guardian in front of him was stronger than the pope.

"How rotten… I came here to play but I met a strong enemy."

Grid had defeated the pope and obtained the legendary battle gear set, so he was much stronger than before. He had planned to easily defeat the Guardian of the Forest. Then what was this awakening mode?

Grid wasn't aware of why the Guardian of the Forest awakened and why it was at this time. But he didn't panic. He thought about it calmly and positively.

'It will be a tough fight, but I think that it will work out well. Doesn't it seem like the guardian will give a lot of blue orichalcum?'

The ash grey forest couldn't dim the light of the blue orichalcum on the awakened guardian's body. If he could obtain all those blue orichalcum, wouldn't he be able to make two Failures?

'I will collect it!' Grid wanted to take out a pickaxe. However, he needed to first neutralize the guardian. 'I can't be too excited or I might miss the jackpot. Let's not attack carelessly and wait for a chance.'

Grid was a greatsword lover. Except for the Ideal Dagger that he made for a quest, he had always used a greatsword since starting Satisfy until now. He was confident that he had a higher understanding of a greatsword than most users did.

All out power! Deadly blows!

"Phew."

Grid grasped Dainsleif tightly and took deep breaths. He waited for a moment.  The awakened guardian stared at Grid, then a red light flashed in its eyes. It made a posture like a sprinter, then quickly narrowed the distance towards Grid.

Grid timed it.

'One. Two. Now!'

It was perfect timing. As soon as the awakened guardian ran into Dainsleif's attack range, Grid released all his tensed muscles.

Kwaang!

An explosive sword strike! Dainsleif caused a dark red afterglow as it accurately struck the guardian's chest.

[Critical!]

[You have dealt 5,700 damage to the target.]

The awakened guardian's health gauge was reduced around 1/100. Grid was convinced.

'Just like the size is several times smaller than the original, its defense and health are reduced as well.' 

Monster types could be divided into the main categories of:  attack, defense, support, and balance. While it was possible to classify them in more detail depending on species, attributes, skill, etc, these were just the basics. 

The Guardian of the Forest was a typical defensive monster. As a peak golem, it possessed both abnormally high defense and health. On the other hand, the Awakened Guardian of the Forest was undoubtedly an offensive monster. It was obvious that it was an aggressive monster when its health was reduced by 1/100 by a single blow, as well as the fact that it killed a knight instantly.

'The advantages are its fast speed and high attack power.'

This was a good thing. Grid could exert overwhelming attack power, so he found it more comfortable to deal with offensive types compared to defense types. It was possible to take care of the opponent quickly.

“I will kill you in an instant."

The awakened guardian was stronger than the pope? He was also stronger than the pope. Grid's eyes were filled with confidence. But he still remained calm. His head was cold while his chest was hot.

“…”

Grid didn't move first. He waited for another chance, just like before.

Peeng!

Indeed. As an offensive type monster, the awakened guardian was aggressive. It didn't learn and aimed for a frontal attack again.

‘Now!’

Grid calculated the perfect timing for a counter. He swung Dainsleif the moment the awakened guardian entered his range of attack.

Chaaeng!

This time, it was a vertical slash. The heavier blow fell upon the guardian's shoulders.

[Critical!]

[You have dealt 6,380 damage to the target.]

Kik. Kkikikik.

The awakened guardian was hit and let out a strange noise. It paused for a moment before heading directly to him again.

'Hehe, you idiot. Is your IQ in the single digit~?'

On the other hand, Grid believed that his IQ was in the double digits! He prepared for the third counter. He once again swung Dainsleif with proper timing. But this time, there was a completely different result.

The same move no longer worked. The awakened guard avoided the attack by moving its upper body the moment Grid struck. Then it moved around Dainsleif towards Grid's side.

'The same stupid lunge was a fake?'

A chill went down Grid's spine. A monster using a trick! Then the guardian rotated, gathering the centrifugal force before kicked Grid's face.

[You have been hit by a lethal blow!]

[You have suffered 13,090 damage.]

"Kuheok…!"

This wasn't a skill. It was just a kick. In other words, a simple blow. Except, that "simple blow" made him instantly lose a third of his health. This was twice the damage that Grid could deal with his critical attacks. Considering Grid was also equipped with legendary equipment, it was a stunning sight to behold.

[The effect of Doran's Ring has been activated.]

[The option of the Holy Light Armor has been activated.]

[19,635 health has been restored.]

"Damn bastard!"

The broken nose bone was restored and the nosebleed disappeared without a trace. However, Grid's anger didn't fade. Falling for a monster's tricks? Grid didn't expect to be so stupid! Then Grid fired Pagma's Swordsmanship, Link.

Pipit! Pipipipipi-!

17 swords of light covered the awakened guardian's body. But it didn't do much damage. The awakened guardian surprised him by avoiding nine of the strikes.

'Fast!'

Grid panicked as the guardian leapt into the air like a martial artist and evaded. Then it flew above Grid's head and its heel descended. Grid hurriedly defended.

Jjejeong!

[The durability of +5 Dainsleif (Reproduction) has been reduced by 37.]

'As expected from the blue orichalcum!'

Dainsleif was made of black iron, one of the finest minerals, and the durability hadn't been damaged until now! Except for adamantium, its body was composed of blue orichalcum, which was known as one of the best minerals.

"I'll kill you! I will tear your body to shreds! Blacksmith’s Rage!"

Grid didn't shrink back. Rather, the momentum around him became stronger.

[Blacksmith's Rage has been activated. Your attack power and attack speed will increase significantly for 20 seconds.]

Chaaeng! Chaeeeeeng!

The onslaught of the excited Grid began. The awakened guardian defended by crossing its arms. Grid's attack speed after Blacksmith's Rage was used was so fast that the guardian couldn't counterattack.

Grid kept up this momentum.

"Pagma's Swordsmanship, Wave!"

It was impossible for the awakened guardian to defeat against the waves being emitted in every direction.

[You have dealt 10,300 damage to the target.]

[The target's attack speed has reduced.]

The awakened guardian stumbled like its body suddenly became heavier. It quickly corrected its posture but it was already too late. Grid accumulated a lot of combat experience and he wasn't going to miss this moment.

"Pagma's Swordsmanship, Kill!"

Kuoooooh-!

A powerful killing intent filled and suppressed the air. Romeo and the soldiers watching the battle from the bushes were scared, urinated or fainted. The awakened guardian also flinched in response. It perceived great danger from the black energy around Grid's greatsword.

Kwang!

The awakened guardian struck the ground with its feet. Then the earth suddenly started to vibrate. One of the AOE skills possessed by the Guardian of the Forest could also be used in its awakened form.

"Ugh."

Grid was immune to status conditions, but what about when the entire earth was shaking? He lost his balance. The subtle collapse of his posture dropped the accuracy of Kill significantly.

[Your attack has missed.]

'Damn!'

His strongest move had missed? Grid was shaken. Then the guardian, who avoided Kill, started to fight back as it struck Grid's body with both fists.

Pepepepeok!

The number of blows was higher than Link. The fists that could even crush steel slammed into Grid. It was the sight of a full-scale beating.

"V-Viscount Grid!"

The soldiers screamed. The volcanic ash blown by the wind pressure interfered with their sight, but they thought that Grid was being turned into a rag.

“We have to help. Our savior… He will die."

Jude jumped to his feet. Romeo stopped him before he could go forward.

“Viscount Grid is safe! We will just interfere!"

Romeo's words were true. At first glance, Grid seemed to be standing firmly on the ground. He never collapsed, despite being hit by the awakened guardian's strike dozens of times. Meanwhile, the awakened guardian stopped punching. It seemed to think Grid was dead. 

However, reality was different. Golden discs were flashing from within the ashes? The golden discs appeared in front of the guardian.

Kikik! Kik.

The awakened guardian belatedly noticed that it had been the golden discs that it had been hitting so far.

Kwaang!

It nervously kicked out at the discs. Then it flinched again. It kicked with all its power, but the golden discs floating in the air didn't even move.

"…You."

The two golden discs swirled and moved in different directions. Then it was revealed that Grid didn't receive even one wound.

Grid frowned. “Did you avoid my attack using such a shallow method? Are you pretending to be a smart golem? Huh? Damn bastard."

Float.

Grid's body rose in the air. This wasn't a temporary rise. It was the 'Fly' magic attached to Braham's Boots. Romeo and the soldiers were in a daze.

“Heok! The viscount can use magic?"

“I don’t know!”

Romeo was confused. He heard from Earl Steim that Grid was Pagma's Descendant, so how could he use magic? It was also senior magic!

'Does that mean Pagma could use magic? Or is Pagma's Descendant an existence that transcends Pagma…!'

Teong!

There was a disturbance from the side and the awakened guard jumped as high as possible. It had planned to grab a hold of Grid before he escaped. But the attempt failed. The height that the guardian could jump was 4m. Grid had already flown above 5m.

Grid scoffed, “Try to trigger another earthquake, you stupid bastard. It is useless to trigger an earthquake when I'm in the sky.”

A person in the sky had an advantage over those on the ground! In the grey sky, Grid started dancing among the volcanic ash that was like snow.

"Pagma's Swordsmanship."

Grid's sword dance usually lasted from 1.5 to 3 seconds. But this sword dance lasted two times longer than that. It was natural. This was because he was using two sword dances in succession.

"Transcend, Link."

[The new skill fusion has succeeded.]

[Fusion skill 'Transcended Link' has been created.]

[Your intelligence has increased by 10 due to the successful fusion of a new skill.]

[Transcended Link]

A sword dance that transcends imagination and is more dazzling than a butterfly's wings.

You will temporarily be in a transcended linked state.

A total of 20 strikes will be launched, dealing 150% attack power with each hit.

Every time a target is hit, they will be stiff for 0.1 seconds.

* This skill doesn't share a cooldown with Transcend and Link.

Skill Mana Cost: 1,600

Skill Cooldown Time: 15 minutes.

“Eh?"

Grid was simple. 

If he switched to a ranged mode with Transcend to double his attack power, then used Link, the original 800% attack power of Link would be doubled by the ranged attack. He thought it would be effective, so he connected the two skills.

However, the actual result was a skill fusion and its power was beyond imagination.

Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwang!

The deepest part of the Grey Forest. There was an outpouring of black energy swords in the sky of forest where the Guardian of the Forest had lived for hundreds of years.

OG: 

Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.

Chapter 144

[Critical!]

[You have dealt 183,900 damage to the target.]

The fusion skill Transcended Link did more damage than Kill. In addition, it also caused the status condition of stiffness. It was the birth of a new special move.

Kiyaaaaaah!

The awakened guardian screamed with pain from the profound blow. Then notification windows flashed in front of Grid.

[Pagma's Swordsmanship has reached a higher ground.]

[The level of Pagma's Swordsmanship has increased.]

[Pagma's Swordsmanship]

Lv. 2

-When the skill is deactivated-

You can become one with the sword at any time. Increases physical attack by 30%, critical hit rate by 20% and critical damage by 10%. 

* This effect is only applied when a sword type weapon is equipped.

* The skill consumes no mana.

-When the skill is activated-

Become one with the sword. Wave, Restraint, Link, Kill, Transcend and Transcended Link. You can unleash a total of six sword techniques.

* The effect of the deactivated skill will be lost.

* 20 mana is required to activate the skill.

* Once deactivated, it will take 10 seconds until the skill can be activated again. Nothing will be consumed when deactivated.

"This is good."

His physical attack power, critical hit chance, and critical damage when Pagma's Swordsmanship was deactivated had increased by 10%. It was comparable to the Advanced Weapon Mastery skill that only rankers above level 240 could acquire. No, it was more than that.

'I am sorry that it is only applied when deactivated, but…'

He only activated Pagma's Swordsmanship whenever he used active skills such as Wave, Kill, and Link. Unfortunately, all of those active skills had a long cooldown time.  Due to this, the time he activated Pagma's Swordsmanship was very short, and Grid looked forward to the deactivated effect in the future.

Kuweeeeeoh!

The awakened guardian roared. Its health gauge was reduced by one-third. It cried out for Grid to come down to the ground and fight.

"You want to kill me?"

Grid scoffed from the sky. Now that the level of Pagma's Swordsmanship had risen, he wanted to go down and test out its power. But why should he make things harder for himself?

“It is up to here."

Suuuuoh.

Grid took a high-grade health potion and started to unfold his sword dance again. He did two sword dances in succession. He was aiming for a new skill fusion. This time it was Transcend and Wave. Grid had no doubt that the fusion of these two skills would result in a powerful skill like Transcended Link.

"Transcend, Wave!"

Grid was filled with anticipation. But there was no skill fusion. The effects were the normal skills.

Kukukukung!

The black energy swords poured down from the sky like a waterfall in every direction. It was a very threatening attack for the awakened guardian. It used all the hard minerals and rocks on its body to form a shell.

[You have dealt 15,800 damage to the target.]

[The target's attack speed has reduced.]

"This."

The skill fusion might've failed but Wave's attack power was doubled due to Transcend. The shell was badly damaged.

'It seems only some of the sword dances can be fused… I will take care of this first, then experiment later.' 

The ones he wanted to try fusing most were Transcend and Kill, or Link and Kill. If the fusion was possible, it would be a skill that went beyond the power of Transcended Link.

But the cooldown time for Kill was 400 seconds, even with the 20% decrease in cooldown time from Braham's Boots. The experiment had to be postponed because the cooldown time of Kill wasn't over yet.

"Blacksmith's Rage!"

Grid's attack power and attack speed rose! He wielded Dainsleif with all his strength.

Pepepepeong!

Depending on the angle with which Grid swung Dainsleif, sword energies with different shapes were fired.

It was impossible for the guardian to evade due to having its movement speed slowed by Wave. the Awakened Guardian of the Forest was unable to defend against all attacks with its shell and started to scream again.

"Amazing!"

“Viscount Grid is invincible…"

Romeo and the soldiers were thrilled. The powerful Guardian of the Forest was being one-sidedly turned into a turtle inside its shell. Grid truly seemed to transcend human limits. But this transcendent dignity was only temporary.

[The duration of Transcend is over.]

The cooldown time was 50 minutes, while the duration was only 30 seconds. 

"Pant pant…"

After constantly attacking for 30 seconds, Grid stopped and suffered from the stamina loss. Despite his high persistence stat, he was exhausted and gasping for breath. However, his expression was relaxed.

'It is almost over.'

The awakened guardian only had a quarter of its health left. After being hit by Transcended Link, it started to use its minerals as a shield, but it was useless. Grid's power in Transcend mode was so overwhelming that its health kept falling.

The cooldown time for Kill was almost over, so it was time to finish this. Grid recovered his breathing as he slowly descended.

"I will collect it."

Grid was ready to take out his pickaxe. However, he overlooked the fact that night was coming.

Kikik. Kkikikikik.

Grid descended to the ground because he believed that he had caught the awakened guardian when it suddenly made a strange sound. As the surroundings darkened, the red eyes turned blue and the blue orichalcum on its body started to turn purple.

"What? What are you trying to do?"

Grid frowned as he sensed the change. Then there was an explosion of magic power from the transformed awakened guardian.

Kwaaaang!

"Ouch!"

The explosion seemed like it would blow the entire forest away. Grid was blown away by the aftermath of the explosion just before he landed on the ground, then he rotated several times as he was thrown into the forest.

Ku tang tang tang! Kwa kwang!

"Ouch…"

Grid fell onto some rocks and shuddered with pain. He was covered with volcanic ash that poured from the shaking trees. Grid spat out the ash in his mouth and cursed.

“That crazy bastard… Eh?"

Grid murmured as he rose from his spot.

Kwang! Kwang! The speed of the awakened guardian rushing through the forest couldn't be compared to before. But Grid didn't feel any tension.

Jjejeong!

The rotating pavranium defended against the fists and kicks of the awakened guardian.

The awakened guardian attempted to strike through gaps in the pavranium, but the wall of defense developed by the pavranium was absolute. They successfully defended against the awakened guardian's lightning speed attacks.

Grid snorted. "Isn't it amazing? This is the power of items."

Kiyaaaaaah!

The awakened guardian yelled like it didn't like his words. Then a blue flash emerged from its open mouth.

Jeeeong!

The pavranium shook as they blocked the flash. They became stiff and didn't move, just like when they defended against Jishuka's arrow. This was bad. Grid's face tensed for the first time.

Kikik. Kik.

The awakened guardian made a sound like it was laughing and shot past the pavranium. Grid didn't stay still. He defended against the kick flying towards his abdomen with Dainsleif.

Chaaeng!

[The durability of +5 Dainsleif (Reproduction) has been reduced by 46.]

'What?'

Before the change, Dainsleif's durability had dropped by 37 when he defended against the guardian's attack. But now it dropped by another 20%. Looking at this numerically, it meant that the guardian's attack power had increased by 20%.

'What is this?'

Grid was confused by the strengthened guardian before noticing the darkness that was around him. It was night. He recalled some of the descriptions written about Failure.

'Attack power +20% in dark places.'

'Due to the nature of the blue orichalcum, it becomes stronger in the dark.'

“…Should I have come in the morning?"

After entering the Grey Forest in the afternoon, he had wasted time by hunting monsters, including the poison flowers and goblin lord.

Chaaeng! Chaaeng!

"How rotten!"

Grid pledged that next time he would come in the morning, as he defended against the awakened guardian's onslaught. Dainsleif boasted a maximum durability of 500. It was experiencing continuous durability loss and started cracking.

During that time, pavranium recovered and started to protect Grid again. However, the guardian had already found the method to disable it. It fired the blue flash at the pavranium again.

"Damn! Damn!"

Grid's personality started to be revealed under his confusion and agitation. He lost his coolness. The awakened guardian stretched like it was making fun of him. Kik. There was a strange noise like a laugh.

It was an obvious provocation!

"You dog bastard!"

The moment that Grid was about to completely lose control of his thinking power.

[The effect of the composure stat is activated.]

His 400 points in composure showed an effect. Grid instantly recovered his cool thanks to it. A greatsword user focused on attacks that used its weight to deal damage.

Peeeeok!

Grid didn't defend against the flying fist. 

[You have suffered 7,300 damage.]

Immediately after the hit,

“Ohhhhhh!”

He swung his greatsword with all his strength.

Kwaang!

[Critical!]

[You have dealt 7,700 damage to the target.]

Peeok!

[You have suffered 7,250 damage.]

A hit once again.

[You have dealt 3,900 damage to the target.]

He hit back.

“Yes, let's see who dies first!"

Grid was originally a person whose control sucked. His combat method was simple. Hit, be hit, drink potions and hit again.

[You have suffered 7,140 damage.]

[You have dealt 3,920 damage to the target.]

[You have taken a high-grade health potion. 8,000 health will be restored.]

[You have suffered 7,300 damage.]

[Critical!]

[You have dealt 7,810 damage to the target.]

[You have been hit by a lethal blow!]

[You have suffered 15,600 damage.]

Hit! Be hit! Drink potion!

Then at this moment,

[The effect of Doran's Ring has been activated.]

[The option of the Holy Light Armor has been activated.]

[23,400 health has been restored.]

The power of his items was revealed.

Kkik?

The awakened guardian panicked. The more it fought the intruder, the weaker it was becoming, while the intruder seemed the same.

Buuong.

The guardian was disadvantaged every time it was hit, so it became cautious. It avoided the big greatsword and tried to counterattack when Grid's back was exposed. Then it was surprised. It was because Grid had been moving in one direction, but he suddenly turned towards the opposite direction.

Chaaeng!

The guardian flinched as it was hit in the waist.

Tong! Grid's right foot left the ground. He used that reaction to raise Dainsleif, which was stuck in the awakened guardian's waist.

Kwajak!

The body of the awakened guardian was thrown into the air. Unlike the past, Grid now had some level of control.

"Pagma's Swordsmanship…!"

He planned to trigger the final blow while the guardian was defenseless in the air.

Kiyaaaaaah!

The guardian's survival instincts woke up! It didn't want to die alone so it instead aimed the blue flash from its mouth towards Grid.

"Kill!"

Peeeeeong!

The greatsword shattered the head of the awakened guardian.

Puoook!

The blue flash pierced Grid's heart.

[A legend doesn't die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]

Grid lived.

On the other hand, the awakened guardian's head was destroyed and turned into grey light. Blue orichalcum ore was scattered all over the place, seeming more beautiful than ant jewel in the moonlight.

[Under two full moons, you have defeated the Awakened Guardian of the Forest!]

[14 pieces of blue orichalcum have been acquired.]

[3 pieces of purple orichalcum have been acquired.]

[The Amethyst Shield has been acquired.]

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level…]

[You have reached level 200!]

[Your stats have awakened and the unique features of all stats will improve.]

"…How rotten."

Flop!

The joy of gaining levels and items only lasted for a short moment! Grid flopped down without any hesitation.  Then he started lamenting on the ground. The enemy was so strong that he had focused on the battle and forgot about the pickaxe. It was a matter of huge regret for him.

OG: 

Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.

Chapter 145

Grid started appraising the items he acquired after the struggle with the awakened guardian.

[Blue Orichalcum]

Orichalcum is a mineral born with the power of moonlight and the Guardian of the Forest. 

It is impossible to erode the Guardian of the Forest's magic power, but it has the best hardness and strength among all minerals.

It is lightweight and becomes much stronger in darkness.

* Advanced blacksmith skills are required to smelt it.

Weight: 3

[Purple Orichalcum]

A mineral that can only be obtained when the Guardian of the Forest has awakened under two full moons.

It holds a unique magic power that boosts attack power and magic power. But unlike the blue orichalcum, its strength is extremely poor. 

It isn't suitable as a raw material for battle gear. However, it is a good material to use for making accessories.

* The blacksmith skill must be mastered to smelt it.

Weight: 1

[Amethyst Shield]

Rating: Epic

Durability: 200  Defense: 200  Magic Resistance: 200

A beautiful shield that shines purple, red or black depending on the angle. It is a symbolic piece that is awarded only to the head of the Red Knights. 

It is an item lost three years ago when Piaro, who was framed as a traitor by Asmophel, fled to the Eternal Kingdom.

The third prince of the Saharan Empire is looking for this shield. It is recommended that you bring it to him.

Conditions of Use: Red Knights Leader.

Weight: 350

[A hidden function doesn't exist.]

"I'm getting goosebumps."

Grid noted that the awakened guardian dropped exactly 14 blue orichalcum. He shuddered at the thought. A total of 15 blue orichalcum ores were needed to make Failure. However, only 14 blue orichalcum ores were dropped, as if someone knew this and wanted to mess with him.

“I would rather it give a lot less than 15 than to be teased like this and missing just one ore of blue orichalcum.."

What if he hadn't obtained three blue orichalcum from Administrator Valdi a few months ago? Wouldn't he be lacking just one material to make Failure?

“It is enormous."

Grid calmed his agitated heart and turned to the purple orihalcum.

'Accessories…'

Grid currently had two accessories. One was Doran's Ring, while the other was the Ring of Pledge obtained from his marriage.

[Ring of Pledge.]

Rating: Unique

A token of eternal love.

You will be in a 'happy' state when you are with your spouse. Movement speed will increase by 8% and all stats will increase by 30 points.

* Depending on your spouse's liking, the emotion when you are with your spouse will change. Happiness, joy, contentment, normal, dissatisfaction, depression and hate. There are a total of seven emotions, and the Ring of Pledge can have different effects depending on the emotions.

If you spend a hot night will your partner while wearing this ring, the experience of all skills will rise by 10%.

* A hot night is only available once a month.

When wearing the ring, the affinity of all NPCs of the opposite sex other than your spouse won't easily increase.

If you are caught by your spouse not wearing the ring, your spouse's liking will fall by 90% and their chances of becoming pregnant will decrease dramatically.

Weight: 0.1

Doran's Ring had proven its effectiveness several times and was certainly a fraudulent accessory. But the Ring of Pledge was different.

The additional effects were only applied when he was with his spouse, and the increase in skills experience was only available once a month. It also wasn't easy to accumulate affinity with NPCs of the opposite sex if he wore this ring.

To be honest, he didn't need to wear it unless he was with Irene. But Grid had no intention of taking it off. He didn't want to take the risk, since Irene's liking would drop significantly if she discovered it.

He was usually an unlucky person, even if his luck had increased these days. Let's not take the ring off.

Rather, the NPC could get pregnant? Satisfy went this far with the simulation? Grid thought it would be fun in many ways.

'Discovering my child's talents, educating them and helping them grow…?'

But it took more than a decade to raise a child. Considering the disparity of female users, the second generation system didn't seem to play a very important role.

"Um… I should create a necklace with the purple orichalcum."

He could wear multiple rings, but only one necklace. Therefore, the performance of necklaces was overall better than rings. Grid easily made a decision.

“Okay, okay. A necklace is good." 

He would need the help of a jeweler to make the accessory. He decided to ask Khan for a recommendation, then he looked over at the Amethyst Shield.

"This is a quest item."

It was the thing he was most nervous about. Grid remembered when he met Piaro in Kesan Canyon after obtaining Pagma's Swordsmanship.

‘He wanted to punish Asmophel, who framed him as a traitor.'

Asmophel was in the Saharan Empire.

'Someday, I will visit the third prince in the Saharan Empire… At that time, I will meet Piaro and proceed with the Asmophel quest.'

The Saharan Empire was very far away. It couldn't be reached easily, so Grid placed the Amethyst Shield in a corner of his inventory for the future.

Romeo and the soldiers approached.

"Are you okay?”

They were worried. They witnessed with their own eyes that Grid was hit by a powerful flash before the awakened guardian died. They had expected Grid to die.  Grid assured them of his safety.

"Have you forgotten that I received the blessing from god? I can't die." After his simple and clear answer, he patted Romeo's shoulder with a sad expression. "Deck's death was a shame. I'm sorry I couldn't protect him."

Grid sincerely meant it.  He was friends with Khan and his wife was Irene, so NPCs were like humans to Grid. Deck was a promising young knight, so it was tragic that he died here.

Romeo was in tears, “His bravery will be remembered by everyone here."

Deck had saved the lives of many soldiers on the way here. The soldiers silently promised that they would never forget him. At that moment, the sharp cry of a beast was heard from the sky.

“What is this?”

"G-Gargoyle?"

A huge shape could be seen in the night sky. The flapping sound of the wings seemed like a griffon or gargoyle at first. Then the red body was revealed by the moonlight. It was a drake. An adult drake could grow up to 4m and they were rare monsters so strong that the griffons and gargoyles couldn't be compared. 

They was a lower branch of dragons that even had the nickname of King of the Sky. There was a surprising figure on its back.

"My Liege, have you been well in the meantime?"

It was Huroi, who obtained a second class thanks to Grid. There was a heavy wind as he landed. Then Grid greeted him, "Hasn't it been a while? You have grown a lot."

Grid eyed Huroi's combat power. 10,000. It was 2,000 more than Knight Romeo.

'He is over level 200.'

He was ahead of others despite having the non-combat class of orator.  Despite his excellent gaming talent, he was affected by the limitations of his class. Now that he had his second class, he was able to stare at the position of ranker.

"This is all thanks to My Liege."

In the past, Grid hated Huroi. But not anymore. His perception changed after the two-man raid.

Grid smiled at him, "I'm glad that you didn't forget about me. You should repay my grace by serving me."

"Huh?"

Indeed, it was a reunion after a long time. It was around 4~5 months in Satisfy time. Huroi wanted to talk to Grid about what they had been doing in the meantime. He wanted to explain how he got the drake and his fantastic adventures. He also wanted to hear about how Grid became the husband of a noble lady.

However, Grid wasn't interested in talking. There were only around 100 users among the two billion in Satisfy who could control a drake, the strongest pets.

"Go hunt the frostlight orcs."

"…?"

Why did he need to go hunt mobs? Grid explained the reason to the confused Huroi,

"Don't they drop sylphid scales? I need you to gather at least 28. While the drop rate is low, you should be able to collect it if you hunt for 10 days or so."

Grid planned to make the invisibility cloak. The correct name was Hooded Zip Up. It required 20 sylphid scales in order to produce it. Before obtaining Pagma's Swordsmanship, Grid hunted for sylphid scales but had to give up after only obtaining 12.

While he had to give up, now Huroi had come.

'I will create two: one for my use and one to sell to others.'

“…”

Huroi recalled the hellish memory of being held in Winston's dungeon for almost 200 hours. 

'Grid showed up when I was in despair and offered me the hand of salvation.'

He also recalled the frostlight orc chief raid.

'I was stunned and about to be hit by the orc chief, then he protected me.'

The more he looked, the bigger Grid's help was. He would be pleased to repay the favor.

"Then I will go."

It was a tremendous bleeding to be tied to one hunting ground for 10 days when he was aiming to be a ranker. Therefore, Huroi was ready to leave with no delays. Grid stopped him.

"Walk instead of flying."

"Huh?"

Grid pointed to Romeo and the soldiers, "If you fly, they won't be able to follow you."

"What…?"

“Take these people and train them while hunting."  

“…”

"You don't want to?"

"…No."

In the end, he was forced to walk on the ground despite having a drake. It would waste a considerable amount of time. Was that all? He was also supposed to be the soldiers' babysitter. But there was nothing he could do. He had sworn to repay all that Grid had done for him.

The descendants of Blue Wolf didn't take oaths lightly. Huroi intended to faithfully carry out Grid's orders.

"He has good timing."

Grid hummed as Huroi and the soldiers left. He wanted to make the Hooded Zip Up, but the drop rate was so low there wasn't much merit in hunting them directly. It would waste too much time.

He was grateful that Huroi appeared when he did.

'Sooner or later, I will make you a good item. So don't be too upset.'

Grid had a lot of room to spare after getting rid of his debt, so he was much less selfish than before. He had no intention of one-sidedly having Huroi do everything for him. Sooner or later, Grid was planning to give him a surprise.

"Now… First of all, I need to make Failure."

Grid's body rose in the air. It was much slower than the drake, but his flying speed was still fast. The destination was Khan's smithy.

A few hours later.

A man appeared in the deepest part of the Grey Forest. He looked at the place where the traces of battle still hadn't disappeared.

"What? The Awakened Guardian of the Forest isn't at a level that the Tzedakah Guild can defeat."

Had someone within the top 5 of the unified rankings arrived here before him?

“Tsk, I wasted my time thanks to this. I can't come here every four months, so I missed my chance."

The man who disappeared into the forest had the ID of 'Agnus' above his head.

OG: 

Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.