Overgeared

“Unconditional double proliferation? Isn’t this too fraudulent?”

“To think that Morpheus allowed such abnormal results... Did it get a virus?”

“This is an obvious balance breakdown! We need to act now!”

In the S.A Group’s headquarters, a backlash occurred among all the board members who witnessed Grid create the new mineral. Even Director Yoon Sangmin, known for being pro-Grid, tried to persuade Chairman Lim Cheolho, “I think it is right to patch it.”

The volume doubled every 10 days. Among the options attached to Grid’s Greed, this was the most dangerous. In theory, Greed could grow to the size of Earth in a few years, and this was equivalent to the size of the world in Satisfy. 

Yet it was moving at Grid’s will? This meant that if Grid was willing, he could destroy Satisfy.

“It doesn’t make sense that one player will control Satisfy’s fate in the future.”

“The moment the presence of Greed is revealed to the world, the stock price will plummet. We have to act right now.”

“I think Morpheus’ condition is strange. Let’s check the status of Morpheus and close the server for a while for a patch.”

The directors tried to persuade Lim Cheolho. Their personal liking of Grid wasn’t important at this moment. It was an objective approach, and the key thing was to modify the proliferation effect. They had to put restrictions on it.

“Hrmm...” Chairman Lim Cheolho was somber. Satisfy was a world that players created. No matter what direction the players led Satisfy in, the S.A Group would just watch and not intervene. Their intervention would dampen the immersion and motivation, and it would be a vicious cycle. 

Chairman Lim Cheolho adhered to this position, but even he was uneasy at this time. His tone was shaken for the first time since he created Satisfy with the help of Morpheus and numerous scientists. It wasn’t because he didn’t trust Grid. Grid was the representative figure who improved his quality of life through Satisfy. He wouldn’t dare destroy Satisfy.

However, there was a number of variables. What if something unavoidable happened to Grid or he encountered an accident and left Greed alone for a long time? Or what if the calculations were wrong and Grid’s item making speed couldn’t keep up with the speed of Greed’s growth?

Concerns would arise. Yes, the proliferation option was the only major problem. Greed had many other fraudulent effects, but there weren’t any big problems considering it was a special item that could only be handled by Grid. It was unlikely that the world view would become twisted because Grid was immensely strong, leading the new era with his strength. No, it was right for him to become stronger. The different species, the grandmaster, the yangbans, the immortals, the great demons, the angels and the gods... 

Satisfy still had many strong players, and there were players with potential beyond Grid’s, such as Baal’s Contractor and the Sword Saint.

“Chairman!” The directors urged Chairman Lim Cheolho. The proliferation effect should be resolved quickly, and they urged him to make a decision. Their attitude was reasonable to anyone, but Chairman Lim Cheolho was hesitant right till the end.

The chairman was struggling with this problem when he suddenly raised a question, “The proliferation effect already exists. It was inherited from the insane dragon iron, and Grid already secured the insane dragon iron years ago. Has there ever been a problem with the insane dragon iron?”

“...”

Just because they were a developer or operator didn’t mean they knew all of Satisfy’s settings. How could they know and remember the myriad settings of a world as vast as Earth? They only remembered some of the most important settings created by Morpheus or created and changed by the players. If proliferation was a really serious problem, then Morpheus would’ve warned them. Yet Morpheus didn’t give a warning.

“It means there is no big problem with the proliferation setup.” Chairman Lim Cheolho was convinced of this.

However, the directors denied it. 

“Chairman, there are many ways in which Greed is different from the insane dragon iron. The insane dragon iron can be handled by blacksmiths above a certain level, and the mass can be controlled with the insane dragon stone. However, Greed is a material that can only be handled by Grid. It’s unlikely that Grid will use the insane dragon stone for Greed, so it is impossible for Grid alone to control the mass forever.”

“What if something happens to Grid and he can’t log into Satisfy for a long time…? It is terrible just imagining it.”

“There is no problem because the mass can be controlled...? I think differently. Some of the items made by the insane dragon iron were exposed outside the Overgeared Kingdom, but none of them caused any special problems. As the Chairman says, there might not be a big problem with proliferation.”

“Are there limits to the proliferation?”

“I heard what all of you are saying. Then Kentaro, you should study more. Greed is a Grid-only item. So when Grid is logged out, it moves to his personal space and stops all activities. It means that it can’t multiply by itself without Grid. Have you ever seen the pavranium moving alone when Grid is logged out?”

There was no need for controversy. They should check with Morpheus. As the directors were arguing, Chairman Lim Cheolho raised his hand and called for Morpheus. “Morpheus, what is the percentage that Grid’s newly created mineral will pose a danger to the world view?”

The answer of the supercomputer Morpheus, the presence that presided over Satisfy, was immediately heard, [Zero.]

“...!”

“...!”

In addition to the board of directors, Chairman Lim Cheolho’s eyes also widened. 0% was a figure that Morpheus rarely mentioned. It was a complete exclusion of that possibility. What was the rationale?

“Is there a limit to the proliferation after all?”

[No. However, if it multiplies to beyond a certain size, the codename Z-003 will have a stronger energy. Therefore, there is a setting that all Z objects apart from Z-003 will appear and suppress or destroy it. Unless the Z objects become extinct, the probability of the proliferation becoming dangerous is zero. Of course, the probability of the Z objects becoming extinct is equally zero.]

“Codename Z...? Dragon?”

The directors were agitated. Some didn’t understand, but most directors, including Chairman Lim Cheolho, understood at once.

“I see. Proliferation is a property derived from the power of Insane Dragon Nevartan. Thus, it will gain the hostility of dragons who are hostile or alert to Nevartan.”

“Whenever Greed grows above a certain size, dragons will appear to hit Grid and control the size of Greed.”

“In such a setting, the concept of ‘durability’ won’t be good enough. Thus, it is possible.”

“Wait... What is this? Does it mean that items created from the insane dragon iron in the last few years have already been destroyed by dragons or will soon be destroyed? Isn’t it a big disaster if dragons come in droves?”

[The Tower of Wisdom will move first before the dragons appear. It is also designed to raise a warning window with the owner of the item before the Tower of Wisdom moves. So far, the insane dragon iron without the insane dragon stone’s repression property has no answers. Thus, they have already been recovered and discarded by the Tower of Wisdom.]

Most of the insane dragon iron without repressive properties were in the empire. They consisted of the chandelier Grid had sent to Empress Marie and the stakes which had been driven into the walls of Titan. Naturally, they had no owners.

“In the end, it is an adjustable property.”

The board of directors were relieved. They were glad that it wouldn’t ruin the game. However, it was unfortunate from Grid’s standpoint. It would be impossible to multiply Greed as much as possible. The directors watched the monitor with complicated hearts and soon realized how much they had underestimated Grid.

Contrary to everyone's concerns, Grid already prevented excessive proliferation by separating Greed once it multiplied, making it a separate item. Chairman Lim Cheolho smiled warmly. “Grid knows better than anyone.”

The dangers of proliferation...

Grid knew he had to be alert and manage himself because he could always put Satisfy in jeopardy.

*** 

“Guruk. Gruruk. Thank you. Human. Guruk! You are the savior of our tribe! You deserve to be a part of the tribe! Kuruk!!”

[Hidden Quest ★Support the Twilight Orcs ★ has been cleared.]

[Affinity with the twilight species has increased by 20 from the quest reward.]

[Your have gained one level from the quest reward.]

[It is now possible to change your race from a human to a twilight orc.]

[Changing your race to a twilight orc will allow you to communicate with all orcs and you will have the authority to control some orcs.]

[The rise in strength and stamina will increase attack power and health by 1.8 times while the magic attack power and mana increased by the intelligence stat will be reduced by 2 times. Depending on the intelligence level, the ‘shaman’ talent might be given.]

[You will be able to choose a new class.]

[Once you change race, you can’t change it twice.]

[Do you want to change your race?]

Orcs were one of the most common monsters on the West Continent. There were many tribes and many of them were low-level tribes, so they were recognized as low-level monsters. However, was this true? They had language skills, excellent physical skills, could make and use tools in a crude way, knew necromancy, and so on.

In fact, orcs were more intelligent, capable, and talented than many monsters. In particular, the superior orc tribes showed surprising strength. Didn’t Baal’s Contractor Agnus make a death knight from an orc warrior?

“Attack power and health increased by 1.8 times?”

The twilight orcs were the strongest and most honorable tribes among the countless orc tribes. Not only did they have high intelligence and skills, but their physical abilities completely surpassed those of the human species. They could understand human language and had their own blacksmiths.

The only downside was that their magic power was weak. A double reduction in magic attack power and mana meant it was hard to rely on skills or magic. Still, there were many types of players in Satisfy. Many preferred classes that used basic attacks rather than skills while others were interested in shamanism. There were also many who were attracted to the orc’s vicious appearance. Of course, there were people who just refused mediocrity.

“Me, I’ll be an orc.”

“I want to be an orc!”

“Guruk. Gruruk. An excellent choice.”

The twilight orcs were one of the original different species that weakened the power of the Saharan Empire, causing the empire to establish barriers to prevent this ferocious species from entering the continent. The vicious clan, that had killed countless soldiers and knights of the empire, started to move beyond the fallen barriers when Basara rose to the throne. One of their desires was to absorb players and quickly expand their power.

It was the construction of a country. Naturally, a sacrificial lamb was needed.

“Guruk! Gruruk. Forward! Advance! Fertile territory and the hot sun don’t only belong to humans! Guruk! We! Tell the humans! Gruruk!” 

The territory of the Violet Kingdom started to be captured by the green monsters.

*** 

“Reconciliation? Kukuk, why?”

“...”

The reason why the single digit Red Knights often left the capital was due to confronting the half draconians. They were a rare hunting nation. The half draconian militants who lived in the mountains without huts were incredible. They hunted monsters and beasts for fun and not just for survival. There were only a few hundred of them, but in the last hundred years, the empire invested a lot of power to stop them. Fighting one half draconian consumed twice as much power as fighting 100 minorities.

Basara was forced to pay great attention to them. The moment she was crowned, one of the first things she did was to send an envoy to the half draconians. Basara sent a marquis and offered reconciliation. She presented a brilliant future to the half draconians, even at the risk of losing money. 

This was the half draconians’ reaction, “We fight you is because it is fun. Why should we reconcile? I’m not an idiot who would get rid of entertainment myself.”

“How rude...!” 

Marquis Borell was one of the 10 great magicians on the continent and a representative of the empire along with five great swordsman knights. As a marquis of the great empire and a great magician, he was angered by the attitude of the half draconians. He wanted to summon a flame and blow away the head of the young man in front of him.

However, he refrained from doing so. He knew the will of the new empress and endured it. That was the problem.

“Sir!”

Concentration was required to control his runaway magic power. The half draconian didn’t miss this chance to cut his neck.

“Disgraceful bastard!”

“How dare you do that to the marquis?!”

The knights pulled out their swords with bloodshot eyes but couldn’t wield them. They suddenly realized that they were surrounded by dozens of half draconians. It was a dog’s death. The head of Marquis Borell flew over to the knights who quickly lost the battle.

“Go home and deliver this message. You’re going to have to keep playing with us. Kukuk! Kuhahahat!”

“...”

The new empire’s desire for unity with everyone would never be easy. All sorts of problems struck the empire. It was the karma of ruling by force.