Overgeared

It was an opening. The world changed overnight. Those visiting the forest heard the singing of elves while armored men wrestled and played on the beach. On one mountain, people with dog ears appeared to play tricks on merchants while orcs hung around villages.

How many people imagined that they would spend their daily lives with these species? Intelligent players who had been eagerly reading web novels and manhwa adapted easily, but most people were confused by the strange changes. They were frightened or anxious by the emergence of these difference species they had never heard about.

Still, weren’t humans adaptive creatures? The confusion was only for a moment before the people quickly adapted to the change. Some people cooperated with the different species to see new opportunities while others chose to be part of the species, and some others took advantage of the species’ innocence to hit them in the back of the head. There were also people who hunted and traded these species like they were monsters.

The conclusion was that this world was the same, regardless of whether they were a different species or human. Meanwhile, the Overgeared Kingdom presented the direction of the new era.

“Hey, you over there! Ask the orcs to carry the heavy loads!”

“Leave it to the wildlings! Their sense of smell goes far beyond the vision of our eyes!”

It was a society without prejudice. The only thing that mattered was if they had the ability, regardless of origin, status, or race. Otherwise, as long as they had passion, the society proposed by the Overgeared Kingdom gave opportunities and reasonable compensation. In fact, many achievements were made.

The Overgeared King had suffered irrationality, so his ideas set the kingdom free... Some said this, but the truth was far from this. The Grid from the time of discrimination and ridicule was too different from the current Grid. The old Grid was like this, the old Grid did that... 

People couldn’t really realize it from listening to other people’s words. Those who discussed Grid of the past were confused about whether they were telling the truth or a lie.

“Are the elves still in the news?”

The Overgeared Palace’s meeting room was where the 10 meritorious retainers gathered to discuss each agenda. It was a place that had always been buzzing, but now it was empty. There were only two people who sat at the round table, Grid and Lauel.

“Yes, they still don’t trust humans. They exercise their autonomy in every forest and only create friction with humans. They aren’t inclined to cooperate with humans.”

“It is a shame they can’t feel trust...”

Grid knew the pain that the elves had suffered. They had been branded as coveted and became prey for humans just because they loved peace rather than violence. They had made countless sacrifices throughout their long history. Players had even attempted to enslave them. For example, Kir who was once hailed as the merchant king. It was Grid who saved the elves from him.

Lauel smiled bitterly at Grid who couldn’t hide his sadness. “The elves are a wounded race. It is hard for them to trust people, even if they trust Your Majesty. It is out of their own sense of loyalty that they aren’t even looking at the forests of the Overgeared Kingdom.”

“I just hope time will become a medicine... By the way, I remember that the population of elves is fairly small. Is it even physically possible for them to control forests across the continent?”

“The elves themselves are an upper species, and the ‘Te’ leading each tribe are amazing. Additionally, the beasts of the forests are friendly to them. At the behest of the elves, hundreds of thousands of beasts attack humans who invade the forests. Therefore, armies and players all over the world can’t recapture the forests.”

“The elves were only captured by Kir because of the Yatan Essence. Otherwise, they are very strong. There are also the elementals.”

Even the top rankers wouldn’t be able to handle the 12 Te. The Te were powerful enough that even Grid would need to be careful if the battle environment were a forest. Despite the elves having a small population, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to occupy forests and exercise their autonomy. Of course, the story would change if the empire acted.

“What is the empire’s position?”

“Even the elves can’t invade the empire. There is no justification for the empire to invade the forests, so there is no conflict between the empire and the elves. It is only us and the empire.”

“...?” 

“Most countries apart from the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire have no access to forests. The mines in the forests have been shut down, and all economic activity has been disrupted, including logging, hunting, and gathering.”

“That means...?”

“Prices for minerals, wood, herbs, leather, and other commodities are skyrocketing. The players who already noticed are rumored to have stocked the items since the beginning of the elves’ activities, but as you know, there is a limit to the economic power of an individual. What’s more, I moved one step faster than them and stocked up on all the items.”

“The Overgeared Kingdom and empire’s forests are all in operation?”

“Yes.”

“Crazy.”

It meant the Overgeared Kingdom and empire would divide the battle gear market. The empire had nurtured tens of thousands of NPC blacksmiths, thousands of blacksmith players, and a large number of craftsman level NPCs. The two countries were currently supplying most of the items on the market, and in particular, the market price of high-end items was set by the Overgeared Kingdom. It was safe to say that the economic market itself had fallen into the hands of the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire because they monopolized the resources.

Given the power of money, perhaps the world would change faster than people perceived. It might not be long before the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire divided the entire West Continent.

“...”

“Are you afraid?” Lauel asked when he saw that Grid’s expression was stiff rather than rejoicing.

“Do you know? I still haven't looked around my country.”

“...”

“I’ve been told the location of Yorel City that governs it as well as how many people there are and their specialties, but I have never seen it with my own eyes. There are hundreds of such cities and villages. What about when I have territory that is dozens of times bigger than it is now? What if the number of people serving me increased by hundreds of times? I can’t handle it.”

“There is a way to be crowned as emperor—set up many kings and share the responsibilities with them. The Saharan Empire also acknowledges Your Majesty.”

“...That’s even scarier.”

His colleagues’ trust...

He was worried that many flies would twist his colleagues. For example, what if the 10 meritorious retainers became kings? They would have many people by their side to manage their own territory, and there would always be those with their own agenda. The Overgeared Kingdom and Overgeared Guild would gradually become contaminated. In the worse case scenario, a civil war might take place out of Grid’s control.

When Grid confessed this, Lauel smiled. “Sure, it isn’t easy to be emperor.”

“Thank you for all your help. If I had the ability, I wouldn't have all these small worries. However, you know what type of person I am. I can’t handle the position of emperor.”

He was too modest. Grid was able to notice many things beforehand. For example, when he gave Failure to Prince Shining a short time ago. However, Lauel conceded Grid’s position. Forcing someone to become emperor when they didn’t want to could cause all types of side effects. It was also true that the current Grid wasn’t good enough to rule a country many times bigger than it was now.

“Then what is Your Majesty’s goal? Do you aim to maintain your position while steadily developing the Overgeared Kingdom to a level you can manage?”

“Hrmm... That was it not long ago, but I’ve changed my mind.”

“...?”

“I think supremacy is just a process and a means.”

“...!”

“The reality of the gods, the seven malignant saints, the expelled gods, the yangbans and the Hwan Kingdom, Pagma and the great demons...” Grid paused. These episodes were the backbone of Satisfy. Then he continued, “I want to know everything about them. I need strength to access the truth.”

“...” Lauel’s heart suddenly jumped. Wealth, honor, and power—the ultimate goals for most people were nothing but two-dimensional concepts for the current Grid. Lauel realized that Grid’s thinking might have reached a very high level.

“After I discover the entire truth, I think it would be nice to retire and run a small smithy. I have to do a small amount of work to prevent dementia.”

“Haha... That is great. You will feel comfortable and satisfied every day after retiring.”

“That’s right.”

“Where do you intend the smithy to be?” Lauel wasn’t asking about the location but the dimension. Players were living in reality and Satisfy, two different dimensions.

Grid laughed. “It will obviously be in both.”

***

[The Violet Kingdom has been destroyed.]

[Players who were once members of the Violet Kingdom will become ‘refugees.’ Refugees will suffer from increased stamina consumption and increased damage...]

[The Twilight Orc Kingdom has been born!]

[The roar of Great Orc Lord ‘Uruchan’ is shaking the continent!]

The scheduled history was completed. The Violet Kingdom lasted less than three months before the invasion of the orc army, which boasted a terrifying recovery and breeding power. This meant that the troops sent by various countries didn’t help much.

This was the birth of a new kingdom. After hundreds of years, a nation of a different species emerged. Players who turned into orcs and made contributions in the war against the Violet Kingdom earned rewards such as receiving the new ‘champion’ class or greatly increasing their stats.

“In the face of the orcs’ volume offensive, wouldn’t even the empire and the Overgeared Kingdom be embarrassed?”

Public opinion changed. They analyzed that the twilight orcs could threaten the supremacy of the West Continent, which was known to be divided between the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire. Surprisingly...

“It is quiet...”

The orcs weren’t greedy about expanding their power. They lived a peaceful life, as if they were satisfied with the territory they had. This was until an accident broke out.

[Orc Lord Uruchan was defeated and killed in a showdown!]

[Teruchan, who won the showdown, has been crowned the new orc lord!]

[Teruchan declares!]

“We! Orcs! Want a bigger territory!! Guruk! Gruruk!”

The orcs began their march according to the will of their new leader. Many kingdoms started to suffer from the constant invasion and looting, including the Fold Kingdom.