Overgeared

“I! Teruchan! Guruk! You! I will serve you!”

“...!”

“...!”

Teruchan’s oath once again caused a great stir. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the orc lord serving Grid meant the species itself had fallen under Grid.

『 It’s unfair! A typical player will get a small pet while Grid will be the master of tens of millions of orcs? Who will compensate for the deprivation other players will feel? 』

『 Isn’t it more difficult to fight the orc lord than it is to tame a pet....? Who could do it apart from Grid? 』

『 Don’t joke around! That isn’t the point! I’m pointing out the problems that will arise if a single player has too much power! 』

『 Why do you think that? Grid is already the king of tens of millions of people. Does it matter if he has more people now? 』

『It is unlikely that the orcs will be incorporated into the Overgeared Kingdom in the first place. They are already a huge country and can’t accommodate the orcs. It will end up as an alliance, just like the water clan. 』

『 That’s right! However, the water clan isn’t the same! Don’t overlook the fact that tens of millions of players have already changed their race to an orc! What if Grid uses his relationship with the orc lord to infringe on the players’ sovereignty? 』

『 That’s right. The orc lord gives absolute orders. The orc players couldn’t resist the orc lord’s command to go to war. The moment the orc lord gives the order ‘fight for Grid,’ tens of millions of orc players will be Grid’s puppets. Grid can give the players unfair orders through the orc lord. 』

『 Will one player infringe on the rights of tens of millions of players? It is an amazing leap. If this happens, will the S.A Group stay still? What type of neighborhood store do you see the S.A Group as? 』 

『 Yes. You are worrying too much. Aren’t the orc lord’s commands classified as quests and players are given a reasonable reward? Why don’t you take the lead in talking about issues that can be discussed rather than taking a hard stance... Ah, come to think of it, General Zhang and Li Tai, aren’t you Chinese? I understand why you are agitated. 』

『 Why does it matter where I come from? 』

『 Who in the world doesn’t know that tens of millions of Chinese players have changed their race to an orc due to the incitement of the Chinese government? The ultimate goal was to control the orcs by making their players into the orc lord. How bad would things have been if something went wrong? What about now? Won’t it be decades until a talent that can beat Grid appears in China? 』

『 Bullshit! Shut up!! 』 

The atmosphere of many broadcasts became heavy. The panelists often raised their voices at each other. The viewers awakened to how many Chinese people had infiltrated the world and expressed concern over what was happening.

-Isn’t the rule among orcs that the person who defeats the orc lord is the new lord? Won’t Grid be promoted to orc lord and the orcs will completely be his arms and legs?

-The people who turned into an orc seem to be ruined by Grid. If he forces a quest with a strange reward, it will be a huge waste of time.

There were all sorts of disturbances but they calmed down quickly. Contrary to some people’s concerns, Grid wasn’t the orc lord. It was natural. Grid wasn’t an orc so he couldn’t be the orc lord. The orc lord selection rule ‘the one who beats the lord becomes the lord’ only applied among orcs. Furthermore.

“I, Teruchan! Guruk! Will forever be loyal to the great warrior Grid! Guruk! This isn’t as a lord but as an individual! No complaints are allowed!”

It wasn’t the ‘twilight orcs’ who submitted to Grid but ‘Teruchan.’ He dismissed people’s concerns by clarifying this. Teruchan’s intention was to calm the backlash inside the orcs but it also suppressed the players’ anxiety and repulsion.

‘I’m glad.’

Lauel was relieved. Orcs had a terrifying breeding power. The Overgeared Kingdom wouldn’t have been able to avoid a serious financial crisis if they had been incorporated into the Overgeared Kingdom. The best farmers, including Piaro and Hurent, wouldn’t be able to fill the orcs’ stomachs because they only enjoyed meat. In addition, the territory of the Overgeared Kingdom was limited so it would be difficult to accommodate the orc population. Furthermore, due to the strength-loving nature of the orcs, there would be conflicts with the existing people. This way, the Overgeared Kingdom could avoid all responsibilities and problems while calling on Teruchan when necessary. 

This was an ideal result. However, Grid didn’t think of this and was disappointed.

‘Did he want to swallow up the orcs?’

‘Dammit.’

Lauel spoke to the floating Grid.

“The orc lord isn’t a hereditary position. It wouldn’t be strange if the orc lord changes tomorrow. This means the relationship between the Overgeared Kingdom and the orcs will change dramatically every time the lord changes. The new lords can rebel against Your Majesty so accepting the orcs as your people carries a lot of danger.”

“Hmm... You don’t regret it?”

“Yes, this is much better for now. You can avoid the jealousy and vigilance from other players.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Grid nodded as he felt more at ease. He suggested to Teruchan, “If you are sincerely loyal to me, sign a contract with me.”

“Grruk. Contract? Loyalty is blind. A contract is strange.”

“That’s not what I mean... Um.”

It was really difficult to explain. Grid thought for a moment before triggering the Different Species’ King title. The ‘contract’ system was activated.

[Contract]

[If the target is another species, you can propose a contract.

The target you contract with will ‘awaken’ strengthened racial characteristics. You will acquire some of the racial traits of the contracted target.

You can’t destroy a contract once it is made.

However, the other person can destroy the contract at any time and the racial trait you acquired will disappear. Additionally, the contract will be canceled if the target permanently dies and the racial trait you acquired will disappear. In both cases, the contract count can’t be recovered.]

Grid, who had contracted with Hao, now had only two contracts remaining. This meant that he couldn’t misuse them. Having thought carefully, Grid decided to sign a contract with Teruchan. Grid coveted the orc’s racial characteristic of increased strength and stamina.

[The orc lord ‘Teruchan’ has been designated as the target of the contract. It is suggested that the ‘Oath of Affection that Transcends Race’ is shared with the target.]

[If the target accepts the contract, the status of the target is increased and all characteristics are strengthened. You will also gain some of the characteristics of the twilight orcs.] 

[The target can terminate the contract at any time. If the target breaks the contract, the twilight orc characteristics you gained will be lost.]

Numerous notification windows popped up in front of Grid.

“Kururuk...”

Teruchan was speechless after confirming the contents of the contract. No matter how stupid he was, he could tell that the terms of the agreement were unilaterally advantageous to him.

“Grruk. Great warrior. So much. Trust in me?”

Grid told Teruchan, who couldn’t accept it. “Don’t you trust me? Then I have to trust you too.”

“...Good! Grruk!”

[The target has accepted the contract!]

[You will randomly acquire one of the twilight orc’s characteristics as a contract reward!]

[...Interacting with your amazing luck!]

[Congratulations! Your ‘stamina’ stat coefficient is increased by 1.8 times!]

[The health growth increase per one point of stamina has increased from 30 to 54!]

[The defense bonus per one point of stamina has increased from 1.2 to 2.1!]

[Affinity with Orc Lord Teruchan has risen by 20.]

‘Good!’ 

Players who changed their race to an orc had to make all sorts of sacrifices. From the aesthetic perspective of a human, they had to live with the somewhat ugly appearance and take a huge loss in intelligence. However, Grid enjoyed some of the orc benefits without any penalties. In particular, the increased stamina coefficient was a tremendous gain for Grid who had higher health due to the First King title.

“Teruchan! Impressed! Guruk! Great warrior! When you need me! Call me! Guruk! I will run over at anytime!!”

“Stay in the Overgeared Kingdom for a few days. I will make you a new weapon and armor.”

“Gruruk!! Okay! Thank you! Warriors! You guys go home first! Grruk!”

“Gruruk!! Gruruk!”

The 100,000 orcs on the plains surrounding Howl Fortress all withdrew. It happened in an instant, reminiscent of a tide escaping. Marquis Veze and his soldiers were stunned. The orc army that could destroy their kingdom in a few days had withdrawn like they were a lie. They witnessed the miracle created by Grid from beginning to end but there was no sense of reality. 

Grid said goodbye to them. “If there is a chance next time, let’s meet again. Greet Prince Shining for me.”

“Ah, yes! I look forward to seeing you again!!”

“Attention!”

Marquis Veze and the 30,000 troops saluted. Their eyes were only filled with respect for Grid.

***

(Shocking! Tens of millions of Chinese players have fallen under Grid!)

(Twilight orcs, it is hard to be completely free from Grid’s influence...)

The Chinese media was upset. They found it absurd and dismal that in a single battle, Grid had poured cold water on China’s momentum. The People’s Liberation Army of China violated South Korea’s airspace in the name of a ‘mistake.’ Two Chinese fighter jets ignored South Korea’s Air Force’s warnings and travelled through the East Sea at will.

It was an obvious demonstration of force. It was a warning for the people of a small country to stop pretending to be bigger. It was also intended to isolate Grid by creating anxiety in the people of South Korea.

Then, later that day, China was thoroughly criticized by dozens of countries, including the United States. In particular, the United States, the European Union, and India discussed all types of regulations, stating that China threatened peace and shouldn’t be at the heart of the global economy.

This was the power of the S.A Group. The power of the S.A Group, which developed and serviced Satisfy, had reached the level of a country, not a company. It had all types of trades with developed countries and established good cooperative relationships with them. Lim Cheolho had no intention of forgiving China for their disrespect to South Korea and the threat to the S.A Group’s headquarters. He started to retaliate against China using all types of methods as well as his cooperation with various countries.

Once the capsule production plant set up in China was shut down, the Chinese government realized the seriousness of the situation and issued a statement. They acknowledged and apologized for their disrespect to the people of South Korea, and swore that this would never happen again.

Chairman Lim Cheolho, who was watching Grid’s progress while eating chicken and drinking soju, was actually the world’s biggest tycoon. He was someone Grid recognized as a ‘grandfather’ and who wore a party hat when attending Grid’s birthday party.