Overgeared

“...!”

The Overgeared Guild members, the orcs, the onlookers, the reporters, and the knights—including Piaro—were all lost. After making a short speech, Grid flew through the desert alone...?

‘T-This absurd person!’

‘Why are you leaving 600,000 troops to rush into the enemy camp alone?’

The orc players were baffled by Grid’s actions.

“E-Everyone! Chase His Majes—!” Piaro tried to give an order but closed his mouth.

It was because Braham appeared suddenly and raised an index finger to his lips. “You don’t understand a legend.”

From Braham’s perspective, Piaro was nothing more than a child—a child who had been a legend for less than 10 years. Apart from their birth narratives, the legends of the current era had few stories to be handed down to future generations. However, Grid was different.

“A legend isn’t just a title that means a strong person.”

Chaos broke out in the surroundings as Grid, who was gradually moving away while making the sandstorm dragon, suddenly disappeared from view. The viewers could see Grid’s location through the camera, but the people at the scene missed Grid suddenly crossing the horizon in an instant.

Braham, whose eyes were enhanced with magic, couldn’t handle the storm caused by Shunpo. He checked the skin mask Grid gave him and clicked his tongue. “A story passed through word of mouth that is never destroyed. Those who are called legends of this world are trying to write an immortal message.”

A story that wouldn’t be forgotten after hundreds of years? It couldn’t be ordinary. A story based on common sense couldn’t be imprinted strongly.

“A legend is someone who ‘goes beyond strength’ and shows ‘something that can’t happen’ or ‘something that shouldn’t happen.’”

A long time ago, Braham had told Grid that the notion of military force was pointless in front of a legend. The reason that legends didn’t die easily was that conventional concepts didn’t prevail in legends. The desert shook. The sand dunes in the desert rose and cascaded down, drawing the exclamations of the 600,000 troops and spectators.

Piaro barely caught sight of Grid beyond the horizon. Nearly 100,000 enemies were swept away by Grid alone. The tens of thousands of spears, swords, arrows, and magic were broken. In the face of a legend’s unique presence, the ordinary soldiers faded away. Just as how countless legends shone light on only some heroes, Grid alone was the protagonist of the battlefield.

“Grid’s achievements are no less than those of the previous generations. Due to a lack of study and experience, he has been mainly fighting in one-on-one battles, but that will be solved with time. Look. The personification of a miracle is truly a legend.”

Grid alone had swept away 100,000 troops.

Braham smiled happily, and Piaro felt inspired as he watched Grid, who would be described in unbelievable legends.

***

[You have transcended the concept of space!]

‘Dammit!’

Shunpo, which had a terrible probability, was activated. Grid was flustered by the skill that moved the user to a place within his ‘field of view.’

‘My luck isn’t good!’

In fact, there was no need for Grid to act in his war. His power was dominant, but how could he participate in a war when he was so busy? Grid planned to launch only one sword dance in order to raise the morale of his army. He would put as many enemies as possible into his field of view, activate 200,000 Army Crushing Sword for a magnificent opening ceremony, and then head directly to the East Continent.

However, his plan was completely ruined.

“Heok!”

‘Shit!’

The soldiers of the Gauss Kingdom were terrified. Grid was close enough to see their pores, and he moved back hurriedly, swinging his sword.

“100,000 Army Massacre Sword!”

It was only one blow. Only one person swung his sword horizontally. Even so, the aftermath was great. The shields and armor of dozens of soldiers standing in the path of Grid’s sword got sliced, and thousands of soldiers were killed. The wavelength caused by Grid’s half-moon cut swept through a 30-meter radius.

Some of the soldiers were horrified when they heard the cry ‘100,000 Army Massacre Sword’ and watched as their nearby comrades disappeared without a trace. It seemed that the sword would annihilate them like the name suggested. Maybe they had already died. The soldiers lost their sense of reality and felt such doubts.

“...!” 

“...!”

Following a wave that shook the desert, the headquarters of the Gauss Army was stunned to see part of the army disappear in a fan shape. Seated in tents on a hill behind the camp, they had been waiting for an enemy attack. However, the current situation was too absurd. They were clearly keeping their eyes open and watching the battlefield, yet they lost thousands of troops without being aware of it.

[Your demonic power has increased.]

[Your demonic power has...]

[Your demonic power...]

[You have defeated an enemy during the war. A small amount of experience has been acquired.]

[You have defeated an enemy during the war. A small amount of...]

[You have defeated an enemy...]

In Grid’s field of view, notification windows were being updated sequentially. Thousands of gray pillars symbolizing death rose up and scattered, and the battlefield seemed to become covered in fog. If Lauel had been present, he would’ve said, “Kukukuk, it is the fog of death.’

“W-What? What is this?” Duke Ulbeos, the commander of the Gauss Kingdom’s army, shouted to get an understanding of the situation, but no one dared to step forward. The other people didn’t understand the situation either. The army’s headquarters was fully and utterly panicked when some soldiers and knights stepped up. The talents had come out.

“Surround the enemy!”

“Don’t respond with a skirmish. Lock the enemy in dust and fire magic and arrows!”

“Immediately identify and report the enemy’s numbers and race!”

“Increase the escorts for the commander! Hurry!”

The knights on the battlefield gave orders based on the soldiers’ flags and drumming signals. The Gauss Kingdom had long been preparing for a war with the Overgeared Kingdom and was truly an elite army. Most of the troops moved in an orderly formation, except for some panicked soldiers who witnessed the ‘enemy’ firsthand. The deep sands of the desert didn’t disturb them either. This was due to the effectiveness of the ‘shoes’ that the Gauss Kingdom had been preparing and distributing for years. They wore basilisk leather soles and stood on the sand like it was flat ground.

‘Did they prepare really thoroughly?’

Grid, trapped in the encirclement, could see it. A chill went down his spine when he realized that the level of the Gauss Kingdom’s army far exceeded the expectations of the leaders of the Overgeared Kingdom.

‘I thought my army would overwhelm them, but it isn’t the case.’

The place where the Gauss Kingdom spread out their troops was exquisite. It had a considerable slope and was surrounded by a barrier made of the nest of the giant worms. They had completely grasped the desert topography. Grid measured the efforts of the Gauss soldiers, who must’ve inspected the desert hundreds of thousands of times in preparation for this day, and clutched his sword more tightly.

His sword was a greatsword of a suitable standard that would be comfortable to swing with one hand. It was a combination of Grid’s Greatsword and the Enlightenment Sword, maximizing slash damage and skill damage.

‘It worked out better.’

Grid, who had resented the activated Shunpo, now felt grateful. He determined that it wouldn't be possible for the 600,000 troops led by Piaro to break through here without any damage. The Twilight orcs were too vulnerable to the heat, and the speed at which the Gauss Kingdom set the desert as the battlefield was beyond expectations.

‘I will do my best.’

Grid, who was surrounded by heavy infantry holding shields, sensed something and shifted his gaze. However, he couldn’t see what he wanted to see. The soldiers had been trained thoroughly, and they blocked his vision. Before Grid reached transcendence, he would’ve been helpless under the dust magic being used to control his vision.

Now Grid’s status had been built up several times, and he was able to identify the enemy’s location and intentions without looking. He could feel the magician units to the west and north highlands. One was 1,500 meters away, and the other was more than 3,000 meters away.

“......”

The flow of magic power caused the air to tremble. There was the sound of bowstrings being pulled, and the angle of the arrows refracted the sunlight. Finally, the wind blew toward him. The flags fluttered like they had been waiting for it, and the encirclement loosened.

Grid used all his senses to contemplate the battlefield and opened up Berith’s Power. Then the world witnessed the second coming of a great demon. 

[Automatic Transformation]

[Passive skill.

If you are targeted by a projectile, a metal shield made of defensive metal will be automatically generated in real-time.

10,000 damage will be absorbed per shield.

* The duration is one minute.]

The alchemy of 22nd Great Demon Berith, who terrorized the world—Grid recreated this absolute power and created an infinitely smooth metal that couldn’t be cut or pierced. The physical power of the arrows was different from the magical energy of spells. In the end, the projectiles were unable to deal a single scratch to Grid’s body.

Grid took one step forward. “Restraint.”

An indescribably overbearing energy filled with deterrence engulfed the battlefield. No one dared to get close to Grid, and the nature of the sand in the desert changed. Then soldiers started rushing in from all directions.

“Wave.”

This single sword dance led to Link, Kill, Pinnacle, Drop, Revolve, Flower, and Transcend. After quickly entering the center of the battlefield where tens of thousands of soldiers stood, he hit back with Flower Revolve and then devastated the area with two consecutive Transcended Link Flower due to God’s Command. At this point, the light elemental blinded the magician group on the west side.

Grid flew into the sky, going higher and higher—as high as possible. Before long, he managed to see the mesmerized nobles, the soldiers under the flags, the knights commanding the army, and the soldiers barely standing with trembling legs. The magic and arrows baptism poured down without any breaks. Thanks to the God hands, Noe, Randy, and the Overgeared Skeletons, Grid somehow held up against the devastating bombardment.

“200,000 Army Crushing Sword.”

It had been a long time since the magicians unleashed devastating spells that would sacrifice their allies. In the process of breaking through the enemy lines, Grid had lost the effect of the First King. Therefore, 200,000 Army Crushing Sword was a risky skill since it consumed Grid’s health.

Still, he had no choice. He was a legend and transcendent, but in the end, he was a player with restrictions in stamina. Grid believed it was better to cut down as many enemies as possible while he could still wield his sword, instead of lying down passively and waiting to self-destruct.

The sword energy swallowed up the magic and imprinted itself onto the battlefield. It was a powerful strike that split the enemy in half. 

“Ah... Ahhh...”

The Gauss Kingdom’s forces were completely lost. The Chinese viewers watched the battle from beginning to end and were overwhelmed with excitement.

“C-Cool...!”

“Amazing! It’s amazing!”

Jealousy, discrimination, and antagonism were indispensable parts of human nature. Even at this moment, there was a flood of malice and hostility on the Internet where they could chat without being face to face. The more a person was exposed to the public, the more vulnerable they were to the Internet. Grid was the same. He was the target of many Chinese people. No, he had been a target of malice and hostility for people all over the world, including South Korea.

However, it changed at this moment. Grid’s absolute force dominated the battlefield alone. His ability to overwhelm a nation overturned even the negative public opinion in China.

-I would follow Grid if I were an orc.

-Refreshing! Too cool!

-The real person is in South Korea.

-A god...! My new god!!

-The Korean peninsula manages to exist independently without being absorbed into China’s 4,000 years of history because the Korean peninsula produces new talents every time!

-The pride of Asia! Grid!!

***

“Thank you. I would’ve died if you had been one second later.”

He had just wanted to trigger a sword dance, but things became too big. Grid led the most important first battle of the war to victory and barely recovered with Ruby’s help.The 600,000-strong army cleaned up the remnants of the enemies while the knights fought valiantly against the enemy’s reinforcements that arrived.

Despite the successive battles, the morale of all soldiers remained at 100%. This meant that Grid’s performance was too great.

“Stupid. You were unreasonable,” Ruby retorted with a sour expression. She was happy with her brother’s performance but heartbroken by his struggle.

“Sorry.” Grid stroked his sister’s head before rising from his spot.

The durability of his items was a mess. Due to the large number of enemies, too many attacks had accumulated, and all his items were flashing red. If he hadn’t swapped items throughout the battle, some of his equipment would’ve been destroyed.

‘However, the experience of Fenrir’s Cloak has increased.’

Moreover, it was by an incredible amount. It was higher than expected even considering the buff in item experience acquired. Elfin Stone’s Ring activated the blood-sucking effect every time the cooldown time ended, and there was only 20% experience left until it reached the legendary rating. If he worked hard in the East Continent, he would be able to liberate Elfin Stone.

“The start is good. I will leave the rest to Piaro.” Grid recalled the list of quests on the East Continent prepared by Han Seokbong and was about to leave the battlefield with a light heart.

“Kukuk! Kuhahahaha! Arrogant Overgeared King! Soldiers who don’t know the world! You never dreamed that you were digging your own grave!” Duke Ulbeos was a named NPC, and he was relatively fine after being hit by 200,000 Army Crushing Sword. The commander of the Gauss Army suddenly left the battlefield and burst out laughing.

Once he felt everyone’s attention on him, he pointed to the land dyed red with the blood of the Gauss Kingdom’s soldiers. “Have you forgotten that vampires are sleeping below the desert?”

“Ah...!” The orc players became as stiff as statues. They despaired when they realized the decisive reason for the Gauss Kingdom setting the desert as the battleground.

“Haha! Kuhahahat! Today will be the grave for you and all of us!”

Currently, it was still the early evening. It was a good thing that the schedule had been accelerated because of that crazy king, but it was not in broad daylight. The sun’s momentum had weakened, so it was possible for the vampires to be active.

Duke Ulbeos’ laughter grew louder while the Overgeared army and orc forces stepped back. The red sand started to sway. The desert was filled with silence, and an eerie and horrifying atmosphere was created.

『 Hup...! 』

The anchor of a broadcast couldn’t bear it and screamed. Tens of thousands of places in the red sand surged, and black figures popped out. They were vampires with pale skin and blood-red eyes. Inspired by the smell of the battlefield, they forgot the Curse of Idleness and woke up, leaping to the ground. They were excited by the multitude of prey and would soon commit indiscriminate slaughter. The moment the people were convinced of this...

“Your Majesty!” The vampires all turned in one direction and kneeled down. Their deeply lowered heads were pointed in Grid’s direction.

Duke Ulbeos, who hoped the Overgeared army would be destroyed, sat down and swore, “...XX, this really isn’t possible.”

He was shocked and so exhausted that he was about to give up everything. Meanwhile, broadcasters all around the world ran ads at the same time. They had the gut feeling that now was the time to pull out the fee for quality broadcasting.

-XXX is really XX X. XX XXX XX guys.

The viewers’ dissatisfaction was naturally rampant. All the curses that existed in the world flooded toward the national broadcasters. However, the broadcasters were proud. The ads they were showing was the official video of the S.A Group.

It was the third opening video for the National Competition. Coincidentally, the now-talked-about Grid emerged in the first scene.

“Extremely Honorable Painting.”

The shockwave—that occurred as the swords of the revealed demon king and Kraugel interlocked—caused the wounded and collapsed rankers to shake. An important scene from last year’s Demon King’s Subjugation event marked the beginning of the new opening video.

-I am seeing it again.

The exchange between Grid and Kraugel caught the eyes of the viewers. The audience chat rooms filled with curses became quiet. The camera filming the battle soon moved away from the two men. Once the two people became as small as dots—

Flap. There was the sound of big wings unfolding, and white feathers appeared on the screen, completely obscuring the two dots. Then this year’s demon king appeared on the stage. He sat on a golden cloud and wore angelic wings. They were pure white wings.

Then the wings soon became black. It was the sign of the fall.

-Who is this year’s demon king?

The viewers, who had been excited by Grid’s performance, felt their emotions being amplified. Thanks to one virtual reality game called Satisfy, all humans were feeling happy.