Overgeared

by Park Saenal

  He had wanted the ring since he first met Doran. The ring with great options was finally entering his grasp.

  ‘Wow, this is really great. There are no conditions of use despite the performance? If I have this ring, won’t I gain an extra 1,000 health?’

  Grid’s strength and stamina were unusually high compared to his level. As a result, his current health was around 8,000 points. This was rather high compared to the average health of tankers at the same level.

  For low-level users or users with weak stamina, the value of 1,000 health attached to Doran’s RIng was enormous. Attribute resistance, recovery from abnormal conditions and health recovery, these options were unquestionably the best.

  ‘This will unconditionally sell if placed at auction.’

  Unique items without any usage conditions were rare. The value would be worth tens of millions of won… No, maybe it would be worth hundreds of millions of won… the situation was ridiculous.

  ‘If I gain this, won’t it be a result of the Divine Shield’s robbery?’

  What was the reason Grid came to Rolf Mountain? It was to reclaim the Divine Shield.

  But rather than finding the one who stole the shield, he encountered Malacus by accident, suddenly getting two tremendous quest rewards for nothing… Now a new quest popped up. It was like dropping an axe, only to pick up two golden axes.

  ‘I am just like a guy collapsing on the street, only to get back up.’

  Grid knew that good luck was far away from him. Originally, he would’ve broken his nose when falling down. But ever since he became Pagma’s Descendant, he, fortunately, gained some success.

  ‘It isn’t just Doran’s ring that I can obtain.’

  If Irene’s affinity reached the maximum, he could possibly marry her. In other words, he would be the husband of the lady of a territory, and an earl’s son-in-law.

  ‘In that case, won’t I be like a lord?’

  Right now, Winston was growing to become one of the best cities. The taxes alone would be astronomical.

  ‘Huhu, I will raise the taxes if I become a lord. Then I will be rich!’

  Irene’s MAX affinity = marriage to her = become the lord = tax was his. He took a deep breath and decided to embark on the quest.

  “Believe in me.” Grid released the ropes binding Irene, helped her stand up, and gave her the nicest smile possible. “I will safely escort you to the castle, so don’t worry you too much.”

  “Thank you…”

  Grid’s confidence had skyrocketed after beating the famous Malacus. He was determined to fight, even if the Yatan believers were to block his way.

  ‘The Yatan followers should be at a level similar to that of the monsters in Kesan Canyon. They are of no threat to me, even without the Divine Shield and Malacus’ Cloak.’

  In the first place, Regas had defeated many followers. He thought there would only be a few left. The immediate problem wasn’t the enemies, but Irene.

  “Can you walk?”

  “I’m sorry… I am a big burden to you.”

  Irene was in such a bad condition that she couldn’t walk on her own. Grid saw that her health was low and tried to recover it with a potion. But her condition didn’t change. He tried to feed her many potions that would heal the status conditions, but they didn’t seem to have an effect.

  ‘This isn’t something that can be resolved by a user. She will be in this state until we reach the castle. How rotten… I wasted my potions.’

  In the end, Grid placed Irene on his back.

  “Kyaaak?!”

  Irene was the sheltered daughter of an earl who never held hands with any man except for her father! Therefore, she now felt confused and embarrassed at being piggybacked by a man.

  “M-Mr. Grid! You don’t need to help me this much!”

  She blushed as she struggled, but she was as weak as a feather. This was Grid’ first experience with a woman outside of his younger sister, so he couldn’t help feeling excited.

  ‘This… A woman’s touch…!’

  Grid had no experience with dating… so he was now experiencing a crisis in the game. But this was the best luck! Grid was excited by Irene’s touch on his back and replied vigorously!

  “There is no need to be ashamed! Don’t be bothered. I will… No, I won’t let you do anything hard! Leave everything to me!”

  “Mr. Grid…”

  In the meantime, Grid had experienced several incidents and did labor, accumulating close to 250 stat points. Thanks to that, his stamina was incomparable and could run carrying Irene.

  ‘Okay, let’s go!’

  The distance from Rolf Mountain to Winston was around five hours on foot! Grid was determined to arrive in Winston, but this was an A-grade quest, after all, so a crisis appeared at the very beginning.

  “You! You are the one who killed Malacus!”

  Three followers hiding at the front of the cave emerged and attacked Grid.

  “I will get revenge for Malacus! Die!”

  The Yatan followers used curse magic on Grid. They also summoned a poisonous fog that would rot his lungs. But their magic didn’t work because Grid resisted all of it. The existence of Grid was the nemesis of magicians who specialized in causing abnormal conditions.

  “Aren’t you weaker than Malacus? Why are you trying to get revenge when you are so weak? Quick Movements!”

  [Quick Movements has been activated. Your agility and evasion rate will increase significantly for 1 minute.]

  Grid didn’t activate Pagma’s Swordsmanship. When deactivated, Pagma’s Swordsmanship increased physical damage and the probability of critical damage by 10%. The attack power when equipped with Dainsleif wasn’t at a level that a magician could endure.

  “Hiyaaaah!”

  One hand held Irene on his back, while the other one swung Dainsleif. He lacked strength so he couldn’t completely control Dainsleif with one hand, but his incomplete and slow attack was sufficient to deal with the Yatan followers.

  “Keook!”

  “For Malacus!”

  “Ahh! For God Yatan!”

  Grid didn’t avoid the curse magic, slamming the sword into the followers’ faces. He gained a moderate amount of experience and loot, before running down the mountain. There were ambushes from Yatan followers all over the mountain.

  “Souls of the underworld, use your grudges and fears to ensnare the enemy. Crush his mind with fear and make him lose his will! Become a doll with a lost soul!”

  The curse magic poured down from all directions. It seemed a little grim, so Grid put the big sword away in his inventory, took out the Divine Shield and protected Irene with it.

  “Kuack!”

  The Yatan followers suffered just facing the Divine Shield. Grid put away the shield in this gap and pulled out the dagger, aiming Wind Blast in the direction of the magic.

  Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

  There was an explosion in the mountain and the screams of the Yatan followers echoed.

  “T-Too strong…!”

  The followers of Yatan were completely defeated by Grid’s style of switching between the shield, dagger and greatsword.

  ‘The Yatan followers were such great enemies when I met Doran, but now it is the opposite.’

  “You monster! Eek!”

  “Kyaak!”

  The Yatan believers fell helplessly in front of Grid who was wearing a strange helmet and Malacus’ Cloak!

  Some of them became tearful as they realized they couldn’t defeat Grid, while others were determined to fight. However, none of them retreated. Their madness made Irene frightened. But Grid was actually happy about it.

  He destroyed the followers who kept on appearing.

  “Hahahahat! Now come! Continue! It is thanks to all of you!”

  Due to this battle, Grid realized a lot. General users were reluctant to deal with enemies that caused status abnormalities, but he was different.

  ‘Don’t monsters who cause special statuses often have weak a
ttack or defense? Isn’t this a perfect meal for me? I should hunt these type of enemies in the future.’

  Grid had almost 100% status resistance due to the characteristic of Pagma’s Descendant and the special stats.

  He once again realized how fraudulent a legendary class was as he dealt with the enemies on Rolf Mountain. Dozens of monsters ran over due to Malacus’ Cloak. After three hours, Grid had reached level 97.

  “We are delayed because monsters keep appearing. I’m sorry.”

  “… As Doran said, Mr. Grid is the only one I can rely on. You are really strong.”

  Irene had one of the most powerful knights in the north as her subordinate. Her father, Earl Steim, also had great people. Therefore, she had a good knowledge of combat and could tell that Grid had excellent skills. That made it harder for her to understand.

  “Isn’t Mr. Grid a blacksmith? But how can you be so strong?”

  Grid easily answered.

  “The power of items.”

  “I…Items?”

  “Well, it is the virtue of having great battle gear.”

  “Even if you have great battle gear, won’t it be hard if you don’t have the skills? You are strong and humble.”

  Irene smiled softly. Her appreciation towards Grid was rising exponentially. Grid thought it wouldn’t be long until he became her husband. He talked like this with Irene and arrived safely in Winston.

  Chapter 93

  Chapter 93

  “The lady has already been gone for half a day! But we still don’t know where she is? Incompetent people! Don’t stop looking! Find the lady!”

  Phoenix had been defeated and seriously injured in battle against the Eighth Servant, Yura. While he was lying in bed and half losing his mind, a change took place in Winston Castle.

  A high ranking elder of the Yatan Church infiltrated the castle, brainwashed the administrator, killed the soldiers and Irene was missing. Phoenix couldn’t even get out of bed, but he started getting seizures after hearing that Irene hadn’t been found.

  “Captain’s wounds are worsening! Please calm down! We will find the lady unharmed.”

  “Shut up! My health isn’t important right now! Why are you repeating the same words as before and not doing anything?”

  Night deepened. Phoenix didn’t want to imagine what Irene was experiencing right now.

  ‘My Lady has already experienced being kidnapped. She still has the trauma from that time… She will be frightened.’

  In the past, there was Doran. However, now Doran was gone.

  ‘My Lady, please don’t worry. Your subject will help you!’

  “Ohhhh!”

  Phoenix groaned. Then he used all his strength and got up from the bed.

  “Captain!”

  The knights freaked out. It was because blood was seeping through the bandage wrapped around Phoenix’ chest.

  ‘He will die!’

  Phoenix had a big wound right next to his heart. He was strong enough to speak and raise his body, but he was so seriously wounded that it wouldn’t be strange for him to die at any moment. The knights tried to persuade Phoenix.

  “If the lady isn’t found and the administrator doesn’t wake up, won’t the castle collapse? There is a high probability that the lady is in a crisis. But you are safe. If you try to move now then the situation will only get worse. So please, calm down!”

  “Shut up!”

  The knights were making the right decision, but Phoenix didn’t hear anything. He was seeing Irene in a terrible situation. Then a soldier ran into the room.

  “The lady! The lady has come back!”

  “…!”

  ***

  “My Lady, your faithful subject couldn’t protect you! This is a sin that can’t be washed away for three generations! Please kill me!”

  Irene rushed forward towards Phoenix who was kneeling down. A half-dead person was running around, Phoenix seemed like a monster to the knights and soldiers.

  “Sir Phoenix…”

  Blood was dripping from the bandage wrapped around Phoenix’s chest. Due to excessive bleeding, his complexion was pale and his lips were blue. Phoenix was truly prepared to die. But Irene didn’t want to lose Phoenix.

  “This incident occurred while Sir Phoenix was lying in the infirmary. So Sir Phoenix isn’t responsible.”

  “No! It is my fault. It proves that I neglected the security of the castle…!”

  “Be quiet!”

  Irene shouted. Phoenix was stunned because this was the first time he saw Irene act like this. As his mouth gaped open, Irene firmly expressed her will.

  “This incident is all my fault. It is my own fault for not increasing the guards after Sir Phoenix became injured. You have no responsibility. So stand up. Please take care of your wound. I will be really sad if you leave my side like Doran.”

  ‘My Lady…’

  Phoenix’ stubbornness was finally broken. Then he shook his head and asked.

  “Was it the Yatan Church again? Did they want to sacrifice you?”

  “…”

  Irene shuddered at the thought of Malacus’ cold eyes. The fear of death, which she experienced twice, was so horrible that she couldn’t bear it. Irene explained in a trembling voice.

  “I lost consciousness and when I woke up, there was a man. He was the Sixth Servant, Malacus.”

  “W-What?”

  The knights were agitated.

  “One of Yatan’s servants dared to invade Winston?”

  “It seems like the Yatan Church is thoroughly preparing for war with Winston!”

  “I can’t forgive them for kidnapping the lady! We must tell Earl Steim and invite the whole army to invade the main Yatan Temple.”

  “No, but…?”

  Phoenix interrupted as the agitated knights were shouting. It was due to a sense of strangeness. The servants of Yatan were strong. In particular, Malacus was famous for being cruel. It was impossible for Irene to escape from him, and he wouldn’t have let her go.

  “Who saved the lady?”

  Few virgins kidnapped by the Yatan Church ever returned home. One of them was Irene, but she was rescued by Doran. However, Doran wasn’t here anymore.

  ‘If the opponent is one of the Eight Servants, even Doran wouldn’t find it easy to save her.’

  The person who rescued Irene must have a great power. But was such a great person here in Winston?

  “That person.”

  “Huh?”

  Phoenix was stunned by the man Irene pointed to. He was…

  “Haha, hello?”

  “You…?”

  The person Irene pointed to was Grid. However, Phoenix knew him as a great blacksmith. But wasn’t he just a blacksmith? How was he able to save Irene? It was against Malacus!

  ‘Did he use his brains? But he doesn’t seem smart…’

  Irene explained to the confused Phoenix.

  “Mr. Grid is very strong. He killed Malacus with his companions, then rescued me and smashed the rest of the followers. A hero.”

  “… My Lady?”

  Irene’s gaze towards Grid was strange. It was like a virgin’s gaze towards someone she liked. Phoenix was baffled for a moment, but he soon got up. Then he looked Grid up and down. Grid took off all his equipment in the safe zone and was once again back to his scruffy appearance. But Phoenix was able to notice Grid’s multi-dimensional nature. Somehow he had the illusion of a halo around Grid.

  ‘Grid seems like someone who has built up a great reputation… He must usually hide his identity. Maybe blacksmithing is just his hobby? He has tremendous skill for a hobbyist… no, he must’ve built up his reputation in many ways.’

  Phoenix was convinced.

  “Thank you. You are the lady and Winston’s savior…! I won’t forget your grace!”

  Phoenix’ attitude completely changed from what it was before. Grid finally saw the notification window.

  [Quest success!]

  [Affinity with Irene, Winston
’s lady, has risen to the maximum.]

  ‘Good!’

  It was an easier quest than he expected. In addition, the rewards for the A-grade quest were terrific.

  “Mr. Grid, this is a show of my sincerity.”

  [Doran’s Ring has been acquired.]

  “This is…”

  Grid was given a ring. Irene smiled and stated,

  “Please swear to me that you will cherish this ring, as it is a keepsake from the one who saved my life.”

  “The one who saved your life, do you mean Doran? Absolutely. I also have a connection with Doran… I will treasure it.”

  “Will you swear?”

  Grid readily replied to Irene’s question. “Of course.”

  At that moment.

  [Doran’s ring has been attached to you.]

  “…”

  In Satisfy, the death penalty was very large. There was a drop in experience and the durability of equipped items. There was also a certain probability of equipped items dropping. It was very difficult to regain the items dropped after dying. Even if the person ran over right after resurrecting, there were many users or monsters who would pick it up. Who wouldn’t be angry at dropping items with a tremendous value when dying?

  Therefore, Satisfy had a system to protect such items. Items attached to a user never dropped, even if the user died. It was also impossible to sell it to other users.

  ‘Dammit!’

  Doran’s Ring was definitely a top accessory. But it wasn’t as great for Grid, who could resist all sorts of status conditions. So he had thought about selling Doran’s Ring but…

  ‘It is bound to me! What is this?’

  Bound items couldn’t be released. Even if a user died, they would lose a similar amount in gold instead of the item. Therefore, most users were willing to take the risk of losing the item and didn’t use the item binding system. Grid tried to soothe his boiling emotions.

  ‘… Let’s think about this positively. It is true that this ring is great.’

  It raised his health by 1,000 and had a skill that restored 50% of the damage dealt. It was definitely a good item. Even if he couldn’t make money from it, he could use it directly.

  ‘I like it… I get to wear such a nice ring… Haha… I feel good…’

  Grid wore Doran’s Ring instead of putting it in his inventory. Irene smiled happily at the sight.