by Park Saenal
‘Dammit!’
Elfin Stone sweated as he barely avoided the attack.
‘I felt fear!’
He was a direct descendant of Shizo Beriache. Yet he was scared of this unknown human?
‘I can’t tolerate it.’
Embarrassment boiled inside him.
Kwaduduk!
Elfin Stone widened the distance with Grid. If the two swords collided with each other, there would be an explosion. So he tried to use magic so that he wouldn’t be damaged.
This was a big mistake. Grid had Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Transcend. He was able to switch to ranged attacks and thus was safe from the explosion that occurred every time the attack hit the distant target.
Pepepepeok!
Explosions kept occurring around Elfin Stone as he was hit by a bombardment of energy blades.
[You have dealt 15,760 damage to the target.]
[You have dealt 16,400 damage to the target.]
[Lifael’s Spear’s option effect is activated, causing the skill ‘Light Wheel’ to be generated.]
[You have dealt 82,900 damage to the target.]
[The option effect of (Combination) Failure + Lifael’s Spear is activated, causing the skill ‘5 Joint Attacks’ to be generated.]
[You have dealt 60,040 damage to the target.]
“Kuaaaack!”
Elfin Stone let out a horrible shriek. The heavy onslaught and explosion of black light contained a destructive power that even a vampire earl couldn’t ignore.
“Wow…”
“Really strong.”
“…It’s terrifying.”
The Overgeared members were stunned. They might be in the top 20 rankings, the attack power shown by Grid was different.
‘Maybe. Maybe this…’
At this moment, wasn’t Grid comparable to Kraugel? Pon had encountered Kraugel in the past and knew his strength. Just as he was thinking that.
“Shit! Shitt!”
Elfin Stone started cursing. It wasn’t possible to turn to smoke due to the divine power in Grid’s attacks, while Blood Shield couldn’t completely protect his body from the damage of the explosions.
‘In the first place, it was wrong for me to move back!’
Elfin Stone belatedly realized and changed his posture. Anyway, it was meaningless to defend so he planned to confront Grid with force. It was both his pride and a wise judgment.
Kuwooooh!
Elfin Stone’s scattered blood gathered in one place. Then the blood turned into a spear and shot towards Grid.
“Heart Seeker!”
Peeeeeong!
Heart Seeker was a targeted skill that unconditionally hit the target. It was a definite death sentence. The strength surpassed Extreme Blood Transfusion, but Elfin Stone was reluctant to use it because it consumed his health. The fact that Elfin Stone used Heart Seeker meant he recognized that Grid was strong.
Kiiiing.
It was an absolute majesty. The bloody spear penetrated straight through Grid’s bombardment of Transcend and Blacksmith’s Rage. Then…
Puoook!
“Grid!”
The Overgeared members paled from fear. Grid failed to respond to the spear and it pierced his heart.
“Cough!”
Red blood poured from Grid’s nose and mouth. Elfin Stone wasn’t careless.
‘He survived the Extreme Blood Transfusion’
Confirmation was necessary. Elfin Stone once again used another spell despite already consuming a large amount of health and magic power.
“Blood Wave!”
Kwa kwa kwa kwang!
Blood Wave shot towards Grid. A smile appeared on Elfin Stone’s mouth as he confirmed that Grid was about to be hit by it.
“Pagma’s Swordsmanship…”
“…!”
Grid used the Skill Deletion of Dark Bus’ Ring and penetrated through Blood Wave to reach Elfin Stone. Elfin Stone tried to hinder Grid by hurriedly deploying Blood Thorn. However, Grid used the left and right movements of Link to avoid most of the thorns coming from the ground.
“Damn bastard!”
Elfin Stone shot out Blood Laser. It was blood magic that penetrated through a narrow range. But Grid waved his hand and destroyed it. He actively utilized Dark Bus’ Ring.
“This is nonsense!”
Elfin Stone was alarmed by the sight! In the end, Grid narrowed down the distance, avoiding Iyarugt with the footwork of Kill. Then he used his best skill.
“Linked Kill.”
Kuwooooh!
Both black and gold light shot out like fireworks.
Chaaeng!
Elfin Stone used Iyarugt to resist the first strike of Linked Kill. But the explosion that occurred afterwards was the problem.
“Kuk!”
Elfin Stone shook. It was the same with Grid. Elfin Stone was the one who fixed his posture first. It was close, but this difference could be huge in battle. Iyarugt aimed for Grid’s heart. Grid’s immortal passive was activated after Heart Seeker, so this was a tremendous crisis from Grid’s standpoint.
‘I can’t lose after coming this far.’
Grid didn’t give up. He might die but he continued to use Linked Kill. And he received a reward for this.
[The option effect of (Combination) Failure + Lifael’s Spear is activated, causing the skill ‘Light Wheel’ to be generated.]
It was a skill that unfolded at an exquisite moment. Thanks to that, Linked Kill’s thrust quickly changed. Elfin Stone exposed a gap after aiming Iyarugt at Grid, and was wounded instead.
[Critical!]
[You have dealt 304,600 damage to the target.]
‘Unbelievable!’
The magic sword Iyarugt made the wearer into a master of swordsmanship. But what was this sword technique? Elfin Stone staggered from the shock and was struck by the third consecutive Linked Kill.
Puok!
[You have dealt 119,400 damage to the target.]
Next was the fourth blow.
[You have dealt 122,000 damage to the target.]
Then the fifth.
[The Holy Light Gloves’s option effect is activated, causing the skill ‘5 Joint Attacks’ to be generated.]
[You have dealt 608,500 damage to the target.]
The sixth blow.
[Critical!]
[The Holy Light Gloves’s option effect is activated, causing the skill ‘5 Joint Attacks’ to be generated.]
[Lifael’s Spear’s option effect is activated, causing the skill ‘Light Wheel’ to be generated.]
[You have dealt 3,054,900 damage to the target.]
Grid’s sword kept striking at Elfin Stone. The explosion that occurred every time also landed on Grid. Grid wore Doran’s Ring and took a supreme health potion, but the amount of recovery couldn’t keep up with the damage. In the end.
“Kuk…! Kuock!”
His love, Leah. Elfin Stone recalled the last time he saw her smiling face and scattered into black smoke.
[You have died.]
Grid also turned into a grey light.
[Vampire Earl Elfin Stone is forced to sleep after exhausting all his powers.]
[Your party leader Grid has died.]
[The Pavranium Expedition has acquired Elfin Stone’s Ring.]
[The Pavranium Expedition has acquired Iyarugt.]
[The Pavranium Expedition has acquired the 4th Piece of ???.]
[The Pavranium Expedition has become the first party to capture a vampire city!]
[The Pavranium Expedition party members will receive bonus experience points and increased item acquisition rate in all vampire cities for the next month.]
Many notification windows popped up. However, Grid’s vision was turning black so he had no way to verify it.
Chapter 301
Chapter 301
On the large screen, Elfin Stone scattered into black smoke. It was an incredible result.
Lim Cheolho stretched out a hand towards Yoon Sangmin and Team Leader Ashl
ey, whose mouths were gaping open.
“Come on, give it to me.”
The two people pulled out a 50,000 won note.
“Ugh…! My allowance…”
“I won’t be able to buy chicken this week…”
Yoon Sangmin and Team Leader Ashley had some of the highest salaries in South Korea. However, they both had strict wives and only lived on a small amount of money. Their loss in the bet was really heartbreaking.
“I shouldn’t have bet… I never imagined this.”
They were convinced that Grid’s party wouldn’t succeed in the Elfin Stone raid. Lim Cheolho smiled warmly. “Grid won because he blocked the first Blood Field. If Blood Field was deployed at the beginning of the raid, the Overgeared members wouldn’t have been able to hold on that long.”
“I agree.”
Grid’s skills were improving day by day.
After reaching level 300 and waiting a short time to activate his newly acquired Item Combination skill, he could exert a fighting power comparable to the combat specialist legendary classes.
It was strong enough to transcend all presumptions. There was a reason Grid was included in the ‘five people who could make miracles’ that Lim Cheolho mentioned.
“But Grid… Isn’t it a little dangerous? Didn’t he die in the Blackening state?”
Chairman Lim Cheolho laughed at Yoon Sangmin.
“Grid will get to experience a whole new world.”
In the meantime, Grid’s radius of activity was too narrow. The Human World. He was active only in the Eternal Kingdom on the continent. It was necessary to experience the wide world that two billion users enjoyed.
“In the first place, it isn’t a dangerous place. Most of the residents are friendly and similar to humans.”
***
[You have died.]
Grid had died before in the past. He died four times to the green slime that even level 5 beginners could go against. However, death was unfamiliar to Grid after he became Pagma’s Descendant.
The last time was with Doran. It had been a long time since he struggled against Yura and died. If it was the Grid of the past, he would’ve been trembling about the penalties caused by death. He would’ve cursed. But now he was different. He was worried about the safety of his party members.
‘Is everybody okay?’
Grid wasn’t sure if the Elfin Stone raid succeeded. His mind had darkened the moment the 5th strike of Linked Kill had landed.
“Status window.”
Lv.300 (11.05%)
“…Hah.”
Grid smiled as he checked the experience gauge on his status window. When he encountered Elfin Stone, Grid’s experience gauge was only 0%. If he had failed the Elfin Stone raid? Of course, his level would’ve decreased. However, now his experience gauge was at 11%.
In other words.
“The raid was a success.”
The death penalty at level 300 meant a 30% drop in experience, so he had gained 41% experience from Elfin Stone. It was a huge number, as expected of a named boss.
‘Everyone will be safe.’
Thank god. A relieved Grid was reminded of the pavranium.
‘Did he drop my pavranium?’
There was no need to worry even if it didn’t drop. His party members would search the city for it.
“In the meantime, I…”
The durability of his items was ruined by death. In particular, the item combination meant that Failure only had 10 durability remaining. If things went wrong, it would’ve been destroyed.
‘I need to repair my items.’
Grid turned to head to Khan’s smithy and hesitated.
“…Where is this place?”
Grid’s resurrection point was Reidan. The landscape that unfolded before his eyes should be familiar. But the surrounding scenery was unfamiliar. It was a small and tranquil village with around 20 shacks. Grid stood alone in the center of it.
“…?”
The confused Grid unfolded the map. However, Grid’s location wasn’t marked anywhere on the map.
“What the hell is this?”
Grid frowned and swept over the village. There wasn’t a general store in the village. There were just 20 shacks, macaroon trees, and a small stream.
‘There aren’t any people.’
Grid picked a sweet and sour macaroon and placed it in his mouth. Why did he resurrect here instead of Reidan? A bug was unlikely. He never once heard of a bug being discovered in Satisfy.
“Kuk….”
Grid’s thinking ability was unable to analyze the current situation.
‘I need to go back to Reidan.’
In order to do that, he needed to know his current location. Grid tried to ask the guild members for assistance.
{Does anyone know my location right now?}
[You have failed to send a message to the guild. Hell is disconnected from the human world.]
“…Hell?”
Hell was a place with a blue sky and warm breezes? Shouldn’t hell be darker and filled with lava?
“Dammit!”
In the end, Grid revealed his nature.
“This is hell! I fell down into hell!”
If he knew this, he would’ve lived a nice… No, he would’ve paid more attention to his demonic power figure!
‘I killed too many people in the empire, the Vatican, and Winston.’
Grid currently had 401 demonic power. It happened when Grid was sure that he fell into hell because his demonic power was too high.
“They are…?”
A group was entering through the entrance of the village. They had strange appearances. Some men had horns on their foreheads, while some women had purple skin. They didn’t look strong, but it was hard to see them as humans.
‘Demonkin?’
He didn’t want to fight when the durability of his items was so low.
The demonkin found Grid who was trying to run away. It was so fast that Grid failed to escape.
‘Damn… In the end I have to fight. But demonkin do farming?’
The demonkin held farming equipment in their hands and their clothes were dirty. It was like Piaro’s usual appearance. The demonkin asked him a question.
“Who are you?”
“A traveller…? Why would a traveller come to a place like this?”
“…?”
The demonkin weren’t wary or hostile towards Grid. They treated him normally. It was great for Grid.
‘The demonkin aren’t hostile towards humans?’
Grid felt doubt and suddenly looked down at his hands. They were pale. He looked at the rest of his body, but it was the same. Grid realized.
‘Blackening wasn’t over.’
That’s right. Grid was currently in a half demon state. The demonkin perceived him as their own people. An old demonkin put down a basket full of unfamiliar plants and looked benignly at Grid.
“You seem stiff for some reason. Don’t be nervous. Everyone’s just curious because it has been almost 100 years since a visitor came to this village. Wasn’t it an exhausting trip? Would you like to have a meal? As you can see, this is a poor village and we can only cook Atura grass.”
“…Grass? You eat grass? You don’t eat humans?”
Grid blinked and questioned. The demonkin laughed.
“This young friend made a funny joke.”
“How can we eat humans?”
“We are fortunate not to be eaten by humans.”
“…?”
Their perception of humans was quite strange. These demonkin seemed different from the stories that Grid had heard.
‘Living in this shabby neighborhood… Are they weak among the demonkin?’
Then Grid cocked his head with surprise. It was became a demonkin called Helmis came up and grabbed his wrist.
‘Do they know that I am human?’
Grid was nervous as Helmis looked at his hands with interest.
“Looking at your calluses, you are a
blacksmith? Isn’t this very interesting? I’ve never heard that there was another blacksmith among the demonkin.”
‘Blacksmith?’
Blacksmith among the demonkin?
‘Perhaps…’
Was the one who made Iyarugt a demonkin?
A notification window popped up in front of Grid.
[Blackening will end in one minute.]
Blackening wasn’t lifted even if he died. The problem was that it wouldn’t last forever.
‘This…’
He didn’t know what would happen if he changed back to a human here. The demonkin were surprisingly good people so Grid asked them.
“Do you know how to go to the Human World?”
The demonkin said hopelessly.
“We don’t know either. Even the great demons can’t freely enter the human world, so how can trivial people like us know the way?”
“Why do you want to go to the Human World? You, aren’t you a little strange?”
“Something is suspicious.”
The demonkin started to question Grid.
‘Did I screw up?’
Grid gulped. At that moment, Noe jumped out of Grid’s pet inventory.
“Nyang! It was the smell of home!”
The short-legged cat sniffed and his tail waved as he smelled the familiar scent of hell. Looking at his bright expression, Noe seemed quite happy. He even seemed to be doing a shoulder dance.
‘Cute.’
Grid wanted to continue watching Noe dance. The demonkin’s faces turned pale as they gazed at Grid.
“Heok! M-Memphis!”
“The best demonic beast of hell!”
The astonished demonkin shouted and knelt down when they saw Noe. A memphis. The most intelligent and mighty servants of the great demons, they were objects of worship for common demonkin. Then Noe finally noticed the bowing demonkin.
“Ah! Do you see Master? This body is so great!”
Grid scolded him.
“You only hid when I was trying to hunt Elfin Stone.”
“I’m sorry…”
Noe’s expression changed rapidly. The demonkin started speculating when they heard Noe called Grid his master.
“M-Memphis’ Master!”
“We didn’t know who you were and we dared offend you!”
“Kill us!”
Although they were demonkin, they were also friendly people who invited him for a meal. It happened when Grid was about to answer them.
