by Park Saenal
Ttiring~
[The quest has succeeded!]
[Affinity with the young angels has increased by 1. It has led to the Interest of the Young Angels (2) quest.]
[Interest of the Young Angels (2)]
[You are the first human that the young angels have seen. They have a great interest in you. Please answer their questions.
Quest Clear Conditions: Answer the angels’ questions appropriately (6 times in total).
Quest Clear Rewards: +1 affinity with the young angels. Link to the Interest of the Young Angels (3) quest.
Quest Failure: The young angels will lose their interest in you.]
The next quest was no different from the preceding one. The angels asked Grid various questions. They went from trivial questions like what humans ate and whether they really died in less than 100 years to questions which indirectly gave Grid a glimpse of Hexetia’s situation…
It was a small help. The Interest of the Young Angels quests continued to the fifth one. Then after clearing the fifth quest…
[Hexetia’s Home]
[The young angels are starting to like you. They will guide you to Hexetia according to your request.]
Grid was able to find a path. He followed the guidance of the angels and arrived in front of a shabby cabin at the end of the sea of clouds. The huge chimney of the cabin was impressive.
“Hot… I will go.”
“Me too~~ I don’t like God Hexetia~~”
“…”
Sometimes naivety could be a knife. The frankness of the young angels deeply wounded someone.
[The temperature of the area is very high.]
[The legendary blacksmith doesn’t succumb to the heat.]
As if waiting for the young angels to disappear, the door of the cabin opened only after the angels disappeared. The name ‘Blacksmith God: Hexetia’ floated in an orange color on top of the half-naked man’s head. Hexetia’s burning nipples looked lonely. They seemed to be shouting that he didn’t emit this heat because he wanted to.
Grid greeted Hexetia politely, “It is an honor to meet the blacksmith god who contributed to the development of humanity. I will duel you out of a sense of respect toward you.”
“You are a mere human in front of a god. The fact that you aren’t afraid of me shows that your respect is certainly false…! You are someone who sold the name of a god for the sake of your fame. I will give you a taste of hell!”
[★Hidden Quest ★ ‘Win a Blacksmithing Competition with a God’ has started!]
[Win a Blacksmithing Competition with a God]
[★ Hidden Quest ★
God Hexetia is the creator of most of the tools that exist in this world.
It won’t be easy to win against God Hexetia!
Quest Clear Conditions: Create a better item than God Hexetia.
Quest Clear Rewards: The acknowledgment of God Hexetia and enlightenment. The disappearance of God Hexetia’s envy. Affinity with God Hexetia will increase, and the curse on the First Holy Sword will be released.
Quest Failure: A new divine punishment.
* The divine punishment will cause a strong penalty such as a drop in character level, a drop in skill level, or a permanent loss of acquired goods and experience.]
Chapter 890
Chapter 890
[(Breaking News) Grid is missing!]
[Overgeared King Grid was hit by lightning during the opening ceremony of the Hexetia Temple…]
[Grid disappeared like smoke… None of the hundreds of cameras can find him.]
[(Column) Is this a warning from the great demons about humanity serving a new god? Grid will certainly receive a big penalty.]
The world was in upheaval as Grid disappeared during real time. The way he disappeared without a trace caused all types of speculations.
“Grid is safe. He just logged out.”
Logging out during an important event…? The Overgeared Kingdom’s explanation couldn’t be understood at all and provoked greater turmoil. People started speculating that Grid had disappeared because of the curse of a great demon and that he had been forcibly taken to hell. Then the disturbing testimonies of the Rebecca Church players were added, “The senior priests have stated that Grid has received the goddess’ wrath for serving another god.”
Half a day had passed since Grid disappeared. Where was he and what was he doing now? Many people assumed Grid was in danger. The conclusion was that the construction of the Hexetia Temple had an adverse effect on him.
[This is the signal of his downfall.]
These exaggerated headlines spread across the world.
***
‘This…’
Grid was upset by the penalties that would be gained when the quest failed. It felt like the extremely honorable painting had been arranged for this exact moment. A duel with a god after obtaining the extremely honorable painting… The timing was too good. It was as if the episodes were linked naturally. There was nothing for Grid to worry about if he lost. He could use the skill in the extremely honorable painting to regain his skills and stats… It was as if someone was whispering this to him.
Grid found it hard to understand. ‘Picasso is a player. It doesn’t make sense that she knew what I would go through and painted a map for the future. No… Wait?’
Satisfy’s freedom was infinite. The history of the world moved according to the actions and choices of the players. It was possible that one painting drawn by one player might have a great influence.
‘…Maybe the extremely honorable painting is one of the causes of this episode?’
Among all the reasons for Hexetia to request for a duel, one of them might be jealousy due to Grid becoming the main character of the extremely honorable painting. In the end, it could be interpreted that now was the right timing to use the extremely honorable painting.
‘I can get away without a huge penalty even if I lose to Hexetia.’
So what if he lost?
‘No, I must win.’
The quest reward was telling him that this was a battle he must win. This was also Grid’s wish.
Yes, Grid wanted to win unconditionally. He wanted to get rid of Hexetia’s envy and release the curse on the First Holy Sword. Grid’s ultimate goal was to receive the goddess’ blessing twice and enhance Pagma’s Swordsmanship and blacksmithing at the same time.
The person Grid was facing right now was a god, despite the fact that he had the image of a human. Hexetia lived in a shabby cabin that was unlike the giant castles of the great demons, but he was one level above them. The heat and the flames on his nipples were evidence of that.
Yes, Hexetia was an enemy more fearful than anyone Grid had ever fought. Sweat flowed down Grid’s cheek as he was reminded of this. It was difficult for him to remain calm against a god, despite being the Overgeared King.
Hexetia said, “You humans might’ve forgotten, but when I received the goddess’ will, I created a million tools and spread them across the earth. I created all of them, from ordinary items such as tableware and farming tools to luxury items like jewelry and weapons.”
“…”
What did Hexetia want to say? It wasn’t simply taking credit. Noticing that Hexetia was trying to explain the rules of the match, Grid focused thoroughly in order not to miss anything.
“Yes, humanity has produced the tools and weapons I created. Yet they became deluded and thought it was due to their own talents. It is to the extent that they built up people as ‘new gods’… just like you.” Anger started to spread on Hexetia’s face. He was really angry. “I feel sick every time I see people who are just imitating me get praised…! It is disgusting to see the stupid people who don’t know their true benefactor! Therefore—! Therefore—!!”
Hexetia had attempted to destroy humanity as he had seen that the same things would be repeated again. However, this blacksmith who was ‘beyond a god’ was somewhat unusual. He announced Hexetia’s merits to the world and claimed to respect him. To b
e honest, Hexetia was happy. He felt a throbbing sensation in his chest. It was an emotion he felt for the first time in his endless existence. Hexetia was deeply grateful to Grid. However, unlike his heart, his mind had doubts. A human different from the others had appeared for the first time in tens of thousands of years, so it was natural for Hexetia to have doubts.
‘I want to resolve my doubts.’
This was Hexetia’s home. Hexetia wanted to acknowledge Grid’s abilities. He wanted this person to stand firm without him. Only then he would be able to trust this human. Therefore…
“Prove your skills! If you prove that you aren’t a simple subordinate, I will acknowledge and trust you!”
Hexetia requested for a duel. It was a completely different desire from the past, back when he didn’t want to be pursued by a human. Then how did Grid respond?
“Okay,” he accepted the duel without hesitation. “I’ll prove it.”
It wasn’t just a matter of compensation now. Grid didn’t want the effort and experiences he had accumulated to be in vain. He wanted his strength to be acknowledged by Hexetia.
“A good attitude! I’ll give you mercy! You decide the theme of the match!”
A sword? Armor? A spear? No, Grid wouldn’t dare choose a battle gear as the theme. They were the best out of all the tools Hexetia had created. That’s right. Hexetia predicted that Grid would avoid a frontal match with him. He also hoped for that as he wanted Grid to improve his chances of winning.
“A sword.”
“What…?”
Unlike Hexetia’s hope, Grid chose a frontal match.
“Let’s see who can make the more powerful sword.”
“You really…!” Hexetia’s expression distorted. He felt like Grid was ignoring him. It was obvious that Grid’s outwardly respectful manner was all false. Hexetia trembled with fury.
“The source of my confidence isn’t a heart that ignores you,” Grid explained. “I merely believe in the experiences and efforts that I’ve accumulated over the years.”
“Hat..! Talking about experience when you only started learning blacksmithing 10 years ago?”
“For me, 10 years is a long time. I spent every day of that time struggling.”
Grid wasn’t exaggerating. He had been working around the clock since becoming Pagma’s Descendant. Starting from the bottom, he had been more stubborn about climbing to the highest point.
“It won’t be easy to deal with you,” Grid declared with deep eyes before pulling out his portable furnace. Then he put in the white phosphorus wood and started the fire.
Hexetia watched the scene and scoffed, “You take so long to make a fire. Take a look. This is the power of a god.”
While exposing his chest, Hexetia raised both hands.
‘Divine power?’ Grid gulped. He didn’t dare imagine what the power of a god would be like.
Then at that moment…
“Haap!” Hexetia made a serious expression and twisted both nipples with the index finger and thumb of his hands. Then a blue flame flew out from the left nipple and a red flame from the right nipple, hitting Grid’s furnace and igniting the white phosphorus wood. Grid couldn’t help feeling a sense of admiration as the best timber of the East Continent was easily set alight. The temperature of the furnace exceeded Grid’s desired level.
‘This is the power of the blacksmith god.’
It was definitely great. However…
‘XX nipples… No, let’s not think about Hexetia’s actions.’
Grid could deal a larger wound to Hexetia’s low self-esteem. Shaking his head, Grid expressed his thanks to Hexetia. Then he called the four golden hands to him, “God Hands.”
Why? Was it because he needed more help to go against the god? No. There was a specific reason why Grid called the God Hands to him. It was to obtain pavranium, the mineral created through the collaboration of the legendary blacksmith, Pagma, and the legendary great magician, Braham. Once Grid gave the order, the God Hands jumped into the furnace and started to melt. It was the moment when all the experience of the God Hands, which had been steadily building up since the completion of the growth type items, was lost.
‘I have to take some damages in a confrontation against a god,’ Grid soothed his bitter heart. In fact, he had faith. He believed that if he recreated the God Hands with his current skills, he could complete a masterpiece which transcended the old God Hands he’d made years ago.
‘I’ll revive you again, God Hands. But before that, I have to make a hammer and sword first.’
Ttang! Ttang! Ttang! Grid smelted, tempered, and quenched the pavranium on the anvil. He was making a hammer. Once he produced a blacksmithing hammer containing the best mineral which was made by combining Pagma and Braham’s knowledge, Grid planned to produce a sword with this hammer.
“Can I go slowly? There is no time limit in this match, right?” Grid grinned at Hexetia and summoned the light elemental, turning it into a Sword of Light and ordering it to train the mithril. Technique, knowledge, materials, and tools—Grid poured everything he had into this match. Maybe this was the ‘first’ time. He would eventually be making battle gear out of pavranium for the first time.
Every time the pavranium was hit with the hammer, it emitted a white light intense enough to make the golden cloud fields turn white for a moment. It was a splendid sight that soothed Hexetia. Hexetia already realized that the reason why Grid made the temple wasn’t for the sake of simple flattery.
‘Truly… He truly respects me!’
Hexetia’s poisonous gaze gentled. He held the hammer made of divine stone and felt the feeling of ‘joy’ for the first time.
Chapter 891
Chapter 891
[Pavranium]
[-The strongest mineral produced by the collaboration between the legendary blacksmith, Pagma, and the legendary great magician, Braham.
It is harder than the god’s mineral, adamantium, and has more compatibility with magic than mithril. It also boasts more elasticity than jaffa.
By default, the pavranium revolve around and protect their owner, but they will also take other actions when given commands from their owner.
* The pavranium have obtained healing skills due to Goddess Rebecca’s blessing. They will increase their owner’s health recovery speed by 300%.
* Thepavranium have obtained an attack buff skill due to God Dominion’s blessing. The owner’s attack power will increase by 15%.
* The pavranium have obtained a defense buff skill due to God Judar’s blessing. The owner’s defensive power will increase by 15%.
Smelting Conditions: Pagma, Grid.
Conditions of Use: Pagma, Grid.]
This was the explanation for the mineral. It couldn’t be called perfect because sometimes having an ego was a disadvantage, but for Grid, pavranium was the best mineral. Nevertheless, Grid never made any battle gear with pavranium. Was it because pavranium was too hard to smelt? No way. Pavranium was the best mineral, and it was simultaneously a class item for Pagma’s Descendant. From Grid’s point of view, it was naturally easy to smelt.
Grid was like a fish in water when smelting and hammering pavranium. Grid found it easier and more enjoyable to smelt and temper pavranium than iron ore, which had the lowest degree of difficulty. The reason why Grid didn’t make battle gear with pavranium was that it was too precious. He didn’t want to bind the pavranium into a solid form when it could move around and act on its own.
Now, the situation had changed. This was a competition with a god. He couldn’t afford to save the pavranium when facing a god.
Ttang! Ttang! Ttang! Grid hit the pavranium using the hammer he had used for many years. The pavranium responded to Grid’s intentions and techniques, and it gradually became a hammer.
Hexetia’s eyes narrowed. ‘He is definitely in the realm of transcendence.’
Grid’s hammering technique was four to five times faster and twenty times more sophisticated than the technique of ordinary hu
man blacksmiths. It was a skill that was beyond the domain of humans. Grid’s skill was at a level similar to that of Pagma and the seven malignant saints whom Hexetia had been jealous of in the past.
However, Grid was different from them. Pagma had rebelled and resisted Hexetia, while Grid understood, embraced, and served Hexetia. The divine stone was a mineral which Hexetia had created, and it gathered the strength of all minerals.
Tong! Grid placed the divine stone on the anvil and started working. Hexetia was confident. A mineral that was more perfect than the divine stone didn’t exist anywhere!
‘Grid, the feelings in your heart and your abilities have been sufficiently communicated to me. So I will show it to you in return…’
…The greatness of a god!
‘I will imprint my greatness on your soul, and you will serve me forever!’
Hexetia wasn’t loved by anyone. He was hiding alone in the shadow cast by the goddess of light. Why did he exist? Hexetia might’ve acted on the will of the goddess, but he wasn’t remembered by anyone. He was forgotten and avoided… Why? What was the point of his existence? Would it be better to not have been born in the first place?
These thoughts constantly revolved around Hexetia’s mind. Hexetia sometimes became envious of the humans on the ground. They were existences who lived in the moment. He felt jealous of those born inferior to himself laughing, crying, and finding meaning in life. There was no chance for Hexetia to find meaning in life when he existed alone. However, the opportunity had now finally arrived.
‘I will be sure to prove my worth to Grid!’
This was the first time in his life that there was someone who understood his hard work and wanted to serve him.
Ttang! Ttang! Ttang! Hexetia started hammering the divine stone desperately. There was no room for him to relax. He was far from the omnipotent god that the world assumed he was.
‘I won’t miss this chance…!’
He couldn’t lose. Otherwise, he would fail to prove his value. He didn’t want to become alone again. Hexetia’s hammering speed became faster and exceeded Grid’s speed. It was a huge 10 times faster!
‘Crazy!’ Grid was astonished. Grid didn’t fear potentially causing damage with his hammering speed and had great pride in it. His hammer hit the pavranium on the anvil six times per second, which was already considered a new record. Yet Hexetia was hammering 10 times faster than him at 60 times per second!
