by Park Saenal
In the silence, Grid would open his mouth, “I’m Grid!”
The difference of one year was meaningless before him. The ‘Grid’ from last year could overwhelm them now. There was no need for artificial intelligence. Grid’s words filled with provocation and arrogance would enthrall the audience.
“It would be the best topic of the National Competition.”
“Right? Grid is the best device to excite the audience. I can’t imagine a National Competition without him. In this National Competition, our station will focus on the ‘enemies’ that the players will face, not the players. Then we will find Grid faster than anyone else and catch the scoop.”
It was a gamble, but it was a gamble with enough odds. Lee Gookrae recalled the updated rankings from yesterday. Grid’s ranking, which had been falling for the past year, had been rising steeply for several days.
‘The reason he started hunting again is to train his control before the National Competition… In order to make the most of the National Competition…’
Grid was trying to deceive the whole world. He was indeed a natural born star. Director Lee Gookrae couldn’t control his quickly beating heart.
***
[Tiramet’s level has risen.]
[Randy’s level has risen.]
[Noe’s level has risen.]
[Noe’s level has risen.]
[Overgeared Skeleton 1’s and Overgeared Skeleton 2’s levels have risen.]
[Overgeared Skeleton 1’s and Overgeared Skeleton 2’s levels have risen.]
“Control is nonsense. The game is about pets.”
Grid distributed experience points to his pets every time a monster was hunted. However, he didn’t feel bitter about this. His hunting speed increased noticeably as his pets’ levels rose. The Galgunos Temple, which had forced him to maintain his tension four days ago, now felt as comfortable as his home. Of course, the appearance of the ‘intermediate boss’ would still cause pressure.
“Um… Is it still too unreasonable to challenge downstairs?”
The Galgunos Temple was a labyrinth with complex straight pathways crossing each other as well as spiral staircases all over the place. There were stairs leading to the basement, and the intermediate boss appeared at every place close to the staircases, causing the difficulty of the labyrinth to rise sharply. Grid expected that hell would unfold as soon as he went down the stairs.
The Overgeared Skeletons started clacking when they saw Grid shrink back. They were laughing at him. It was like they were mocking Grid for being a coward. Noe hit the skulls of the Overgeared Skeletons with his paws and said, “The moment you go down, the skeletons will be enemies, nyang.”
“The Overgeared Skeletons will be enemies?”
“That’s right, nyang. There is the nasty smell of a lich. Skeletons can’t oppose a lich’s orders and will become slaves, nyang. Not Noe, a slave!” (Remember, Noe sounds close to the Korean word for slave.)
“Really?” Grid had already known that Galgunos was a lich. He had believed that the Overgeared Skeletons would someday be a great help if he had to raid the Galgunos… yet they would become enemies instead? “Then I can’t use the Overgeared Skeletons when facing Agnus’ lich… Kuk?” Grid suddenly stepped back in horror.
It was because the intermediate boss had appeared. A dagger was embedded in the ground where Grid had just been standing.
‘This isn’t near the stairs…?’
Was the range of the intermediate bosses expanding? Grid was filled with an ominous feeling, and he raised his head. The ‘follower of the war god’ who escaped from its grave was looking at Grid. The followers of the war god were undead monsters Grid hadn’t encountered yet.
It was actually amazing. The monster was very fast despite being undead. The headless rider, that was like a dullahan, rushed at a fast speed. Unlike a dullahan, its head was fully attached.
[You have suffered 8,940 damage.]
Grid groaned as he was pierced with a rusty sword. Tiramet and Randy belatedly responded and tried to keep the follower away from Grid.
“…Battle gear… mountain… where…”
“Where is that? I don’t know! You crazy bastard!” Grid swung the Enlightenment Sword, and a red lightning bolt fell.
The war god follower was struck by the lightning and flinched. It resisted the electric shock and cut at Tiramet and Randy with the rusty blade. Tiramet had an excellent recovery rate and survived while Randy luckily fought back with Revolve. Grid didn’t miss this gap. His level of control was already far beyond an ordinary ranker’s. Pagma’s Swordsmanship pierced the gap precisely and struck the war god follower. However…
“…Battle gear… mountain… where…” The undead follower didn’t feel any pain or fear and repeated the same words. Instead of shrinking back every time it was attacked, the undead follower fired back immediately. This was not a technique but an inherent ability of the followers.
Whenever it was hit, the undead follower would counterattack to return the damage. It was a fraudulent ability. For melee classes, the war god followers were perfect counters.
‘Counterattacking with the amount that it is hit… It is also a boss with millions of health. Who can catch this one-on-one?’
However, Grid wasn’t fighting one-on-one right now. It was five to one. No, it was seven to one. Of course, Grid was the one with seven people. The counterattack was easily blocked by the Blade Aiming at the Gods. Grid started a sword dance right away while shouting to the light elemental, “Flash!”
It happened the moment the command was given. The light elemental shot a strong burst of light at the follower. It was a spell that caused blindness for 0.3 seconds. The effect of blindness meant it was impossible for the follower to attack.
“Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!”
Grid, who was already using Blacksmith’s Rage and Blackening, released the ultimate sword dance while the follower moved its sword through the air blindly with blood pouring down. Then lady luck smiled on Grid.
“Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle!”
He used the ultimate sword dance two times consecutively thanks to God’s Command. The follower screamed as it turned to ashes.
[Your level has risen.]
[The Spectre’s Equipment Fragment has been acquired.]
[The Sword Grave’s Map Fragment (6) has been acquired.]
Experience had been expected due to the nature of the hunting grounds, but Grid also gained an unexpected benefit. The Sword Grave—it was the place where Pagma had spent his last years and Braham’s body was known to be buried there.
“Is this the mountain of battle gear?” Grid’s shaking fingers spread open the map fragment. What had happened between Galgunos’ followers, and why did the followers of the war god want to find the Sword Grave even after death? Such questions were unnecessary.
Grid was only thinking about one thing.
“If I complete the map…”
Braham—the precious name that Grid didn’t want to forget revolved around his mind. His expectations for the hidden pieces became greater.
Chapter 930
The Sword Grave was an open plains area with 4,179 swords stabbed into the ground. Of these swords, 3,580 were insignificant while 599 were significant. The 599 swords rotated to the left or right, changing the orientation and slope of the plains depending on how they were turned. Think of it as a lock with tens of thousands of patterns. As the puzzle progressed, the plains turned into a hill which was the appropriate form for a so-called ‘grave.’
“Dammit. The pattern has changed again.”
They turned the 423rd sword to the left, and the positions of the 1st–422nd swords were reset. The hill, which had emerged, sank again and became a plains. Skunk clapped and tried to reassure his colleagues, “Let’s take a break before trying again. Don’t be nervous because there are only a few more left.”
“Okay~ Let’s log out and eat.”
The Skunk Expedition Group had been investigatin
g the Sword Grave for one year and four months. They had been trying to find the location of the Sword Grave for a year, then they spent four months figuring out the pattern of opening the grave. Despite having repeated the same thing thousands of times, made mistakes, and failed, the Skunk Expedition Group was still full of motivation.
Digging up hidden histories and mysteries was the ultimate fun that they pursued. Yes, concepts such as level and rankings were stories they had no interest in.
“Isn’t it a bit strange?” Someone questioned Skunk as he sat in the barracks and looked at the pattern of the swords. She was the second person in charge of the Skunk Expedition Group and 9th ranked explorer, Dog Woman. “This place is associated with Pagma. It is a place that Pagma’s Descendant should’ve visited.”
There was no one in the world who didn’t know who Pagma’s Descendant was. It was Grid.
“Can Grid solve this complex pattern? It took us a few months with 80 experts like us. It is strange no matter how I think about it. The Sword Grave was originally a trial for an individual, but the difficulty is too high.”
Grid didn’t have any skills related to exploration. Could he alone grasp the tens of thousands of patterns and reveal the secret of the grave? It was physically impossible.
“Of course, Grid is a king and can mobilize many people… But what if Pagma’s Descendant is someone other than Grid? What is they weren’t a king? Does it make sense that Pagma’s Descendant would have to solve this problem alone?”
“What do you want to say?” The curious Skunk turned his gaze toward Dog Woman.
Dog Woman looked anxious. “There must be an easier way to open the grave. We are currently using the hardest way.”
“Hrmm.” It was a plausible argument. In fact, Skunk had the same thought as Dog Woman, but he had realized it too late. Skunk shook his head. “It is too late even if your thoughts are true. We have already figured out some rules of the pattern and the key up to the 422nd sword. We can’t waste time and manpower searching for a new method.”
There wasn’t long to go. The Skunk Expedition Group was expected to open the grave within the next two months. It was extremely inefficient to find a new method and study it. Additionally, it would adversely affect the morale of the members. Dog Woman nodded. “I know. I’m not telling you to come up with a new way. I’m just saying that it would be better to explore in more diverse ways when exploring new places in the future.”
“I’ll do that. We will think of this exploration as a study.”
“Yes. By the way, I’m really looking forward to seeing what is hidden inside the grave. If there are any items or quests related to Pagma’s Descendant, we may be able to sell them to Grid at a high price…”
“The negotiations should be leisurely. After all, Grid is the one in a disadvantageous position.”
A few months or a few years later, Grid would also find this place. Then he would be nervous when he saw the empty tomb. Once his nervousness reached the peak, it would be the most appropriate timing for trading. Skunk believed that the treasures inside the Sword Grave already belonged to him.
***
A white horse ran through the labyrinth, and the man on the horse looked behind him. A zombie wearing rotten clothes was chasing the horse.
“Dammit. Why did this bastard come out here?” The man on the horse, Pon, trembled. It was the ‘war god follower who escaped from the grave’—the worst monster for a party without tankers or magicians to deal with. Pon had never dealt with them one-on-one. He had been hunting in places away from the stairs so that he wouldn’t meet the followers. However, the range of the followers’ activities expanded, and Pon became a chased rat.
‘That Regas bastard, did he do something?’
Pon remembered his colleagues who were hunting in the Galgunos Temple and was forced to suspect Regas. Based on Regas’ nature of pursuing a difficult fight rather than a winning one, it was highly likely that he had provoked the war god’s followers.
‘He is the enemy!’
Almost at the end of the straight passage, Pon realized he could no longer escape. The moment the horse changed its direction, Pon judged that the war god follower would catch up.
‘Push through them with a charging skill.’
Confronting the followers head-on was foolish. Fighting monsters that counterattacked with 100% of the melee damage would just be a loss. Was Pon stupid enough to dig his own grave? As the white horse reached the end of the passage, it faced the wall and turned to the passage to the left.
The war god follower didn’t miss this gap. It crossed the distance and stabbed its sword. However, Pon had predicted this situation and responded calmly. He twisted his waist to avoid the blade and wielded his spear. The body of the war god follower was hit hard in the chest, and it flew through the air.
The white horse turned to the left, Pon swung the spear, and the follower flew through the air—these three scenes unfolded at the same time, giving the illusion that time had stopped. Then the war god follower rolled along the ground. The white horse entered the passage to the left and started to run at full speed again.
“Phew.” Pon managed to slip away. At this point, he just needed to open the distance as much as possible and he could escape safely. Yet the moment Pon thought this…
“Aaaaaaack!”
He heard a scream from the other side of the dark passage, and a new war god follower appeared. Pon frowned. “It came…”
The new war god follower was chasing Regas, who was running toward Pon.
“Hey, hey! Shit! Don’t come my way!” Pon freaked out and shouted curses. However, it didn’t discourage Regas. After all, his head would fly away if he stopped now.
“S-Save me…! Uwah!” In fact, Regas felt like he had found a line of rescue. He felt hopeful that after combining strength with Pon, they could fight against the war god followers. Then he noticed the war god follower behind Pon. Regas’ vision became blurry when he learned that, just like him, Pon was being chased. Tears blurred Regas’ eyes.
“Aren’t you going to pull yourself together?” Pon’s voice entered his ears and woke up Regas’ spirit. Pon’s spear stabbed the face of the war god follower chasing Regas.
“Cough!” Pon coughed up blood from the counterattack. Meanwhile, Regas was hitting the chest of the follower chasing Pon. The war god follower was kicked far away due to the feature of the kick. Regas didn’t keep fighting. Instead, he climbed behind Pon on the white horse and shouted, “Pon, what are you going? You should’ve used a pushing skill like me! Don’t you know you will be hit back?”
“Shut up if you don’t want to be hit.” Pon found it troublesome to explain that his pushing skill was on cooldown. He barely contained his boiling killing intent and planned to escape this labyrinth. At this time…
Kuaaaaaaah-!
“….!?”
Another new war god follower appeared in front of them, blocking the way. The startled white horse suddenly stopped, and Regas fell down.
“Ouch…”
[Your left arm has been fractured.]
It was a severe fracture, which would last for maybe 20 seconds. Regas grabbed his left arm and looked around. He was surrounded by three war god followers. “What a surprise…”
Pon responded to Regas with a shocked expression, “It wasn’t your work? I thought this was due to you.”
“That’s impossible. I couldn’t beat them, so I stayed away from the stairs…”
“Then who did this? Is this Chris’ work?”
What damn bastard angered the war god’s followers? Pon wanted to know the truth. It was too unfair to die without knowing why. It would seem less unfair if there was someone to curse. The war god followers no longer ran. They weren’t in a hurry because their prey was surrounded in a one-way passage. Now, they just had to eat.
“Battle gear… mountain… where…”
“…Battle gear… mountain… where…”
The followers aroun
d Pon and Regas raised their knives.
“No. If you have a question, you should wait for an answer before attacking.”
“That’s right! Followers of the war god! Put down your blades until we hear the answer!”
It didn’t work. The followers of the war god moved their swords. Then it was at this moment that…
“Way of the Tyrant.”
The whole labyrinth shook with a sound so loud it gave the illusion of water buffalos charging forth. Pon, Regas, and the followers turned their heads in the direction of the sound and witnessed a person holding a greatsword. It was the emergence of the 1st place ranker, Chris.
“1,000 Ton Sword!”
This was pure physical force. The heavy greatsword slammed into the skull of a follower, and the follower was deeply embedded into the ground. The follower of the war god was crushed by the strong weight and screamed without showing the ‘counterattack’ characteristic. Chris used the buff of a tyrant and didn’t allow the enemy to resist.
“Wow…”
“Chris is…”
Pon and Regas were captivated as the follower of the war god lost half its health from one blow. Not many people in the world could bear Chris’ incredible power. Chris shouted at them, “What are you doing? Run away!”
“Run? Aren’t we going to fight?”
“What fighting? They are monsters who counterattack up to the 10 Ton Sword! There is no dealing with them while 100 Ton Sword and 1,000 Ton Sword are on cooldown!”
New colleagues continued to join, but the situation wasn’t getting better. Then it happened while Pon and Regas were running through the opening that Chris had created.
“Give me a map,” a new voice rang out from behind them. The voice was scarier than the cracked voices of the war god followers. Dozens of white lights bombarded the followers of the war god. It was a powerful magic bombardment that made the war god followers feel distressed, despite them being known for their physical and magic resistance.
