by Park Saenal
‘The temple followers had no sense of reason.’
There were distinct limitations to the followers of the war god roaming the Galgunos Temple, but it wasn’t because the number of secret techniques acquired was small. The absence of reason meant they followed instincts. The temple followers were obsessed only with secret techniques and were weak in all areas where they had to use their heads, including the ability to apply the techniques and identify and control the emotions of the opponents to create variables.
However, these followers had a sense of reason. It was clear that they had mastered even more secret techniques than the temple followers.
‘They don’t seem easy.’
In particular, the follower wearing restraints was stronger than Kyle, despite not being able to use his hands fully because of his blindfold. The other followers who had endured the White Tiger’s Cry couldn’t be taken lightly either. They were only careless at first, but the attitude and physical ability they showed since then were of a high level. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say they were in the same class as Amelda.
‘Maybe this could be dangerous.’
Mercedes was alarmed. It wasn’t just because the opponents were strong. She was mindful of the peculiarity of the place. This place—Mercedes had experienced how dangerous the World Tree’s Forest was. A place filled with ancient species… Lurking here somewhere was an enemy that caused her to consume her Origin True Energy.
‘Being careless here will soon lead to death…’ Mercedes thought this and took up a certain posture. ‘I have to finish the fight as soon as possible.’
Kyle, who was supporting Dulandal, and the attitude of the followers with him would surely be detrimental to His Majesty. Mercedes was convinced of her role at this moment. She would handle Kyle and all the followers. It was for her liege. Her life didn’t matter.
“Amelda, please leave with the other two and Asmophel.”
Mercedes stretched out her left arm and spun around. At this point, she was holding a black sword in her right hand. The White Tiger Sword attacked the blindfolded follower. The follower blocked it, but he became aware of Mercedes’ left hand coming for his neck and hurriedly bent down.
Meanwhile, he raised his legs backward like a crane to strike Mercedes’ neck. The weight of the White Tiger Sword pressing against the restraints suddenly increased rapidly, causing his posture to collapse. Two pillars struck the follower’s shoulders.
‘This…?’ The follower was slightly shaken by the ensuing hit. ‘Is it the spirit of the white tiger that dwells in it?’
A weapon created with the breath of a sacred creature was rare in the East Continent. How was it in the West Continent?
The fierce battle continued. Mercedes didn’t give the follower time to think. This follower wouldn’t be beaten easily. The reason he was blindfolded was to awaken his senses. He quickly adapted to Mercedes’ swordsmanship and heeded the variable of the White Tiger Sword.
Their techniques struck each other, causing a shockwave to break out. The clash swept up the both of them.
The follower took one step back and shouted, “My name is Lee Jeong! I once worshipped the expelled gods, but now I am one of the Triad who serves War God Zeratul!”
Like the follower, Mercedes took a step back and wiped the blood flowing from her mouth. “I am Mercedes. I serve King Grid.”
Lee Jeong’s restraints and Mercedes’ White Tiger Sword collided several times. Then they were soon interlocked. The two people were close enough to feel each other’s breathing, and the conversation continued.
“The war god cares for people with abilities like yours. You must’ve seen the foundation of the war god. You would’ve seen the ultimate technique presented by the war god. Why do you serve a human, not a god? Is it because of the pride of a so-called knight?”
“The ultimate item is greater than the ultimate technique.”
“Item?”
“I already have the power of my liege, who has a god-like status.”
“A god-like status? Hahat! What a funny joke!”
“It isn’t a joke. King Grid will transcend the god you serve.”
“Your arrogance has reached a level of madness!”
“Isn’t the god you serve at the height of arrogance? The ultimate technique? Would a farmer dare call himself the ultimate when looking at fields?”
“You are definitely crazy.”
Lee Jeong refused to talk any further. He couldn’t see because he was blindfolded as part of his training, but he seemed to know. Mercedes, the knight who competed with him, must have very good eyes. She was a true warrior who possessed the idea that she should train herself without relying on a god to reach the peak.
‘You are still young and narrow-minded.’
A human couldn’t surpass a god. He had experienced it and gotten frustrated.
Consequently, he decided he would rather follow the war god.
“Black Death Light.”
──!
A rare talent…
If he showed Mercedes the greatness of the war god, could they become companions? Lee Jeong was filled with some expectations as he used a skill, and Mercedes’ vision darkened. In a world that was only dark, Lee Jeong’s fist penetrated her solar plexus.
…At least, it should’ve.
“…?!” A frightened Lee Jeong recovered his fist and leaped back. However, it was one step too late. A sharp sword light cut one of his ankles.
Lee Jeong’s voice trembled, “Keen Insight…! You have Keen Insight?”
He covered his eyes because his ultimate goal was to develop a mind’s eye. Yet someone who possessed something higher than the mind’s eye appeared in front of him. The agitated Lee Jeong yelled, “Melsede! You deserve to pioneer the ultimate technique! You shouldn’t be under a human! Join us…!”
“My name is Mercedes.”
“I know! My pronunciation isn’t good! No, don’t change the point!”
“And—”
“…?”
From the beginning to the end, Mercedes’s expression, which hadn’t changed at the height of Kyle’s grandeur, when Asmophel showed Piaro’s power, when the war god’s followers intervened, or even when she was prepared to die, changed for the first time. Anger appeared on her face.
“Don’t demean my liege.”
[Legendary Knight Mercedes has created a new chivalric code.]
“My liege is much better than the gods you serve. In the end, it is about being overgeared.”
“…?”
“The ultimate is martial arts, martial arts.”
In the end…
“Everything is equal under items.”
[Your knight Mercedes can wear all types of items without any restrictions and will improve the performance of all items worn by 15%.]
“Don’t try to persuade me.”
“…”
What? What type of sophistry was this? Lee Jeong was dumbfounded. By this time, he realized the meaning of ‘overgeared’.
Meanwhile, in the midst of the followers, Kyle was recovering. Believing this was the only way to shake off today’s humiliation, he consumed an Origin True Energy.
‘Don’t look down on the providence of strength.’
The elves who were weak but pretentious…
The knights who shouted about a pride they didn’t have…
Asmophel who humiliated him…
The haughty Mercedes…
Kyle didn’t like everyone here.
“All of you will die!!”
Kyle recovered and released an electric current with all his power, sweeping everyone in the area away. The elves’ and knights’ bodies were torn apart, and the single digit knights supporting Asmophel sensed a crisis. Even Mercedes didn’t find it easy to endure despite wrapping her shield with sword energy.
Resh was already dying. ‘Sh…it…’
Players had different tendencies. Most players wanted an easy, comfortable, and enjoyable g
aming environment. Would any of them read Resh’s intentions? He was in a dying state and would be forced to log out after a certain period of time. Resh, who had been recording the situation, turned the video into a live format rather than a recording.
The YouXube private broadcasting station linked to his account was activated, and the gray landscape he was watching spread to the world in real time. Viewers would flock to it. Someone would come here to this forest and broadcast the next situation.
‘Let them warn the world of the dangers of Dulandal and Kyle.’
The moment that Resh started praying that, Mercedes rushed forward. Kyle’s followers pressed her at the same time, and even Mercedes couldn’t handle it. Her white hair and skin gradually turned red with blood.
‘No… It can’t…’
Mercedes was the one who helped him. She was also a legendary knight and Grid’s knight. He couldn’t let her die. He had to come back and help. He should do this, even if he couldn’t help.
‘Log out..’
Then it happened the moment that Resh shouted voluntarily, trying to hold out against the forced logout time. A lightning bolt slammed into the scene. It made Kyle’s electric current pointless. The true power of the lightning god penetrated Kyle, who had just recovered, and made him vomit.
The supreme…
The black-haired man, who broke through a player’s limits and rose to the point of transcendence, was finally witnessed by Resh.
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Chapter 1114
With a body that generated electricity, Kyle was a mutant who gave off electric shocks when a person got near him, and he hadn’t been loved by anyone. It had been Emperor Juander who wanted him, even when his parents were reluctant to get close.
Kyle still remembered the bright faces of his parents as they willingly gave their child away. Having been reviled all his life, Kyle tried to shake off the sorrow and solitude caused by his parents and tried to be acknowledged by the teacher the emperor introduced him to.
After being abandoned by his teacher, he tried to raise his self-esteem that had fallen to the bottom. He worked alone to control his own power, and once he was finally able to control his power, he tried to live up to the emperor’s expectations. Kyle was overcome with great frustration and fear when he lost an arm to the Undefeated King’s descendant, but he tried to overcome it.
He thought his efforts were finally being repaid when he met the war god at the ruins in the Red Sea. The power gained in the midst of really great adversity—Kyle was intoxicated with it. He believed that becoming stronger was the only way to prove his value to the emperor, so he overcame his fear of the Undefeated King’s descendant.
Then he returned to the empire. Waiting for him was the news that the emperor had died. Kyle felt a moment of solitude that he believed he had shaken off a long time ago. The only thing that could sustain Kyle now was power. All he had left was the pride of the strong. Even so…
Even that was lost. He had lost in a place like this and received help from unknown people. If he died like this, it would really be the end. There would be no value in his birth. He would prove that his parent’s choice to abandon him had been right.
“All of you will die!!”
This time, he had to overcome himself. Only then could he move forward. Kyle believed this and consumed his Origin True Energy to recover, releasing all the electric currents in his body at once.
Following a massive explosion, lighting strikes dropped all over the place. Lightning fell to the ground and caused damage. It was a phenomenon that generated electrical discharge. In the end, it all came from electricity, and at this moment, Kyle was the source of dozens of lightning strikes.
It was like a god. Everyone at the scene was overwhelmed and terrified by Kyle.
‘It is a great talent. There is a reason for the war god’s love.’ Even Lee Jeong marveled at Kyle’s potential.
Kyle might still be immature at the moment, but in the very distant future, he would be rubbing shoulders with the Triad…
Lee Jeong was thinking this in the midst of the continuous lightning strikes and screams. Then an unusually loud sound of thunder was heard. The others didn’t care, but Lee Jeong who had long reached transcendence sensed some danger.
“…!?” Lee Jeong turned his head to the source of the sound. An incandescent man had dropped to the ground and grabbed Kyle’s neck. It was a miracle that he managed to tear through the storm of currents which made physical intervention impossible and pulled Kyle out.
“K-Keok!”
When did he get hit? Kyle struggled as he was held by the neck. The remnants of the currents, which had been torn apart, turned into a spear and returned to guard Kyle. Dozens of electric spears penetrated the unidentified monster. However, Kyle still couldn’t breathe. The force in the hand holding his neck didn’t loosen at all.
‘He’s fine?’
Why? No, even an attempt to figure out what was going on was a luxury right now. He had to survive first. Kyle transformed his body into electricity. He intended to escape from the hand that was holding his neck. Even so…
“…!!!” Kyle felt himself get extinguished the moment he turned into electricity. He was in pain like all the electricity he was made of was burning, and he had to stop his power hurriedly. Even the same electricity had a different voltage.
Kyle’s electricity generation was based on his innate constitution. In the past, he encountered a strange fate and went to the East Continent to receive the blue dragon’s favor. However, this electricity was ultimately generated through the medium of a human body, and the blue dragon only enhanced his natural strength.
In contrast, Grid processed and enhanced the Blue Dragon’s Breath and assimilated the power of the blue dragon itself into the Arrogant Blue Dragon’s Boots. If Kyle’s electricity was 10,000 volts or 100,000 volts, then Grid’s electricity—which drew on the power of the blue dragon who oversaw lightning and rain—was one million volts or 10 million volts.
If he had to make an analogy, it was easy to see it as the difference between Pikachu and Raichu. Kyle couldn’t do any harm to Grid when he wore the Blue Dragon’s Boots. A heavy and cold voice entered the ears of the confused Kyle, “It has been a while.”
The shocked Kyle bit his tongue. His struggling body became limp, and an unidentified liquid dripped down. He had pissed himself. The god-like Kyle from a little while ago was gone. Kyle trembled. His newly regrown left arm was engulfed in a burning pain.
“…”
Could Grid handle all of the war god’s followers and this person with half his health remaining during the duration of Lightning God? An unusual notification window appeared in the vision of the troubled Grid.
[The target has completely lost his will to fight.]
‘As expected.’
His expectations from several experiences were confirmed at this moment. Kyle—he had been treated like a bug by Braham who borrowed Grid’s body in the past. So, he equated Grid with Braham and still feared Grid. There was no resistance, and he didn’t dare to even look at Grid.
“I’ll look later.”
There was no time to spare for an opponent who wasn’t resisting. In many cases, it was virtually impossible to kill a durable named NPC. Grid let go of Kyle and turned his attention to the silent follower who was blindfolded and restrained. After observing the scene, Grid roughly grasped the situation and was furious with the follower above all else. Most of the wounds on Mercedes’ body were bruises.
“You dared to harm my knight.”
“…!” Lee Jeong’s eyes widened under the blindfold. The identity of the person who quickly beat Kyle with overwhelming force was Mercedes’ master?
‘There is a reason why she worshipped her master like a god.’
His skin was becoming numb. This was the power of the blue dragon. Why did he witness a power, which he had seen while serving the expelled gods, in this place?
“…I
see.” Lee Jeong came up with a hypothesis. “You are allied with the expelled gods?”
“….?”
“It is ridiculous. They aren’t the lanterns of humanity.”
The expelled gods…
The beings that Grandmaster Zikfrector mentioned were emerging here? Grid moved. He couldn’t miss this opportunity to get great information, so he acted quickly. Lightning God only lasted as long as the maximum speed was maintained. Grid had already reached the maximum speed, and he was fast enough to threaten the perfect transcendence.
The panicked Kyle gathered his electric currents and thunder echoed in the forest again. Lee Jeong allowed nine attacks to get through while Grid managed to complete his sword dance.
“Transcended Link Flower!”
‘Isn’t this swordsmanship…?’
Was this man someone who rode in the same boat as the expelled gods?
──!
In the new quiet that fell, dozens of sword energy blades descended on the iron binding Lee Jeong’s hands. Grid didn’t aim at the restraints. Rather, his attack was blocked by Lee Jeong raising the restraints. However, defense was pointless. This was followed by a thunderous sound again.
Lee Jeong’s body shook. The lightning property of the sword energy had electrocuted him. Yet, surprisingly, Lee Jeong counterattacked perfectly. His kick struck Grid’s temple. It was the moment when the willpower of a transcendent overcame the notion of a status condition and the senses of a transcendent overcame speed.
There was just one problem. It was pointless to take a lot of damage and fight back. Lee Jeong’s kick clearly hit Grid, but Grid didn’t receive any damage. Instead, Lee Jeong’s feet passed through Grid.
‘It is different.’
There were no imperfections. This was a lightning god. Lee Jeong was thinking this when he was struck by Pinnacle Kill. The bleeding Lee Jeong tried to escape, but his escape route had already been blocked by Grid.
“Really great!” Lee Jeong honestly felt admiration for Grid as he once again avoided Grid’s attacks. He counterattacked, but it was once again pointless.
