Overgeared, p.26
Overgeared, page 26
The dumbfounded Zhang Jian muttered, “Perhaps he has a brainwashing skill…”
It was rumored that there was someone among the hidden classes who could use brainwashing skills. This skill only applied to NPCs, and it was said that the person could acquire quests favorable to them by manipulating the NPC. The most important thing was that the higher the level or quality of the NPC, the more the success and effectiveness of the brainwashing skill would drop exponentially. It meant that brainwashing skills didn’t work on named NPCs. In particular, it couldn’t work on the dukes who were the best among the named NPCs.
Additionally, the probability that Grid was the user with the brainwashing skill was remarkably low. The relationship between Grid and the Seven Dukes couldn’t be formed using such tricks. Consequently, the Chinese rankers were greatly confused.
“I will discipline you with the strict laws of the Saharan Empire. It is an immediate death penalty for those who block the way of the empire’s dukes,” Duke Grenhal said one-sided and harsh words casually and then drew his sword.
They were Chinese rankers who supported the empire, but they thought the empire was unjust once they became its victims.
“What is this one-sided ruling?”
“That’s right! You are going to kill a person just for blocking the way!”
Being selfish just because they had strength—it was unfair and unjust to those in a powerless position. The Chinese rankers realized the obvious and were filled with resentment, but the dukes didn’t blink. Grenhal was about to kill the Chinese rankers when Lauel rushed in. “Please calm down.”
Of course, Lauel didn’t like the Chinese rankers. They wanted to monopolize the ruins and were trying to kill Grid’s party, making it hard for him to forgive them. On the other hand, Lauel learned about the difficulty of this place after encountering the follower who had learned 10 secret techniques. He judged that it might be impossible to acquire all the secret techniques in the site with just their power and the power of the dukes.
“Wouldn’t it be better to use their power instead of killing them?” Lauel tried to persuade the dukes. He was sure that the Chinese rankers would cooperate if their lives were spared here. Lauel had already calculated that they wouldn’t dare to ask for the rights to the secret techniques which were found later.
Yet this happened before Lauel could persuade the duke.
“I have no intention of cooperating with you, even if I die,” Hao said. Holding a spear in one hand and a chain in the other, he shouted, “We will fight to the death!”
“Crazy! What is this bullshit?”
The Chinese rankers were thinking frantically.
“It is much better to cooperate with the Overgeared Guild to explore the ruins rather than die like this!”
“If we die, we will be banished outside the Red Sea! Have you forgotten how hard we worked to get here? We were lucky during the sea journey, but there is no guarantee that we can return!”
The Chinese rankers were in an uproar. They were almost screaming, unable to believe that Hao’s judgment was right. Nevertheless, Hao didn’t reverse his stance. It was because he knew that if he cooperated with the Overgeared Guild to explore the ruins and secure the secret techniques, the Chinese rankers would demand the rights to the secret techniques. Right now, they were talking reasonably to preserve their lives, but they would change their attitude in a way that was favorable to them at any time. He had seen it happen many times.
‘At that time, I will be forced to side with them.’
Hao’s position in China was still precarious. He was called a traitor just because he had surrendered to Grid, and the Communist Party had warned him about it. The Communist Party told Hao to be the leader of the expedition to test his ideals. Once China and the Overgeared Guild started to contend over the rights of the secret techniques, Hao didn’t know what punishment would be awaiting him if he didn’t side with China.
‘If I stand on the Chinese side, I will deepen the feelings of hostility with Grid.’
That couldn’t happen. Grid was one of the few people he admired. He didn’t want their relationship to fall to pieces. This was the reason why.
‘I will block things before they get out of control.’
The determined Hao shouted to the Chinese rankers, “We came here was to become stronger! How can begging for our lives be a method of becoming stronger? It is an insult. This is lowering ourselves! Do you want to incur the wrath of the leader?!!!”
“…!” The Chinese rankers had distorted expressions once they heard these words. To them, the leader was an object of respect and fear.
“Shit… It is better to die fighting.” Liao Wei clicked his tongue. No matter the reason, she believed that the Chinese rankers should never beg for their lives. The leader of the Overgeared Guild was none other than Grid. He was Korean.
‘There is a rumor that the leader is angry we didn’t perform better than South Korea in the National Competition. He will be furious if he hears that we begged a Korean for our lives.’
The efficiency was the worst, but there was only one choice—fight to the death. The Chinese rankers made their decisions and prepared for combat.
“…” Grid and Peak Sword watched the situation and noticed Hao’s intentions. They were Korean and familiar with the characteristics of China. Thus, they knew what Hao was concerned about and why he instigated this situation. Lauel also noticed it belatedly. The gazes of the dukes turned to Lauel.
“Do you want to spare them?”
“…No. Please do it well.”
“Hrmm.”
Grenhal and Morse nodded and stood side by side. Grenhal held a sword while Morse wore gauntlets on both hands. Both of them were staring at Hao. A pair of wings emerged from Hao’s back. The latent power of a dragon in his body started to run wild.
“Let’s show China’s power.” Hao seemed to emit a flaming breath.
“Ohhhhh!” The momentum of the Chinese rankers rose. They might criticize Hao as a traitor, but they valued his skills highly. A chain rushed toward Grenhal like an aggressive snake, only to be blocked by a shield. Simultaneously, Mei Xiao threw a cloth that tied up the vibrating shield.
“Um!” Surprised by the power of Hao’s thrown chain, Grenhal was careless, allowing his shield to be pulled away by the moving cloth. The Hao siblings were excellent and comparable to the followers who had learned five secret techniques. The Chinese players unleashed an onslaught to break through Duke Grenhal.
The scene where dozens of weapons and skills flooded toward one person like a tsunami was spectacular. This was the moment that proved why China was classified as a Satisfy powerhouse after the United States. The Overgeared members expected Grenhal to receive a large amount of damage, no matter how strong he was. Dozens of players had died from Morse’s surprise attack, but the number of Chinese rankers still exceeded 150. It was a force that wasn’t weak.
In particular, the pressure coming from Hao was overwhelming. The dragon’s energy wrapped around the end of his spear and contained a destructive force that caused even Grid to flinch for a moment.
However, the opponent was too strong. Grenhal disregarded the attacks pouring toward him and waved his sword, causing a moonlight energy blade to pour out. All the skills of the Chinese rankers were crushed without reaching Grenhal.
“…!!”
Hao’s left arm which was covered with dragon scales was cut off, and the bodies of the Chinese rankers started to turn to ashes. Grid felt electrified when he saw the overwhelming sight.
‘They have been hiding their real skills.’
It was a counterattack with a range and power which far exceeded those of Revolve. This was the identity of the light that Grenhal released. Grid was convinced…
If the location wasn’t the 53 waterfalls, then Grenhal could’ve killed the follower, who had learned 10 secret techniques, alone. Of course, there was no guarantee that Grid would win against them.
‘Spear Sage Rachel and Sword Duke Limit have a slightly higher level than Grenhal. Will they be equal to the follower who learned 10 secret techniques?’
Grid got goosebumps and was convinced that even these strong Seven Dukes and followers would have to give up in front of Yangban Garam. He had to handle Garam somehow in order to be properly active on the East Continent, but he wasn’t sure what to do.
‘I’m becoming stronger, but why do I still feel shabby?’
No matter how he thought about it, the NPC’s natural growth system was a scam. It was too harsh for players. Would a player never be able to surpass NPCs? Grid formed fists and unknowingly started to cheer for Hao.
The battle was intensifying. The army of Chinese rankers, that Grid wasn’t sure he could win against, was dying before the destructive power of both Grenhal and Morse. There was only one person who stayed strong. Even so, he had lost his left arm, and the scales on his body were falling off.
“Ohhhhhh!”
Instead of the broken spear, Hao’s fingernails extended like blades and pierced Grenhal’s chest.
“Kuek…?” Grenhal groaned, while Morse and Basara were greatly astonished. Grid was also shocked. When he saw Hao, the players’ despair about not being able to surpass the NPCs turned into hope that it could be done. Hao’s satisfied smile about his performance was aimed at Grid. ‘I owe you a great deal,’ Hao’s eyes said.
Grid nodded, silently replying, ‘It was a pleasure. Your heart, I received it.’
Grenhal’s sword fell toward Hao’s neck. At this moment…
[The Different Species’ King title effect is activated.]
[The title effect of Different Species’ King is limited to three uses. Are you sure you want to use it?]
Grid used the title effect, that he gained from absorbing the evil eyes species, for the first time.
Chapter 1033
Now Grid’s thinking ability wasn’t easily buried. He didn’t neglect the title of Different Species’ King because he was lazy or lacking. Rather, it was because he concluded that he could be wasting energy if he cared about it and chose to be patient.
He needed a reliable helper to utilize the Different Species’ King title.
[Different Species’ King]
[You have proved your king’s qualification by embracing non-human species.
★ Permanent Effects
* Difference species are very favorable to you.
* If the target is a different species, the probability of increasing affinity will double.
* However, some warlike species will want to test your abilities.
★ Limited Effects
* The ‘contract’ system is activated with the title effect.
* There are three contracts available. (3/3)]
[Contract]
[If the target is another species, you can propose a contract.
The target you contract with will ‘awaken’ strengthened racial characteristics. You will acquire some of the racial traits of the contracted target.
You can’t destroy a contract once it is made.
However, the other person can destroy the contract at any time and the racial trait you acquired will disappear. Additionally, the contract will be canceled if the target permanently dies and the racial trait you acquired will disappear. In both cases, the contract count can’t be recovered.]
The effect of this contract was unconditionally positive. It was a tremendous benefit to acquire the characteristics of other species. For example, if Grid signed a contract with a member of the evil eyes species, he was likely to open an evil eye even without affinity with the king.
However, Grid didn’t propose a contract with the evil eyes king. He didn’t even contract with his close confidant Sticks. This wasn’t because he didn’t trust them, nor was it because he was worried they would break the contract.
It was painful, but he was concerned about the possibility of their death. Unlike players, NPCs were mortal, and death was a fate that even a high elf with a life span of thousands of years couldn’t avoid. What if an accident took away their lives? If he couldn’t protect them, the contract could be wasted at any time. Thus, Grid concluded that the target of the contract should be a player.
It was clearly a reasonable conclusion. The problem was that the difficulty was very high. First, the fundamental problem was finding a player who had a non-human race—dwarves, orcs, elves, goblins, and so on. Unlike normal games where different species could be chosen when creating a character, there was no such option in Satisfy. Players could only change to a non-human species by performing a hidden quest. It was a quest similar to the quest that gave Grid a chance to become a half-god.
So far, Grid had only met a small number of players with a different species, and there were problems even if he found them. The problem was that the target must be a species with ‘usable’ characteristics. He also needed to determine if he could trust the player. If the target one-sidedly destroyed the contract, Grid would waste a contract and lose the racial trait.
Thus, he had to find someone he could trust. How could that be easy? His trust in his colleagues was accumulated over the years. Grid thought it needed a great deal of time to find new people and establish a trusting relationship. However—
[The title effect of Different Species’ King is limited to three uses. Are you sure you want to use it?]
“I will use it.”
Today, Grid saw Hao’s willpower, and he felt Hao’s liking toward him. He was convinced he could trust Hao, who was a half draconian.
“I will contract with Hao.”
[The player ‘Hao’ is the target of the contract.]
[……]
[…..]
[….]
[The target has accepted the contract!]
[You will randomly acquire one of the half draconian’s characteristics as a contract reward!]
[…Interacting with your amazing luck!]
[Congratulations! You have received the top trait of the draconian ‘Dragon Wings’!]
“…!?” Both of Grid’s eyes widened, and he trembled. Then he lost his dignity in a scene where hundreds of rankers had died. The Overgeared members and dukes were watching him as it happened. Grid spread his arms wide open and cheered loudly, “Niceeeee!”
Was it because the sound was too loud? The old door of the silent temple covered in fog started to open. The eyes of the dukes, who were stunned by Grid’s action, naturally turned toward the temple.
Step. Step. An old monk in a cotton robe walked through the fog.
“Huhu, it has been hundreds of years since someone visited,” he muttered with a kind smile while raising his long white eyebrows. “Now, come in. You should visit the war god’s shrine first.”
“…”
The attitude of the monk guiding the party was very kind. However, the expressions of Grid and the Overgeared members were stiff. It was due to the name of the monk. The name of the monk wasn’t a follower.
“What are you doing? Come on in.”
[Bentao].
The benevolent smile on the round face of the old monk didn’t disappear, just like how a clown’s thick makeup wasn’t erased.
***
In the capital of the Ark Kingdom, at the center of the Rebecca Temple…
Pure white light started to gather at the place called the resurrection point. The light gradually expanded and formed the shape of a human. Soon, the light faded.
“Hrmm…” A man showed up. It was a man with long black hair. The man was handsome with impressive eyes and a pointed nose. As a high ranker, the process of ‘death’ and ‘resurrection’ was a system he had long been used to. After opening the status window and inventory, he found that he lost 38% of his experience, the durability of his items was lowered, and his spear was destroyed. Death was a fatal loss. His expression was dark as he planned how to recover it.
“It was because of a lack of training.”
Hao didn’t blame others for the situation. Instead, he merely rebuked his weakness and vowed to work harder. He controlled his heart as a cute girl with double ponytailed hair approached.
“Brother, are you okay?” The identity of the girl with a somber voice was Mei Xiao. She was Hao’s younger sister.
“I’m fine. Sorry for worrying you.”
She was a poor girl who had lost her family early in life. The child who was always trying to be cheerful was also smiling today.
“My level is low. I can recover it soon.”
“Yes, things have already passed. It is better not to dwell on it.”
Hao had grown up in a martial arts school, and the spear had never left his hand since childhood. He patted his sister’s head with a hand that was full of hard calluses.
‘Grenhal is strong.’
Grenhal’s strength and stamina were twice as high as Hao’s, and the skills he possessed were truly powerful. The swordsmanship that had been strengthened by training for many years had pierced through Hao’s dragon scales easily, and it was a state that couldn’t be easily matched in Satisfy.
‘Absolute supremacy.’
No matter how hard Hao tried, there was no way for him to go against Grenhal right now. A powerhouse who could never be surpassed—how did Grid become friendly with him? Grenhal was even an enemy noble.
‘Did Grid make an item as others expected?’
No, that guess was too unreasonable. A named NPC wasn’t someone who could be exploited by wealth. If that was possible, all the rich people in the world would have one named NPC as a subordinate.
It happened when Hao’s thoughts were deepening.
[The Different Species’ King, player ‘Grid’ has proposed to share the ‘oath that transcends species’ with you who is a half draconian.]
[The king who proved his qualifications as king to all different species can only contract with three people. Your status will rise if you contract with ‘Grid.’]
[The increase in status will awaken and strengthen the half draconian traits.]
