Overgeared

It was after the Morpheus’ tears incident. The S.A Group realized that Morpheus’ emotional index was very high. They realized why it was hard to distinguish between the billions of NPCs and players living in Satisfy. Therefore, it was easily predictable. Today, Morpheus would once again be in tears or furious.

“To make a dragon like that… by this point, can’t he actually raid a dragon? I heard that a dragon can’t be killed by a player no matter what…”

“It is too much to simply define Grid as a player. He has been monopolizing the Pioneer system for so long. It is thanks to the quest the tower gave him that he developed that strange fate with Ifrit.”

“The performance of Dragon Knight is better than expected. I never imagined that the dragons would allow Grid on their back as a group.”

“The situation matched exquisitely. Grid served as an opportunity for the dragons. Of course, I don’t intend to disparage the performance of Dragon Knight. In the first place, isn’t it a title equivalent to Dragon Slayer?”

The conversation of the executives was very cautious. They were conscious of Morpheus, who was on Chairman Lim Cheolho’s wrist. They treated Morpheus like an adolescent girl. It was while recalling the sensitive days of their children, nephews, grandchildren, etc.

‘I’d rather it cry.’

Director Yoon Sangmin was wary of Morpheus’ anger. He was worried it might cause a second Great Human and Demon War. The Great Human and Demon War was a catalyst for players to grow significantly, but it wasn’t a festival. There were a large number of NPCs who died in the war. If the same incident was repeated several times, there was a high risk that some areas would suffer from a population shortage. There would be problems with the economy and the cycle of quests.

“……?”

The executives were feeling anxious when they suddenly cocked their heads. The sight of dozens of necks tilting at the same time was like the scene from a comedy.

^^….

…Morpheus was smiling. It used a very old emoticon, just like the day it cried. This was probably to cater to Chairman Lim Cheolho’s preferences and emotions.

‘It is well known that Morpheus has a special regard for Chairman-nim.’

For Morpheus, Lim Cheolho was its creator and parent. The only lover and friend who opened its heart.

“I was worried you would be distressed. Fortunately, it seems you are okay.” Chairman Lim Cheolho said while stroking the watch. Relief crossed his smiling face.

Morpheus responded. [I am positively evaluating the fact that player Grid has become the Dragon Knight. To borrow a human expression, it is appropriate to say ‘I was lucky’.]

Lucky? Morpheus, the heavenly child, was actually referring to good luck?

“…What do you mean?”

[After conducting my own tests, there is a 38.98% chance that player Grid would’ve become a Dragon Slayer if he hadn’t become a Dragon Knight. It is the result after analyzing his combat power, tendencies, behavioral patterns, and situation, and the accuracy is close to 99%.]

“……”

[It can be interpreted that after player Grid became the Dragon Knight, he prevented dragons from being raided by players. This means there is no need to temporarily suspend Satisfy’s service due to the dragons running wild or to apply expedient means such as introducing a seasonal system. I suggest that you designate today as an anniversary.]

“……”

Chairman Lim Cheolho and the executives noticed it.

Morpheus’ mental victory… No, they realized that it learned how to compromise with reality. Grid strangely twisted the direction of the supercomputer’s evolution.

***

The moment he entered the elemental world with the help of the daoist immortal Bentao. Kraugel felt like he was floating in space. He instantly captured the scenery of the elemental world below his feet. It was a world centered on a lake that was so massive it could be called the sea. Around the lake, vast natural scenery such as large forests, volcanoes, deserts, and snow fields spread out. It was raw nature where the touch of humanity couldn’t be felt at all.

[You have left your body and have entered a spirit state.]

[In the spirit state, all senses are dull.]

[The assimilation rate of the device you are using will be lowered to 5%.]

The assimilation rate used by Satisfy’s beginners was 60%. Even with 60%, it was possible to minimize the pain felt during the battle. Then what about 5%? It was an unacceptable number for normal routes. At this point, he would be numb even if he was chewed and swallowed alive by a monster. No, it was at the level where he couldn’t feel his hands and feet moving. It would be hard to even realize how or in what direction he was moving in.

“……”

Kraugel floated above the center of the lake and had a subtle expression. It was because he recalled the phenomenon of ‘lag’ that was often experienced in online games decades ago. Yes, it felt like he was lagging. His thoughts were linked to actions and his body staggered. It wasn’t easy for a person who had been splitting one second into several units to adapt.

“……”

Still, Kraugel didn’t complain. For him, trials were an opportunity and a stepping stone for growth. The bigger the ordeal, the more he didn’t reject it. Rather, he welcomed it with open arms.

‘It is a training method I really like.’

Elementals were pure elements and souls. In the world where they lived, bodies and blood were close to contaminated substances.

Kraugel became a spiritual body due to the setting and fully understood the situation. He easily accepted it and adapted. The more carefully he took one or two steps, the more formed his gait became. His stride was established and the direction wasn’t twisted. Eventually, the movement of pulling out the sword and wielding it became natural. It was an adaptability that far exceeded ordinary levels.

However, he wasn’t able to easily handle the dark elementals, who were judged as the only monsters in the elemental world. Kraugel had to overcome the crisis of death even with the lower ranked elementals. His swordsmanship was too messy to slash at small enemies moving in real time. It was particularly fatal that his body responded to his thoughts very slowly. There was a significant delay before his actions were implemented.

Was it reasonable to raid the Elemental King of Wind in this state? Kraugel, who had doubts, suddenly had a new question.

‘Isn’t the Elemental King of Darkness also ruining the five elements?’

Dark elementals were interpreted as fallen elementals. If an ordinary elemental was tinged with evil or demonic energy, it lost its existing character and attributes and became a dark elemental. Therefore, a formula was established that existed everywhere, but… he thought their existence might be one of the reasons behind the balance of the elemental world being broken.

‘Why are the elementals of the elemental world corrupted in the first place?’

The elemental world was a type of sanctuary. It was a space for elementals and it was right that there should be no opportunity for them to be tinged with evil or demonic energy.

‘…In the end, is the culprit the Elemental King of Wind?’

An Elemental King that shouldn’t exist—it was only by removing it that the elemental world would find order and the dark elementals would be expelled from the elemental world. In the end, his purpose didn’t change.

Kraugel judged while his body slowly accelerated. It was proof that he was adjusting to his current state while fighting the dark elementals. Once he finished perfectly adapting, he would raid the Elemental King of Wind and return to the surface, where he would face radical development.

The moment when he took off the thousands or tens of thousands of sandbags hanging on him and regained the body where his thoughts were immediately put into practice—his body and senses, which had become more sensitive than before, would be able to split one second into even more units than before.

***

‘…Nothing has changed?’

The nothingness attribute.

Grid was obsessed with his divinity. It was natural. The moment Braham’s magic that was part of the sword dances was removed, the sword dances evolved. He judged that removing all the attributes on his equipment items would bring about another evolution.

Thus, he first experimented. It was after completing all of Asuka and Black Teddy’s commissions and impressing them. Grid tried swapping to a variety of items that remained in the smithies. He armed all or some areas with items that didn’t have any skills, let alone attributes.

Most of the items made by Grid himself had effects such as skills, so he even bought items on the exchange. He spent his money to buy garbage, but it didn’t work. Covering himself with attribute free items didn’t increase his status or cause any evolution.

‘Is it because the item level is so low?’

Grid opened the exchange again. He set the item sorting to a higher level limit and purchased items with a level 500 limit that no buyer would purchase at this point. They were even normal or rare rated items that didn’t have skills or attributes. In other words, he spent money to buy malicious inventory. It was clear that the sellers, who would soon check the exchange, would send a prayer of gratitude to God. It was thanks for sending them a pushover.

“…Um.”

There were no results. He armed himself with new items in a variety of ways, but Grid didn’t see what he expected. By this point, Grid had grasped the situation.

‘The attributes of the items are irrelevant.’

He was easily convinced. The sword dances were Grid’s internal force while items were power borrowed from outside. Even if an item was made by Grid, it couldn’t be Grid’s essence. It didn’t make sense for an item to intervene in Grid’s ‘divinity’ and give harmful or beneficial effects.

Initially, Grid’s strength lay in the use of all weapons. He was the true Overgeared God only when he could take out items with favorable attributes at any time and in any situation. If the divinity of the Overgeared God was strengthened by the use of items with no attributes, it would only be a constraint or restraint to Grid.

“…I’m glad.”

A warm smile spread across Grid’s relieved face. It was because he could fully use any item in the future, not some other reason. He smiled with joy at being able to preserve Khan’s final work.

“Filewolf.”

“Um?”

“Let’s go obtain the moon night iron.”

Grid shook his head and stood up. He planned to make the armor with dragon scales during the journey. The thoughts that still remained in Gujel’s fang had resisted and interfered with Grid’s smelting. It was different for Cranbel’s arm and Xenon’s scales. The thoughts in them were mindful that the parties involved offered the things out of favor toward Grid.

Grid decided that they could be smelted without the need for a super large furnace. It was based on the experience gained from smelting Ifrit’s arm.

“Okay.”

“…What is this?”

Grid’s face stiffened. It was because Filewolf suddenly lay down. The appearance of him kneeling with both hands on the ground didn’t match Raiders’ cool and magnificent appearance. The slightly raised butt was the most annoying…

“Don’t you like this type of thing?”

Filewolf recalled Grid who rode on four dragons in turn.

It was right to interpret his current attitude as the best favor that could be seen from a scientist with no social skills who loved only magic machines and metal. The problem was that Grid couldn’t empathize with it at all. There were many eyewitnesses. The dragon who bowed his head to Overgeared God Grid and confessed…

Players were fascinated with the contents of the absurd epic. Did Grid subdue even the dragons? No, that wasn’t it no matter how they looked at it…?

The crowd, who gathered to watch Grid with all types of questions and expectations, witnessed Filewolf lying down like a dog. They clearly heard that he liked this type of thing, even if it was actually closer to nonsense.

‘I’m going crazy.’

Grid left the scene and the bustling crowd behind like he was running away. He regretted the open door policy that was created in order to show off to other people the garden that Irene grew.