Chapter 193
It was around one year and eight months ago in reality. Satisfy’s service launched with the interest of the world.
Since that day, Euphemina had been playing Satisfy for more than 14 hours everyday, without taking a single day off. 19 years old, 20 years old, the precious time of her youth was spent in a game.
Some would say that her youth was wasted. These youthful days would never come back. They didn’t know. Euphemina didn’t have any regrets. Satisfy was a more joyful and precious world for her, who was always alone in her own home environment.
And today. In this precious world, it was the first time that Euphemina met an object of longing. That person was Grid.
‘He can produce legendary items…’
Euphemina had killed countless monsters and raided bosses, eventually reaching level 283. She cleared hundreds of quests. Nevertheless, the maximum rating of items she acquired was a unique rating.
Legendary items? She never even saw it. She thought legendary items were something that only existed in fantasies. Therefore, she never imagined that Grid would make a legendary rated orb. She just wanted Grid to make a unique rated orb.
However, Grid made a legendary rated orb. The result was truly amazing. To be honest, she couldn’t really believe it. It felt like a dream. It was like a halo was coming from Grid. She was blinded by him.
‘Grid, you are the god in my heart from this moment on.’
Euphemina was ecstatic.
Lauel whispered to her, “If you become Grid’s subordinate, you will be able to get more magnificent items like this orb.”
“…”
It was the temptation of the devil. It was impossible for her to refuse. Euphemina became Grid’s subordinate.
***
“You can use this room in the future. You will normally have freedom, and only have to follow Grid when there is a specific mission.”
“I understand.”
“Then I will be going. Huroi and I have to accompany Grid to Bairan.”
Winston Castle.
Euphemina received a place to stay. It was a moderately large room. When she opened the window, she saw a beautiful garden and a wide sky. But most of all, it was close to Grid’s bedroom.
“Hihit.”
She couldn’t help laughing. She had been playing Satisfy for a long time, but it was the first time she felt excited to gain colleagues. She was happy because she could see the glorious Grid every day. She was very excited about the adventures she would experience with Grid.
“First of all, I need to permanently store a spell on my orb.”
Thanks to Grid making a legendary orb, she could give the orb an S-grade spell. Euphemina called up her skills list. The S-grade magic that she duplicated and stored were classified separately.
[Demon King’s Tail Lv. 2]
It can burn up to 16 people.
It will deal 2,509 fixed fire damage per second for up to 4 seconds.
Skill Range: 10m radius
Skill Mana Cost: 3,200
Skill Cooldown Time: 15 minutes.
[Fluid Escape Lv. 1]
The soul and body of the caster will be separated for 3 seconds.
The caster can control the soul that emerged from the body, while the body will be immune to all damage.
The soul can deal 1,030 + (half of the caster’s current magic power) damage to all targets in the way.
As soon as the soul returns to the body, a shockwave will be generated, pushing all nearby enemies back.
Skill Mana consumption: 65% of your current mana.
Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.
[Storm Gravity Field Lv. 1]
Installs a gravity field 5m in diameter at the specified location. It will take 1.2 seconds to install and all objects trapped in the gravity field will be suppressed for 2 seconds. After that, the raging storm will deal 8,600~15,900 damage.
Skill Range: 20m radius
Skill Mana Cost: 2,500
Skill Cooldown Time: 18 minutes.
[Carshian’s Fury Lv. 2]
Shields the caster with a fire shield.
The shield absorbs a total of 15,000 damage and will return half of the absorbed damage back to the opponent.
Physical defense and magic resistance will increase by 20%, and fire resistance by 99% while the shield is active.
Skill Mana Cost: 3,000
Skill Cooldown Time: 20 minutes.
In order to acquire S-grade magic, a user had to be at least level 280 and meet other difficult conditions. In the first place, S-grade spellbooks were rare. Looking at the users and NPCs, there were only a few who had acquired S-grade magic.
Therefore, Euphemina couldn’t duplicate a lot of S-grade magic. Her choices were narrow. Nevertheless, she wasn’t disappointed. The reason was simple. It was because of Fluid Escape, a fraudulent magic that had the most usefulness among her S-grade spells. It was a rare spell that dealt damage proportional to magic power and made the body invincible.
Learning this spell was the standards of a great magician. In the past, Euphemina followed Earl Ashur for a month before barely managing to duplicate it. She cherished it so much that she didn’t even use it when her life was in danger, so she permanently stored it in the orb without hesitation.
[Do you want to attribute the spell ‘Fluid Escape’ to the Indecisive Mumud’s Orb?]
“Yes.”
[The spell can’t be released when attached to an item. Do you still want to progress?]
“Yes.”
The blue orb shone brightly.
[The skill ‘Fluid Escape’ has been removed from the Duplicator’s skills list.]
[’Fluid Escape’ now belongs to the Indecisive Mumud’s Orb.]
Bururu.
Euphemina’s small body shook as she confirmed the result. It was due to the thrill she felt. Her cheeks flushed and she stroked the orb with a joyful expression.
“Beautiful. This is too good.”
At this moment, she finally realized that she was the owner of such a great item. She tried to equip the orb in order to fully realize it.
[You have equipped the Indecisive Mumud’s Orb.]
The normal notification window appeared.
[Your position has been revealed to someone. You won’t be able to escape from the eyes of surveillance.]
“Huh?”
Then an unknown notification window popped up.
“What does that mean?” Euphemina was stunned as she blinked her large eyes. Then she nodded as if she understood. “My position is being delivered to Grid.”
The orb’s maker was Grid, so it made sense to think so. It was a legendary item. It wouldn’t be strange to have specific features built into it, so she didn’t think about it any longer. She rushed in front of the mirror and admired the beautiful sight of her holding the blue orb.
But what was the truth? The eyes of surveillance on her wasn’t from Grid. At the same time, in one of the 27 golem labyrinths throughout the continent.
[I finally found it.]
The voice off the great magician Braham rang out through the labyrinth. He issued a command to thousands of golems.
[Show the fool who dared to ignore the great me.]
Kuuong! Kuuong!
All types of powerful golems moved in unison. They were slowly but surely heading to the same destination. Soon after, this spectacular scene was captured by users across the world and would once again bring a big wave to Satisfy.
***
“What?”
Bairan Castle.
Grid visited with some shocking words. The Tzedakah Guild gathered in the meeting room didn’t welcome it.
“Are you serious about withdrawing from the guild?” Toban asked again and Grid nodded.
“Yes.”
“Why all of a sudden?” The one who asked was Overgeared No. 2, Ibellin. He was looking at Lauel. “What did that guy say to mislead Grid?”
As one of the 10 Rookies, Ibellin had a fierce rivalry with Lauel. So he growled every time they met, but Lauel never gave him a second thought. But this time was an exception. Lauel replied to Ibellin.
“Ibellin. Are you saying that Grid is an idiot who would be swayed by my words?”
Twitch.
Huroi’s eyes narrowed from where he was silently standing behind Grid. Ibellin was baffled.
“W-What…? What did you leap to that conclusion? That isn’t what I meant!”
“Quiet.”
Jishuka finally came forward. Her folded arms highlighted her big chest as she stared intently at Grid.
“Why do you want to leave?”
“I want to become a lord.” Grid answered simply.
Jishuka asked him again, “Why?”
“You’re asking why?” Grid made the shape of a coin with his fingers and spoke bluntly. “Because of money.”
Now they understood everything. Certainly, the amount of taxes collected from Bairan after being promoted to a city was so big that it couldn’t be ignored. It was natural to feel greedy. Especially for Grid, who was only playing the game for money.
“Can’t you be a lord even if you belong to the guild?”
Jishuka didn’t want Grid to leave. Putting aside her personal feelings, she didn’t want to lose one of the factors that made the guild strong.
“Well…that…”
Grid tried to explain but it wasn’t easy.
Then Lauel came out.
“In order to become a lord, a certain position is required. It isn’t enough to be a viscount. Grid is only a member of the guild, but he also has a lot of subordinates. Therefore, he can’t be left as a guild member of the Tzedakah Guild.
Grid nodded.
“That’s what I was trying to say.”
“…”
The eyes of the Tzedakah Guild members were cold as they looked at Laeul. They didn’t like that he was encouraging Grid to cut ties with his close companions. Based on this situation, Lauel seemed to be trying to separate them from Grid.
Only Faker was watching Lauel with a happy expression.
‘Indeed… he fills everything that Grid is lacking.’
It was really great. The other guild members were jealous of being deprived of Grid and didn’t recognize him. But Faker knew that someday the guild members would recognize Lauel.
Jishuka explained, “Grid, if it is just money then, I will give you the taxes from Bairan. So why don’t we stay like this?”
The taxes from Bairan were shared fairly between the guild members. Now she would ignore the other guild members and give the taxes to Grid. It was a truly shocking offer. The other members expressed no dissatisfaction, despite Jishuka deciding it on her own. It was because Grid was worth more. They already made a lot of money due to betting on Grid in the National Competition.
On the other hand, Lauel wanted to curse. He thought that Grid would accept Jishuka’s proposal. But Grid’s response was surprising.
“I don’t want to.”
“…?”
Didn’t Grid want money? Hadn’t he suffered from hair loss due to the money problems recently? Then why did he so easily refuse? It was so surprising that even Huroi and Lauel shook. Everyone was confused by Grid’s shocking remark.
“I can’t be satisfied with just the taxes of one city.”
“…”
Bairan achieved an incredible growth after the National Competition and was now called the third largest city in the north. Yet this city wasn’t enough for him?
“Grid, perhaps you…”
Grid was looking higher. Jishuka’s eyes widened as she realized this fact, while Grid declared.
“The minimum of what I want is a territory the size of Winston. That is the starting point.”
Huroi and Lauel asked him to be king. He would grasp it first before the two billion users of Satisfy. He couldn’t resist. Why? It was a chance to become the richest man on Earth.
“Jishuka, take the kids and come under me.”
“Huh…!” Jishuka burst out. He wanted to swallow the elites who were in the top 100 of the unified rankings at all once? “A complete thief.”
There was no saying more accurate than that.
======
Chapter 194
“Jishuka, take the kids and come under me.”
The moment that Grid said so. Lauel winced and hurriedly sent him a whisper.
–Grid, what did you say just now?
Grid was confused.
–What’s wrong?
Lauel spoke with frustration.
–Your way of talking is wrong!
Lauel knew that the Tzedakah Guild was a prestigious guild that existed since the days of L.T.S. The scale was small, but they had a tradition of at least six years. They had the pride of those who reigned at the top. But rather than respecting them, Grid told them to come under him? It was obvious that the proud guild members would be disappointed and repelled by Grid.
–You should negotiate. You have to respect them. Then convince them to cooperate. Do you think that if you speak to them like that, they will just follow you?
“…”
Grid noticed his mistake. If he thought about it from the position of the guild members, he realized that he made a huge mistake.
‘Disgusting.’ Was he any different from Lee Junho in his high school days, who made Grid his bread shuttle just because he was more powerful? ‘In the first place, the words I chose were wrong.’
But things had changed since entering the Tzedakah Guild. Grid had many memories with his guild members. They got to know each other little by little. Grid recognized the guild members as friends or colleagues. Yet he told them to come under him, like they were servants.
Grid was very disappointed in himself.
‘How could I treat them like this?’
He controlled them with his items, so did he subconsciously perceive them as below him?
‘I am better than them. I also have high fame.’
Was he ignoring them? Just like the alumni ignored him in the past?
‘Dammit! Just a while ago in the National Competition, I realized that I fought for my companions!’
Grid’s character had deepened and matured compared to the past. But that was only when compared to the past. His personality was still lacking. The evidence was that he was jealous of Noe’s popularity and posted malicious comments about him on the Internet. His nature was filled with self-righteousness and egotism due to his unfavorable environment, so he couldn’t mature in such a short amount of time.
But.
“I’m sorry. I’ll correct what I just said.”
By default, Grid was someone who tried hard. Thanks to his efforts, he could barely be middle of the pack at school, despite having no talents. In addition, he was able to become the first legendary class in Satisfy.
As long as he realized and corrected his mistakes, he would change quickly.
“I will say it again. All of you, please join the guild that I will make. I want to continue to be with you, and I need your strength. I will also give you strength… Let’s join together to build a country. I consider you as friends and colleagues, so please.”
Grid bowed deeply. His attitude was very polite. The stiff expressions of Jishuka and the guild members slowly released.
Jishuka spoke, “Give us time to talk about it.”
***
“What should we do?”
Grid returned to Winston after causing a fuss. The Tzedakah Guild started to engage in an in-depth discussion.
“Grid is a necessary existence for us. Not just as a blacksmith, but also as a warrior. He’s a source of great strength. We can’t lose him.”
“I agree with that part, but can Grid be the leader of a guild?”
Leadership was needed to lead an organization. In order to exert leadership, they needed charisma to force people or to make people loyal to them. But that ability wasn’t something that anyone could have.
Why was the Tzedakah Guild operating on a small scale? There were many reasons, but the important one was that there was no leader in the guild. Those who acted to rise to the top possessed strong individualistic tendencies. None of them had the talent to lead others. Even Jishuka was limited to just commanding the current personnel.
Grid was stingy, filled with jealousy and only acted for money, so could he fulfill the role of a leader? Furthermore, he wanted to become a king? It was impossible.
“A clever person like Lauel can make up for the intelligence that Grid is lacking. But it is impossible for someone who isn’t a leader to maintain or expand the organization.”
“That’s right. If Grid creates a guild, won’t it soon collapse?”
A competent leader of a small guild was better than an incompetent one of a large guild. Everyone thought so. They judged that it was just Grid’s futile dream. But an unexpected person came up with a different opinion.
“Grid is a natural leader.”
What was this nonsense? Everyone’s eyes focused on one person. The person who received their interest. It was Toban. He was the Tzedakah Guild’s chief of staff, who became Grid’s slave in the past. At one time, he was reluctant about Grid, but now he appreciated Grid more than anyone else.
“What is required to be a leader? Isn’t it to unite and lead the organization, and ultimately develop the organization? Think about it. Grid has a power that can replace leadership.”
Buzz buzz.
The guild members started murmuring.
“Power that can replace leadership?’
“What is it? I can’t figure it out.”
Toban gave a hint to the guild members who couldn’t understand. “Don’t overlook the fact that Satisfy is a game.”
“Ah…!” Jishuka and Pon noticed before anyone else. They shouted at the same time. “Items!”
Toban was satisfied.
“That’s right. When people play games, they have one basic desire. And Grid can meet those needs. As long as he makes items for the guild members, they will never betray him. And Grid will evolve while trying to do his best for the guild.”
The main reason why the Tzedakah Guild was reluctant to lose Grid was due to his ability to make items. That’s right. At least in Satisfy, Grid was fully qualified to be a leader.
“If Grid produces items for the guild members with high achievements as a reward, the members won’t want to leave Grid forever. At the same time, they will gradually become elites.”
“Just like us…”
In the first place, a smart person like Lauel wouldn’t become Grid’s king maker if he didn’t have a reason. Lauel obviously planned to foster the strongest guild through Grid. The guild would become tremendously powerful through items.
“It’s lucky that Grid has Lauel.” Those were Jishuka’s words. She continued. “Thanks to Lauel, Grid will be able to reign at the top.”
Currently, Pagma’s Descendant was the strongest class in existence. But there were a total of nine legendary classes in Satisfy. As a blacksmith, Pagma’s Descendant was relatively weak in combat compared to the other legendary classes.
If Grid kept playing the game in an individual manner, there would eventually come a day when he couldn’t surpass this limit and would have to concede the position of the best to someone else.
But the story would change if he owned the strongest guild. The strongest guild that only Grid could create! This power would make Grid reign at the top!
“Why don’t we go under Grid? Anyway, we have reached the limitations of expanding our power.”
“I think so as well. I don’t want to watch Zibal or Chris’ guilds slowly swallow up this continent.”
“Certainly… unlike L.T.S., there is a limit to what a small number of people can do in Satisfy. It would be better in the long run to be included in a bigger force.”
“I can never escape from Grid’s items. I unconditionally want to go under Grid.”
All the guild members agreed. It was decided.
Jishuka stood up and declared, “Today, the Tzedakah Guild will be disbanded. The 21 members, including myself, will go under grid.”
They dreamed of becoming the strongest, like they were in L.T.S. In order to achieve those dreams, they chose Grid. Thanks to that, Grid swallowed up the strongest force for free. It was an event that would go down in history.
***
The guild that represented the Eternal Kingdom was by far the Giant Guild. The Tzedakah Guild was famous for its small number of elites, but that couldn’t compare to the Giant Guild. It was because the Giant Guild had more than 700 people. It was a level that could deal with the Snake Guild, who was expanding its power in the Haken Kingdom.
“Golem army?”
Pedro City, in the southern part of the Eternal Kingdom.
Chris was stunned. More than 1,000 golems were advancing towards the Eternal Kingdom.
“What type of magician can control over 1,000 golems? It isn’t possible, even if all the great magicians on the continent joined their power together. Isn’t this ridiculous?”
The golems weren’t roaming a particular area. Rather, they were moving with a clear destination, so someone was obviously controlling the golem. One of the seven captains, Zirkan, responded to Chris with wide eyes.
“This information is definite. The golems are currently advancing towards the Eternal Kingdom, and it is likely that the south will be the first target, based on their movement path.”
Another of the seven captains, Asellas, spoke. “In the future, there will be a quest from the king of the Eternal Kingdom to defeat the golem army.”
Chris smiled widely. “This is a good sign.”
So what if over 1,000 golems gathered? They were just slow masses of stones. Chris was determined to defeat the golems in order to raise the guild’s reputation and increase their contribution to the kingdom.
“This is an opportunity to become an earl.”
After Chris was defeated by Regas in the National Competition.
The Giant Guild became confused. The loss of the guild master reduced the guild’s morale, and the guild seemed to be walking down a path of decline.
However, Chris was a person with outstanding charisma. He led the guild along with the seven captains, and the Giant Guild managed to escape its confusion. They boasted a stronger force than before.
Chris was confident.
“We will be thoroughly prepared when the king’s quest arrives. First of all, tell the magicians to store AOE magic in their orbs, and distribute large weapons to the physical damage dealers.
Then after a few days. There was a messenger from the capital.
“In the name of the 13th king of the Eternal Kingdom, King Wiesbaden. Viscount Chris, slaughter the golems that dare advance towards my sacred kingdom!”
[Defense War]
Difficulty: S
Precisely 1,231 golems have crossed the border of the Eternal Kingdom.
Defend the Eternal Kingdom.
Quest Clear Conditions: Repel the golem army (0/1,231)
Quest Clear Rewards: One small city. 25,000 contribution to the kingdom. The guild level will rise by 1. Two million gold will be obtained.
Quest Failure: The golems will advance to the capital of the Eternal Kingdom. The kingdom will fall into chaos.
They were colossal rewards.
Chris’ blood was boiling.
‘Zibal, you aren’t the first user who will become an earl. I will also be the first one to get 1,000 guild members!’
Chris didn’t doubt it. He had experience with clearing guild quests with an A-grade difficulty, so he didn’t shrink back before the S-grade one. He just wanted to defeat the golems to achieve his goals. All the Giant Guild members, there wasn’t one person who thought this quest might fail.
Three days later.
Breaking news appeared around the world.
『 A few days ago, golems gathered from all over the continent and advanced into the Eternal Kingdom. The Giant Guild acted to intercept them… 』
It was a tragedy. The Giant Guild could only defeat 300 golems. The southern part of the Eternal Kingdom was ravaged. Chris was desperate as he looked at Pedro, swallowed up by a raging fire.
“How did this happen…?”
One year and six months ago.
When Chris became a viscount and gained Pedro, it had only been a small village when he first arrived. In the past year and a half, Chris had developed it into a city. It was lost in an instant. All the buildings collapsed, while thousands of NPCs turned into grey light. The damage would be difficult to repair.
Chris was frustrated, but he had no choice but to watch as the golems advanced to the capital. The true destination of the mighty golem army was the north of the Eternal Kingdom. They planned to advanced from the south to the north through the capital.
The great magician Braham did this just to draw Grid’s attention.
=====
Chapter 195
Humanity started to receive news through smartphones dozens of years ago. Nevertheless, newspapers still had a steady consumer base.
The full subway. Some passengers were holding newspapers in their hands. The newspapers were published by different places, shown by the different political stances. However, the newspapers all had the same headlines.
[The Golem Army’s Attack on the Eternal Kingdom!]
One month after the National Competition. There hadn’t been any special incidents in Satisfy, except for the fact that Kraugel was the first user to get a third advancement class.
The Internet was in an uproar.
–Why the Eternal Kingdom? The Eternal Kingdom is neutral, so there shouldn’t be any countries hostile towards them? What kingdom sent the golems to the Eternal Kingdom?
–There are 17 kingdoms on the continent. They all have their own interests, so even a neutral kingdom isn’t guaranteed to be safe.
–To be able to send so many golems, isn’t it impossible for one country alone to have that strength? It is impossible to control that many golems unless dozens of great magicians join forces.
–Wow! Then several countries have united to attack the Eternal Kingdom…?
–Is this the precursor to a massive episode?
–No matter how high their numbers, golems are golems. How did the Giant Guild get smashed by the golems?
Chris’ level was 298 and he had the dignity of the third ranked user. The seven captains were top ranked users over level 260, and the average level of the 700 Giant Guild members was 180. It was honestly unbelievable that more than 1,000 golems with a maximum level of 200 could one-sidedly massacre the Giant Guild.
As the world became increasingly confused, footage started to be shown around the world.
『 This is a video of the Eternal Kingdom war that we just obtained. Watch this video and you will see how bad the Eternal Kingdom’s current crisis is. 』
The screen that switched.
“Through this war, our Giant Guild will take one step further. Record this glorious moment carefully.”
The video started with Chris talking to the camera.
Kuuong! Kuwuong!
The massive sound of footsteps shaking the ground was clearly heard from far away. The viewpoint of the camera, as well as Chris and the guild members’ eyes, moved towards the horizon.
Kuoooh!
One, two, three. Tens, hundreds. Over 1,000 golems were slowly but surely approaching from the horizon. They gradually came closer. The appearance of the golems lined up was truly spectacular. It was like a ridgeline.
The size of the golems varied. The names were also very unusual. There were around 1,000 ‘old golems’ that didn’t look much different from existing golems, and 200 small golems with the same body shape as humans called ‘soul dolls.’ Finally, there were 12 extra large golems exceeding 8m in height and 4m in width that were called ‘ancient weapons.’
“The names are great.” Chris spoke warily. “Based on the names alone, they seem much stronger than existing golems. In particular, those super-sized golems and humanoid golems.”
The magician Asellas, one of the seven captains and a specialist in petrification magic, came up with his own opinion.
“The humanoid golems look very difficult. We should take care of them first.”
The advantages of a golem were their high physical defense and health. Instead, they were vulnerable to magic and relatively slow, making them easy to deal with. It was clear that if the humanoid golems had the existing strengths of a golem and were fast, they would be hard to deal with.
Asellas’ comments quickly convinced Chris.
“Okay. Take care of the humanoid golems.”
“Yes!”
From then on, a splendid magical bombardment began. Asellas and 200 magicians attacked the humanoid golems with their most powerful magic.
Kwa kwa kwa kwang!
An explosion occurred in many parts of the wilderness and a dust storm rose. The camera became blurry and nothing could be seen in front. They suspected that the powerful magical bombardment would completely destroy the 1,000 golems.
However.
“What…?”
After a while, the dust storm lifted and everyone was astonished. The golem army was completely fine. They didn’t even suffer minor damage from the magical bombardment of Asellas and the other guild magicians.
Asellas’ face turned white.
“Anti-magic Shield…?”
The Anti-magic Shield was a spell that blocked all types of magic. It was a perfect counter for magicians and classified as S-grade magic, so it wasn’t something that everyone could use. However, the golems were using Anti-magic Shields.
Asellas stared blankly at the pink transparent shields deployed by the 12 super-sized golems.
“No way. How is this possible?”
The golems could use magic? In addition, it was S-grade magic? The Giant Guild couldn’t understand it. In particular, Asellas and the magicians lost their morale.
“I used all my mana…”
“I used all the magic stored in my orb…”
“We couldn’t even do any damage…”
“What should we do if the golems are immune to magic?”
The Giant Guild’s morale rapidly deteriorated. The golem army continued to advance and was gradually getting closer. Chris hurriedly ordered, “We will change the target to the super-sized golems.”
The magicians were useless as long as the super-sized golems used the Anti-magic Shield. That’s why Chris decided to deal with the super-sized golems first, but it wasn’t easy.
Kuwaaah!
The physical damage dealers and tankers tried to attack the huge golems, but the old golems blocked their way. Their appearance was similar to general golems, but they weren’t ordinary.
“These damn things!”
Chris and the damage dealers charged at the golems with their large, prearranged weapons. But the defense of the golems was uncommon. Their attacks didn’t work as they wanted. They felt much more solid than the hardest iron golem.
Chris realized that the situation was worse than he thought. He smashed a golem using his strongest technique.
[You have destroyed an old golem.]
[350,300 experience has been acquired.]
In the case of a monster that was already hunted, the level and details could be grasped. Chris used this basic system to verify the information of the old golems.
[Old Golem]
Level: 240
A relic of the past. A golem made of volcanic rock mixed with black iron, making it harder than an iron golem. Existing magicians can’t produce this level of golem.
‘Dammit!’
Existing golems had a level range of 50~200. However, the old golems were level 240. It wasn’t a big deal for Chris and the seven captains, but they were too hard for the general guild members to deal with.
Chris shouted.
“Every three people organize into one group to fight!”
The average level of the Giant Guild was 180. He judged that three members would be able to deal with one old golem. But the problem wasn’t the old golems. The real crisis started once the 200 humanoid golems entered the battlefield.
Pepeok! Kwakwang!
“Kuak!”
“H-Hik!”
The guild members were logged out in front of the swift and accurate attacks of the humanoid golems. The perplexed Chris ordered the seven captains.
“We will mark the humanoid golems! Kuk!”
The strength of the humanoid golems transcended common sense. Not only were they fast, but their combat skills were very good. Some of them wielded their fists and feet like a martial artist, while others used parts of their bodies like swords or spears. Even the seven captains found it hard if they were attacked by two or more humanoid golems.
There were 200 of them.
Kwajak!
Chris defeated a humanoid golem and confirmed the details.
[Soul Doll]
Level: 280
A battle doll made by capturing the soul of a warrior. The ego isn’t maintained but the soul can demonstrate its original life’s fighting skills.
‘What is this fraudulent..!?’
The strength of the soul dolls was at the level of a field boss. What type of magician created these monsters? Chris got goosebumps. The battlefield was disadvantageous. Magic shields didn’t help because of the Anti-magic Shield, and most guild members were too busy dealing with the old golems.
The seven captains were unable to cope with the pincer attacks of the soul dolls. It had been less than 10 minutes after the fight started, and half of the guild members had already been logged out.
‘It is finished.’
The S-rank guild quest exceeded common sense. Chris realized this and shouted angrily, “These damn pieces of scum! I will smash one more of you before I die!”
The soul dolls came from every direction. Chris wielded his greatsword at them. The third ranked user didn’t fall down easily. Over time, all the guild members were logged out, but he survived and defeated hundreds of golems. But he wasn’t invincible. Soon after his stamina was depleted, he left the battlefield. Then he could only helplessly scream as the golems destroyed Pedro.
The war footage switched back to the news studio. The hosts and experts appeared with a serious expression.
『 The biggest reason Chris was defeated in his match against Regas was because he was careless. As he proved now, Chris is much more powerful than what he showed in the National Competition. 』
『 That’s right. He’s stronger than Regas, and not weak. But that alone can’t stop the golem’s advance. It’s sad. 』
『 In particular, the soul dolls are too powerful. Chris was only able to defeat four soul dolls. The ancient weapons are extraordinary, but they didn’t directly participate in battle. Who is the creator of these mighty golems? 』
『 The old golems and ancient weapons… Based on their name, they seem to be a heritage of the past. Maybe it is the legacy of the great magician Braham. 』
『 Braham? Aren’t you thinking too much? Even if the creator of these golems is Braham, what type of magician can control Braham’s golems? 』
『 Perhaps the golems are made by Braham’s disciple. Well, it will be revealed gradually. Right now, the key question is whether or not the Eternal Kingdom can withstand the attacks of the golems. 』
『 The military power of the Eternal Kingdom is very powerful. That’s why they could exist as a neutral kingdom. But that is a story of when it is a human against human battle… They might be helpless against the golems. 』
『 Then there is only one conclusion. Users, please leave for the Eternal Kingdom right now! It’s a great opportunity to get a quest that will give you enormous rewards! 』
The users and guilds already knew this and were moving towards the Eternal Kingdom. King Wiesbaden of the Eternal Kingdom gave a wide range of quests to prevent the unprecedented advance of the golems.
[Fight the Golems]
Difficulty: B~S
The Giant Guild was brave enough to defeat the golems that crossed the border of the Eternal Kingdom, but were eventually defeated. As a result, the southern part of the Eternal Kingdom was destroyed and the golem’s army is advancing towards the capital of the Eternal Kingdom.
King Wiesbaden senses the crisis and summoned his troops from all over the kingdom. He is asking you to cooperate with them.
Quest Clear Conditions: Repel the golems.
Quest Clear Rewards:
After defeating an old golem, 300 gold and 100 kingdom contribution will be acquired.
After defeating a soul doll, 1,000 gold and 500 kingdom contribution will be acquired.
After defeating an ancient weapon, 3,000 gold and 1,500 kingdom contribution will be acquired.
100 gold was worth 120,000 won. In addition, accumulating 3,000 kingdom contribution could earn the user the title of a baron, and 10,000 contribution gave the title of a viscount. From the users’ perspective, there was no reason not to join this quest. From all over the continent, tens of thousands of users gathered in the capital of the Eternal Kingdom.
“Everyone! I have a party! We must make a party to defeat the golems!”
In Satisfy, up to 24 people could join one party. The users formed parties and went to war. But could regular users handle the soul dolls that even the seven captains of the Giant Guild had difficulty with? It was a useless defense.
Most parties barely managed to defeat one or two old golems, but they were easily destroyed by the soul dolls. The Anti-magic Shields didn’t allow magicians to exert their power, so the battlefield went badly.
And.
Kuweeeeeoh!
Hundreds of users were logged out when the ancient weapons occasionally fired a massive ray of magic energy, causing the Eternal Kingdom to face a crisis. The users didn’t want to continue any further, forcing the Eternal Kingdom to fight against the golems with their own soldiers.
King Wiesbaden was furious.
“What wicked person? Why? What purpose is there behind giving this trial to my kingdom?”
On the other hand, a grocery store in the capital.
Two girls was pushing through a crowd, struggling to get anything done.
“I chose this place because I heard it was the most comfortable place for beginners to start, but what is this? We can’t go hunting because of these big stones, so we can’t do anything until the capsule room booking time ends.
The ID of the complaining girl was ‘Sexy Schoolgirl’. It was a fairly childish name, but her face was really pretty. She actually was sexy. Her name was Park Yerim in reality. She was the best friend of Grid’s younger sister Sehee. Sehee was the neat girl standing next to her.
Chapter 193
It was around one year and eight months ago in reality. Satisfy’s service launched with the interest of the world.
Since that day, Euphemina had been playing Satisfy for more than 14 hours everyday, without taking a single day off. 19 years old, 20 years old, the precious time of her youth was spent in a game.
Some would say that her youth was wasted. These youthful days would never come back. They didn’t know. Euphemina didn’t have any regrets. Satisfy was a more joyful and precious world for her, who was always alone in her own home environment.
And today. In this precious world, it was the first time that Euphemina met an object of longing. That person was Grid.
‘He can produce legendary items…’
Euphemina had killed countless monsters and raided bosses, eventually reaching level 283. She cleared hundreds of quests. Nevertheless, the maximum rating of items she acquired was a unique rating.
Legendary items? She never even saw it. She thought legendary items were something that only existed in fantasies. Therefore, she never imagined that Grid would make a legendary rated orb. She just wanted Grid to make a unique rated orb.
However, Grid made a legendary rated orb. The result was truly amazing. To be honest, she couldn’t really believe it. It felt like a dream. It was like a halo was coming from Grid. She was blinded by him.
‘Grid, you are the god in my heart from this moment on.’
Euphemina was ecstatic.
Lauel whispered to her, “If you become Grid’s subordinate, you will be able to get more magnificent items like this orb.”
“…”
It was the temptation of the devil. It was impossible for her to refuse. Euphemina became Grid’s subordinate.
***
“You can use this room in the future. You will normally have freedom, and only have to follow Grid when there is a specific mission.”
“I understand.”
“Then I will be going. Huroi and I have to accompany Grid to Bairan.”
Winston Castle.
Euphemina received a place to stay. It was a moderately large room. When she opened the window, she saw a beautiful garden and a wide sky. But most of all, it was close to Grid’s bedroom.
“Hihit.”
She couldn’t help laughing. She had been playing Satisfy for a long time, but it was the first time she felt excited to gain colleagues. She was happy because she could see the glorious Grid every day. She was very excited about the adventures she would experience with Grid.
“First of all, I need to permanently store a spell on my orb.”
Thanks to Grid making a legendary orb, she could give the orb an S-grade spell. Euphemina called up her skills list. The S-grade magic that she duplicated and stored were classified separately.
[Demon King’s Tail Lv. 2]
It can burn up to 16 people.
It will deal 2,509 fixed fire damage per second for up to 4 seconds.
Skill Range: 10m radius
Skill Mana Cost: 3,200
Skill Cooldown Time: 15 minutes.
[Fluid Escape Lv. 1]
The soul and body of the caster will be separated for 3 seconds.
The caster can control the soul that emerged from the body, while the body will be immune to all damage.
The soul can deal 1,030 + (half of the caster’s current magic power) damage to all targets in the way.
As soon as the soul returns to the body, a shockwave will be generated, pushing all nearby enemies back.
Skill Mana consumption: 65% of your current mana.
Skill Cooldown Time: 1 hour.
[Storm Gravity Field Lv. 1]
Installs a gravity field 5m in diameter at the specified location. It will take 1.2 seconds to install and all objects trapped in the gravity field will be suppressed for 2 seconds. After that, the raging storm will deal 8,600~15,900 damage.
Skill Range: 20m radius
Skill Mana Cost: 2,500
Skill Cooldown Time: 18 minutes.
[Carshian’s Fury Lv. 2]
Shields the caster with a fire shield.
The shield absorbs a total of 15,000 damage and will return half of the absorbed damage back to the opponent.
Physical defense and magic resistance will increase by 20%, and fire resistance by 99% while the shield is active.
Skill Mana Cost: 3,000
Skill Cooldown Time: 20 minutes.
In order to acquire S-grade magic, a user had to be at least level 280 and meet other difficult conditions. In the first place, S-grade spellbooks were rare. Looking at the users and NPCs, there were only a few who had acquired S-grade magic.
Therefore, Euphemina couldn’t duplicate a lot of S-grade magic. Her choices were narrow. Nevertheless, she wasn’t disappointed. The reason was simple. It was because of Fluid Escape, a fraudulent magic that had the most usefulness among her S-grade spells. It was a rare spell that dealt damage proportional to magic power and made the body invincible.
Learning this spell was the standards of a great magician. In the past, Euphemina followed Earl Ashur for a month before barely managing to duplicate it. She cherished it so much that she didn’t even use it when her life was in danger, so she permanently stored it in the orb without hesitation.
[Do you want to attribute the spell ‘Fluid Escape’ to the Indecisive Mumud’s Orb?]
“Yes.”
[The spell can’t be released when attached to an item. Do you still want to progress?]
“Yes.”
The blue orb shone brightly.
[The skill ‘Fluid Escape’ has been removed from the Duplicator’s skills list.]
[’Fluid Escape’ now belongs to the Indecisive Mumud’s Orb.]
Bururu.
Euphemina’s small body shook as she confirmed the result. It was due to the thrill she felt. Her cheeks flushed and she stroked the orb with a joyful expression.
“Beautiful. This is too good.”
At this moment, she finally realized that she was the owner of such a great item. She tried to equip the orb in order to fully realize it.
[You have equipped the Indecisive Mumud’s Orb.]
The normal notification window appeared.
[Your position has been revealed to someone. You won’t be able to escape from the eyes of surveillance.]
“Huh?”
Then an unknown notification window popped up.
“What does that mean?” Euphemina was stunned as she blinked her large eyes. Then she nodded as if she understood. “My position is being delivered to Grid.”
The orb’s maker was Grid, so it made sense to think so. It was a legendary item. It wouldn’t be strange to have specific features built into it, so she didn’t think about it any longer. She rushed in front of the mirror and admired the beautiful sight of her holding the blue orb.
But what was the truth? The eyes of surveillance on her wasn’t from Grid. At the same time, in one of the 27 golem labyrinths throughout the continent.
[I finally found it.]
The voice off the great magician Braham rang out through the labyrinth. He issued a command to thousands of golems.
[Show the fool who dared to ignore the great me.]
Kuuong! Kuuong!
All types of powerful golems moved in unison. They were slowly but surely heading to the same destination. Soon after, this spectacular scene was captured by users across the world and would once again bring a big wave to Satisfy.
***
“What?”
Bairan Castle.
Grid visited with some shocking words. The Tzedakah Guild gathered in the meeting room didn’t welcome it.
“Are you serious about withdrawing from the guild?” Toban asked again and Grid nodded.
“Yes.”
“Why all of a sudden?” The one who asked was Overgeared No. 2, Ibellin. He was looking at Lauel. “What did that guy say to mislead Grid?”
As one of the 10 Rookies, Ibellin had a fierce rivalry with Lauel. So he growled every time they met, but Lauel never gave him a second thought. But this time was an exception. Lauel replied to Ibellin.
“Ibellin. Are you saying that Grid is an idiot who would be swayed by my words?”
Twitch.
Huroi’s eyes narrowed from where he was silently standing behind Grid. Ibellin was baffled.
“W-What…? What did you leap to that conclusion? That isn’t what I meant!”
“Quiet.”
Jishuka finally came forward. Her folded arms highlighted her big chest as she stared intently at Grid.
“Why do you want to leave?”
“I want to become a lord.” Grid answered simply.
Jishuka asked him again, “Why?”
“You’re asking why?” Grid made the shape of a coin with his fingers and spoke bluntly. “Because of money.”
Now they understood everything. Certainly, the amount of taxes collected from Bairan after being promoted to a city was so big that it couldn’t be ignored. It was natural to feel greedy. Especially for Grid, who was only playing the game for money.
“Can’t you be a lord even if you belong to the guild?”
Jishuka didn’t want Grid to leave. Putting aside her personal feelings, she didn’t want to lose one of the factors that made the guild strong.
“Well…that…”
Grid tried to explain but it wasn’t easy.
Then Lauel came out.
“In order to become a lord, a certain position is required. It isn’t enough to be a viscount. Grid is only a member of the guild, but he also has a lot of subordinates. Therefore, he can’t be left as a guild member of the Tzedakah Guild.
Grid nodded.
“That’s what I was trying to say.”
“…”
The eyes of the Tzedakah Guild members were cold as they looked at Laeul. They didn’t like that he was encouraging Grid to cut ties with his close companions. Based on this situation, Lauel seemed to be trying to separate them from Grid.
Only Faker was watching Lauel with a happy expression.
‘Indeed… he fills everything that Grid is lacking.’
It was really great. The other guild members were jealous of being deprived of Grid and didn’t recognize him. But Faker knew that someday the guild members would recognize Lauel.
Jishuka explained, “Grid, if it is just money then, I will give you the taxes from Bairan. So why don’t we stay like this?”
The taxes from Bairan were shared fairly between the guild members. Now she would ignore the other guild members and give the taxes to Grid. It was a truly shocking offer. The other members expressed no dissatisfaction, despite Jishuka deciding it on her own. It was because Grid was worth more. They already made a lot of money due to betting on Grid in the National Competition.
On the other hand, Lauel wanted to curse. He thought that Grid would accept Jishuka’s proposal. But Grid’s response was surprising.
“I don’t want to.”
“…?”
Didn’t Grid want money? Hadn’t he suffered from hair loss due to the money problems recently? Then why did he so easily refuse? It was so surprising that even Huroi and Lauel shook. Everyone was confused by Grid’s shocking remark.
“I can’t be satisfied with just the taxes of one city.”
“…”
Bairan achieved an incredible growth after the National Competition and was now called the third largest city in the north. Yet this city wasn’t enough for him?
“Grid, perhaps you…”
Grid was looking higher. Jishuka’s eyes widened as she realized this fact, while Grid declared.
“The minimum of what I want is a territory the size of Winston. That is the starting point.”
Huroi and Lauel asked him to be king. He would grasp it first before the two billion users of Satisfy. He couldn’t resist. Why? It was a chance to become the richest man on Earth.
“Jishuka, take the kids and come under me.”
“Huh…!” Jishuka burst out. He wanted to swallow the elites who were in the top 100 of the unified rankings at all once? “A complete thief.”
There was no saying more accurate than that.
======
Chapter 194
“Jishuka, take the kids and come under me.”
The moment that Grid said so. Lauel winced and hurriedly sent him a whisper.
–Grid, what did you say just now?
Grid was confused.
–What’s wrong?
Lauel spoke with frustration.
–Your way of talking is wrong!
Lauel knew that the Tzedakah Guild was a prestigious guild that existed since the days of L.T.S. The scale was small, but they had a tradition of at least six years. They had the pride of those who reigned at the top. But rather than respecting them, Grid told them to come under him? It was obvious that the proud guild members would be disappointed and repelled by Grid.
–You should negotiate. You have to respect them. Then convince them to cooperate. Do you think that if you speak to them like that, they will just follow you?
“…”
Grid noticed his mistake. If he thought about it from the position of the guild members, he realized that he made a huge mistake.
‘Disgusting.’ Was he any different from Lee Junho in his high school days, who made Grid his bread shuttle just because he was more powerful? ‘In the first place, the words I chose were wrong.’
But things had changed since entering the Tzedakah Guild. Grid had many memories with his guild members. They got to know each other little by little. Grid recognized the guild members as friends or colleagues. Yet he told them to come under him, like they were servants.
Grid was very disappointed in himself.
‘How could I treat them like this?’
He controlled them with his items, so did he subconsciously perceive them as below him?
‘I am better than them. I also have high fame.’
Was he ignoring them? Just like the alumni ignored him in the past?
‘Dammit! Just a while ago in the National Competition, I realized that I fought for my companions!’
Grid’s character had deepened and matured compared to the past. But that was only when compared to the past. His personality was still lacking. The evidence was that he was jealous of Noe’s popularity and posted malicious comments about him on the Internet. His nature was filled with self-righteousness and egotism due to his unfavorable environment, so he couldn’t mature in such a short amount of time.
But.
“I’m sorry. I’ll correct what I just said.”
By default, Grid was someone who tried hard. Thanks to his efforts, he could barely be middle of the pack at school, despite having no talents. In addition, he was able to become the first legendary class in Satisfy.
As long as he realized and corrected his mistakes, he would change quickly.
“I will say it again. All of you, please join the guild that I will make. I want to continue to be with you, and I need your strength. I will also give you strength… Let’s join together to build a country. I consider you as friends and colleagues, so please.”
Grid bowed deeply. His attitude was very polite. The stiff expressions of Jishuka and the guild members slowly released.
Jishuka spoke, “Give us time to talk about it.”
***
“What should we do?”
Grid returned to Winston after causing a fuss. The Tzedakah Guild started to engage in an in-depth discussion.
“Grid is a necessary existence for us. Not just as a blacksmith, but also as a warrior. He’s a source of great strength. We can’t lose him.”
“I agree with that part, but can Grid be the leader of a guild?”
Leadership was needed to lead an organization. In order to exert leadership, they needed charisma to force people or to make people loyal to them. But that ability wasn’t something that anyone could have.
Why was the Tzedakah Guild operating on a small scale? There were many reasons, but the important one was that there was no leader in the guild. Those who acted to rise to the top possessed strong individualistic tendencies. None of them had the talent to lead others. Even Jishuka was limited to just commanding the current personnel.
Grid was stingy, filled with jealousy and only acted for money, so could he fulfill the role of a leader? Furthermore, he wanted to become a king? It was impossible.
“A clever person like Lauel can make up for the intelligence that Grid is lacking. But it is impossible for someone who isn’t a leader to maintain or expand the organization.”
“That’s right. If Grid creates a guild, won’t it soon collapse?”
A competent leader of a small guild was better than an incompetent one of a large guild. Everyone thought so. They judged that it was just Grid’s futile dream. But an unexpected person came up with a different opinion.
“Grid is a natural leader.”
What was this nonsense? Everyone’s eyes focused on one person. The person who received their interest. It was Toban. He was the Tzedakah Guild’s chief of staff, who became Grid’s slave in the past. At one time, he was reluctant about Grid, but now he appreciated Grid more than anyone else.
“What is required to be a leader? Isn’t it to unite and lead the organization, and ultimately develop the organization? Think about it. Grid has a power that can replace leadership.”
Buzz buzz.
The guild members started murmuring.
“Power that can replace leadership?’
“What is it? I can’t figure it out.”
Toban gave a hint to the guild members who couldn’t understand. “Don’t overlook the fact that Satisfy is a game.”
“Ah…!” Jishuka and Pon noticed before anyone else. They shouted at the same time. “Items!”
Toban was satisfied.
“That’s right. When people play games, they have one basic desire. And Grid can meet those needs. As long as he makes items for the guild members, they will never betray him. And Grid will evolve while trying to do his best for the guild.”
The main reason why the Tzedakah Guild was reluctant to lose Grid was due to his ability to make items. That’s right. At least in Satisfy, Grid was fully qualified to be a leader.
“If Grid produces items for the guild members with high achievements as a reward, the members won’t want to leave Grid forever. At the same time, they will gradually become elites.”
“Just like us…”
In the first place, a smart person like Lauel wouldn’t become Grid’s king maker if he didn’t have a reason. Lauel obviously planned to foster the strongest guild through Grid. The guild would become tremendously powerful through items.
“It’s lucky that Grid has Lauel.” Those were Jishuka’s words. She continued. “Thanks to Lauel, Grid will be able to reign at the top.”
Currently, Pagma’s Descendant was the strongest class in existence. But there were a total of nine legendary classes in Satisfy. As a blacksmith, Pagma’s Descendant was relatively weak in combat compared to the other legendary classes.
If Grid kept playing the game in an individual manner, there would eventually come a day when he couldn’t surpass this limit and would have to concede the position of the best to someone else.
But the story would change if he owned the strongest guild. The strongest guild that only Grid could create! This power would make Grid reign at the top!
“Why don’t we go under Grid? Anyway, we have reached the limitations of expanding our power.”
“I think so as well. I don’t want to watch Zibal or Chris’ guilds slowly swallow up this continent.”
“Certainly… unlike L.T.S., there is a limit to what a small number of people can do in Satisfy. It would be better in the long run to be included in a bigger force.”
“I can never escape from Grid’s items. I unconditionally want to go under Grid.”
All the guild members agreed. It was decided.
Jishuka stood up and declared, “Today, the Tzedakah Guild will be disbanded. The 21 members, including myself, will go under grid.”
They dreamed of becoming the strongest, like they were in L.T.S. In order to achieve those dreams, they chose Grid. Thanks to that, Grid swallowed up the strongest force for free. It was an event that would go down in history.
***
The guild that represented the Eternal Kingdom was by far the Giant Guild. The Tzedakah Guild was famous for its small number of elites, but that couldn’t compare to the Giant Guild. It was because the Giant Guild had more than 700 people. It was a level that could deal with the Snake Guild, who was expanding its power in the Haken Kingdom.
“Golem army?”
Pedro City, in the southern part of the Eternal Kingdom.
Chris was stunned. More than 1,000 golems were advancing towards the Eternal Kingdom.
“What type of magician can control over 1,000 golems? It isn’t possible, even if all the great magicians on the continent joined their power together. Isn’t this ridiculous?”
The golems weren’t roaming a particular area. Rather, they were moving with a clear destination, so someone was obviously controlling the golem. One of the seven captains, Zirkan, responded to Chris with wide eyes.
“This information is definite. The golems are currently advancing towards the Eternal Kingdom, and it is likely that the south will be the first target, based on their movement path.”
Another of the seven captains, Asellas, spoke. “In the future, there will be a quest from the king of the Eternal Kingdom to defeat the golem army.”
Chris smiled widely. “This is a good sign.”
So what if over 1,000 golems gathered? They were just slow masses of stones. Chris was determined to defeat the golems in order to raise the guild’s reputation and increase their contribution to the kingdom.
“This is an opportunity to become an earl.”
After Chris was defeated by Regas in the National Competition.
The Giant Guild became confused. The loss of the guild master reduced the guild’s morale, and the guild seemed to be walking down a path of decline.
However, Chris was a person with outstanding charisma. He led the guild along with the seven captains, and the Giant Guild managed to escape its confusion. They boasted a stronger force than before.
Chris was confident.
“We will be thoroughly prepared when the king’s quest arrives. First of all, tell the magicians to store AOE magic in their orbs, and distribute large weapons to the physical damage dealers.
Then after a few days. There was a messenger from the capital.
“In the name of the 13th king of the Eternal Kingdom, King Wiesbaden. Viscount Chris, slaughter the golems that dare advance towards my sacred kingdom!”
[Defense War]
Difficulty: S
Precisely 1,231 golems have crossed the border of the Eternal Kingdom.
Defend the Eternal Kingdom.
Quest Clear Conditions: Repel the golem army (0/1,231)
Quest Clear Rewards: One small city. 25,000 contribution to the kingdom. The guild level will rise by 1. Two million gold will be obtained.
Quest Failure: The golems will advance to the capital of the Eternal Kingdom. The kingdom will fall into chaos.
They were colossal rewards.
Chris’ blood was boiling.
‘Zibal, you aren’t the first user who will become an earl. I will also be the first one to get 1,000 guild members!’
Chris didn’t doubt it. He had experience with clearing guild quests with an A-grade difficulty, so he didn’t shrink back before the S-grade one. He just wanted to defeat the golems to achieve his goals. All the Giant Guild members, there wasn’t one person who thought this quest might fail.
Three days later.
Breaking news appeared around the world.
『 A few days ago, golems gathered from all over the continent and advanced into the Eternal Kingdom. The Giant Guild acted to intercept them… 』
It was a tragedy. The Giant Guild could only defeat 300 golems. The southern part of the Eternal Kingdom was ravaged. Chris was desperate as he looked at Pedro, swallowed up by a raging fire.
“How did this happen…?”
One year and six months ago.
When Chris became a viscount and gained Pedro, it had only been a small village when he first arrived. In the past year and a half, Chris had developed it into a city. It was lost in an instant. All the buildings collapsed, while thousands of NPCs turned into grey light. The damage would be difficult to repair.
Chris was frustrated, but he had no choice but to watch as the golems advanced to the capital. The true destination of the mighty golem army was the north of the Eternal Kingdom. They planned to advanced from the south to the north through the capital.
The great magician Braham did this just to draw Grid’s attention.
=====
Chapter 195
Humanity started to receive news through smartphones dozens of years ago. Nevertheless, newspapers still had a steady consumer base.
The full subway. Some passengers were holding newspapers in their hands. The newspapers were published by different places, shown by the different political stances. However, the newspapers all had the same headlines.
[The Golem Army’s Attack on the Eternal Kingdom!]
One month after the National Competition. There hadn’t been any special incidents in Satisfy, except for the fact that Kraugel was the first user to get a third advancement class.
The Internet was in an uproar.
–Why the Eternal Kingdom? The Eternal Kingdom is neutral, so there shouldn’t be any countries hostile towards them? What kingdom sent the golems to the Eternal Kingdom?
–There are 17 kingdoms on the continent. They all have their own interests, so even a neutral kingdom isn’t guaranteed to be safe.
–To be able to send so many golems, isn’t it impossible for one country alone to have that strength? It is impossible to control that many golems unless dozens of great magicians join forces.
–Wow! Then several countries have united to attack the Eternal Kingdom…?
–Is this the precursor to a massive episode?
–No matter how high their numbers, golems are golems. How did the Giant Guild get smashed by the golems?
Chris’ level was 298 and he had the dignity of the third ranked user. The seven captains were top ranked users over level 260, and the average level of the 700 Giant Guild members was 180. It was honestly unbelievable that more than 1,000 golems with a maximum level of 200 could one-sidedly massacre the Giant Guild.
As the world became increasingly confused, footage started to be shown around the world.
『 This is a video of the Eternal Kingdom war that we just obtained. Watch this video and you will see how bad the Eternal Kingdom’s current crisis is. 』
The screen that switched.
“Through this war, our Giant Guild will take one step further. Record this glorious moment carefully.”
The video started with Chris talking to the camera.
Kuuong! Kuwuong!
The massive sound of footsteps shaking the ground was clearly heard from far away. The viewpoint of the camera, as well as Chris and the guild members’ eyes, moved towards the horizon.
Kuoooh!
One, two, three. Tens, hundreds. Over 1,000 golems were slowly but surely approaching from the horizon. They gradually came closer. The appearance of the golems lined up was truly spectacular. It was like a ridgeline.
The size of the golems varied. The names were also very unusual. There were around 1,000 ‘old golems’ that didn’t look much different from existing golems, and 200 small golems with the same body shape as humans called ‘soul dolls.’ Finally, there were 12 extra large golems exceeding 8m in height and 4m in width that were called ‘ancient weapons.’
“The names are great.” Chris spoke warily. “Based on the names alone, they seem much stronger than existing golems. In particular, those super-sized golems and humanoid golems.”
The magician Asellas, one of the seven captains and a specialist in petrification magic, came up with his own opinion.
“The humanoid golems look very difficult. We should take care of them first.”
The advantages of a golem were their high physical defense and health. Instead, they were vulnerable to magic and relatively slow, making them easy to deal with. It was clear that if the humanoid golems had the existing strengths of a golem and were fast, they would be hard to deal with.
Asellas’ comments quickly convinced Chris.
“Okay. Take care of the humanoid golems.”
“Yes!”
From then on, a splendid magical bombardment began. Asellas and 200 magicians attacked the humanoid golems with their most powerful magic.
Kwa kwa kwa kwang!
An explosion occurred in many parts of the wilderness and a dust storm rose. The camera became blurry and nothing could be seen in front. They suspected that the powerful magical bombardment would completely destroy the 1,000 golems.
However.
“What…?”
After a while, the dust storm lifted and everyone was astonished. The golem army was completely fine. They didn’t even suffer minor damage from the magical bombardment of Asellas and the other guild magicians.
Asellas’ face turned white.
“Anti-magic Shield…?”
The Anti-magic Shield was a spell that blocked all types of magic. It was a perfect counter for magicians and classified as S-grade magic, so it wasn’t something that everyone could use. However, the golems were using Anti-magic Shields.
Asellas stared blankly at the pink transparent shields deployed by the 12 super-sized golems.
“No way. How is this possible?”
The golems could use magic? In addition, it was S-grade magic? The Giant Guild couldn’t understand it. In particular, Asellas and the magicians lost their morale.
“I used all my mana…”
“I used all the magic stored in my orb…”
“We couldn’t even do any damage…”
“What should we do if the golems are immune to magic?”
The Giant Guild’s morale rapidly deteriorated. The golem army continued to advance and was gradually getting closer. Chris hurriedly ordered, “We will change the target to the super-sized golems.”
The magicians were useless as long as the super-sized golems used the Anti-magic Shield. That’s why Chris decided to deal with the super-sized golems first, but it wasn’t easy.
Kuwaaah!
The physical damage dealers and tankers tried to attack the huge golems, but the old golems blocked their way. Their appearance was similar to general golems, but they weren’t ordinary.
“These damn things!”
Chris and the damage dealers charged at the golems with their large, prearranged weapons. But the defense of the golems was uncommon. Their attacks didn’t work as they wanted. They felt much more solid than the hardest iron golem.
Chris realized that the situation was worse than he thought. He smashed a golem using his strongest technique.
[You have destroyed an old golem.]
[350,300 experience has been acquired.]
In the case of a monster that was already hunted, the level and details could be grasped. Chris used this basic system to verify the information of the old golems.
[Old Golem]
Level: 240
A relic of the past. A golem made of volcanic rock mixed with black iron, making it harder than an iron golem. Existing magicians can’t produce this level of golem.
‘Dammit!’
Existing golems had a level range of 50~200. However, the old golems were level 240. It wasn’t a big deal for Chris and the seven captains, but they were too hard for the general guild members to deal with.
Chris shouted.
“Every three people organize into one group to fight!”
The average level of the Giant Guild was 180. He judged that three members would be able to deal with one old golem. But the problem wasn’t the old golems. The real crisis started once the 200 humanoid golems entered the battlefield.
Pepeok! Kwakwang!
“Kuak!”
“H-Hik!”
The guild members were logged out in front of the swift and accurate attacks of the humanoid golems. The perplexed Chris ordered the seven captains.
“We will mark the humanoid golems! Kuk!”
The strength of the humanoid golems transcended common sense. Not only were they fast, but their combat skills were very good. Some of them wielded their fists and feet like a martial artist, while others used parts of their bodies like swords or spears. Even the seven captains found it hard if they were attacked by two or more humanoid golems.
There were 200 of them.
Kwajak!
Chris defeated a humanoid golem and confirmed the details.
[Soul Doll]
Level: 280
A battle doll made by capturing the soul of a warrior. The ego isn’t maintained but the soul can demonstrate its original life’s fighting skills.
‘What is this fraudulent..!?’
The strength of the soul dolls was at the level of a field boss. What type of magician created these monsters? Chris got goosebumps. The battlefield was disadvantageous. Magic shields didn’t help because of the Anti-magic Shield, and most guild members were too busy dealing with the old golems.
The seven captains were unable to cope with the pincer attacks of the soul dolls. It had been less than 10 minutes after the fight started, and half of the guild members had already been logged out.
‘It is finished.’
The S-rank guild quest exceeded common sense. Chris realized this and shouted angrily, “These damn pieces of scum! I will smash one more of you before I die!”
The soul dolls came from every direction. Chris wielded his greatsword at them. The third ranked user didn’t fall down easily. Over time, all the guild members were logged out, but he survived and defeated hundreds of golems. But he wasn’t invincible. Soon after his stamina was depleted, he left the battlefield. Then he could only helplessly scream as the golems destroyed Pedro.
The war footage switched back to the news studio. The hosts and experts appeared with a serious expression.
『 The biggest reason Chris was defeated in his match against Regas was because he was careless. As he proved now, Chris is much more powerful than what he showed in the National Competition. 』
『 That’s right. He’s stronger than Regas, and not weak. But that alone can’t stop the golem’s advance. It’s sad. 』
『 In particular, the soul dolls are too powerful. Chris was only able to defeat four soul dolls. The ancient weapons are extraordinary, but they didn’t directly participate in battle. Who is the creator of these mighty golems? 』
『 The old golems and ancient weapons… Based on their name, they seem to be a heritage of the past. Maybe it is the legacy of the great magician Braham. 』
『 Braham? Aren’t you thinking too much? Even if the creator of these golems is Braham, what type of magician can control Braham’s golems? 』
『 Perhaps the golems are made by Braham’s disciple. Well, it will be revealed gradually. Right now, the key question is whether or not the Eternal Kingdom can withstand the attacks of the golems. 』
『 The military power of the Eternal Kingdom is very powerful. That’s why they could exist as a neutral kingdom. But that is a story of when it is a human against human battle… They might be helpless against the golems. 』
『 Then there is only one conclusion. Users, please leave for the Eternal Kingdom right now! It’s a great opportunity to get a quest that will give you enormous rewards! 』
The users and guilds already knew this and were moving towards the Eternal Kingdom. King Wiesbaden of the Eternal Kingdom gave a wide range of quests to prevent the unprecedented advance of the golems.
[Fight the Golems]
Difficulty: B~S
The Giant Guild was brave enough to defeat the golems that crossed the border of the Eternal Kingdom, but were eventually defeated. As a result, the southern part of the Eternal Kingdom was destroyed and the golem’s army is advancing towards the capital of the Eternal Kingdom.
King Wiesbaden senses the crisis and summoned his troops from all over the kingdom. He is asking you to cooperate with them.
Quest Clear Conditions: Repel the golems.
Quest Clear Rewards:
After defeating an old golem, 300 gold and 100 kingdom contribution will be acquired.
After defeating a soul doll, 1,000 gold and 500 kingdom contribution will be acquired.
After defeating an ancient weapon, 3,000 gold and 1,500 kingdom contribution will be acquired.
100 gold was worth 120,000 won. In addition, accumulating 3,000 kingdom contribution could earn the user the title of a baron, and 10,000 contribution gave the title of a viscount. From the users’ perspective, there was no reason not to join this quest. From all over the continent, tens of thousands of users gathered in the capital of the Eternal Kingdom.
“Everyone! I have a party! We must make a party to defeat the golems!”
In Satisfy, up to 24 people could join one party. The users formed parties and went to war. But could regular users handle the soul dolls that even the seven captains of the Giant Guild had difficulty with? It was a useless defense.
Most parties barely managed to defeat one or two old golems, but they were easily destroyed by the soul dolls. The Anti-magic Shields didn’t allow magicians to exert their power, so the battlefield went badly.
And.
Kuweeeeeoh!
Hundreds of users were logged out when the ancient weapons occasionally fired a massive ray of magic energy, causing the Eternal Kingdom to face a crisis. The users didn’t want to continue any further, forcing the Eternal Kingdom to fight against the golems with their own soldiers.
King Wiesbaden was furious.
“What wicked person? Why? What purpose is there behind giving this trial to my kingdom?”
On the other hand, a grocery store in the capital.
Two girls was pushing through a crowd, struggling to get anything done.
“I chose this place because I heard it was the most comfortable place for beginners to start, but what is this? We can’t go hunting because of these big stones, so we can’t do anything until the capsule room booking time ends.
The ID of the complaining girl was ‘Sexy Schoolgirl’. It was a fairly childish name, but her face was really pretty. She actually was sexy. Her name was Park Yerim in reality. She was the best friend of Grid’s younger sister Sehee. Sehee was the neat girl standing next to her.
