Chapter 245
"Come out!"
Earl Zebra ran into his great hall and shouted. Then nine assassins showed up. Earl Zebra absolutely believed in the Black Arrows group. The assassination ability of those who served Earl Zebra's family for generations was unmatched. There was no history of failed assassinations.
Earl Zebra ordered.
“Kill the guy who was here a little while ago! Get me the Black Quartz Earrings back!"
"Yes."
The assassins suddenly disappeared. Earl Zebra was facing them, and even he wasn't sure when they disappeared. Earl Zebra felt relieved by their excellent skills and smiled evilly.
'It doesn't matter what a monster that guy is.'
What opponents couldn't those assassins kill? Earl Zebra imagined the situation where that person would die and was very satisfied. The moment he was humming.
"Nyang."
A small cat entered the great war. It was a cat with smooth black fur. Only the end of his four feet and tail were white as snow.
'C-Cute!'
Earl Zebra thought as he watched the cat. The cat's charm was so absolute that even a crazy human was captivated by it. Earl Zebra was deceived for a moment. He felt a desire to keep that cat around him for the rest of his life.
But it was only for a moment. Earl Zebra barely managed to regain his spirit.
"What are the guards doing? Why can't the guards keep a beast out of here? Do you really want to die?”
"I-I'm really sorry."
The soldiers who rushed over at the noise were pale. They had obviously been standing guard fiercely. It was impossible for even an ant to enter. How was a cat able to get in?
“Why are you just standing there?"
The soldiers tried to get rid of the cat. However, the cat was very agile, despite its chubbiness. It jumped around the great hall like it was its own home.
"Heok?"
Earl Zebra and the soldiers' eyes widened. They witnessed small wings appearing on the cat's back. They looked closely and saw a small horn on his forehead.
"M-Monster…!"
Earl Zebra belatedly grasped the identity of the cat and shook his hands. But his dull hands couldn't prevent the aggressive cat's dash.
"Kiyaaah!"
Papat! Pa pa pa pat!
The short paws of the cat swung at lightning speed. Earl Zebra was filled with a terrible pain. He felt a burning sensation from his face.
"Kuaaaaak!"
A sharp scream rang out. Earl Zebra's face was bloody like it was mangled.
“H-Hik.”
The soldiers were terrified. It was obvious that Earl Zebra's anger would fall on them, who couldn't prevent the monster from entering.
'He is going to torture us terribly!'
'W-What should we do?'
'Why did this happen?'
The soldiers fixed their eyes on their spears as they talked. Then they crept towards Earl Zebra, who was filled with a lot of agony and pain.
"Y-You guys…!"
Earl Zebra lived a life that wasn't filled with suffering, simply because he was born of a noble lineage. Today was his first time experiencing a major injury since he was born. It was also because of his subordinates.
"How dare you try to harm your master! Don't you know that this is a felony? Your limbs will be cut off and you will all die!"
Earl Zebra cried out. But the threat didn't vanish. The soldiers raised their spears. Earl Zebra wanted to avoid this and quickly changed his attitude.
“If you put down your spears now, I will forgive you and give you a great reward! So please calm down!"
He tried to negotiate, but it didn't work.
"Do you think that we'll believe your words? We know that you tell dozens of lies to those you torture!"
“We hated you from the beginning! You human butcher! It's better to get rid of a guy like you!"
"One of the girls you framed and killed was my relative! She was only 15 years old! You son of a bitch."
The anger that had been suppressed was being expressed. If they didn't kill the earl, they would die anyway. The soldiers were well aware that there was no turning back. They stabbed Earl Zebra with their spears.
Puk! Puk puk puk!
"Y-You…! You guys! Kuheook!"
It was the end of the human who was more cruel and wicked than a demon.
"Nyang."
The cat, who was the culprit of this situation, slowly escaped from the great hall.
***
“Was this what you aimed for?"
On the outer walls. Kiki had reported the situation in the castle after she used her Hawk Eyes skill.
Veradin shook his head.
"No. I just wanted to obtain the bones of the Slaughterer."
Veradin couldn't know why Grid, a duke of the Eternal Kingdom, came to visit Earl Zebra. But he could roughly guess the reason why. The Slaughterer was a bounty monster for many rankers. Maybe Grid came here to raid this place? He predicted Grid's presence and didn't report it to Earl Zebra. As a result, Grid raided the Slaughterer.
Thus far, it was as planned. But he had no idea Earl Zebra would be killed. In fact, it was the soldiers who killed Earl Zebra, but the black cat that caused the incident obviously belonged to Grid.
"It's surprising."
Was Grid acting for the people of another kingdom that weren't related to him? A strange smile appeared on Veradin's face.
Kiki questioned him, “What should we do? There will be an uproar."
The empire wouldn't stay silent after a noble was killed. A large scale investigation team would be sent and the atmosphere would become bloody for a while. That wasn't the only problem. The son of Earl Zebra was still young. In addition, he grew up watching his crazy father and was emotionally unstable. In short, he was easily manipulated. It was doubtful that the other nobles would give a territory to a lacking boy. It was expected that a bloody faction strife over the territory would occur.
"Veradin? What are you thinking? Wouldn't it be better to report Grid right now?"
"Dismissed."
"What?"
Kiki couldn't believe it. Grid was an enemy. Now only did he hurt their guild, he damaged Earl Zebra, the home of their guild. Yet Veradin was intending to let Grid go?
Veradin explained the plan. “We will arrest the soldiers who killed Earl Zebra and get a huge achievement. Then we can increase our influence and make the son of Earl Zebra a lord."
He was drawing a big picture.
"This is an opportunity to go further."
Veradin believed that this work would allow him to devour Earl Zebra's territory in the future. He would give this estate to his master, Agnus.
***
The outskirts of Earl Zebra's castle.
Grid was waiting for Noe.
'I wanted to kill him myself.'
Earl Zebra was a wicked man who shouldn't be saved. Grid had gone through many adventures, but it was the first time he saw such a brutal person. But it was too dangerous to kill the earl himself.
It would be difficult to access Asmophel if the empire was chasing him, and it would also put the Eternal Kingdom in a difficult position. If he knew that Veradin was a noble of the empire, Grid wouldn't have touched the White Wolf Guild either. But Grid didn't know the truth about Veradin, so he couldn't feel glad that Veradin didn't report him.
“Grid is a good person? Then you punished a bad person?"
Randy started questioning the division between good and evil. Grid was satisfied at the friend who grew up everyday and replied.
"I'm not good."
That's right. Grid wasn't a good man. He wouldn't sacrifice his life unless it was for his colleagues. But he had the minimum of conscience. He couldn't turn away from those who were in fear from Earl Zebra. If he lacked strength, he might've turned away for his own comfort.
'I'm no longer a weakling.'
He was willing to help someone if he could help. But that story was based on the assumption that he would come to no harm. This was Grid's evolution. It wasn't quite justice. However, he wasn't really reprehensible.
"Rather…"
Grid sensed uninvited people approaching their hiding spot. It wasn't difficult to detect them because he had over 1,400 insight.
"These guys, they were sent by Zebra."
The criteria that Grid used to judge the skills of an assassin was Faker. These assassins weren't a match for Faker. In other words, Grid didn't acknowledge most of the assassins in the world. It wasn't just arrogance.
His position was right. An assassin's weapons were their secrecy and swiftness, but it was virtually impossible for them to threaten Grid with his high insight and unreasonable defense. They needed to have at least Faker's skills to threaten him.
Susuk.
The assassins were unaware that they would be detected. After steadily narrowing down the distance, they aimed their daggers at Grid's neck. At that moment.
Chaaeng!
Golden blades flew and blocked the assassins' daggers.
"Aren't you using cute tricks?"
"…!"
The assassins' expressions didn't change. But they were incredibly surprised.
'He noticed our surprise attack? It couldn't be.'
They tried stabbing again, but it was useless.
Puok!
“Kuaaaak!”
The golden blades were thrown by someone unknown and flew again, sticking into the assassin's thigh. A notification window appeared in front of Grid.
[Critical!]
[You have dealt 1,590 damage to the target.]
'There is only this much damage, even if it's a critical attack.'
Pavranium was the strongest mineral. If he made a weapon using pavranium, the attack power would be beyond Failure. But right now, the blades made from pavranium couldn't exert their full strength. They were made with only a small amount of pavranium, so the attack power wasn't very good.
'Minor must find the western labyrinths quickly.'
He wanted to secure more pavranium. Minor had a lot of responsibility. As Grid was thinking this, the assassins became wary.
'This person has a companion!'
Grid was obviously alone when he came to the castle. But now he had a girl with him, as well as a hidden guard. They had to find the guard hiding somewhere that was throwing the golden blades. But they couldn't detect the person.
Grid smiled like they were funny and pointed towards the sky.
"Above."
"…?"
At that moment. The assassins looked up at the sky and witnessed the golden blades moving alone.
'Artifact!'
The astonished assassins looked back at Grid.
"Keok…"
“Ugh…"
Three of the assassins were skewered with a blue greatsword.
"What is this?"
This was too absurd!
"Are we being hunted?"
The past Grid and current Grid had something in common. He showed no mercy to his enemies.
“Don't waste your time and die obediently."
An iron mask that covered half the face. At first glance, it seemed to be crying, but now it was smiling. The assassins experienced the greatest horror since they were born.
OG:
Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.
Chapter 246
'Are we going to die like this?'
The assassins were trained to maintain their composure under any circumstances. Surveillance, assault, assassination, etc. Their tasks required secrecy and patience, so suppressing their emotions was the most basic skill.
But now the Black Arrow assassins lost their composure. In other words, they were clearly terrified. This was evidence that their status was low. An excellent assassin would've kept their composure, no matter how strong their target.
“Your master is a dog and you're just at the level of a gangster."
Step, step.
The target moved closer and approached them. The assassins were good at using a dagger, so they welcomed close combat, but this situation was an exception.
'There is no chance when facing him from the front.'
Their colleagues were killed in the blink of an eye. The six assassins quickly determined and spread out. Then they threw their daggers.
Pa pa pa pat!
Dozens of daggers flooded towards Grid. It seemed like there was no room to evade. The assassins naturally thought that Grid would bleed. They had an extremely poor imagination.
Suuk.
A jade greatsword was calmly and quickly pulled out. Then dozens of daggers flying at Grid were sucked into the centre of a vortex. This wasn't the end. Then the direction of the vortex changed and the daggers popped out like bullets.
It was Pagma's Swordsmanship, Revolve.
Puk! Puuok!
"Keook!"
“Kkuk!"
The effect of 'skill damage increased by 20%' made the daggers bombardment much more powerful than when the assassins threw them. The assassins hit by the daggers became a hedgehog.
'Being hit by my own attack!'
It was serious. The eyes of the assassins swayed like a lamp in front of the wind. Grid triggered Blacksmith's Rage and wielded the blue greatsword like a lightning bolt.
Seokeok!
Two colleagues lost their lives at once. The bodies and heads were separated, turning them to ash at once.
'He is too strong…!'
The assassins were well aware of the fact that the Slaughterer was strong. But they were confident that they could kill the Slaughterer if all nine assassins did a pincer attack. However, the number of people who could access the basement was limited to three.
It meant that the target was a monster who had taken on the Slaughterer alone. However, the nine of them could beat the target if they fought together. But that wasn't it. The target's strength far exceeded the assumed range. He might even be a match for the famous Red Knights.
The Black Arrows that followed Earl Zebra and committed many bad acts were wiped out on this day.
***
'If I aim at a vital spot, the chances of activating the Bisect skill is much higher… Is it? I need to experiment a bit more.'
Grid defeated the Slaughterer and gained a lot of experience. He defeated nine Black Arrows assassins with an average level of 240, and his level rose due to the additional experience. 288. Based on his level, he was now within the top 500 rankings.
But that strength? His rank had nothing to do with it.
'My agility is too low.'
Grid invested all 10 stat points into agility, but he still felt that it was lacking. Piaro's strength and agility was a 1:1 ratio. Grid had used him for reference and invested all points into agility for several months, but his ratio was still a mess. He had invested most of his stat points into strength until he met Piaro.
Grid currently had 2,810 strength and 1,606 agility. He had to make the ratio of these two stats 1:1. If he wanted to use the ideal swordsmanship that balanced strength and speed, he needed to gain at least another 120 levels.
'My vision is dark.'
But did he feel desperate? No way.
'I have to concentrate on hunting every time I take a break.'
Right now, Grid didn't care about overworking himself. He would be rewarded for all the effort he put in. He was well aware of this fact.
Noe flew to him. “Praise the best demonic beast of hell! Nyang!"
Based on his expression, he had completed his task properly. This was the end of Earl Zebra's reign.
"Then let's go to Titan."
Now Grid didn't need the hat. The mask and eyepatch hid his features, so his ID was automatically hidden.
Grid moved forward without hesitation. He met monsters on the way to Titan and gradually adjusted to dual wielding and using the Vital Spot Detection skill. After the battle, he recreated the contents and sought how to overcome his weaknesses.
The journey to Tital would take approximately a fortnight. Until then, Grid's goal was to reach at least level 291.
Randy and Noe became surprisingly friendly.
"Noe! Cute!"
"Kyang! Pat the best demonic beast of hell on the head! Stroke my chin as well! Kyang!"
***
The 31st knight, Idan. He was the youngest of the Red Knights. He was only 14 years old when he joined the knights and now he was 23 years old. He wasn't from a prestigious family.
But nobody could ignore him.
Who would make fun of him, one of the empire's strongest knights?
"Hrmm~"
The scene where Earl Zebra was murdered. There were dozens of nobles and knights present. They stood like stone statues and watched Idan. On the other hand, Idan didn't look at them. He questioned the seven soldiers who murdered Earl Zebra, as well as the circumstances around his murder.
“Um~ I see."
After a while.
Idan made an expression like he finally grasped the situation. Then at the place where Earl Zebra was killed. In other words, he sat on the throne in the great hall. Nobody pointed out that this behavior was unbecoming.
Idan ordered.
“Destroy them and their families."
"S-Sir Idan!"
The seven soldiers who murdered Earl Zebra cried out. Didn't he say that their families would live if they cooperated with the investigation? It was a ruthless command! Idan smiled at those who were looking at him with eyes full of pleading and resentment.
“I understand the reason why you needed to kill Earl Zebra. In addition, I know that Earl Zebra deserved to die. But a crime is a crime. I need to enforce the law."
"Why are you doing this? You promised to spare our families!"
“That was if you cooperated."
“We willingly cooperated!"
"Yes~? When?"
"…!"
The soldiers realized it. Idan was an evil person. He was just as vicious as Earl Zebra. It was chilling to see him laugh as he sentenced dozens of people to death. Idan watched the soldiers who were dragged to the execution area before turning to the nobles.
"Did you say you were Baron Veradin?"
"Yes."
Veradin was called by Idan and took one step forward. Idan observed him closely before smiling.
"You accidentally witnessed the murder of Earl Zebra at the hands of his soldiers and arrested them… Aren't you wonderful?"
It was blatantly sarcastic. The situation was excellent enough to make Veradin stand out, and Idan clearly smelt it. Veradin didn't shake. He bowed while maintaining a calm expression.
"I might've been able to save Earl Zebra if I arrived at the scene a little sooner. I am sorry."
Idan's eyes darkened. Veradin was a pretty tough guy.
“Do you know anything about the killer of the Slaughterer?"
Just before Earl Zebra was murdered, someone had killed the Slaughterer by himself. Idan suspected that these things were related. However, it was a problem because Veradin, who was presumed to be in the center of the case, remained consistent until the end.
“This is all the soldiers said. He was alone, and was a black-haired man full of grace. I didn't see him myself."
“Yes, I understand.”
That was the end. Idan left without looking at Earl Zebra's body. Then he looked at direction where the killer of the Slaughterer had headed.
"Who is he?"
The empire's judgment division determined that the Slaughterer was an A+ grade monster. Three black knights weren't able to defeat it, so he was sent alone. He didn't like the fact that he was pushed to do this troublesome thing. Now he was irritated because the situation had become more complicated.
'A person who can handle an A+ grade monster alone isn't ordinary… The seniors won't like it if I return without investigating the person's identity.'
"Hah."
He could only sigh.
***
"Is this authentic information?"
"Yes."
"Okay, now is the perfect time."
Zibal was second on the unified rankings. The Snake Guild, led by him, was growing rapidly, but he couldn't help feeling anxiety. The total number of guild members was 275 and their average level exceeded 230.
At least 100 of them were in the top 1,000 rankers. He had recently achieved his goal of becoming an earl of the Haken Kingdom. He would be the first user to become a king. But there was a big stumbling block.
It was none other than Grid. Grid had become a duke at once due to the large-scale golem invasion. It was highly likely that Grid would take the title of first king. Zibal couldn't sit back, and instead made a plan.
Seven guilds had joined forces to keep Grid and Reidan in check. The leaders of the seven guilds pledged to cooperate. They would suppress Grid. But there was a problem.
Grid and the Overgeared Guild were too big. How could they invade Reidan when there was a group of monsters completely dominating the 10th to 40th places in the unified rankings? If the seven guilds combined, it might be possible to kill the Overgeared members, but they would have to take huge damage. It would turn into a loss for them.
Zibal and the leaders of the seven guilds couldn't carelessly take action. They were worried for the past few months, but had to wait.
Then a chance arrived. According to a scouting team dispatched to the western part of the Eternal KIngdom, Grid had recently disappeared and the Overgeared members had left Reidan to develop a mine.
Currently, Reidan was completely vacant. What if they invaded and destroyed the facilities? It would be a huge blow that Grid would find difficult to overcome.
“Head to Reidan right now. Put on a helmet or mask to hide your identity and move as secretly and quickly as possible.
At the same time, Reidan.
"This is Grid's city…!"
The sight of the endless fields and walls made Damian overwhelmed. He had travelled to many big cities during his adventures, but in terms of size, Reidan was the best.
"Being a duke is really great! Ruling this great city! Amazing! The population must be at least over 100,000!"
Damian looked around at the surroundings and admired it.
Were visitors unwelcome? Two farmers suddenly arrived in front of him and asked him a question.
“Who are you?”
"…?"
OG:
Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.
Chapter 247
Damian was just walking along. He couldn't think of anything in his behavior that would've caused wariness. So why were these people blocking the road? The attitude of the farmers didn't make sense.
Damian thought about it before making a reasonable guess.
'They don't like me because I'm an otaku.'
Damian's equipment were engraved with all types of phrases. The phrases written in gold looked very nice, because they had a sense of harmony with the white color of the gear. However, this changed after seeing the contents of the phrases.
I love you Rin-chan, beautiful Isabel-chan, cute Luna-chan, Rebecca's Daughters forever, and so on.
The contents of the phrases were things that invited disdain. Some people were so disgusted that they caused a fight because they didn't want to see it. In reality and in games, an otaku was a target of hatred and derision.
But Damian didn't give in. He wanted to freely express his love for Rebecca's Daughters. He couldn't understand why he should be criticized for the act of loving someone so purely and enthusiastically.
"I'm a paladin of the Rebecca Church. Why are you asking me who I am?"
Damian’s attitude was cold.
One of the farmers smiled. "You don't seem to be an ordinary paladin."
Damian exclaimed. "Yes! I am not an ordinary paladin, I'm an otaku paladin! So what? Do you want to beat me up?"
"Otaku? What is that? Anyway, won't you fight me? The divine power that I can feel around you is very interesting compared to all the paladins and priests I've met so far."
"This…"
Damian finally figured out the situation. These farmers weren't made at him for being an otaku. They were just crazy. A farmer who detected his powerful divine power and wanted to challenge him? It was safe to say that he had crossed a line.
'He's crazy.'
Damian felt compassion for the farmer. Then he sincerely prayed.
“Goddess of light, please bless these poor people…"
After a moment. Damian finished praying and said goodbye to the farmers.
“I hope that you will restore your spirit under Goddess Rebecca's divine favor. Then I'm going now."
Damian didn't look back. He didn't want to encounter these crazy farmers for long, so he hurried towards the gate.
'I need to meet Grid as soon as possible.'
He needed to ask Grid to seal Lifael's Spear. He just wondered if the greedy Grid would do it.
'I will save Isabel-chan, even if I have to give him all my possessions.’
He would devote his soul for her. It was when he was making a pledge again.
Peeng!
There was a loud sound. Damian turned his head to see a hoe flying towards him.
"Heok?"
There was clearly killing intent. An overwhelming qi. It would cause great damage if he didn't block it. Damian instinctively sensed and hurriedly raised his shield.
Chaaeng!
A strong shockwave occurred as a result of the hoe and white shield colliding. The whole wheat field shook. Damian was appalled.
'Strong!'
It was incredible attack power. It was enough to make his spine chill, the first paladin of the Rebecca Church. As he was feeling confused, the farmer pulled back his hoe and threw off his straw hat.
An NPC called Piaro. He looked amused as he held a hoe in one hand and a hand plow in the other.
“Good defense. I'll have to use Supreme Swordsmanship."
Piaro was excited. First there was Duke Grid, the Overgeared members, Kraugel, and now Damian. He was excited by the fact that he met powerful people who couldn't be overpowered with the Imperial Swordsmanship.
'I have to deal with him seriously, like when I am fighting Kraugel.'
When he competed with Duke Grid at Loran Falls. At that time, Piaro hadn't been in the proper mental state. He wasn't able to demonstrate his skills properly. But after being with Duke Grid for the past few months, Piaro had become emotionally stable. Now he could exert his full skills.
"Then let's start."
"I don't want to!"
Damian quickly rejected. There was no reason to fight. But Piaro was stubborn.
“You must take me down in order to enter Reidan."
“What's this?"
Damian thought it was ridiculous. It was a city where a farmer was the gatekeeper. The other farmer standing silently suddenly whispered to Piaro.
"Please do it moderately. I also want to fight with him."
He was Kraugel. He had been working in the fields and training with Piaro for a fortnight. Thanks to Piaro, he had certainly became stronger than before. Now he only lost half his health when confronting Piaro. Even that monster was looking forward to a fight with Damian.
An exceptional person who rose to become the number two paladin, despite being a paladin of the Rebeccan Church. But one day, he suddenly disappeared from the rankings list, so there were rumors that he obtained a hidden class.
That person was Damian. Damian was famous, so Kraugel was interested in news about him. But Damian himself was unaware that he was a celebrity. He was only interested in Rebecca's Daughters.
Anyway, that celebrity was currently in a desperate crisis.
The continent’s strongest swordsman, Piaro.
The peak of two billion users, Kraugel.
He was destined to fight those two in turn.
***
The Ice Flower Guild was one of the axis of the seven guilds. They had 30 members. They were few in number, but all 30 members were elites in the top 100 of the magician rankings.
In particular, their guild master Bondre was an overwhelming talent. He was the first ranking magician and 11th on the unified rankings just a month ago. Thanks to the Overgeared members, his ranking was pushed to 17th. However, there was nobody who would disagree that he was strong.
Ah, there was Grid. In the National Competition, Grid had logged out Bondre in four seconds.
But that was then and this was now. After his disgrace in the National Competition, Bondre struggled to acquire more S-grade magic. He poured all his money, time, and effort into it. As a result, Bondre was now much more powerful than he was in the National Competition.
He had three S-grade magic spells. Nine months later, the Second National Competition would be held in France, his home country. At that place, he planned to thoroughly get revenge on Grid.
“I will log you out in three seconds." But before that. “Today, I will shatter your estate."
That damn Grid was the lord of Reidan. Bondre would make it a vacant lot. The development of the city that occurred in the last few months would be in vain! Cruelly! Perfectly!
“I will make you crumble! Kuhahahaha!"
“The disease has returned."
The guild members talked among themselves as they watched their guild master having an outburst. Their guild master was often like this after being defeated by Grid in the National Competition. They missed his past appearance.
"Huh? What is that?”
There was a strange forest filled with thorny vines. This was currently the west of the Eternal Kingdom. The desert would soon appear in front of everyone. The Ice Flower Guild suddenly stopped marching.
It was because there were hundreds of people in the distance. They were blocking the forest's narrow path.
"Don't they seem like refugees?"
“Their timing is dirty."
The guild was close to Reidan. However, the 900 refugees made their march slow down, so the Ice Flower Guild became irritated.
"Just kill them."
Bondre witnessed it and spat out terrible words. The guild members winced and calmed Bondre down.
“Our infamy will shoot through the roof if we kill so many people. It will be impossible to play the game normally for a while."
"Yes, Master. Please take it easy."
"Shit! Shit! Shit! I want to smash Reidan right now!"
"Look! We can fly in the sky!"
Bondre was losing his mind because his enemy's empty house was right in front of him. The guild members tried to calm him down. They could fly in the sky using magic.
"Let's fly through the sky until we escape the forest. How about it? Okay?"
Bondre barely recovered control and nodded.
"Sigh… Okay. It's unfortunate than mana will be consumed, but it's still less than killing those people."
Float.
The moment Bondre was using Fly along with his guild members. A hand sprang out from a thorny vine and grabbed a guild member.
"…Eh?"
The Ice Flower Guild couldn't grasp the situation. They were stunned as they received a notification window.
[Your party member Ren has died.]
“What?"
"This is crazy!"
What was going on? Bondre aimed magic in the direction that the mysterious hand protruded from.
"This bastard!"
Kwajajajajak!
The ice bombs rapidly cooled the vines and destroyed them. Then Ren's dead body came into view.
'Where?'
They had to find the person who killed Ren. Bondre and the guild members searched the area, but they couldn't find the enemy.
Puk!
"Kyak!"
[Your party member Silver has died.]
Bondre and the guild members paled. A companion standing near them had died and they still couldn't detect the enemy. It was like there was a ghost.
'Assassin.'
A strong assassin that the level 303 Bondre couldn't detect, that was powerful enough to kill magicians whose levels were in the late 200s. Yes, like Faker.
'Faker?' A chill went down Bondre's spine. 'It can't be.'
Was it really Faker? If so!
Bondre hurriedly exclaimed. "We shouldn't be here! Get out of the forest now!"
An assassin was the counter of a magician. Magicians had low health, defense and agility, so they couldn't afford to go against the swift assassins. It was worse in a dark place like this with many obstacles. They had to move to a wide area. The Ice Flower Guild made this judgment and instantly used Haste. It was to escape the forest after increasing their movement speed.
But the person in the darkness had no intention of letting them go. He threw daggers aimed at the magicians.
OG:
Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.
Chapter 245
"Come out!"
Earl Zebra ran into his great hall and shouted. Then nine assassins showed up. Earl Zebra absolutely believed in the Black Arrows group. The assassination ability of those who served Earl Zebra's family for generations was unmatched. There was no history of failed assassinations.
Earl Zebra ordered.
“Kill the guy who was here a little while ago! Get me the Black Quartz Earrings back!"
"Yes."
The assassins suddenly disappeared. Earl Zebra was facing them, and even he wasn't sure when they disappeared. Earl Zebra felt relieved by their excellent skills and smiled evilly.
'It doesn't matter what a monster that guy is.'
What opponents couldn't those assassins kill? Earl Zebra imagined the situation where that person would die and was very satisfied. The moment he was humming.
"Nyang."
A small cat entered the great war. It was a cat with smooth black fur. Only the end of his four feet and tail were white as snow.
'C-Cute!'
Earl Zebra thought as he watched the cat. The cat's charm was so absolute that even a crazy human was captivated by it. Earl Zebra was deceived for a moment. He felt a desire to keep that cat around him for the rest of his life.
But it was only for a moment. Earl Zebra barely managed to regain his spirit.
"What are the guards doing? Why can't the guards keep a beast out of here? Do you really want to die?”
"I-I'm really sorry."
The soldiers who rushed over at the noise were pale. They had obviously been standing guard fiercely. It was impossible for even an ant to enter. How was a cat able to get in?
“Why are you just standing there?"
The soldiers tried to get rid of the cat. However, the cat was very agile, despite its chubbiness. It jumped around the great hall like it was its own home.
"Heok?"
Earl Zebra and the soldiers' eyes widened. They witnessed small wings appearing on the cat's back. They looked closely and saw a small horn on his forehead.
"M-Monster…!"
Earl Zebra belatedly grasped the identity of the cat and shook his hands. But his dull hands couldn't prevent the aggressive cat's dash.
"Kiyaaah!"
Papat! Pa pa pa pat!
The short paws of the cat swung at lightning speed. Earl Zebra was filled with a terrible pain. He felt a burning sensation from his face.
"Kuaaaaak!"
A sharp scream rang out. Earl Zebra's face was bloody like it was mangled.
“H-Hik.”
The soldiers were terrified. It was obvious that Earl Zebra's anger would fall on them, who couldn't prevent the monster from entering.
'He is going to torture us terribly!'
'W-What should we do?'
'Why did this happen?'
The soldiers fixed their eyes on their spears as they talked. Then they crept towards Earl Zebra, who was filled with a lot of agony and pain.
"Y-You guys…!"
Earl Zebra lived a life that wasn't filled with suffering, simply because he was born of a noble lineage. Today was his first time experiencing a major injury since he was born. It was also because of his subordinates.
"How dare you try to harm your master! Don't you know that this is a felony? Your limbs will be cut off and you will all die!"
Earl Zebra cried out. But the threat didn't vanish. The soldiers raised their spears. Earl Zebra wanted to avoid this and quickly changed his attitude.
“If you put down your spears now, I will forgive you and give you a great reward! So please calm down!"
He tried to negotiate, but it didn't work.
"Do you think that we'll believe your words? We know that you tell dozens of lies to those you torture!"
“We hated you from the beginning! You human butcher! It's better to get rid of a guy like you!"
"One of the girls you framed and killed was my relative! She was only 15 years old! You son of a bitch."
The anger that had been suppressed was being expressed. If they didn't kill the earl, they would die anyway. The soldiers were well aware that there was no turning back. They stabbed Earl Zebra with their spears.
Puk! Puk puk puk!
"Y-You…! You guys! Kuheook!"
It was the end of the human who was more cruel and wicked than a demon.
"Nyang."
The cat, who was the culprit of this situation, slowly escaped from the great hall.
***
“Was this what you aimed for?"
On the outer walls. Kiki had reported the situation in the castle after she used her Hawk Eyes skill.
Veradin shook his head.
"No. I just wanted to obtain the bones of the Slaughterer."
Veradin couldn't know why Grid, a duke of the Eternal Kingdom, came to visit Earl Zebra. But he could roughly guess the reason why. The Slaughterer was a bounty monster for many rankers. Maybe Grid came here to raid this place? He predicted Grid's presence and didn't report it to Earl Zebra. As a result, Grid raided the Slaughterer.
Thus far, it was as planned. But he had no idea Earl Zebra would be killed. In fact, it was the soldiers who killed Earl Zebra, but the black cat that caused the incident obviously belonged to Grid.
"It's surprising."
Was Grid acting for the people of another kingdom that weren't related to him? A strange smile appeared on Veradin's face.
Kiki questioned him, “What should we do? There will be an uproar."
The empire wouldn't stay silent after a noble was killed. A large scale investigation team would be sent and the atmosphere would become bloody for a while. That wasn't the only problem. The son of Earl Zebra was still young. In addition, he grew up watching his crazy father and was emotionally unstable. In short, he was easily manipulated. It was doubtful that the other nobles would give a territory to a lacking boy. It was expected that a bloody faction strife over the territory would occur.
"Veradin? What are you thinking? Wouldn't it be better to report Grid right now?"
"Dismissed."
"What?"
Kiki couldn't believe it. Grid was an enemy. Now only did he hurt their guild, he damaged Earl Zebra, the home of their guild. Yet Veradin was intending to let Grid go?
Veradin explained the plan. “We will arrest the soldiers who killed Earl Zebra and get a huge achievement. Then we can increase our influence and make the son of Earl Zebra a lord."
He was drawing a big picture.
"This is an opportunity to go further."
Veradin believed that this work would allow him to devour Earl Zebra's territory in the future. He would give this estate to his master, Agnus.
***
The outskirts of Earl Zebra's castle.
Grid was waiting for Noe.
'I wanted to kill him myself.'
Earl Zebra was a wicked man who shouldn't be saved. Grid had gone through many adventures, but it was the first time he saw such a brutal person. But it was too dangerous to kill the earl himself.
It would be difficult to access Asmophel if the empire was chasing him, and it would also put the Eternal Kingdom in a difficult position. If he knew that Veradin was a noble of the empire, Grid wouldn't have touched the White Wolf Guild either. But Grid didn't know the truth about Veradin, so he couldn't feel glad that Veradin didn't report him.
“Grid is a good person? Then you punished a bad person?"
Randy started questioning the division between good and evil. Grid was satisfied at the friend who grew up everyday and replied.
"I'm not good."
That's right. Grid wasn't a good man. He wouldn't sacrifice his life unless it was for his colleagues. But he had the minimum of conscience. He couldn't turn away from those who were in fear from Earl Zebra. If he lacked strength, he might've turned away for his own comfort.
'I'm no longer a weakling.'
He was willing to help someone if he could help. But that story was based on the assumption that he would come to no harm. This was Grid's evolution. It wasn't quite justice. However, he wasn't really reprehensible.
"Rather…"
Grid sensed uninvited people approaching their hiding spot. It wasn't difficult to detect them because he had over 1,400 insight.
"These guys, they were sent by Zebra."
The criteria that Grid used to judge the skills of an assassin was Faker. These assassins weren't a match for Faker. In other words, Grid didn't acknowledge most of the assassins in the world. It wasn't just arrogance.
His position was right. An assassin's weapons were their secrecy and swiftness, but it was virtually impossible for them to threaten Grid with his high insight and unreasonable defense. They needed to have at least Faker's skills to threaten him.
Susuk.
The assassins were unaware that they would be detected. After steadily narrowing down the distance, they aimed their daggers at Grid's neck. At that moment.
Chaaeng!
Golden blades flew and blocked the assassins' daggers.
"Aren't you using cute tricks?"
"…!"
The assassins' expressions didn't change. But they were incredibly surprised.
'He noticed our surprise attack? It couldn't be.'
They tried stabbing again, but it was useless.
Puok!
“Kuaaaak!”
The golden blades were thrown by someone unknown and flew again, sticking into the assassin's thigh. A notification window appeared in front of Grid.
[Critical!]
[You have dealt 1,590 damage to the target.]
'There is only this much damage, even if it's a critical attack.'
Pavranium was the strongest mineral. If he made a weapon using pavranium, the attack power would be beyond Failure. But right now, the blades made from pavranium couldn't exert their full strength. They were made with only a small amount of pavranium, so the attack power wasn't very good.
'Minor must find the western labyrinths quickly.'
He wanted to secure more pavranium. Minor had a lot of responsibility. As Grid was thinking this, the assassins became wary.
'This person has a companion!'
Grid was obviously alone when he came to the castle. But now he had a girl with him, as well as a hidden guard. They had to find the guard hiding somewhere that was throwing the golden blades. But they couldn't detect the person.
Grid smiled like they were funny and pointed towards the sky.
"Above."
"…?"
At that moment. The assassins looked up at the sky and witnessed the golden blades moving alone.
'Artifact!'
The astonished assassins looked back at Grid.
"Keok…"
“Ugh…"
Three of the assassins were skewered with a blue greatsword.
"What is this?"
This was too absurd!
"Are we being hunted?"
The past Grid and current Grid had something in common. He showed no mercy to his enemies.
“Don't waste your time and die obediently."
An iron mask that covered half the face. At first glance, it seemed to be crying, but now it was smiling. The assassins experienced the greatest horror since they were born.
OG:
Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.
Chapter 246
'Are we going to die like this?'
The assassins were trained to maintain their composure under any circumstances. Surveillance, assault, assassination, etc. Their tasks required secrecy and patience, so suppressing their emotions was the most basic skill.
But now the Black Arrow assassins lost their composure. In other words, they were clearly terrified. This was evidence that their status was low. An excellent assassin would've kept their composure, no matter how strong their target.
“Your master is a dog and you're just at the level of a gangster."
Step, step.
The target moved closer and approached them. The assassins were good at using a dagger, so they welcomed close combat, but this situation was an exception.
'There is no chance when facing him from the front.'
Their colleagues were killed in the blink of an eye. The six assassins quickly determined and spread out. Then they threw their daggers.
Pa pa pa pat!
Dozens of daggers flooded towards Grid. It seemed like there was no room to evade. The assassins naturally thought that Grid would bleed. They had an extremely poor imagination.
Suuk.
A jade greatsword was calmly and quickly pulled out. Then dozens of daggers flying at Grid were sucked into the centre of a vortex. This wasn't the end. Then the direction of the vortex changed and the daggers popped out like bullets.
It was Pagma's Swordsmanship, Revolve.
Puk! Puuok!
"Keook!"
“Kkuk!"
The effect of 'skill damage increased by 20%' made the daggers bombardment much more powerful than when the assassins threw them. The assassins hit by the daggers became a hedgehog.
'Being hit by my own attack!'
It was serious. The eyes of the assassins swayed like a lamp in front of the wind. Grid triggered Blacksmith's Rage and wielded the blue greatsword like a lightning bolt.
Seokeok!
Two colleagues lost their lives at once. The bodies and heads were separated, turning them to ash at once.
'He is too strong…!'
The assassins were well aware of the fact that the Slaughterer was strong. But they were confident that they could kill the Slaughterer if all nine assassins did a pincer attack. However, the number of people who could access the basement was limited to three.
It meant that the target was a monster who had taken on the Slaughterer alone. However, the nine of them could beat the target if they fought together. But that wasn't it. The target's strength far exceeded the assumed range. He might even be a match for the famous Red Knights.
The Black Arrows that followed Earl Zebra and committed many bad acts were wiped out on this day.
***
'If I aim at a vital spot, the chances of activating the Bisect skill is much higher… Is it? I need to experiment a bit more.'
Grid defeated the Slaughterer and gained a lot of experience. He defeated nine Black Arrows assassins with an average level of 240, and his level rose due to the additional experience. 288. Based on his level, he was now within the top 500 rankings.
But that strength? His rank had nothing to do with it.
'My agility is too low.'
Grid invested all 10 stat points into agility, but he still felt that it was lacking. Piaro's strength and agility was a 1:1 ratio. Grid had used him for reference and invested all points into agility for several months, but his ratio was still a mess. He had invested most of his stat points into strength until he met Piaro.
Grid currently had 2,810 strength and 1,606 agility. He had to make the ratio of these two stats 1:1. If he wanted to use the ideal swordsmanship that balanced strength and speed, he needed to gain at least another 120 levels.
'My vision is dark.'
But did he feel desperate? No way.
'I have to concentrate on hunting every time I take a break.'
Right now, Grid didn't care about overworking himself. He would be rewarded for all the effort he put in. He was well aware of this fact.
Noe flew to him. “Praise the best demonic beast of hell! Nyang!"
Based on his expression, he had completed his task properly. This was the end of Earl Zebra's reign.
"Then let's go to Titan."
Now Grid didn't need the hat. The mask and eyepatch hid his features, so his ID was automatically hidden.
Grid moved forward without hesitation. He met monsters on the way to Titan and gradually adjusted to dual wielding and using the Vital Spot Detection skill. After the battle, he recreated the contents and sought how to overcome his weaknesses.
The journey to Tital would take approximately a fortnight. Until then, Grid's goal was to reach at least level 291.
Randy and Noe became surprisingly friendly.
"Noe! Cute!"
"Kyang! Pat the best demonic beast of hell on the head! Stroke my chin as well! Kyang!"
***
The 31st knight, Idan. He was the youngest of the Red Knights. He was only 14 years old when he joined the knights and now he was 23 years old. He wasn't from a prestigious family.
But nobody could ignore him.
Who would make fun of him, one of the empire's strongest knights?
"Hrmm~"
The scene where Earl Zebra was murdered. There were dozens of nobles and knights present. They stood like stone statues and watched Idan. On the other hand, Idan didn't look at them. He questioned the seven soldiers who murdered Earl Zebra, as well as the circumstances around his murder.
“Um~ I see."
After a while.
Idan made an expression like he finally grasped the situation. Then at the place where Earl Zebra was killed. In other words, he sat on the throne in the great hall. Nobody pointed out that this behavior was unbecoming.
Idan ordered.
“Destroy them and their families."
"S-Sir Idan!"
The seven soldiers who murdered Earl Zebra cried out. Didn't he say that their families would live if they cooperated with the investigation? It was a ruthless command! Idan smiled at those who were looking at him with eyes full of pleading and resentment.
“I understand the reason why you needed to kill Earl Zebra. In addition, I know that Earl Zebra deserved to die. But a crime is a crime. I need to enforce the law."
"Why are you doing this? You promised to spare our families!"
“That was if you cooperated."
“We willingly cooperated!"
"Yes~? When?"
"…!"
The soldiers realized it. Idan was an evil person. He was just as vicious as Earl Zebra. It was chilling to see him laugh as he sentenced dozens of people to death. Idan watched the soldiers who were dragged to the execution area before turning to the nobles.
"Did you say you were Baron Veradin?"
"Yes."
Veradin was called by Idan and took one step forward. Idan observed him closely before smiling.
"You accidentally witnessed the murder of Earl Zebra at the hands of his soldiers and arrested them… Aren't you wonderful?"
It was blatantly sarcastic. The situation was excellent enough to make Veradin stand out, and Idan clearly smelt it. Veradin didn't shake. He bowed while maintaining a calm expression.
"I might've been able to save Earl Zebra if I arrived at the scene a little sooner. I am sorry."
Idan's eyes darkened. Veradin was a pretty tough guy.
“Do you know anything about the killer of the Slaughterer?"
Just before Earl Zebra was murdered, someone had killed the Slaughterer by himself. Idan suspected that these things were related. However, it was a problem because Veradin, who was presumed to be in the center of the case, remained consistent until the end.
“This is all the soldiers said. He was alone, and was a black-haired man full of grace. I didn't see him myself."
“Yes, I understand.”
That was the end. Idan left without looking at Earl Zebra's body. Then he looked at direction where the killer of the Slaughterer had headed.
"Who is he?"
The empire's judgment division determined that the Slaughterer was an A+ grade monster. Three black knights weren't able to defeat it, so he was sent alone. He didn't like the fact that he was pushed to do this troublesome thing. Now he was irritated because the situation had become more complicated.
'A person who can handle an A+ grade monster alone isn't ordinary… The seniors won't like it if I return without investigating the person's identity.'
"Hah."
He could only sigh.
***
"Is this authentic information?"
"Yes."
"Okay, now is the perfect time."
Zibal was second on the unified rankings. The Snake Guild, led by him, was growing rapidly, but he couldn't help feeling anxiety. The total number of guild members was 275 and their average level exceeded 230.
At least 100 of them were in the top 1,000 rankers. He had recently achieved his goal of becoming an earl of the Haken Kingdom. He would be the first user to become a king. But there was a big stumbling block.
It was none other than Grid. Grid had become a duke at once due to the large-scale golem invasion. It was highly likely that Grid would take the title of first king. Zibal couldn't sit back, and instead made a plan.
Seven guilds had joined forces to keep Grid and Reidan in check. The leaders of the seven guilds pledged to cooperate. They would suppress Grid. But there was a problem.
Grid and the Overgeared Guild were too big. How could they invade Reidan when there was a group of monsters completely dominating the 10th to 40th places in the unified rankings? If the seven guilds combined, it might be possible to kill the Overgeared members, but they would have to take huge damage. It would turn into a loss for them.
Zibal and the leaders of the seven guilds couldn't carelessly take action. They were worried for the past few months, but had to wait.
Then a chance arrived. According to a scouting team dispatched to the western part of the Eternal KIngdom, Grid had recently disappeared and the Overgeared members had left Reidan to develop a mine.
Currently, Reidan was completely vacant. What if they invaded and destroyed the facilities? It would be a huge blow that Grid would find difficult to overcome.
“Head to Reidan right now. Put on a helmet or mask to hide your identity and move as secretly and quickly as possible.
At the same time, Reidan.
"This is Grid's city…!"
The sight of the endless fields and walls made Damian overwhelmed. He had travelled to many big cities during his adventures, but in terms of size, Reidan was the best.
"Being a duke is really great! Ruling this great city! Amazing! The population must be at least over 100,000!"
Damian looked around at the surroundings and admired it.
Were visitors unwelcome? Two farmers suddenly arrived in front of him and asked him a question.
“Who are you?”
"…?"
OG:
Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.
Chapter 247
Damian was just walking along. He couldn't think of anything in his behavior that would've caused wariness. So why were these people blocking the road? The attitude of the farmers didn't make sense.
Damian thought about it before making a reasonable guess.
'They don't like me because I'm an otaku.'
Damian's equipment were engraved with all types of phrases. The phrases written in gold looked very nice, because they had a sense of harmony with the white color of the gear. However, this changed after seeing the contents of the phrases.
I love you Rin-chan, beautiful Isabel-chan, cute Luna-chan, Rebecca's Daughters forever, and so on.
The contents of the phrases were things that invited disdain. Some people were so disgusted that they caused a fight because they didn't want to see it. In reality and in games, an otaku was a target of hatred and derision.
But Damian didn't give in. He wanted to freely express his love for Rebecca's Daughters. He couldn't understand why he should be criticized for the act of loving someone so purely and enthusiastically.
"I'm a paladin of the Rebecca Church. Why are you asking me who I am?"
Damian’s attitude was cold.
One of the farmers smiled. "You don't seem to be an ordinary paladin."
Damian exclaimed. "Yes! I am not an ordinary paladin, I'm an otaku paladin! So what? Do you want to beat me up?"
"Otaku? What is that? Anyway, won't you fight me? The divine power that I can feel around you is very interesting compared to all the paladins and priests I've met so far."
"This…"
Damian finally figured out the situation. These farmers weren't made at him for being an otaku. They were just crazy. A farmer who detected his powerful divine power and wanted to challenge him? It was safe to say that he had crossed a line.
'He's crazy.'
Damian felt compassion for the farmer. Then he sincerely prayed.
“Goddess of light, please bless these poor people…"
After a moment. Damian finished praying and said goodbye to the farmers.
“I hope that you will restore your spirit under Goddess Rebecca's divine favor. Then I'm going now."
Damian didn't look back. He didn't want to encounter these crazy farmers for long, so he hurried towards the gate.
'I need to meet Grid as soon as possible.'
He needed to ask Grid to seal Lifael's Spear. He just wondered if the greedy Grid would do it.
'I will save Isabel-chan, even if I have to give him all my possessions.’
He would devote his soul for her. It was when he was making a pledge again.
Peeng!
There was a loud sound. Damian turned his head to see a hoe flying towards him.
"Heok?"
There was clearly killing intent. An overwhelming qi. It would cause great damage if he didn't block it. Damian instinctively sensed and hurriedly raised his shield.
Chaaeng!
A strong shockwave occurred as a result of the hoe and white shield colliding. The whole wheat field shook. Damian was appalled.
'Strong!'
It was incredible attack power. It was enough to make his spine chill, the first paladin of the Rebecca Church. As he was feeling confused, the farmer pulled back his hoe and threw off his straw hat.
An NPC called Piaro. He looked amused as he held a hoe in one hand and a hand plow in the other.
“Good defense. I'll have to use Supreme Swordsmanship."
Piaro was excited. First there was Duke Grid, the Overgeared members, Kraugel, and now Damian. He was excited by the fact that he met powerful people who couldn't be overpowered with the Imperial Swordsmanship.
'I have to deal with him seriously, like when I am fighting Kraugel.'
When he competed with Duke Grid at Loran Falls. At that time, Piaro hadn't been in the proper mental state. He wasn't able to demonstrate his skills properly. But after being with Duke Grid for the past few months, Piaro had become emotionally stable. Now he could exert his full skills.
"Then let's start."
"I don't want to!"
Damian quickly rejected. There was no reason to fight. But Piaro was stubborn.
“You must take me down in order to enter Reidan."
“What's this?"
Damian thought it was ridiculous. It was a city where a farmer was the gatekeeper. The other farmer standing silently suddenly whispered to Piaro.
"Please do it moderately. I also want to fight with him."
He was Kraugel. He had been working in the fields and training with Piaro for a fortnight. Thanks to Piaro, he had certainly became stronger than before. Now he only lost half his health when confronting Piaro. Even that monster was looking forward to a fight with Damian.
An exceptional person who rose to become the number two paladin, despite being a paladin of the Rebeccan Church. But one day, he suddenly disappeared from the rankings list, so there were rumors that he obtained a hidden class.
That person was Damian. Damian was famous, so Kraugel was interested in news about him. But Damian himself was unaware that he was a celebrity. He was only interested in Rebecca's Daughters.
Anyway, that celebrity was currently in a desperate crisis.
The continent’s strongest swordsman, Piaro.
The peak of two billion users, Kraugel.
He was destined to fight those two in turn.
***
The Ice Flower Guild was one of the axis of the seven guilds. They had 30 members. They were few in number, but all 30 members were elites in the top 100 of the magician rankings.
In particular, their guild master Bondre was an overwhelming talent. He was the first ranking magician and 11th on the unified rankings just a month ago. Thanks to the Overgeared members, his ranking was pushed to 17th. However, there was nobody who would disagree that he was strong.
Ah, there was Grid. In the National Competition, Grid had logged out Bondre in four seconds.
But that was then and this was now. After his disgrace in the National Competition, Bondre struggled to acquire more S-grade magic. He poured all his money, time, and effort into it. As a result, Bondre was now much more powerful than he was in the National Competition.
He had three S-grade magic spells. Nine months later, the Second National Competition would be held in France, his home country. At that place, he planned to thoroughly get revenge on Grid.
“I will log you out in three seconds." But before that. “Today, I will shatter your estate."
That damn Grid was the lord of Reidan. Bondre would make it a vacant lot. The development of the city that occurred in the last few months would be in vain! Cruelly! Perfectly!
“I will make you crumble! Kuhahahaha!"
“The disease has returned."
The guild members talked among themselves as they watched their guild master having an outburst. Their guild master was often like this after being defeated by Grid in the National Competition. They missed his past appearance.
"Huh? What is that?”
There was a strange forest filled with thorny vines. This was currently the west of the Eternal Kingdom. The desert would soon appear in front of everyone. The Ice Flower Guild suddenly stopped marching.
It was because there were hundreds of people in the distance. They were blocking the forest's narrow path.
"Don't they seem like refugees?"
“Their timing is dirty."
The guild was close to Reidan. However, the 900 refugees made their march slow down, so the Ice Flower Guild became irritated.
"Just kill them."
Bondre witnessed it and spat out terrible words. The guild members winced and calmed Bondre down.
“Our infamy will shoot through the roof if we kill so many people. It will be impossible to play the game normally for a while."
"Yes, Master. Please take it easy."
"Shit! Shit! Shit! I want to smash Reidan right now!"
"Look! We can fly in the sky!"
Bondre was losing his mind because his enemy's empty house was right in front of him. The guild members tried to calm him down. They could fly in the sky using magic.
"Let's fly through the sky until we escape the forest. How about it? Okay?"
Bondre barely recovered control and nodded.
"Sigh… Okay. It's unfortunate than mana will be consumed, but it's still less than killing those people."
Float.
The moment Bondre was using Fly along with his guild members. A hand sprang out from a thorny vine and grabbed a guild member.
"…Eh?"
The Ice Flower Guild couldn't grasp the situation. They were stunned as they received a notification window.
[Your party member Ren has died.]
“What?"
"This is crazy!"
What was going on? Bondre aimed magic in the direction that the mysterious hand protruded from.
"This bastard!"
Kwajajajajak!
The ice bombs rapidly cooled the vines and destroyed them. Then Ren's dead body came into view.
'Where?'
They had to find the person who killed Ren. Bondre and the guild members searched the area, but they couldn't find the enemy.
Puk!
"Kyak!"
[Your party member Silver has died.]
Bondre and the guild members paled. A companion standing near them had died and they still couldn't detect the enemy. It was like there was a ghost.
'Assassin.'
A strong assassin that the level 303 Bondre couldn't detect, that was powerful enough to kill magicians whose levels were in the late 200s. Yes, like Faker.
'Faker?' A chill went down Bondre's spine. 'It can't be.'
Was it really Faker? If so!
Bondre hurriedly exclaimed. "We shouldn't be here! Get out of the forest now!"
An assassin was the counter of a magician. Magicians had low health, defense and agility, so they couldn't afford to go against the swift assassins. It was worse in a dark place like this with many obstacles. They had to move to a wide area. The Ice Flower Guild made this judgment and instantly used Haste. It was to escape the forest after increasing their movement speed.
But the person in the darkness had no intention of letting them go. He threw daggers aimed at the magicians.
OG:
Current schedule: 20 chapters a week.
