Overgeared - Chapter 1021

Chapter 1021: 1021

It had been a journey which spanned over 10 years .

“ . . . ” Imperial Prince Benoit had finally achieved his purpose, and he felt a strange sense of power .  The truth that he had known from the beginning . . .  Maybe he had wanted it to be a lie .  He felt all types of emotions when he saw the evidence that Great Demon Berith gave him .

“Imperial Prince! Imperial Prince!” There was a call for him during the long journey back to the empire .  Benoit turned his head in the direction of the call, but he ignored it and kept walking .  With a thin body, upright posture, an old attire, and a long beard, he looked like a pilgrim .  The people passing by greeted him, unaware that he was the traitor to humanity .  However, he couldn’t fool everyone’s eyes .

“Your Highness!” The running man caught up and overtook Benoit, blocking his way .  He was the owner of a demon mark that attached to the target on the premise that the wearer never died .  It was Chensler .

“Sir Chensler . ”

How did he recognize Benoit’s current disguise? However, it was expected for the Five Pillars to recognize him .  He couldn’t hide his red energy in his present state and couldn’t escape the senses of the Five Pillars .

“I came to this place by following the trail of the priest that carried out the great demon summoning ceremony . ”

“Huhuhu, the priest . Is that what the Rebecca followers are calling me?”

“Yes, but they don’t know Your Highness’ identity . ” 

“It is reasonable .  Ah, don’t misunderstand . I’m not hiding my identity for the empire . The Yatan Church already knows my identity . The world will know it at any time now . . . the fact that it is an imperial prince who summoned a great demon . ”

“Why did you . . . ”

“Why? Are you afraid that the Rebecca Church and the whole world will blame the empire?”

“I’m not interested in political matters . It is just that His Majesty the Emperor will be troubled . ”

“Sir, you are very unusual . ”

“ . . . ?”

“Unlike the other pillars, you are truly loyal to His Majesty . ”

“The other pillars are the same . In particular, Sir Bain is more than me . . . ”

“Who knows? Well, by the way, His Majesty knew what I was doing . ” 

“There is nothing His Majesty doesn’t know . ”

“What?” Prince Benoit looked like he was hit by a hammer .  The blind man who believed his beloved wife died of illness knew everything?

“Kuk . . . ! Kukukuk! Kuhahahaha!”

Benoit was prepared .  He had committed all types of crimes while risking blame and criticism .  The killing intent of the inwardly afraid Benoit amplified again . It became louder and fiercer, with a momentum that wouldn’t die down again .

“Sir, do you really believe that? His Majesty knows everything? When it took me more than 10 years to find this truth?”

“Your search was carried out in secret, so it took a long time . ”

“He will be embarrassed if it is known that his son is a lunatic who wants to summon the great demons . I was forced to keep it secret . ”

“Please refrain from speaking like that . ”

“Well, that’s fine . Let’s return to the empire . I was on my way back . ”

***

“Kuoong . . . ” Hurent struggled with the war god follower .  He consumed all his ultimate techniques and used all of his power .  There was nothing to say .

‘I heard the level of this place is high, but it is really difficult . I can’t believe this monster is so strong . No, I’m too weak . ’

There were too many great opponents who developed their skills by trying to die .  The subconscious aspirations and desire to be at the top again troubled Hurent .  Satisfy's worldview wasn’t at a level he could handle .  Seriously, he wanted to quit the game .

Hurent smiled and dealt the final blow .

“ . . . ?” He was dazed for a moment as the follower turned to gray .  The experience gained from killing the follower was almost as much as hunting a boss monster . It was more than twice the experience gained from killing the sea monsters .

‘I’m weak, but this guy is also strong . ’

What the hell was he supposed to do in this scary place? Hurent shook his head and picked up a fragment of a secret technique book dropped by the follower .

Dog Woman and her companions were ecstatic .  They had watched the battle from beginning to end and were aware of Hurent’ identity .

“Aura Master . . . ”

He was one of the strongest players of the old era .  They heard that he had retired from active duty after suffering the humiliation of losing to Grid in just five seconds .  Yet he had appeared here, and his strength was incomparable to what it had been in the past .

‘You’ve changed the sword . ’

It seemed that the gaming industry’s saying of ‘frustration raises a man’ was true .  Dog Woman gulped and sent a look of envy to Hurent .  Obviously, Hurent was much weaker than the Seven Dukes .  In terms of attack, defense, health, irregularity and speed, the Seven Dukes overwhelmed their followers in all respects .  The dukes won easily if they fought one-on-one against the followers .

On the other hand, Hurent had narrowly knocked down the follower . He had almost lost .  However, the surprising thing was that Hurent had taken less than two minutes to kill the follower .  The dukes had taken more than three minutes . Hurent was almost twice as fast as them .

‘This is the true power of aura . . . ’

Hurent was a hermit .  There was a very low possibility that he belonged to a group .  It was clear that he had come here alone .  Wasn’t that why he was alone right now? There was only one conclusion .

‘We must invite him to be a colleague!’

If Hurent joined them, it would be a great strength for both the Skunk Expedition Group and the dukes .

“Thank you for saving us . Without your help, we would all be outside the Red Sea right now . ” Dog Woman approached Hurent and bowed politely . “It is an honor to meet you, Hurent . ”

“Umm . ” Hurent wasn’t upset despite his identity being discovered .  He had used all types of skills with fighting the strong follower .  Since he was a celebrity in his old days, the possibility of people recognizing his skills was very high .

Hurent sighed as he changed his guild affiliation to private and took off his straw hat .  Short grey hair and a mature face was revealed .  Dog Woman reconfirmed his identity and was excited .  “We are explorers of the Skunk Expedition Group . We are currently exploring the Ruins of the War God along with the imperial army, including some of the Seven Dukes . ”

‘Along with the Seven Dukes?’

“It seems that you are alone . Why don’t you join us? We think that your fighting ability will be a great help to our exploration . It is also a chance to become acquaintances with the Seven Dukes . It isn’t a bad suggestion . ”

“Hrmm . ”

Was he shy?

Hurent scratched his cheeks for a moment before asking, “Is there a camp nearby?”

“It isn’t near . The camp is six kilometers to the east . We left for a moment to find some clues . ”

“Without an escort?”

“Imperial soldiers escorted us . However, before you came, they were killed by the follower and turned to ash . ”

“I see . Then what are the clues?”

“ . . . ”

He kept on digging up information .  Dog Woman was somewhat uncomfortable, but she soon realized the attitude was natural .  Since she asked to be colleagues, he had an obligation to ask for information . It was to make sure that they could be helpful to him .

“They are clues to break through the traps in the jungle . ”

“The traps in the jungle?”

“You haven’t seen the jungle yet . It is a wise choice for an experienced person . ”

Dog Woman gave an explanation .  There were all types of traps installed everywhere in the jungle, and they had to collect key pieces to release the traps .

‘Lauel will be delighted when I tell him this information . ’

Indeed, goodwill was a positive act .  The identity of the great explorer who discovered the Ruins of the War God was Skunk . Skunk’s Expedition Group was with the imperial army . There were traps in the jungle, and Hurent even learned how to disable them .  He received a lot of information and felt good .  Hurent had been worried he would be no help to Grid, so he was relieved .

“Thank you for telling me this, but I’m sorry . I can’t go with you . ” 

“Huh? It is dangerous alone . . .  Ah? Do you have companions?”

“Yes . ”

“This . . . ” Dog Woman reacted in an embarrassed manner .  She regretted telling him so many things .  Then she changed her mind . ‘In any case, they are things he will discover over time . ’ 

Hurent had saved her life . It was better to pay back some of that grace .  Dog Woman cleared her mind and shook hands with Hurent .  “I hope you have a good adventure with your companions . ”

“Companions . . . ” Hurent made a subtle expression .  After the first battle against Haster, he joined the Overgeared Guild but still had no sense of belonging .  Hurent felt grateful to Grid but had never thought of himself as an Overgeared member .  He had never considered Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers he came here with as companions .  However—

‘It’s true that I don’t hate it . ’

Hurent had the experience of age and knew how hard it was to build true friendships and trust in this society .  He had watched the Overgeared members over the last 10 days and felt the deep friendship and trust between them .  They were people who were true to others .  He could glimpse the personalities of the Overgeared members .

“It isn’t bad . ” This was the reason why he thought it was okay to be companions .

“Huh?”

“No, I’m talking to myself . ” Hurent shook Dog Woman’s hand and gazed into her eyes . “Stay healthy . ”

“Ah . . . ! Yes! Senior as well! I am honored!” Dog Woman replied, attracted by Hurent’s deep gaze .  Hurent was more of a big shot than he thought . He was truly admired by many people .

***

On the west coast . . .

“It is too different from what I thought,” Grid’s voice was troubled as he flew into the sky with Noe on his shoulder .

The Ruins of the War God . . .

He was both worried and looking forward to the danger . Unfortunately, it was so calm that he was disappointed .

“ . . . They are lucky . ”

On the ground below Grid, the Overgeared Skeletons were attacking the rock shells .  The rock shells were level 250 .  They weren’t even monsters who attacked first .  The rewards were small, and they weren’t worth Grid even seeing them .

However, the Overgeared Skeletons were different .  A level 250 monster with weak attack power was like sweet honey for the Overgeared Skeletons .  That’s why they acted like they had met lifelong rivals and tried their best to hit the rock shells . The solid body of the opponents didn’t move, but the skeletons wielded their weapons without giving up .  It meant they were craving growth themselves .

‘I need items for the kids . It is also essential to maximize their production capabilities . ’

He had been worrying about it over the past few months, but he thought it was better to invest two item creation slots for the Overgeared Skeletons .  In the long run, it wasn’t a loss for him if the Overgeared Skeletons grew and evolved steadily .

“Um?”

In a posture held naturally by people in an absolute position, Grid had his arms folded in the air, and he suddenly turned his gaze toward the jungle .  He heard the resonant sound of iron and iron colliding .

‘Is the imperial army fighting against the followers?’

Knowing the enemy meant victory .  Identifying the power of the enemy was very important .  Grid hid as much as possible while wondering if he should enter the jungle .  His worries didn’t last long .

‘It is dangerous because there is a high possibility of the presence of the Seven Dukes . ’

He might be attacked by both the dukes and the war god followers . Then he would unconditionally die and be banished outside the Red Sea .  Grid was reminded of his battle with Sky King Rigal .

‘It was impossible to fight him with one eye closed . ’

At present, Grid was wearing the Slaughterer’s Eye Patch but one eye was closed because he didn’t want to use the Castration Eye .  It was a handicap .  He might win against the sea monsters and other enemies with one eye closed, but the Seven Dukes were different .  

Grid had to fight them with all his vision .  He needed both eyes open to fight, but then he wouldn’t be able to use magic because his mana would be quickly depleted .  Just like in the battle with Rigal, he had to depend only on Pagma’s Swordsmanship and the 100,000 Army Swordsmanship .

‘Lauel has warned me many times to be careful .  Let’s not be interested in the jungle yet . ’

Grid suppressed his curiosity and descended back to the ground .  The Overgeared Skeletons finally finished off the rock shells and high-fived each other .

“We will go a bit further before heading back to the meeting place .  Huh?”

Thanks to his stats, Grid had very good eyes .  He might not have Hawk Eyes, but there wasn’t a non-archer who had better eyes than Grid .  Something strange caught his eyes .  Some of the giant trees in the outskirts of the jungle had keyhole-like markings .  No, it wasn’t a marking .  They really were keyholes .

“Why does the tree have a keyhole?”

“It is obvious from Noe’s view, nyong . ”

“Obvious? What is it?”

“Doesn’t it open something, nyong?”

“How simple . . . ”

Still, it was a correct answer .

‘Will there be any presents?’

Grid pulled out the Master Key that he created before .  It had been a long time since he used it on the Behen Archipelago .

Meanwhile, the outskirts of the jungle .

“Crazy . ”

The dukes were only looking ahead and running .  Their expensive armor was damaged in various places, and their faces were covered with sweat and blood .  Even Basara, who always maintained her dignity, was busy escaping without noticing her crooked gold crown .  A huge number of 20 followers were chasing them .

“Shit!” Morse screamed as he once again fell into a trap, and his ankle was severely injured .  He turned back with bloodshot eyes and saw the followers running wild without any restrictions from the traps .

“It is too absurd!”

The traps were so perfectly installed that they couldn’t be detected with the eyes, knowledge, or senses . They could be vines, leaves, or completely integrated with the soil . Thus, it was difficult to tell if it was a trap or not .  Sometimes they were lucky, but there were so many traps it was impossible to move freely .  Additionally, many traps didn’t respond to the war god followers . It was as if they recognized their masters .  It was suicide to fight the followers in this place .

One arrow grazed Morse’s earlobe . He felt a stinging pain and gritted his teeth .  Although he wanted to turn back and smash the shooter, he endured it .  He was carrying drinking water .  The magic bag filled with water from a hard-to-find lake—it had to be delivered to the soldiers .

“This . . . ” A few steps ahead, Grenhal suddenly stopped in place .  Basara and Morse also stopped moving and frowned at the sight unfolding in front of them .  The barbed vines with rotating teeth were blocking the path ahead .

“We’ll have to go around . ”

Then the followers caught up .  He spoke to the faltering Basara and Morse, “I’ll buy time for you . ”

Grenhal handed them the magic bag and went to face the pursuers .

“Duke Grenhal! It is too early to give up!”

“Unlike you youngsters, I have raised my children enough . My family won’t end even if I die here . His Majesty will care for them . ” Grenhal was a person who didn’t change his mind once a decision once it was made .  It was a waste of time to persuade him, so Basara and Morse were about to leave .  At this moment, the hundreds or thousands of rotating teeth suddenly stopped .  The flowers that had turned into nets faded away, and the leaves emitting poison fell to the ground .

“ . . . ?”

The baffled dukes exchanged looks when the traps stopped, and they turned their eyes to one side simultaneously .  In the distance, the shape of a person was seen between the vines .

“Nothing happened when I inserted the key??”

The distance was so far that the voice was barely audible, even with the sharp hearing of the dukes .  Additionally, the dukes knew the owner of this voice .

“Overgeared King?”

Yesterday’s enemy was today’s friend .  Their relationship was changing .  

Yesterday’s enemy became today’s friend, causing repercussions that would change the landscape of the world .  It was a truly valuable victory .  This was a win without fighting .