Overgeared Chapter 1046:

“Wait a minute . Let’s wait . We have to wait and observe a bit more . ”

Kraugel appeared with Rachel and Kirinus and caused a worldwide stir .  Most people had predicted the raid’s success and headed for Fort Taleren .  It was to benefit from the raid that would succeed anyway .  The opponent was a great demon .  They would get a great reward even if they made a small contribution .  That’s right .  If it wasn’t for Fort Taleren blocking teleportation magic, all the rankers scattered throughout the continent would already be gathered at Fort Taleren .

‘By the way, why is there such a stupid sight?’

Box, a ranker of the Haken Kingdom, was the first ranked Linker—a class that was classified as the most difficult to grow after the Asura .  He was the closest aide to Zibal during Zibal’s prime and became the leader after Zibal abandoned the Snake Guild and left Haken .

Presently, he came to Fort Taleren in order to gain a free ride from the Berith raid . He had been staying near Fort Taleren, so he could arrive at the scene on time .  Box imagined a dying Berith surrounded by tens of thousands of rankers .  Yet once he arrived at the scene, the sight in front of him was completely different .  He couldn’t see the rankers who should be defeating Berith .

In fact, he only saw a few people like himself hiding in corners of the canyon .  It was due to the magic barrier .  The other rankers didn’t arrive on time because of this magic barrier .

‘Shit . ’

The situation was bad .  The continent’s best spearmen, who were considered the strongest NPCs by the media around the world, started to struggle against Berith .  Kraugel’s group was still struggling against the demons .  Among the demons, there was a distinction between ‘normal’ and ‘elite’, and the elite demons weren’t easily struck by Kraugel’s sword .  

In particular, the plant-type demons that had multiple tubes coming from their bodies seemed tricky .  Once smoke emerged from the tubes, the battlefield was covered with fog . Then when sounds emerged from the tubes, the soldiers of the Haken Kingdom were brainwashed and attacked each other . Meanwhile, the insect-like demons consumed the honey flowing from the tubes and were temporarily strengthened as they focused on attacking Kraugel .

Their combat power and intelligence were better than all field boss monsters in all respects .  They were the core power of Berith’s army .  Box, who thought the raid would fail, clicked his tongue and stared at the nobles on the wall .

‘They are fools . I can’t believe they raised a barrier against teleportation magic in a situation where they have to borrow other people’s hands . ’

Still, Box knew the reason for their decision .  The danger was too great if outsiders were allowed access .  The raid difficulty would rise due to the appearance of hostile forces like the Yatan believers or those hoping for the collapse of the Haken Kingdom .

However, weren’t they just going to die like this? Box felt that the Haken royal family was pathetic for blocking hope in order to prevent some risks .  Well, they were one of the smallest countries on the continent because they were so timid and stupid .

“This is a failure . ”

The ultimate alchemy . . .

Kirinus and Rachel were caught in the crossfire of a sharp metal rain .  Kraugel, the Hao siblings, Alexander, and the Russian rankers changed their formation as if they had already given up . He ignored the demons in front of him and gazed at the retreating Kirinus and Rachel .

‘We can’t enter this battle . ’

Apart from dying and losing experience, they would have the disgrace of being added to the list of raid losers . The reputation of the Snake Guild would be lost .

. . . Box almost drove his guild members to their deaths .  He sighed and ordered the guild members, “Let’s leave . There is no hope here . ”

“Don’t you want to help Zibal?”

The Snake Guild—Zibal founded it, but the prestigious guild was now led by Box .  The members had a glimpse of Box’s heart .  He had shouted about a free ride on the surface, but the reason Box came to this place was because of Zibal .  It was because of the old emotions Box held toward the only person he had served .  However, Box was someone who led 300 guild members .  He wasn’t stubborn enough to drive his guild members to death because of personal feelings .

“Zibal? I don’t care about that retired person . ” Box pretended to be casual and started moving .  The direction he headed in was outside the canyon, which was the opposite direction of the city he originally stayed in .  He was about to leave the Haken Kingdom .

‘I don’t want to lose the fame and achievements I’ve accumulated in Haken, but I have to let it go . I will change to the Saharan Empire . ’

A small country had its own advantages .  There were relatively few active players, and there were many opportunities to monopolize the high-level quests and hunting areas .  Compared to the more populous countries, competition in all sectors of Haken was low .  This was a particularly beneficial environment for rankers like Box .  It was being the head of a snake, rather than the tail of a dragon .  Box wanted to live like that in the Haken Kingdom, rather than being at the bottom in the empire .

However, the recent situation with Berith dramatically changed his idea .  He realized it when he saw the fall of the Rotemon Kingdom .  It was foolish to live in a nation that couldn’t protect its people . A person had the right to choose a better country .

‘It is different from knocking while sitting on the streets and knocking while the door of your house is still open . ’

He had to go to the empire before the Haken Kingdom was destroyed, and he had to negotiate while his value was still high .  Box was moving along the river when his nostrils flared .  Everywhere he looked, he spotted people heading to the canyon .  They wanted an easy ride on the Berith raid .  They never dreamed that the raid would fail .

‘They will go back soon with regret .  Huh?’

Box was glad .  He found a procession of people moving in the same direction as himself .  They were refugees .  They foresaw the destruction of the Haken Kingdom and were leaving their homeland .  Box was relieved when he saw them .  It wasn’t just him who abandoned the country .  They were many people like him who gave up .  His choice was wise, and he wasn’t a traitor . . .

These thoughts revolved around Box’s mind .

“ . . . ” Box was leading the guild members when he stopped in place .  Perhaps it was because he found himself in the procession of refugees that he felt guilty about his choice .  This question soured Box’s heart .  It reminded Box of the past .

At the beginning of Satisfy, Haken was the first country he chose .  He had grown up interacting with the people of Haken .  At the time, he met Zibal and the Snake Guild .  He could be what he was now because of Haken .  Did he really want Haken’s destruction?

“ . . . ”

Why was he being foolishly nostalgic? Why did he keep looking back even when he knew it was useless? The guild members spoke to Box who had frozen like a stone statue, “Let’s go back . ”

“ . . . ”

“If we leave this way, we will regret it for the rest of our lives . ”

“ . . . Shit . ”

In the end . . .

“Yes, we should go back . ”

If he ran away every time there was a crisis, he would eventually lose a place to flee to .  Then it happened the moment Box turned to go back the way he came .

“Hey . ”

“ . . . ?”

There was a huge shadow cast over him, and he heard someone’s voice .  By the way, this voice was somewhat familiar .

“ . . . !!” Box’s eyes slowly widened .

A black-haired man on the back of a mountain-sized hippopotamus was looking down at him .  “Did you come from the fortress? What is the situation there?”

“ . . . ” Old memories came to Box’s mind . He couldn’t forget the man in front of him who was the cause of one of his few failures .

“ . . . They will all die if this continues . ” Box felt like he was grasping a straw as he spoke to this man—the man who became the new supreme one .

“I guess I better hurry,” the man who had Box’s attention said . Then he urged his colleagues, “I’ll go ahead . Catch up as soon as possible . Faker, Piaro . Let’s go . ”

“Quick Movements,” the man shouted the name of the skill and quickly disappeared .  The surprising thing was that there were five people who kept up with his crazy speed .  There were four big NPCs with flashing golden names .  By the way, the names of the NPCs were a bit strange .  They were familiar names .  He had heard them before .

A woman approached Box with a smile .  The world’s most glamorous beauty emanated an irresistible force .  “You, follow us . You are the number one Linker and should be useful . ”

“I . . . ”

“Don’t talk nonsense and come with us . ”

The woman’s eyes sharpened, and Box nodded .

*** 

『 This raid has also failed . Still, I want to applaud them . 』

『 Yes . They fought well enough . 』

Unlike the gorgeous appearance, the result was rather futile .  Even so, there were few people in the world who would deny Kraugel’s performance .  They stopped the advance of the demon army, which no one had ever stopped, and dealt a terrible wound to Berith who ridiculed the people .

It deserved respect .  They were heroes who stood up for the suffering people even though they knew it would be a tough fight .  In other countries, the broadcasters praised Kraugel’s party .  Hundreds of millions of viewers applauded them, but there were no cheers .

““There are many souls . ””

Berith gathered the bodies of the Haken soldiers and summoned a fourth army .  The people were gloomy as they saw Berith build up an even greater force .

“Avoid it!” Kraugel was blocking Berith’s path .

He had yet to surpass Kirinus and Rachel, but he still stepped forward . Kraugel hid the two people behind his back and confronted Berith alone .  Kirinus shouted, “Are you making fun of me? I will open the retreat, so you avoid it!”

Since his only love, Aria, became empress, Kirinus lost his purpose in life .  On the day she died, Kirinus’ life became meaningless .  He was the only one who could die .  Kirinus had no intention of sacrificing the proud disciple he had accepted late, the Sword Saint who was the last hope of humanity .

Kraugel shook his head . “You know that I am an immortal . For me, death is a concept I can afford . ”

‘However, you are different .  Death is the end for you,’ Kraugel sent this message to Kirinus with his eyes .

“You might be immortal, but I know that death is still a loss . It might not be the end, but you will weaken . ”

“I can afford it . ”

“No, the Sword Saint shouldn’t crumble . ”

“ . . . ”

“The Sword Saint is the lantern of humanity . They shouldn’t see you being beaten . ”

Rachel also stood alongside Kirinus . “The game isn’t over yet . I will have the title of the continent’s best spearman . ”

“ . . . ” Kraugel frowned .  He sighed at the mortal who wanted to sacrifice himself for a player .  In the end . . .

“I’m asking the both of you,” Kraugel asked Hao and Alexander .  Hao and Alexander nodded and grabbed Kirinus and Rachel’s wrists .

“Let’s go . You must not die for Kraugel’s sake . ”

“Survive so that you can train Kraugel even further .  

““You are all fooling around . ””

The rain of blades finished .  Berith watched the humans talking in front of him and shook his head as if it was absurd .

‘“I will kill all of you . Its pointless to discuss it among yourself . ””

Hundreds of magic circles appeared around Berith .  It was the precursor to a massive attack .

““The other world exists as a pasture for us . ””

The hundreds of magic circles started to transform the entire canyon into metal .  Tens of thousands of blades emerged from all types of topographic formations .

““Humans are livestock for us . ””

Berith’s white eyes formed a half moon shape .

““All you have to do is become food . That is what destiny means . ””

The alchemy was complete .  Tens of thousands of blades aimed at Kraugel’s group .  This was the first time the ultimate attack of 22nd Great Demon Berith was revealed .  It happened months after Berith appeared in the world .

“Shit!” Zibal swore and hurriedly boarded Raiders .  He wanted to deal at least one blow to this **** guy, even if he died .

『 Ah . . . Ahh . . .  』

It was a sight that was bound to be alarming .  The broadcasters were dumbfounded when they witnessed the tens of thousands of blades floating in the air .  They couldn’t say anything .  In the face of Berith’s overwhelming force, their knowledge and words became meaningless .

-It is really turning around in circles .

-Yes, the next ruined game .

The viewers were already disengaged .  Seeing that Berith easily overpowered a duke of the prestigious empire, they abandoned their dreams and hopes .  Who could stop Berith after he summoned a fourth army? They thought that even the Saharan Empire wouldn’t be useful now .

““Go to Heaven . ””

It was Berith’s worst curse .  The moment that the tens of thousands of blades were going to hit Kraugel’s group .

“200,000 Army Crushing Sword . ”

A massive explosion occurred .  The tens of thousands of blades scattered in ash .

““ . . . . !?”” Berith was more surprised than when he witnessed the emergence of the Sword Saint .  Kraugel’s gaze shifted to one side, and hundreds of cameras followed him .  On all the broadcast screens around the world:

[Grid] .

The name of the man with fluttering black hair was captured .  There were four named NPCs by their side .  Were they Grid’s famous Four Heavenly Kings? The spellbound people concentrated on observing the names of the NPCs .  Then they doubted their eyes .  They rubbed their eyes a few times and double checked the names of the NPCs .

Then they soon realized it was real .  The Immortal King Grenhal, Beast King Morse, and Golden Crown Basara—the dukes of the Saharan Empire were standing alongside Grid .  The funny thing was that they were all looking at Grid like he was a monster .

- . . . A great game .

The supreme person was the object of envy and a target .  The viewers saw their future through Grid and no longer shouted about the game .  The hearts of people all over the world pounded .

“I have been waiting . ” Then Kraugel opened up all the power he had stored .  Hundreds of swords appeared around Kraugel .  It was the execution of Control Sword, which had been strengthened compared to the National Competition .