Overgeared

At close range, the physique of the blue tiger was much bigger than the toothless tiger. Grid, who was 183 centimeters tall, had to tilt his head back completely to get a glimpse of the ‘king’ character on the blue tiger’s forehead. Nevertheless, Grid wasn’t overwhelmed by the blue tiger and was fascinated.

The blue tiger was beautiful. The blue fur that shone with a white light seemed to make the jewels embedded in Grid’s crown seem frivolous. The iconic black tiger stripes, which gave off a complex sense of aesthetics that couldn’t be reproduced with Grid’s hand technique, blended with the blue fur.

“Pagma!”

The blue tiger suddenly arrived in front of Grid and stretched out his arms. All the twitching majestic muscles and the blue fur was menacing. However, Grid didn’t swing his sword.  The blue petals of sword energy fluttering with the falling leaves lost their purpose and dispersed.

Against the beautiful backdrop, Grid stared into the blue tiger’s eyes. They were familiar eyes. Khan had always greeted him with such eyes when he reunited with Khan after a few months. There was longing and joy in the blue tiger’s eyes, who had watched the mountain and rivers change dozens, hundreds, of times.

“Pagma!” The distance narrowed as the blue tiger jumped and hugged Grid. Grid almost collapsed from the weight of the blue tiger but he used all his strength to keep standing. He waited until the blue tiger finishing rubbing against his cheeks.

“Pagma! You’re alive!!” The blue tiger cried. The black eyes, which usually held the depths of time, were teary and the pink nose was runny. The shoulders that were three times wider than Grid’s shoulders were trembling.

Then after a moment...

“Sniff sniff! Sniff sniff? Hyaaack!”

The blue tiger that was crying, biting, breathing in, and rubbing against Grid suddenly became frightened. He had belatedly noticed...

“Y-You! You aren’t Pagma! Aheung!”

“...I’m afraid you can’t threaten me with those eyes now.”

Grid hurriedly stood back on his feet and stared at the now roaring blue tiger. Scars that couldn’t be seen from up close covered the blue tiger’s body. They were one-sided scars—deep wounds that wouldn’t be erased for the rest of the blue tiger’s life. The blue tiger’s shoulders slumped.

“Really... you really aren’t Pagma.”

It was natural to think this person was Pagma. Unlike the other yangbans who acted harshly and in a vulgar manner, Pagma showed a quiet dancing posture. This temporarily overlapped with the person in front of the blue tiger. However, this human in front of him wasn’t Pagma. The blue tiger couldn’t distinguish between human appearances but he quickly noticed it. He remembered it vividly—Pagma’s sweet voice and the warm sunshine-like smell as Pagma reached out to him, who was crying in a cage. The blue tiger had been longing for it for hundreds of years.

“Human, why do you have Pagma’s dances?” the snarling blue tiger finally asked a question.

“I inherited the skills that Pagma left behind after his death,” Grid answered honestly. Lies were a deception rather than a consolation.

“Aheung... I see. Pagma is dead.”

Surprisingly, the blue tiger didn’t seem shocked. He reacted calmly like he heard news he already expected. Nevertheless, he couldn’t conceal his rising sorrow. His round face that was unlike his burly physique trembled. 

“S-Shall we return to our cave?”

“Y-Yes, aheung. We should go and eat garlic.”

The atmosphere turned strange and the toothless tigers started to retreat. They were afraid of the blue tiger because of their experience of having their teeth removed. 

The blue tiger’s ears pricked and he called out to them, “Aheung! Garlic? How can you chew on garlic when you’re missing teeth?”

The blue tiger’s eyes widened and the cuteness immediately disappeared from his face. The majesty of a king that he showed when he first appeared returned and even Grid was on edge. The tigers were deadly pale. “H-Hiccup! D-Dentures! We chew with dentures!”

“Dentures?” The blue tiger was distracted by Grid and only belatedly discovered the tigers’ teeth.  “Aheung! Where did you get dentures from?”

“U-Uh, a human! He gave it to us out of pity, aheung!”

“...!”

The blue tiger was very surprised. He had full control of the Bukdu Mountain area and could easily detect any visitors. He had no idea someone had appeared and gave the tigers dentures. There was only one human who could deceive the blue tiger’s senses.

“Aheung. Was the human perhaps in a bamboo hat?”

“T-That’s correct. He was carrying a large bundle but there was nothing inside, aheung.”

“That idiot Hwang Gildong...”

‘Hwang Gildong!’

Years ago, Kraugel had revealed the identity of the big hero who saved Pangea from a crisis. Grid focused on the tigers’ conversation.

“Take them out. Aheung.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dentures, confiscate. Aheung.”

“......”

The blue tiger took away the dentures of all 10 tigers. Thanks to this, the tigers became toothless tigers and scattered in a depressed manner. Grid watched this scene and asked, “Why is removing the tiger’s teeth related to garlic?”

Maybe it was because he was Pagma’s Descendant, the blue tiger willingly answered Grid’s question, “To be exact, it is mugwort and garlic. Around 10 years ago, a wicked daoist sprinkled mugwort and garlic around Bukdu Mountain and ran away. I pulled out the tiger’s teeth so they wouldn’t eat them. Aheung.” 

“Mugwort and garlic?” Grid asked as he recalled a story that every Korean would know.  [1]

“Will they turn into humans if they eat it for 100 days?”

“Aheung. No. If they eat it for 10 years, they will become daoist immortals.”

“D-Daoist immortals? What? Daoist immortals are artificially made?”

“It is a story that applies only to spiritual beings. For humans to become daoist immortals, they have to train steadily and rise.”

Grid’s head became more complicated with the new information. “I heard that the evil daoist turned the animals around Pangea into ferocious monsters. Then why is he trying to make daoist immortals? Aren’t daoist immortals good? Why would the evil daoist that harmed so many people be trying to make daoist immortals...?”

There were two evil daoists. One was the unidentified figure who was beaten by the great hero, Hwang Gildong. He was the one who turned the wild animals around Pangea into monsters and sprinkled mugwort and garlic over Bukdu Mountain.

The other person, Arube, was the one who hid in Pangea Castle’s underground dungeon. Arube was an evil daoist who had the desire to take control of Pangea.

Grid had believed the unknown daoist to be a mercenary hired by Arube. Now it seemed that wasn’t the case. The unidentified daoist was aiming for a bigger picture and Arube was likely to be the puppet used in the process.

The blue tiger revealed a shocking fact. “It is true that daoist immortals are good beings. However, daoist immortals will become dependent on the society of gods, regardless of whether they are human or spiritual creatures. They are always exposed to the gods’ sight and find it hard to disobey the gods’ will. Aheung. In particular, spiritual beings often have less intelligence than humans and can’t disobey the gods.”

“...Then a daoist immortal being good is meaningless unless the god who commands them is also good?”

“That’s right. Aheung. Incidentally, it so happens that the gods aren’t very good.”

Grid knew this as well. In particular, the gods of the East Continent were yangbans who treated humans as dogs.  At least, from a human point of view, they couldn’t be considered good.

“Aheung. The identity of the evil daoist must be a minion of the Hwan Kingdom. There must’ve been a plan to turn wild animals into monsters to block people from accessing this area, allowing the tigers to become daoist immortals under the command of the gods.”

It was the right guess. The gods of the East Continent wanted revenge on the gods of the West Continent and had to grow their army. It seemed clear that they intended to cultivate daoist immortals and make an army. However, there was something strange...

“Didn’t the evil daoist steal the Red Phoenix Bow...?”

The weapons of the sacred creatures on the East Continent, including the Red Phoenix Bow, were a type of barrier that blocked the emergence of great demons. One of the reasons why the yangbans were revered as gods was due to this barrier. The loss of the Red Phoenix Bow was a severe blow to the deification of the yangbans. They should be obsessed with the weapons of the sacred creatures. Then why did the servant of the Hwan Kingdom steal the Red Phoenix Bow? It was misleading. 

The blue tiger shook his head. “Aheung? I stole the Red Phoenix Bow.”

“...!”

“It seems that after the Red Phoenix Bow suddenly disappeared, the panicked people thought an evil daoist did it.”

The blue tiger rummaged around his voluminous belly and pulled out an orange bow that was like blazing fire. It was a large longbow but it looked like nothing in the big hand of the blue tiger.

“T-The Red Phoenix Bow!”

Grid was astonished when he peeked at the bow’s information using Pagma’s Eyes. The Red Phoenix Bow was found in this place?

The blue tiger stared at the dumbfounded Grid and asked, “Human, Pagma rescued me when I was captured and abused by the yangban. Then he crossed the Red Sea. Aheung. Honestly, I thought Pagma would’ve died in the Red Sea. Yet Pagma crossed the Red Sea and arrived on the West Continent?”

“Yes.”

“There... how did Pagma live? Was he ridiculed by people for melting iron in fire and hitting it with a hammer?”

“Pagma...” There was a lot to say about Pagma. He was a traitor to someone and a villain to someone else. However, he was also a hero. “Pagma was revered by many. He also saved the world.”

“I... see.” The blue tiger’s eyes filled with tears. His figure was so sad and adorable that Grid hurriedly summoned Noe. It was due to a strange anxiety that Noe’s position as the cutest was likely to weaken.

“Nyahahat! Hell’s best demonic beast is he… nyaaaang!” Noe, who appeared with his short limbs wide open, felt his hair rise and he hid behind Grid. Considering that the only ones Noe had been scared of so far were great demons and dragons, it meant that the descendant of a sacred creature, the blue tiger, was no less than them.

“Ah, I didn’t expect you to be so surprised.” Grid stroked the Noe’s small head as Noe trembled in his arms.

Then the blue tiger asked a new question, “Why did you cross to the East Continent? Aheung.”

His eyes were glued on Noe but Grid didn’t know the reason. Grid answered honestly, “In order to become stronger. Become strong enough to kill Garam.”

He couldn’t forget it—the wicked man who called all the blacksmiths of the West Continent to Pangea just for the sake of catching Grid. Such a fellow was aiming for him. Grid had to get rid of Garam. He would be killed if he didn’t get rid of Garam. He would really be crushed.

“...It looks similar.”

The blue tiger was filled with emotions when he read the willpower in Grid’s eyes. The blue tiger recalled the old image of Pagma, who had always remained strong and shouted that he would return to his country. He couldn’t help wondering if it was Pagma who sent Grid.

After some contemplation, he handed the Red Phoenix Bow to Grid. “Humans think that making a barrier out of the weapons of the sacred creatures is to prevent the great demons from invading. The truth is that it is a barrier to block all sides. If you release the seal on the weapons of the four sacred creatures then they will give you the strength to confront the yangbans... Aheung!” 

[The myth grade ‘Red Phoenix Bow where the Spirit of a Sacred Creature Resides’ has been acquired!]

A mythical item with the power of the gods. Grid was feeling confused about receiving the Red Phoenix Bow with no strings attached when the blue tiger roared. Then there was an unforgettable voice.

“Hahahat, welcomed faces are gathered side by side.”

Long black hair and blue robes fluttered in the wind. The man who appeared in the sky exuded the energy of the blue dragon and shook the forest. He was a familiar face to Grid. “Garam!”

“R-Run, Overgeared King...” There was a hunchback with a strange appearance. Nobuldam, who inspected players coming from the West Continent in Pangea, barely spoke before he turned to ash.

Garam held Nobuldam’s neck with one hand and broke his neck. Garam shook off the blood on his hand like it was dirty and laughed. “Grid, my eyes encompass the sky and earth and there is no place in the north, east, west, and north that they don’t cover. Your death was inevitable the moment you crossed the Red Sea. Maybe it was due to his connection to Han Seokbong but he was trying to help you. The Cho Kingdom, who failed to guide him down the right path, will perish in the near future.”

“You bastard!”

Grid activated Lightning Speed attached to the Blue Dragon Boots.

“The power of the blue dragon?”

Garam frowned and Grid was about to use Blacksmith's Rage, Blackening, and Quick Movements.

However, the blue tiger was faster. “Pagma's Descendant, unseal the Red Phoenix Bow first.”

The blue tiger caught Grid’s ankle and threw Grid into the middle of the forest.

“Ugh...!”

A terrifying strength. Unlike what he wanted, Grid flew hundreds of meters away into the middle of the forest. In the distance, the blue tiger and Garam were engaged in battle.

The toothless tigers came and pushed him. “I will repay you for the rice cake you gave!”

“W-What? Wait!”

Grid was nowhere to be seen. The place where the blue tiger had thrown Grid was reminiscent of a stone ruin. Then the moment the tigers pushed Grid to a certain place there, Grid suddenly warped to a new location.

[1] The story of Ungnyeo, a bear who transformed into a woman after eating only garlic and mugwort for 100 days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ungnyeo