Overgeared

A sound could be heard in the distance. Was it the roar of the world’s largest beast? Qi Jian’s group were still surprised by this sound despite hearing it several times and their eyes were focused on the walking Grid. A white haze was rising above Grid’s body. It was the scene of a god descending.

[You have assimilated with the breath of the white tiger. Enter the ‘Earth God’ state and gain control of the earth.]

The world that Grid saw changed. The field, the rocks, the hills, the mountains, etc. Everything that was classified as terrain flashed with a fluorescent light. His eyes spun. Grid stared at the hills and hurriedly drew a plain in his head. Grid’s mana was immediately consumed and the hills sank. The area had been turned into a plain.

It was a miracle. This was the power of a god. Grid had the protection of the white tiger and could use some of its earth power, so he could change the nearby terrain according to his own taste. The number of changes allowed was one and the duration was only 30 seconds, but this was already a significant and helpful effect.

Grid was running on the plain with pride when Braham struck a blow to his heart. “Isn’t this too shabby to be called the power of the earth god?”

It was easy to do even if they weren’t a god. Whether it was a hill or a mountain, he could magically smash it. Grid refuted Braham’s words. “Isn’t that just an act of destroying nature?”

“...?”

The advantage of this skill was to preserve nature? Grid was so adamant that the rather flustered Braham thought about it before nodding.

“Indeed... the more that nature is preserved, the stronger the concentration of mana. So you can say that the ability of the gods to turn the area into a plain without destroying the hills is great.”

It was a good result for him. He was accepting it and letting it go when Grid spoke to Braham.

“In fact, Earth God’s real strength isn’t turning the area into a plain. The real power of Earth God is that the area can be made into a labyrinth.”

“Then why turn it into a plain? Just now when you were chased by a group of dokkaebi [1], wouldn’t you have been able to get away much easier if you made a labyrinth?”

“I have to draw the structure in my head but it is hard...”

“I understand.”

It hadn’t just been a day or two when Grid’s brain didn’t work well. Braham didn’t say anything else. Qi Jian’s group and the Twelve Zodiacs didn’t dare question it in order to protect Grid’s dignity.

‘It is hard to do it well from the beginning unless you’re a genius.’

Until now, Grid had something in common when forming the plains. They were all made in three seconds. It seemed that selecting the terrain to change and redesigning the structure of what it was to be changed into had to be done in three seconds. It was no wonder that Grid needed time to adapt.

‘Among those who aren’t geniuses, the only one who can make full use of the power of the Dungeon Master.’

The Dungeon Master that Braham was thinking of was Eat Spicy Jokbal. Eat Spicy Jokbal had built more than 30 dungeons and helped numerous players in the Overgeared Kingdom so his prestige had reached Braham’s ears.

‘I should ask him to construct the basement of the magic tower that will be built soon.’

The moment Braham had this thought...

“Sigh.”

Once the duration of Earth God finished and the area which was turned into a plain reverted back into being hills, Grid slowed down and sighed with relief.

‘This is originally a lotto-class skill.’

Earth God could be activated once every three hours. It was a cooldown that wasn’t significantly different from the so-called ultimate skills. However, there were things that shouldn’t be forgotten. Earth God had overlapping chances of activating. If the odds hadn’t been stacked, the chances of it being triggered would’ve been significantly lower than they were now. It was terrible just thinking about it.

‘It is the right thing to make the White Tiger set. In the future, once I’ve made one more equipment out of the White Tiger’s Breath that has absorbed the Red Phoenix’s and completed the White Tiger set, there will be a higher chance of Earth God activating.’

The ideal scenario was to revive the black tortoise and receive the black tortoise’s blessing. Then the Black Tortoise’s Breath could also be fused with the breath of another of the Four Gods, just like the Red Phoenix’s Breath.

‘Finally, I will aim to resurrect all of the Four Gods.’

He would be able to combine the breaths according to his liking. Grid was in the middle of depicting a brilliant future when his vision captured something. A cloud, reminiscent of the white eyebrows of an elderly person, hung on top of a lush mountain. The river surrounding the mountain was sparkling like the Milky Way on earth.

“That is Mount Baekmi.”

“It is the entrance to Chiaotzu.”

“That’s right. It should’ve taken two more days but it arrived quickly.”

Qi Jian’s group smiled.

The mountains that should’ve taken them a long time to climb were easily passed thanks to Grid so it was an amazing and enjoyable experience for them. They thought they would talk about this day for the rest of their lives. Suddenly, the river fluctuated violently.

“...!?”

“It is an army.”

“They must’ve been expecting us to come.”

The river and then the ground shook. A cloud of dust was rising from far away, far beyond the river.

“We must quickly cross the river because they occupy the dock!”

Qi Jian rushed to the river, climbed onto a boat and grabbed the oars. He beckoned for Grid to board the boat but Grid’s group stayed in place.

Qi Jian urged, “We have to hurry!”

The Baekmi River might be small but it wasn’t easy to cross. They originally planned to rent a big ship here but they were unfortunate enough to only see a ferry boat left. Huo Jin calmed the anxious Qi Jian. “Get off the boat. They knew we were coming and sent an army. Do you think they wouldn’t have prepared anything else?”

“...!”

Qi Jian belatedly realized that water was filling up at an unnoticeable rate from the bottom of the boat—a small hole had deliberately been drilled.

‘It wasn’t a coincidence that there were no big ships!’

He almost became a water ghost due to his desire to hurriedly cross the river by boat. Qi Jian’s people jumped out of the boat and glanced respectfully at Grid. It was natural to feel respect for Grid, who not only had the power reminiscent of a god but also had the ability to recognize traps. In fact, even Grid hadn’t known there was a trap.

‘I can fly so why should I take a small boat like that?’

Grid focused his senses. His transcendent vision and hearing measured the number of troops approaching the river.

‘There are over 1,000.’

It was too far to fathom clearly. There was a river between them so the resonance against the ground was irregular. Grid frowned and Braham declared, “There are 4,000 people.”

“...?”

Aside from Huo Jin, the people of Qi Jian’s group cocked their heads. Who was this man who looked ordinary at first glance yet could measure the number of troops by looking at the dust? He might not be an average person but they felt it crossed the line when they saw Grid treating him politely.

“According to the investigation by the Chivalrous Robbers, there are less than 3,000 troops stationed at Chiaotzu. Yet you say there are 4,000... I don’t think you should jump to conclusions.”

Qi Jian was expressing his disbelief when Huo Jin blocked his mouth. “He is a legend. Someone equivalent to Hwang Gildong.”

“...?!”

They were shocking words. At the same time, Braham used Fly magic and flew to the center of Baekmi River. He increased his magic power with Mana Drain and reached out across the river. “Giga Raiden.”

There was a golden flash and a storm was created. A column of water surged in the river due to the electric shock that roared through it and unconscious fish floated to the surface. The Chiaotzu forces at the front line were swept away by an explosion. Screams echoed through the dust and soon calmed down. The mountain of corpses was visible through the dust that cleared up before the fainted fish even woke up. Heavily armed soldiers were bleeding and foaming, unable to overcome the aftermath of Giga Raiden.

“One strike...!”

Qi Jian’s people were doubly surprised. It was unbelievable that the number of troops was the same as Braham’s estimation and that they were all wiped out with a single spell. The one who was even more surprised was Grid.

‘Did he use high level magic?’

Giga Raiden wasn’t legendary magic but it was clearly the highest level magic that was the exclusive possession of great people called great magicians. Braham had destroyed Talos, Yatan’s First Servant, with basic magic so it was shocking to learn that he defeated the army with high-level magic. Braham, who had just returned to Grid’s side, spoke with displeasure, “Every god has a common power. Do you know what it is?”

“Let’s see...?”

“It is to call those who serve them. An easy example is the Rebecca priests and paladins. Those who are protected by Rebecca have the miracle of recovery and reinforcement.”

“Yes...”

He understood what Braham meant but he didn’t know why that person was talking about it now. Grid nodded and Braham got straight to the point. “It seems that the Five Seniors are protecting the soldiers here. Otherwise, the level of the soldiers is so high that it is difficult to understand.”

“...!”

This meant that the Five Seniors, who seemed to have left the work to the yangbans and were observing the situation, actually indirectly intervened. It was like a bolt from the blue for Grid, who was overwhelmed by just the yangbans.

Braham informed the flustered Grid, “We came here with failure in mind. Don’t forget that and don’t overdo it.”

“...Yes, I know what you mean.”

Yes, he never expected to be able to seize the Black Tortoise Jewel straight away. For now, the goal was to gather information such as the exact location of the Black Tortoise Jewel and assessing the level of the enemy. There wasn’t only one chance. They could cross continents at any time. Therefore, Grid ordered the Twelve Zodiacs and Qi Jian’s group, "Everyone, go back. From here on, Braham and I will go alone.”

“What...?! What are you talking about?”

The one who spoke was a blue-haired beautiful woman who was taller than Grid. It was Blue Tiger as a human.

In the process of making the gaiters and shoulder guards, Blue Tiger had become much stronger than before. In fact, most of the Twelve Zodiacs were stronger than Grid. It was hard for Grid to convince them to go back when they believed Grid needed their power. Grid asked, “Can you afford to face the Five Seniors if they come out?”

“...!”

Of course not. Forget the Twelve Zodiacs, even the Four Gods couldn’t go against the Five Seniors. This was why they lost and were sealed.

“If any of you are captured and sealed by the Five Seniors and the yangbans, you might hinder the resurrection of the Four Gods. Thus, you have to stay back here.”

“......”

The Twelve Zodiacs couldn’t refute it but that didn’t mean they would back down. They wondered what Braham and Grid could do alone. It was at a time when everyone couldn’t back down easily.

“We have to believe in the Overgeared God.”

A cute girl with slightly protruding front teeth stepped forward. It was Tosun.

“The Overgeared God has already done something impossible. It is right to believe in him and wait for him.”

“...Don’t force it.”

Blue Tiger stared straight into Grid’s eyes and said, “Grid, give up whenever it is hard. Don’t sacrifice yourself for this land that has nothing to do with you. You have no obligation to take responsibility for us.”

Grid smiled and shrugged.

"Of course.”

The Twelve Zodiacs and Qi Jian’s group remained in place until Grid and Braham completely disappeared across the river. They sincerely prayed for the safety of the two people.

At the same time, in Chiaotzu...

“Is he the one who killed Garam?”

The yangban Maru hummed when he sensed that the troops with Pungsa’s protection were killed in one blow. 20 handsome men and women were lined up behind him. They might have been eliminated in Chiyou’s test but they were aiming to re-establish themselves. As a result, they were equivalent to Hangyeol.

“So many yangbans... are we going to die?”

Old Sword Demon gulped as he was completely concealed by the straw mat that Hwang Gildong gave him. Then Hwang Gildong comforted him. “Don’t worry. Even if you do die, I’ll run away alone.”

“......”

[1] Korean goblins