Overgeared

“The appearance of a half-draconian is the same as a human but it is different when they take off their clothes. There are scales covering every important part so the key is to aim for this. You can’t cut the scales with ordinary sword techniques.”

Laden arrived at the training ground after Grid and listened carefully.

Only one hour...

In that short time, Grid claimed that he had returned from hunting a half-draconian. It was physically impossible. First of all, he was bound by the concept of distance. However, it was the truth. Their king had performed many miracles and wouldn’t joke about this.

“The shape of the scales is like this...”

Grid explained by drawing a picture. The visual representation of the blade sliding against the scales helped Laden understand.

[The skill ‘Beginner Arts’ has been acquired!]

[It perfectly represents the scale of the half-draconians who are rarely seen. Upgraded from Beginner Arts to Intermediate Arts!]

It was thanks to the high dexterity. The things that Grid did with his hand were more than the basics.

“This is why a half-draconian’s transformation is terrifying. The moment they transform, their whole body,, with the exception of their face, will be covered with scales, turning their whole body into a weapon...”

Grid quantified the physical characteristics, combat methods, attributes, and techniques of the half-draconians as well as detailed specifications such as attack, defense, magic power, and resistance. In only an hour, he had become an expert in the half-draconians. It was as if he studied the half-draconians for decades. By now, Laden’s mind had become a bit unsettled. The king wouldn’t lie but Laden was worried that he might be slightly bluffing.

On the other hand, Duke Steim’s eyes glowed brightly. “As expected of Your Majesty! You are my son-in-law! My daughter isn’t worth it!”

“No, Irene is too good for me. I’ve always been a poor husband to her while she has been the best wife. It isn’t regretful, Father-in-law.”

“Your Majesty...!”

“......”

This was true trust. Laden felt ashamed when he saw Duke Steim, who absolutely trusted Grid. He rebuked himself for daring to doubt King Grid.

Grid explained for the next few minutes before asking Laden, “Is it drawn in your head?”

Laden was a genius. He immediately grasped the point of the question and nodded. “Yes, the information given by Your Majesty is so vast and detailed that it is easily drawn.”

It was a virtual image of a half-draconian. Now Laden was able to bring the middle-class half-draconian called Helvaton into his mind. It was now possible to engage in a virtual battle. It was the result of the perfect combination of Laden’s talent and the accurate information provided by Keen Insight.

Grid nodded and pulled out the portable furnace and white phosphorus wood. “Okay, from now on, I will be blacksmithing. Be sure to accumulate combat experience.”

Then Grid took out an anvil and hammer. Blacksmithing on the training field...

From a general standpoint, it was a very unusual scene. However, Laden and the people of the Overgeared Kingdom never forgot that Grid was a blacksmith.

“Yes! I will obey your order!” Laden answered vigorously and closed his eyes after pulling out his sword and shield. He made a virtual half-draconian and placed it in front of himself.

“Keuk!”

The virtual half-draconian Heltavon was based on Grid’s information and boasted tremendous physical ability. He laughed at Laden, quickly narrowed the distance, and neutralized the shield with technique. Once Laden’s shield fell to the ground, he fired a Breath and turned Laden to ashes.

“Pant...Pant!”

In the first virtual battle, Laden died within 20 seconds and gasped as he opened his eyes. Grid was just lighting the firewood. He glanced at the sweaty Laden and scolded, “Is it finished already? You fought a transformed one from the beginning?”

“Since the transformation is their power, I thought I could only practice after they are transformed.”

“Hmm... Try it at your own pace.”

If he could kill a half-draconian before they transformed then there was no need to assume the state of transformation. However, Laden didn’t have that much firepower. The convinced Grid started using the bellows while Laden closed his eyes, made the virtual Heltavon and started fighting again.

This time, he discarded his sword and shield to hold a mace and short spear. The greatest strength of the knight class was the ability to handle all weapons skillfully. Laden’s spear-throwing skills were excellent. His spear flew in a straight line and quickly reached Helvaton. Laden was already running behind the spear. It was intended to exploit the half-draconians’ weakness of blocking projectiles using the wings. However, an unexpected variable occurred.

Tong!

Heltavon didn’t fold his wings and just let Laden’s short spear hit his body. Then Laden’s spear fell to the ground without even scratching the scales. Heltavon grabbed Laden’s face with one hand and smiled. It was a smile that mocked the fearless prey who came running in on its own. Laden’s shaky gaze saw Heltavon’s mouth open. Soon after, the Breath was fired.

“...Pant!Pant!Pant!”

He lost once again but Laden’s face was surprisingly bright. Unlike the first confrontation where he didn’t even try, he had no regrets about the second confrontation. His heart felt clear.

‘This is a combat race that is good at combat. He understood that my attack wasn’t dangerous and ignored it...’

Grid’s explanation made it seem that the half-draconian had an ‘instinct’ to block projectiles. Grid said that once anything was thrown, the half-draconian would fold his wings to defend. However, this was the result because the opponent was Grid. He would’ve folded his wings because he couldn’t withstand Grid’s attack power.

“Um...? Cough, cough.”

There was still time. He would try a bit more. Laden coughed as he was rising from his seat. Looking around, he noticed that everywhere was filled with smoke. It was smoke from the fire. Frontier Castle’s special training ground for its knights was hundreds of square meters but it was indoors so the ventilation wasn’t good. It didn’t take long for the smoke from the portable furnace to fill the training ground.

“Cough...”

Duke Steim seemed uncomfortable. Laden pulled out a handkerchief and politely handed it to him before turning his attention to Grid. After he finished with the bellows, Grid took out a dark bead that Laden saw for the first time in his life. Then Grid entered the smelting stage. He didn’t seem to care about the smoke.

‘Ah!’

Laden recalled the environment of the Chaos Mountains. It was a place where it was hard to breathe. Laden seemed to figure out the king’s intentions behind burning firewood indoors in a chimney-free room.

‘His Majesty is deliberately recreating the environment of the Chaos Mountains... Yes, I’m fighting in the Chaos Mountains, just like His Majesty.’

If he could adapt to this, it would be possible to easily react to all types of situations when fighting with the half-draconians in Frontier. Laden once again closed his eyes. Now he was standing in the Chaos Mountains. He started fighting in a much harsher environment than before. Then he was repeatedly defeated, defeated, and defeated again by Heltavon. He repeated almost 100 battles until his physical strength and mental strength reached the limits, yet he lasted over one minute in only four battles.

“Um, okay.”

Grid finished hammering. The object he made with all his heart was a dark iron rod. A hollow iron rod. In that empty space, Grid inserted a sharp, thorn-like blade. A thin, short blade was snugly tucked into the iron rod.

“...?”

What was this? The tool that had a completely new form sparked Laden’s curiosity but it was only for a moment. Laden’s concentration was very good. He recalled his duty and closed his eyes again. He had a virtual enemy in his head and the environment was calm. The embers of the portable furnace used by Grid were extinguished and the smoke was dissipating. Laden’s vision and breathing returned to normal.

“Hahahat!”

In Laden’s imagination, the half-draconian who had won many battles was arrogant. He smiled and rushed to Laden. This didn’t mean he was careless. All the judgments and actions of the half-draconian were sophisticated. The half-draconian flapped his wings. Laden withstood the wind pressure with the shield. Then he blocked the incoming kick with the mace.

There was a very small scratch on the scales of the half-draconian’s shin that collided with the mace and Laden remembered it. There was no momentary disturbance in the breathing of the virtual half-draconain who was a collection of all the information Grid had gathered with Keen Insight.

The half-draconian’s punches and kicks continued to be linked. It was like a waterfall and Laden was continuously suppressed. After a kick to the ankle and a scratch to the face, the half-draconian aimed at the lower body to break Laden’s balance. Once this failed, he rotated and kicked the top.

At first, Laden failed to cope for five seconds against this anomalous offensive, which changed depending on the situation. Now it was after 100 battles and he got used to it, allowing him to use the shield more actively. He moved the shield quicker than before and held the shield more exquisitely. The momentum of the half-draconian’s attacks gradually weakened, slowly but surely.

‘Now!’

The shield blocked the attack at a 90 degree angle and the half-draconian’s leg soared into the air. Afterwards, Laden aimed at the shin with the mace. Then—

For the first time, the scales of the half-draconian were broken.

‘Ahh!’

Laden was thrilled. Breaking the scales was only the first step in attacking the half-draconians. The scales were destroyed but the half-draconian’s subsequent move blew away Laden’s head.

“...Pant!”

Laden was once again defeated in battle. Grid looked at him fighting alone for a few hours and beckoned.

“Come here.”

“Yes!”

Laden was indeed an example of a knight. He ran straight to Grid despite his extreme fatigue. Grid handed him the black iron rod.

“How is the grip?”

“The grip is much more familiar than a weapon I have been using for 10 years.”

It wasn’t flattery. Laden said exactly what he felt as he swung the iron rod. It had the right weight so the power was properly channeled. Above all, he felt that the energy of the iron itself was unusual.

“Isn’t there a button on the handle? Press it.”

Laden pressed the button and a blade sprang out of the iron rod. The speed was like lightning and the momentum was considerable. it was a concealed weapon. Laden repeatedly retracted and extended the blade and gradually became accustomed to using the iron rod. Indeed, it was a high quality and adaptable weapon for someone with Weapons Mastery.

Grid nodded with a satisfied expression and explained to Laden. “It is a great anti-draconian weapon. The Black Tortoise’s Breath in the iron rod will corrode the scales of the half-draconians. Hit them with the iron rod, break the scales, and then insert the blade. How about it? Isn’t it simple?”

“Yes!”

Laden was a knight. Originally, he would’ve felt repulsed to use a concealed weapon. However, he was currently in a position to argue over it. His fate was at stake. Nevertheless, he felt a bit dubious. Not only was the black tortoise god unfamiliar to him, it was questionable if this thin blade could penetrate the skin of the half-draconians. Grid took back the iron rod and slit his wrist with a knife.

“Your Majesty!”

Duke Steim and Laden’s faces were white with astonishment from Grid’s self-harming behavior. Grid gestured at them to retreat and dripped blood from his wrist onto the iron rod. Then he slightly heated the iron rod using the residual heat of the furnace and started to temper it.

He was intent on reproducing the Thorn of Deep Grievance. It was a weapon that ignored the target’s defense to a certain extent and had the best skills, ‘Cursed Bloodline’ and ‘Laceration.’ In particular, it had the skill Laceration that dealt fixed damage equivalent to 60% of the target’s maximum health.

The higher the level of the target, the more often it failed to trigger. The level of Grid’s opponents were usually so high that he ignored this skill, but this time Laden would face a ‘low-grade’ opponent. To put it another way, it was a low level opponent.

‘It’ll work.’

The Black Tortoise Thorn (stage name) would surely break the scales of the enemy and pierce the heart.

Ttang!Ttang!Ttang!

The tempering was coming to an end. A new form of weapon containing Grid’s blood was completed at Grid’s fingertips while he was in a trance.

[The ‘Blood King’s Blood’ has permeated the production item...]