Overgeared

‘I had better calm down for now.’

Today, he met Raiders and ascended to heaven.

Grid was considerably nervous. Of course, he didn’t show it on the outside. According to the Great Robber of the Red Night, even Raiders wouldn’t be able to read Grid’s agitation.

However, the Great Robber had met too many people. He had endured the long years of repeatedly living in a world devastated by an apocalypse and then living in a world that suddenly began again, so he saw all types of people. He had witnessed the qualities of a true ruler and hero several times. It was possible for him to ‘guess’ and understand Grid’s anxiety.

‘It was the deal with the dragon.’

Dragons were unpredictable. Their temperament itself was completely different from that of humans. They had the ability to destroy the continent as long as they wanted. They were unpredictable monsters and should be accepted as a disaster. If they were touched incorrectly, they would bring about the end.

Grid was responsible for humanity of the present age, so he must’ve felt a lot of pressure dealing with dragons.

‘It is great that he didn’t decapitate the chef called Idan when he thought things were going well.’

Sacrificing a little one for the greater good. It deserved to be criticized. It was hard to forgive no matter how a hero justified it. However, it was sometimes a necessary decision. This was why people who knew Pagma’s true nature couldn’t deny that he was hero despite criticizing him.

Earlier at the Ruins of the Martial God, Raiders seemed to question Idan’s cooking skills. The Great Robber would’ve accepted it even if Grid had shifted the blame to Idan and beheaded him. He thought it was a cheap price to calm a dragon’s anger.

Nevertheless, Grid watched the situation silently. He must’ve been very nervous, but he couldn’t betray the human. Naturally, he must’ve suffered great anxiety.

“You don’t have to be anxious even longer,” the Great Robber told Grid, who was chasing after him, “It is right to say that most of your work has been done from the moment you successfully concluded the deal with Raiders. Having to protect me is a request made considering the worst possible variable. There will be no fighting with the gods unless things go awry.”

“Then I’m glad.”

Grid was relieved. It was a response that acknowledged the anxiety that had been hidden. He knew the power of the divine world. Based on the benefits of the Overgeared World, it was clear that the celestial gods would be immensely powerful in Asgard. Asgard’s level would be incomparably higher than the newly born Overgeared World. Of course, more power would be bestowed upon the gods. It wasn’t suitable to be a battlefield.

“You can’t fool the gods’ energy detection with things like that.”

The Great Robber looked at the invisible hood that Grid was wearing and took out a brooch with a large green jewel, handing it to Grid.

[The ‘King of Poor Fate’s Brooch’ has been acquired.]

[King of Poor Fate’s Brooch]

[Rating: Myth

The ultimate treasure made by combining materials and magic that can’t be grasped with the knowledge and information of this era.

A king who was born a natural transcendent in a world that was about to end, he relied on it until the last moment.

It completely erases the wearer’s presence.

However, the effect will be lost if you speak or attack a target.

If the effect is forced to be released, there will be a three day cooldown.

Weight: 0.1]

‘Does this mean the stealth will be maintained no matter what skill I use as long as I don’t attack anyone?’

It was a perfectly superior version of the Hooded Zip Up.

“It contains the souls of tens of millions of human beings,” the Great Robber spoke bitterly to Grid, who was admiring the effect of the great artifact.

“...Huh?”

“The King of Poor Fate. It is the brooch of that powerful man, who was born with a poor fate and driven to the brink. Therefore, he offered his people as sacrifices and traded with the Refractive Dragon.”

“Such an absurd history... I’ve never heard of it. In the first place, is there such a thing as the Refractive Dragon?”

“It isn’t a history of the current world, so it is right that you haven’t heard of it. The Refractive Dragon... it doesn’t matter if it exists or not. It is a concept, not a creature. A concept so inefficient that all human beings in the world have to worship it to make it have substance. You will never see it.”

The Refractive Dragon was a deified being in the form of a dragon. A dragon god born with the immunity of the Gods of the Beginning from the humans of a near-apocalyptic world, who learned that the Gods of the Beginning would soon destroy humanity.

It was as the Great Robber said. The efficiency was very poor. The proof was that not a single apocalypse had been prevented so far. However, it gave definite survival to a small number of humans who were the object of worship.

“Still, there are traces of the Refractive Dragon remaining somewhere in this world, just like this brooch. I have been searching for them.”

A transcendent who couldn’t bear the weight of the times.

“Treasures containing the wish of the people who want to avoid the end of the world. I had the simple hope that if I collected all the things from the worlds that have ended, I might one day be able to prevent the apocalypse.”

Don’t expect anything from others. There are no human beings who can stop the end. Don’t interact with others. I am just a thief anyway. I will definitely betray them one day.

He had shunned other humans while being constrained by only being able to operate at night, causing people to shy away from him because it was ominous. Now, he started his purpose in front of someone else for the first time. It was proof of his expectations for Grid. It was a declaration that he wouldn’t betray Grid.

The old man’s deep eyes, filled with more years and emotions than Grid could ever fathom, conveyed his truth and sincerity to Grid.

Trust—it was one of the driving forces that moved Grid.

“That is why you stole all types of precious treasures.”

Treasures born in worlds that had disappeared a long time ago. The old man became a thief in order to find them, which would surely still be operating solidly due to the dragon god’s will.

“You are my companion as well.”

The distinction between good and evil was blurred. Grid’s track record also wasn’t always good. Therefore, he didn’t harbor any prejudice against the Great Robber. He just paid attention to the fact that the Great Robber was someone with the same meaning as himself.

“Let’s hurry. If you take the lead, I will follow you without losing you.”

Grid soothed his mind that had been shaken for various reasons. He let go of his hesitation and increased his concentration. He would rescue Khan and Hexetia and escape safely with the Great Robber of the Red Night... They would be new allies to stop the approaching apocalypse.

The Great Robber responded to Grid’s resolve. He immediately ran at full speed. He was undaunted by the shape of the roads and stairs created by golden clouds and pierced through them. It was a tremendous speed while suppressing the use of Shunpo to control the consumption of physical strength.

Grid also had to run close to full power. The distance traveled was longer than expected. The road made of golden clouds stretched out endlessly no matter how far they traveled and it was reminiscent of the Red Sea.

His eyes became tired. Asgard’s sky was a black universe, while the ground was brightly lit by golden clouds.

Finally, a whole day passed.

“Hah...”

In Grid’s somewhat dim vision, the outlines of huge temples started to appear. They were really great temples. Even the tallest spire of the Overgeared Palace couldn’t keep up with the size of a single pillar supporting the temples. Such temples stood tall above the hills made of golden clouds, exuding a sense of grandeur and dominance.

-The higher the temple on the hill, the higher the status of the god living in it, right?

-That’s right.

The two of them had a conversation through Sound Transmission.

-Then what is that little temple?

Most of the temples resembled Greek ones. The temple on the fifth highest hill resembled a temple, but it was small and compact.

-I don’t know for certain, but... perhaps it is Zeratul’s temple. I guess he copied Chiyou. But it is too small. It doesn’t fit Zeratul’s personality.

-Um...

It was only then that Grid noticed it. The thick chains and huge padlocks surrounding the small temple and sealing the entrance proved Zeratul’s current status.

‘As expected, he is being punished. He must be locked up and unable to come out, right?’

It made perfect sense. There was no way Asgard could forgive Zeratul, who came down to the surface and shamed the gods.

‘It serves him right, but...’

He felt more regret than relief. It was because Zeratul had always given Grid’s great benefits. It felt like he lost a customer. At the same time, deep anxiety started to bloom in him. Even Zeratul, one of the chief gods, was like this. What type of punishment was Khan, an angel, subjected to...?

-First of all, we have to infiltrate that place.

The Great Robber showed little interest in the high temples. He pointed to a particularly large place among the temples in the lowest location.

-It is the barracks of the angels. There is a good chance they are keeping the keys we need over there. The security of Asgard is controlled by Raphael.

The key to the treasure house that the Great Robber wanted and the key to the prison where Hexetia was kept would be there. The two of them hurriedly sneaked into the barracks.

Buzz buzz.

Unlike the quiet outside area, the inside of the barracks was very noisy. Angels with golden halos of different shapes above their heads were chattering noisily. They all looked stubborn. They were like the legends of the previous generations whose pride pierced the sky.

“......”

The Great Robber’s steps stopped halfway. Many of the angels seemed to have familiar faces. His face even distorted when he saw a certain female angel. Was it an old lover...?

It happened the moment when Grid was about to suggest rescuing her as well...

-Hurry.

The Great Robber increased his pace. He seemed to regard the angels as completely different from the people he knew in the past. Thanks to this, Grid realized that the case of Khan, who remembered him, was very special.

‘Khan.’ His longing grew after he learned the truth.

The two men thoroughly searched the barracks. Sometimes, they even showed boldness as they searched the bottom of the chairs that the angels were sitting on. The treasures of the Refractive Dragon that they carried made it possible.

“That rat is hiding.”

Suddenly—

Grid and the Great Robber stopped moving. They stiffened like stone statues and slowly looked in the direction that the voice came from. They saw an angel who just entered the barracks.

The number one archangel, Raphael. The leader of the seven angels created by Rebecca in the beginning, they had a higher status than most of the chief gods despite being an angel. They were an Absolute. Of course, Raphael didn’t show their proper majesty on the surface, but this was Asgard.

Grid didn’t recklessly cut at Raphael. He held his breath while wondering if Raphael had detected their traces.

“I am referring to the prison. There is so much noise inside that it made it all the way outside.”

“The Martial God is a rat hunter. How interesting. Should we go down to the surface and catch some rats?”

“Cut it out. If you provoke Zeratul more than necessary, Hexetia and the angel might be inadvertently hurt. Then it would get confusing in many ways.”

Unexpected information flowed in. It was information that Hexetia and Zeratul were currently in the same prison. Additionally, an angel seemed to be with them. It was likely to be Khan.

‘How dare they put Khan in prison...?’

-Rather, I think this is good.

Grid was overwhelmed with surging rage, but he forced himself to calm down.

-It is easier to steal when the targets are gathered together. But if there is one variable, it is Zeratul...

‘Ah...’ Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

Grid had an expression like he was chewing shit.

Having Zeratul present when rescuing Khan and Hexetia? He couldn’t predict what Zeratul would do.