Overgeared

All the members of the tower, with the exception of Betty, had a mental world. Their mental worlds were stable, unlike Biban’s. None of them possessed a power that collided with the dragon materials such as the energy of a Dragon Slayer.

Things proceeded smoothly. Grid easily completed the exclusive weapons and armor of the tower members.

‘The concentration of the tower members is good. The fact that Bunhelier is on the same side must’ve greatly boosted their morale.’

The Tower of Wisdom was the only force in the world that clearly defined the dragons as enemies. It wasn’t because they weren’t fools who couldn’t grasp the subject. On the contrary, the tower members knew the danger best and dedicated their lives to keeping the dragons in check. The moment they heard the epic recounting Bunhelier’s pledge to side with humanity after he made Grid his object of aspiration, they took the weight of this event most heavily.

It was different from the Absolutes of hell and heaven, who valued Bunhelier relatively low. The tower members respected Bunhelier as an Old Dragon. They were very happy that they had a dragon they could trust and rely on in the future.

Jessica even had tears in her eyes. It was a reaction that made Grid proud.

‘Even if it is a god, it is arrogant to evaluate the value of an Old Dragon so low...’

The tower members criticized those who looked down on Bunhelier. They referred to the fact that Asgard, located up high, was once reduced to a hunting ground for Trauka. Bunhelier might be inferior to Trauka, but it was the opinion of the tower members that this shouldn’t be the standard to measure an Old Dragon’s worth.

Grid felt the same way. In the first place, Grid had little intention of antagonizing Bunhelier. It would be difficult to deal with the aftermath that would occur if he became hostile. He fully realized how difficult it was. This was why he seriously considered and accepted Bunhelier’s offer to be companions, regardless of his past actions. He even asked for Nefelina’s understanding.

‘It can be compared to poop.’

The Old Dragons—no, it was actually best not to get involved with most dragons. If forced to deal with them, it was best to deal with them properly so that it didn’t get on his hands.

“I think there is a high probability that Baal will move first,” Radwolf said.

It was just after Betty answered Grid’s question about why she didn’t have a mental world.

“God has gained an Old Dragon. Moreover, you have gained Bunhelier, who has a grudge against Baal. Baal has no choice but to be wary. He will clearly know that he will become the next target and try to move quickly.”

“What can he do in this situation?”

“I think he will aim at the powerful people of the surface. If I was Baal, I would first target the lightning warrior named Kyle. Lightning energy above a certain level somewhat dulls even the sense of a transcendent. Kyle’s power must be tempting food for Baal.”

Radwolf cited the very few dragons who survived after being targeted by higher status dragons than them by relying on lightning attribute magic.

Grid once again agreed.

‘Definitely, the lightning attribute is tricky.’

Fire attacks at a level that could be resisted would give the impression of warmth, while cold attacks at a level that could be resisted gave the impression of coldness. Meanwhile, a lightning attack produced static electricity at the very least. Anyone who had ever suffered from static electricity in winter would agree that it was a pretty unpleasant sensation.

“I agree with you in many ways. From Baal’s perspective, it would be best to quickly gain new powers. With his ability, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to infiltrate the Overgeared World...”

He was the one who invaded the No Offspring Tomb. Baal had absorbed countless powers of the dead and was still absorbing them at this moment. So putting aside being powerful, he was close to omnipotent. It was something Grid always reminded himself about and was wary of.

“I think it is better to instruct legends and transcendents to move as a team for the time being. Of course, you might be a god, but even you can’t control all the legends and transcendents on the surface...”

Radwolf was advising carefully, only for his voice to trail off. The surface’s legends and transcendents who could be targeted by Baal—each and every one of them was great. They could live when alone as long as a natural disaster like Baal didn’t intervene.

Would those who were so arrogant move according to someone’s will? In real time? It was impossible. Even Grid couldn’t control them unless they were a legend and transcendent belonging to the Overgeared Empire. In the first place, there would be no means to contact them.

Radwolf was anxiously thinking about it when a voice entered his ears.

“Yes, I have instructed them.” Grid’s calm voice permeated his ears. “In the future, all the legends and transcendents of the surface will move in at least groups of two. Considering that Baal is greatly weakened in the Overgeared World, this should be enough.”

“......?”

Radwolf doubted his ears. He couldn’t hastily trust Grid, who did the impossible. In the first place, Grid remained where he was. It made no sense that he gave instructions to all the legends and transcendents of the surface in a matter of seconds.

‘It would take a while even if he sent a divine message.’

In the past, when Rebecca was active as the Goddess of Light, she often gave divine messages to humans. Even the divine message from her, the supreme god, rarely had a clear message. In particular, she seemed to have great restrictions when it came to communicating her will to all those who served her. Due to the vague content, it took quite a long time to interpret the fact that it was a divine message.

‘It is unreasonable to assume that all legends and transcendents serve Grid.’

Grid deserved respect, but people’s values were different after all. Each person would accept Grid differently. A very small minority might harbor animosity toward Grid. Grid’s conviction that all of the surface’s legends and transcendents would move in at least groups of two in the future was lacking in credibility.

It was a separate matter from Radwolf’s liking and trust of Grid.

“I have to leave now due to my future schedule. I appreciate all the extremely valuable advice. I will see you again soon.”

Grid said goodbye to the hesitant Radwolf and immediately turned around. The tower members waved to him from a distance. He looked sadly at Betty, who was among them.

‘She emptied her mind and created an empty space to maintain her sanity.’

This was why Betty didn’t have a mental world.

The first Baal’s Contractor. She had lived a life of great cruelty. Her small body hidden underneath her robe proved it. It was a body with no blood or flesh left, only bones. She carried a fate where it wouldn’t be strange if she went crazy straight away. In order to not go crazy, her mind had to be empty. Therefore, her mental world wasn’t formed.

‘I have to believe that she will gradually get better when Baal dies.’

It was another reason to be sure that Baal was destroyed. Grid barely kept his composure by suppressing the terrifying surge of killing intent and he bowed deeply to the tower members.

“Please be careful.”

***

The members of the Overgeared Guild were busy.

Sword Saint Muller, Kyle the Lightning Warrior, the Great Robber of the Red Night, the former emperor Juander and Armored Cavalryman Chensler, the Blind Swordsman Cabelon, Sabaek of the East Continent, the strongest warrior of the dwarves Antrino, Yeo Yulan and the other daoist immortals, the dukes of Titan who had started to build up transcendence in recent years, the number one spearman Kirinus, and the yangban of the Hwan Kingdom—they were targets to be escorted.

It was right to hurry.

After returning from the Tower of Wisdom, Grid immediately started producing dragon weapons and armor and those who received them were deployed on missions.

“It is true that Baal becomes extremely weak in a space outside of hell. He basically moves a fragment of himself, not his main body. On top of that, there is the penalty from the Overgeared World, so the 10 Meritorious Retainers, armed with dragon weapons, can easily defeat him. However, we have to take into account that Baal can temporarily become complete through some means, such as the help of the hell moon. If you encounter Baal’s fragments, please report to me immediately and concentrate on protecting who you are escorting until assistance arrives.”

“Okay. By the way, have you figured out Juander and Chensler’s whereabouts? I understand that the two of them have been wandering the continent for quite some time and never had any personal contact with Grid?”

“Kujarak has a deep relationship with the two of them. Thanks to him, I’ve been able to hear about them constantly.”

“Kujarak...? Didn’t you say that the legendary class ‘Beast in Human Form’ that popped up last year is likely to be obtained by Kujarak?”

The level of humanity had continued to improve after the Great Human and Demon War. Many new legends and transcendents were born outside the Overgeared Guild. In particular, the ambiguous legend of a beast in human form was deeply imprinted in the minds of the Overgeared members. It was because Toon, who was always by the side of the Grid siblings, and Beast King Morse, one of Basara’s closest associates, welcomed it as a legend.

It was exciting. All sorts of situations pointed to the identity of the Beast in Human Form as Kujarak.

“That’s right. As long as Kujarak is by their side, it is safe to say that Juander and Chensler don’t need an escort. In the first place, Juander and Chensler are also transcendent who have reached the highest status.”

“Yes. In addition, Kujarak will send a whisper to inform us if there is an emergency, so the response will be quick. We don’t have enough hands, so why set them as an escort target?”

“Please consider it an opportunity to build up friendship with the three of them.”

“Ah... Is it like that? Then it is better to send someone with high social skills if possible.” The eyes of the Overgeared members turned to Regas in unison before pausing. They belatedly felt sorry. They were reminded of Regas’ situation, where his growth was reversed due to his Asura class.

To be honest, the current Regas wasn’t good enough to escort anyone. Forget the 10 Meritorious Retainers. Even in the entire Overgeared Guild, it was correct to look at his skills as being in the middle range. Grid might’ve declared that he would still make a dragon weapon and armor for Regas, but his priority was low. It was also doubtful if he would become stronger even if he gained the items.

Juander and the others didn’t actually need an escort. Even so, they couldn’t send someone who was blatantly weak. There was a risk that such blatant weakness would be revealed and antagonize them.

“Um...”

The Overgeared members felt sorry for Regas, who smiled bitterly. Then their expressions gradually distorted. Apart from Regas, it was difficult to think of anyone within the Overgeared Guild which had high social skills.

Euphemina and Damian emerged as candidates, but Euphemina was so powerful that it was a useless waste of power to send her to Juander’s party. They were too anxious about Damian because there was an area where one screw was missing.

“Why do you have so many worries? I am the right person.” Vantner stepped up.

Lauel ignored him and pointed to Pon. “Pon, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes.”

“No, why are you ignoring me?” Vantner cried in an agitated manner, but he was ignored to the end. There was still too much information for the Overgeared Guild to discuss.

“Can you find the whereabouts of the Great Robber of the Red Night and Sabaek?”

“In fact, I just put the Great Robber of the Red Night on the candidates list. He is actually the one who is least in need of an escort. He will be safe even if he is targeted by dragons and gods.”

There was only one way to meet the Great Robber of the Red Night. It was if the Great Robber of the Red Night wanted it. It was impossible to find his whereabouts unless he revealed himself. He said it when he retrieved Hexetia’s Short Sword from Grid in the past. He said it would be hard for Grid to handle if he was targeted by the gods.

“In the case of Sabaek... he only met Grid once and it is hard to tell if he is an ally or an enemy. But... in any case, Old Sword Demon said he can arrange a meeting through Hwang Gildong. They have started interacting relatively recently.”

“That is why Hwang Gildong isn’t among the ones who need an escort.” This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org - ©.

“Yes, the escort of Sabaek will escort Hwang Gildong as well.”

“Is Yeo Yulan figuring out the whereabouts of the daoist immortals?”

“Yes, there seems to be a means of communication. I’m thinking of having Faker join Yeo Yulan. He is a person who speaks well and it is important to maintain a proper attitude and behavior.”

During the conversation, Jishuka arrived in the meeting room. She was armed with the just finished dragon weapon and armor. The red bow and armor matched her tanned skin very well.

“We will start with the armed people and send them on missions sequentially. The mission period isn’t that long. It will take about a fortnight for Grid to make a dragon weapon for all those participating in the Baal expedition.”

The maximum duration of the escort mission was a fortnight. In other words, it was until the expedition went to hell and captured Baal’s attention.

“The first escort targets are Antrino and Cabelon. Antrino is currently in Talima and has no one to rely on. Cabelon must be searched for since his whereabouts have been unknown since Muller’s appearance. Time is urgent.”

Most of the spare troops were already being devoted to search for Cabelon. The blind swordsman who claimed to be Muller’s student—he disappeared without a trace when Muller appeared, so there were many suspicious areas, but they couldn’t let him be hunted by Baal.

“We have to hurry.”

One by one, the 10 Meritorious Retainers left the meeting room. They were armed with dragon weapons and had a legendary or transcendent status, and their dignity was comparable to Grid before he became a god.

It was reassuring. Thanks to this, Grid was able to focus on his role.