Chapter 1882
[Martial G.o.d’s Secret Technique]
[A skill book written by Martial G.o.d Zeratul for those in need of learning.
One skill book is guaranteed to be produced every week and the rating is random.]
Many Absolutes might’ve mocked Zeratul as a ‘fake,’ but when it comes to the system, everything was still the same. It still recognized Zeratul as the Martial G.o.d. It didn’t care that Chiyou had made his appearance in the world.
“I will be wors.h.i.+ped in a different way than Chiyou and I will become the Martial G.o.d in a better sense.”
It was the feeling of respecting Zeratul’s declaration that he realized the significance of his existence. No, it probably knew from the beginning that Zeratul would grow into a Martial G.o.d in a different direction from Chiyou.
‘In the end, it means that Rebecca’s arrangement will be followed.’
What was Rebecca? Fundamental considerations such as good or evil were excluded. He had long realized that the distinction between good and evil was blurry and sometimes meaningless.
Grid was just trembling and wary of Rebecca’s insight as she looked into the future. This didn’t make him feel repulsed by Zeratul’s change. Even if it was Rebecca’s arrangement, it was a positive thing for Grid.
In addition to being trustworthy, he distributed at least one skill book every week. It was a huge event considering that the secret techniques that made the world buzz in the past, covered all types of skills. In the future, the members of the Overgeared Guild would be equipped with the power of items and skills. Yes, just like Grid.
“Hmm...”
Zeratul scratched his nose as he was surrounded by Grid and members of the Overgeared Guild. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly. It was hard for him to be humble when it didn’t match him. For Zeratul, who was thirsty for praise, the people’s reactions came like rain. It also meant he was easy to handle.
Even Huroi took part. He used all types of rhetoric to praise Zeratul. The skills that amplified the effect of speech overlapped, causing Zeratul to ascend with just a few words.
“He should say it with saliva in his mouth... his mouth will dry up and be worn down, worn down.”
“Was he Lee Wanyong in a previous life?” [1]
Vantner and Peak Sword groaned. They flattered Zeratul before anyone else and now they were blaming Huroi when he was able to take their benefits away from them.
“I don’t mean to pour cold water on you.”
In the midst of the amicable (?) atmosphere—
“Isn’t it too early to talk about a party and to relax?” Sword G.o.d Biban interjected. “The G.o.ds of Asgard are still using Chiyou as an excuse to be active.”
The basic role of the Tower of Wisdom was to guard against the dragons. Inevitably, they looked at the entire continent in real time. Biban received the news through Radwolf’s communication that the persistently surviving G.o.ds of Asgard were still fighting against Chiyou.
Grid knew it as well. Therefore, none of the G.o.ds of the Overgeared World were here. The Overgeared World’s G.o.ds had been instructed by Grid and were chasing after the G.o.ds of Asgard, repairing the traces of destruction that they created in real time.
“Chiyou showed his power and is a powerhouse beyond imagination. The G.o.ds of Asgard, led by Dominion, might struggle, but it will soon come to an end.”
Dominion was strong. In terms of pure force alone, he was a few levels above Baal. In the event of a war against Asgard, he was an opponent that Grid would have to face. However, Chiyou was too unique. It was safe to say that he was on a different dimension.
Thus, Zeratul warned Grid, who easily predicted the outcome. “Dominion is the G.o.d of War. He gets stronger depending on the size of the army he leads. You probably know a human called Ares. It was easy to understand that Dominion’s power is to amplify his ability by tens of thousands of times.”
At a time when the concept of the G.o.ds was a distant thing for humans. There was a man who dared to claim to be the G.o.d of War.
Ares—he was the second player to establish a kingdom and was the king of Valhalla. At one point, Zeratul took notice of him. He attempted to enthrall Ares and make Valhalla’s powerful army all wors.h.i.+p him. It naturally failed. Ares had acc.u.mulated achievements that were second only to Grid in certain areas and he wasn’t an easy person.
“I know the power of Dominion well. I actually saw it earlier that his power weakened in real time every time the number of G.o.ds from Asgard decreased.”
“The G.o.ds on the battlefield are just the tip of the army.”
“......?”
“The shadows lurking beyond the golden clouds. Those 8,000 Valkyries are Dominion’s real army. Dominion’s destructive power when teaming up with this army is beyond what you can imagine. The reason why Dominion didn’t send the Valkyries to the battlefield even at the last moment is because he feared Reinhardt would be reduced to ashes.”
“Even Valkyries have appeared?”
It was a situation where all types of G.o.ds and angels were rampant. It wasn’t surprising that a group called the Valkyries suddenly appeared. Zeratul looked somewhat puzzled at Vantner, who was nodding in understanding, and continued his explanation.
“Even so, Dominion won’t be able to overpower Chiyou. However, we can’t ignore the aftermath of their pursuit. All the areas they pa.s.s through will be in ruins at this moment. Casualties will inevitably occur even if both sides try to avoid harming humans.”
Lauel, who had been silently listening to the story, asked a question. “Why are the G.o.ds of Asgard trying so hard not to hurt people?”
Is it just to be wors.h.i.+ped? There was no way. Asgard had already turned a blind eye to the Great Human and Demon War. Judar even sided with the demons, albeit indirectly. It didn’t make sense to not hurt humans because they wanted to be wors.h.i.+ped again.
“At first, I thought it was a matter of respecting His Majesty, Grid, but it feels like too much for just that.”
Are they trying to stir up ‘my’ anger...?
Lauel showed signs of self-consciousness as he raised the flaming back dragon on the back of his hand.
Zeratul stared at him for a moment before explaining.
“Basically, the G.o.ds have a nature of caring for humans. Of course, depending on the situation, personal feelings or Greed, they are bound to turn away from this nature at times. But at least for now, the current Asgard is focused on Chiyou. They don’t feel the need to harm humans.”
“I can’t believe that those who turned away from the Great Human and Demon War would have such a nature.”
“There was a rational reason not to help humans at that time.”
“Rational reason?”
“It was a time when we took the actions of humans as a challenge to the G.o.ds. Look back. You humans, who were originally weak and should’ve lived in the lowest place, have started to slaughter higher beings and destroy the ecosystem. They doubted the G.o.ddess, who they should’ve served with unconditional grat.i.tude, and finally destroyed the Rebecca Church. To the G.o.ds, it all seemed like a sign of rebellion. It was a time to be wary and punish rather than help humans.”
A selfish standard.
Lauel immediately refuted it. “Today’s humanity is openly hostile to Asgard. If what you say is true, shouldn’t the G.o.ds be wary of humans and punish them now?”
“It is very different.”
Zeratul’s eyes fell on Grid.
“Most G.o.ds now perceive Grid to be equal or superior to themselves. They interpret the att.i.tude of the surface as ‘the will of G.o.d’ rather than the ‘challenge of humanity’.”
What did this mean? Most people didn’t understand it right away. They treated it as sophistry and frowned. Only Lauel was different.
“...In other words, they perceive it as a war rather than a rebellion?”
“Yes. At the same time, we came to the conclusion that the absolute majority of humans are innocent. It is just as how most of the G.o.ds are innocent, except for the seven G.o.ds.”
Zeratul s.h.i.+fted his gaze to Zik and spoke meaningfully, only to smirk. It was because he felt the presence of Hexetia, who flinched in the corner and somewhat shrank back.
“To the G.o.ds, the surface and the Overgeared World are different. They see the surface as forcibly subordinate to the Overgeared World thanks to Grid’s influence and they plan to liberate it. However, in order for the G.o.ds of Asgard to move freely, away from the influence of the Overgeared World, they need to secure a foothold on the surface. This is why they are even more obsessed with Chiyou.”
“It is because Chiyou is the gatekeeper of the Hwan Kingdom.”
“That’s right. From Asgard’s perspective, it is possible to secure the Hwan Kingdom and use it as a base if Chiyou is somehow dealt with. In that sense, Grid is lucky. If Grid’s birth was sometime earlier and Chiyou was still part of Asgard, or if he was born later and the Hwan Kingdom had already been occupied by Asgard—the Overgeared World would’ve been punished without having a chance to acc.u.mulate power.”
“Heroes are made by the times. If it wasn’t for this era in the first place, Grid wouldn’t have needed to work so hard.”
‘...No.’
I would’ve done the same thing...
Grid wanted to refute it but Lauel was very serious. He was immersed as a being living in the ‘world’ called Satisfy.
“The birth of the Overgeared World and the composition of the present day weren’t created through heavenly luck, but by the times imposed on Grid and Grid’s dedication. From the time you turned a blind eye to Baal using all types of sophistry and excuses, Grid has been forced to struggle alone and reached this point.”
“...Well, none of your words are wrong. I apologize for my careless words.”
Not so long ago, Zeratul was a G.o.d who belonged to Asgard. He saw the world from Asgard’s point of view. Now it had changed. He started to figure out his position beside Grid. It was different in many ways from when he just observed from a very high place and at a very far distance.
A smile spread across Grid’s face. ‘I’m glad he is different from Bunhelier.’
Zeratul was surprisingly a being with a minimal amount of shame and common sense...
Bunhelier felt strangely uncomfortable at the sight of the relieved Grid, but he kept his mouth shut. In fact, he wanted to urge Grid to make him a necklace. He thought it was Grid’s urgent duty to repay him for his great contribution every time, rather than hold a trivial party.
However, he remained patient. It was because the att.i.tude of the people toward Zeratul, who joined later than him, was strange. He felt a certain sense of crisis. It was frustrating but he decided it was a time to be cautious.
He grew. He learned the bare minimum of common sense while living with people.
“I will make sure that the G.o.ds don’t hurt people.”
The th.o.r.n.y sensation on his tongue—Bunhelier really hated it, but he still spoke words he didn’t mean. He wanted to prove that he was more capable than Zeratul.
“I’ll chase them down and control the range of the battlefield.”
“Ohh...!”
“As expected of an Old Dragon...”
There were exclamations of admiration from everywhere. It was an unrealistic declaration to ‘control’ the battlefield range of Chiyou and Dominion’s army. It was purely possible because he was an Old Dragon. The number of people who were happy that Bunhelier was on the same side had increased exponentially.
On the other hand, Grid looked like he was chewing on p.o.o.p.
‘What is he up to?’
What type of tricks was he planning to say such nonsense that didn’t suit him? Biban read Grid’s doubts and spoke to him using a sound transmission.
-I’ll go with Sir Hayate and keep an eye on him.
It was only then that the relieved Grid nodded to Biban, who was standing next to Bunhelier.
“Then please do so.”
“Huhu, yes.”
Now you are using proper honorifics...
Bunhelier smiled with satisfaction and soared high into the sky. He regained his giant dragon form and disappeared from the scene in an instant. Hayate and Biban followed him.
Zeratul frowned. ‘Do they intend to go beyond the level of surveillance and to defeat either Chiyou or Dominion? I think it is a hasty decision.’
A Dragon Slayer, the Sword G.o.d, and an Evil Dragon—it was seen as a tremendous force for Zeratul. In the first place, did it make sense for the Dragon Slayer and a dragon to cooperate with each other? He clicked his tongue in many ways. Then Grid spoke to him, “You declared that you would become the Martial G.o.d in a different sense than Chiyou?”
“Yes.”
“Then what about the Overgeared Martial G.o.d?”
“The Overgeared World’s Martial G.o.d? Certainly... I will be easily wors.h.i.+ped.”
“No. It is Overgeared Martial G.o.d.”
“......?”
It was Zeratul who didn’t understand it quickly, but nevertheless, he felt a strong feeling of dislike.
It was because Lauel had a lost expression.
He thought Judar had invaded the surface without him knowing it.
1. Previous prime minister of South Korea who was pro-j.a.panese and is the symbol for a traitor in modern South Korea ☜