Before meeting the gourmet dragon Raiders, Grid had tried to contact Zikfrector. It was to ask him to become a messenger. It was judged that there would be a positive response as long as his task was consistent with Zikfrector’s ultimate goal. Unfortunately, Grid couldn’t ask Zikfrector. It was said that Zikfrector fell into a deep sleep right after visiting the Hwan Kingdom.
-I think the guys from the Hwan Kingdom played some tricks.
Zibal, the only player and liaison in Zikfrector’s entourage, doubted the G.o.ds of the East Continent.
-They tried to persuade Lord Grandmaster to join forces and were rejected, so there is enough animosity.Isn’t it said that the Curse of Sloth originated from the original sin?It is possible for the people of the Hwan Kingdom, especially Hanul, to intervene and deepen the curse.
It was a convincing enough interpretation. Grid felt sympathetic as well as intrigued by the change in Zibal. Originally, Zibal omitted any honorifics in regards to Zikfrector. He just referred to him as the grandmaster, but now there was an honorific. It seemed that his respect was increasing as he spent a longer time with the grandmaster. It was like the relations.h.i.+p between Grid and Khan, and Kraugel and Kirinus.
-...No, why do you care about what I call people?Cough, in any case, the time Lord Grandmaster is awake these days is too short and irregular.In extreme cases, he is asleep for a whole month. Therefore, there won’t be a chance to talk to the grandmaster unless I’m around him all day.What?Take him to the Overgeared Kingdom?I can’t do that.If he leaves the hideout created to avoid the guards, he will be targeted by Zeratul, and me and you will become X.
It turned out that Zikfrector’s forces were also suffering a great deal.
Since leaving the empire, they had been followed by the followers of Zeratul, the Martial G.o.d. The seal that was installed by Saharan, the founder of the empire, to hide the presence of Zikfrector was said to have stopped working the moment Zikfrector betrayed the empire. It wasn’t known if it was originally designed that way or someone from the imperial family did it but Grid thought it was likely to be the former. Basara wouldn’t want Zikfrector to hold a grudge against her.
-Don’t be nervous and just wait.I’ll stick around Lord Grandmaster as much as possible and contact you as soon as he wakes up.What?You are asking me why I’m being so kind?What bulls.h.i.+t kindness?I was originally a nice person.Additionally, I saw what the angels did live on air.I was angry...I vaguely understood why Lord Grandmaster has been fighting against Asgard all his life.So...I will support you.Let’s go to Asgard together one day.
Zibal—the only magic machines knight in existence. He was an indispensable talent for Grid, who had the ambition of producing magic machines. Grid noticed that Zibal needed Grid just as much as Grid needed Zibal. It was good for both of them.
-Furthermore, Lord Grandmaster gave me a warning for you when he woke up temporarily. Please listen.He said that if you are thinking about unsealing the white tiger and blue dragon, it is best to start with the blue dragon.
-Are you sure?The one protecting the Blue Dragon Dao is the strongest of the yangbans, but I should fight him first?What is the basis?
-This is what he said when he woke up. I didn’t hear anything else.However, I trust Lord Grandmaster.
-Hmm...
Grid couldn’t afford to ignore Zikfrector’s advice. It was because Zikfrector was sure to be Grid’s ally and he never talked about meaningless things. A few days later, Grid was able to confirm that there was a clear basis for Zikfrector’s advice.
“A gate to the Pa Kingdom has opened.”
It was when he visited the Cho Kingdom and Xing Kingdom to find restaurants before the gourmet cycle started. The Cho King and Xing King both mentioned it to Grid.
“Are you talking about a gate?”
“Yes, a few days ago, an auspicious light fell from the sky. Crows and magpies swarmed and placed the Magpie Bridge.” [1]
“The Magpie Bridge was laid out along the light and stretched from Kaya to Pa. This means a gate connecting Kaya and Pa was opened. It is a story based on a legend, but...”
The Cho King and Xing King actually witnessed a myth. It was impossible for them to discredit legends. It was naturally the same for Grid. How could Grid, a legend and a myth, discredit a legend?
‘Is some sort of warp gate connected?’
The opening of the Magpie Bridge that stretched from Kaya to Pa could be interpreted as a warp gate had been opened to move from Kaya to Pa. Grid heard this and realized why Zikfrector advised him to target Kaya first, not the Pa Kingdom.
‘If I target the Pa Kingdom first because it is weak, I will be beaten up by Mir who will come from Kaya.’
The Hwan Kingdom had already lost two of the Four G.o.ds. The remaining two couldn’t be taken away and they would’ve become thoroughly alerted after hearing news that Grid had become a new G.o.d. Their defense was the gate opened this time.
“Can those in Pa go to Kaya through that gate?”
“It is impossible. If the Magpie Bridge had stretched out from both sides then they could’ve come and went freely. However, it only stretched from Kaya to the Pa Kingdom...”
‘Isn’t this a provocation?’
A structure where Pa was supported by Kaya, but Kaya wasn’t supported by Pa. It seemed to be provoking him to enter Kaya. Or maybe they were convinced he wouldn’t come in the first place.
‘...It must be close to the latter.’
The ultimate yangban. He knew how confident this person would be even if they had never met.
Mir.
What was the combat power of this rumored yangban? He was born with the best martial arts among the yangbans and he wasn’t lazy, unlike Garam. He scored the best in Chiyou’s Test. He learned all the martial arts and above all, he completely absorbed the power of the Four G.o.ds. This was the information about Mir that Grid knew. From this piece of information alone, it was easy to deduce that Mir was much stronger than Garam. It was natural to be full of confidence.
‘Is there no chance for me to win?’
Grid first made the a.s.sumption that he was fighting Garam one-on-one. If he fought purely with no outside help, would he be able to defeat Garam? He had fought Garam several times so the simulation quickly produced an effect.
‘There will be times when Garam will win.’
If they fought 10 times, he wasn’t sure that he would win all 10 times. Originally, combat was full of variables and Garam’s stats were so outstanding. However, Grid had the confidence to win 8 or 9 times. He didn’t know how much stronger Mir was compared to Garam, but it was hard to imagine that he couldn’t fight at all.
In the first place, Grid... he was strong. No, he became stronger. It was many times stronger than in the days he fought Garam.
‘Surprisingly, it might be worth trying.’
Confidence was directly linked to action. After the gourmet cycle, Grid went to the Tower of Wisdom and became addicted to hunting for a while. He leveled up himself and his pets before moving straight to the East Continent. It was determined that now was the right time since Kraugel was going on a rampage through the East Continent.
‘First... until Kraugel comes back, let’s try to figure out the atmosphere.’
A little while ago, there was the world message that Kraugel killed two yangbans. Kaya must be full of confusion at the moment.
‘Is this Kaya?’
It was night when Grid arrived in Kaya. The road to get here was quite tough. Barriers were set up at every intersection as defense and the mountains and rivers were full of monsters. The public would never have access to Kaya. Kaya was completely isolated.
Grid’s silver hair as he crossed over the wall was dotted with the night sky like the Milky Way. It was surrounded by the desert, but Kaya was bright at night, with snow always falling on the city. The moon touched the ground and the stars absorbed the light and illuminated the darkness.
However, it was difficult to spot Grid with this level of brightness. Grid took advantage of his high agility to secretly and quickly enter the city. He melted into the shadow under the snowy wall and headed straight. The destination was the castle in the center of the city. Mir and the Blue Dragon Dao were there. If he was lucky, he would be able to secure the Blue Dragon Dao without even meeting Mir.
Grid was speeding up only to stop in place. The moon touching the ground. A figure stood in the middle like a huge full moon was blocking the way. The man standing against the moon was a black shadow so Grid couldn’t see his face or confirm his name.
Still, he instinctively sensed it. This was Mir. The strongest yangban whom even Garam was envious of.
“I wanted to meet you, Grid.”
“......!”
The low voice was clear. Grid was surprised by the polite greeting and involuntarily stopped.
“Your divinity is special. It is from the aspirations of humans. You haven’t abandoned the species of a human, but your characteristic isn’t much different from Hanul or the Four G.o.ds, so it is easy to notice. You will have to learn a new skill if you want to hide your energy.”
“...Coming all this way to meet me. It is very friendly.”
Grid didn’t feel any hostility from Mir. Therefore, he was even more nervous. He recalled that it was more difficult against opponents whose intentions were uncertain.
“I’ll check if you deserve to take away the Blue Dragon Dao.” There was no kindness after this. Mir stepped forward and Grid entered the world of transcendence. Every time the blades of the two men collided, the wall shook. The snow acc.u.mulated on it became a snowstorm and scattered.
Grid’s expression in the moonlight gradually stiffened and Mir’s eyes shone as he avoided the magic Grid sneakily used. The battle was short, but seemed like an eternity.
“Gasp...Gasp...”
Mir spoke to Grid who was gasping from the aftermath of dozens of exchanges, “You are strong, but it isn’t enough right now.”
The ground Grid was stepping on shook and then rose up. Grid knew what this power was—Earth G.o.d.
Then Mir was engulfed in lightning and came in front of Grid. It was once again a familiar power to Grid—Lightning G.o.d.
Grid coughed up blood and his body rolled on the cold, snowy ground.
"Dying at the start?’
It was too strong. Beyond what he imagined. Grid coughed up blood and barely raised his body.
“You are too impatient.”
Just then, Sword Saint Kraugel approached.
1. refers to a legend where two lovers are separated in different worlds and a flock of magpies create a living bridge so they can meet once a year