Chapter 876

Good thing about this is that it gets me a little bit further away from the author, thus, there is no point in a mass release once OG comes back up. In addition, keeping the current schedule of 7 chapters a week will end it on a terrible cliffhanger. Thus, I will be doing six chapters this week and six chapters next week.

For those reading who still insist on reading older chapters, please don't read on aggregate/pirate sites. I would prefer you make your own pdf/epub during the two weeks you are given and read it privately, though not spreading them around.

‘Isn’t this a scam?’

40 hits dealing 200% attack power per second...? If he hit a target with all 40 attacks, he would cause 8000% damage in just one second.

‘Of course, if the target isn’t a fool, they will try to dodge or block...’

Grid had the Enlightenment Sword. He might encounter a great player who would dodge more than half of the 40 strikes, but the black flames or red lightning bolts meant he could expect more than 8000% attack power.

‘Who could handle this?’

Except for boss monsters, wouldn’t Grid be able to deal with almost all his enemies in one blow? In particular, players with relatively low health in comparison to monsters wouldn’t be able to afford this attack power.

‘It is possible to beat them in one blow.’

If Grid took into account that Link had the shortest cooldown of one minute among Pagma’s Swordsmanship, it was unquestionably an invincible skill. It was the strongest skill that would kill an enemy in front of him with every minute!

‘If I connect it with other sword dances immediately afterward...’

It was possible to use all types of two fusion skills by connecting Link -> a single swordsmanship. Then it would eventually be possible to use a five fusion swordsmanship. He was looking forward to the firepower comparable to the Hell Grid who overwhelmed Yura.

‘...A god is a god for a reason.’ Grid was thrilled by Goddess Rebecca’s blessing. It was difficult to imagine how much stronger he would become in the future. However, this joy was short-lived. Grid was disappointed when he confirmed the cooldown time of Genuine Link.

‘The cooldown time is 30 minutes?’

Did he see that wrongly?

“No, it is right?”

‘Dammit!’

How strong was the skill? Could it really be called an upgraded version if the skill with a cooldown of one minute was changed to 30 minutes?

‘This can’t be.’

The biggest advantage of Link was its ability to unleash the black flames through the multiple hits. If Grid was lucky, he would be able to hit the target every minute. There was no big advantage in a skill that had its cooldown increased to 30 minutes. Then Grid determined the changes that would occur with Wave and Restraint. Wave would become stronger, and Restraint would completely ignore all status resistances. However, the cooldown of these two skills would also change to 30 minutes.

“Hah...?”

What about Transcend, Kill, and Revolve?

“The strength increases but...”

Grid’s expression became worse with every skill. The other sword skills also had a fixed cooldown of 30 minutes. Grid eventually couldn’t bear it anymore and jumped up. His wife and son were sleeping, so he let out the curses that had built up inside him, “Damn!! %!*$!!”

“...!?” The knights guarding the door were disconcerted by Grid’s sudden cursing. In particular, Coke was extremely shocked. Then when Grid discovered the knights belatedly, he coughed. “You have suffered a lot.”

“It isn’t a bother. I am delighted and honored to be in charge of Your Majesty’s defense."

“...” Grid was amused by Coke’s vigorous attitude. He had no idea of Coke’s saga though. Was it because Irene and Lord had complimented him before...?

“...Thank you.” In the silent corridor, Grid bowed deeply to Coke.

“Y-Your Majesty?” The best person in the world was bowing to him? The confused Coke didn’t know what to do. Grid kept bowing and said, “I’m really grateful that talented people like you have entered the Overgeared Kingdom and that you sacrificed yourself to protect Irene and Lord."

Grid had heard that Coke was the pinnacle of the second generation 10 Rookies. He knew that there were many options for a talent like Coke. Coke wasn’t a person who chose the Overgeared Kingdom for the mass-produced Grid set, so he must’ve moved to the Overgeared Kingdom because he envied the Overgeared members. The way he protected Irene and Lord with everything he had shown he wasn’t aiming for quest rewards. He had sincerely tried to protect Irene and Lord and was then chosen as Lord’s knight as a result. Grid raised his head and caught Coke’s hand. A big, rough hand wrapped around the knight’s hand.

“I will surely repay you. So, going forward, continue to look after my son.”

Grid never dreamt that Lord’s first knight would be a player. Players were much more fluid than NPCs and there were many variables. This meant Grid had to put in a big effort to maintain Coke’s loyalty.

‘Please continue to protect Lord,’ Grid sent him this message through warm eyes.

“I don’t want a reward,” Coke said with red eyes. “I feel pride and joy every time I see you play an active role in the National Competition or achieve new feats. That alone is enough.”

Coke was a Korean like Grid. He felt genuinely pleased every time Grid elevated their country’s status. His heart heated up, and he had a passion to be like Grid one day. Grid was a great help to Coke just by being present. This was the power of an ‘idol.’ Just as many young people cheered on their athletes during the Olympics and World Cup, Coke dreamed while watching Grid. It was a great joy and honor for him just being able to talk to Grid.

“Ah...” A smile crossed Grid’s face as he read the emotion in Coke’s eyes. He realized that he was the idol of the young man before him. A wind blowing through the half-open window ruffled Grid’s hair. There were many emotions filling the eyes which were covered by the fluttering hair.

‘The talents I never would’ve dared to be envious of now think of me as their idol…’

Grid was happy and proud. A feeling of additional pressure accompanied the pleasant emotions. The burden stemmed from a sense of responsibility toward those who worshipped him.

‘If I shame them or let them down...’ Grid cleared his throat several times.

It was shameful that his double nature was exposed a moment ago. Coke noticed his embarrassment and grinned. “Two years have passed since I first saw Your Majesty.”

It had been when Coke was living in the fortified city of Patrian. After meeting Grid and Piaro, he had steadily gotten to know Grid’s personality through various media like the TV and the Internet.

“I’m already familiar with your personality.” Yes, Coke knew about Grid and understood. “I know this but I still admire you.”

“...”

“Please relax and act comfortably. I will never be disappointed in you.” Coke gazed at Grid with firm eyes!

As he realized Coke’s unwavering heart, Grid trembled. He hadn’t experienced it until now. It turned out that there were many people like Coke who admired him in the world. However, it would take them a lot of time to reach Grid’s side and stand out. Why? It was because Grid was the sky above the sky. It wasn’t easy for newly emerging talents to reach the high Grid.

-Grid. The thrilled Grid received someone’s whisper. It was from Pope Damian. -If you aren’t busy, can you give me a moment?

Had something happened? Anyway, it was fine.

-Yes.

Grid moved to the gardens of the Vatican. As Grid left, Coke bowed and maintained his position. Coke had defended Irene and Lord and gained the title of Protector. He was becoming stronger just staying by his master’s side.

***

“Damian, there is something I want to ask you,” Grid said as he found Damian waiting in the gardens. Rebecca, the goddess of light, might be an NPC and not unconditionally good, unlike what people perceived. What did Grid think about this? It was a heavy and complex subject. In any case, the gods were too far away and Grid had other things in front of him.

“Did you receive the goddess’ blessing as a quest reward?”

“Yes, I was blessed with this quest reward.”

“Ah, is that so? I’m glad. Did you receive a blessing called Skill Enhancement?”

“Skill Enhancement...? No, nothing like that. I receive a new skill every time I get a blessing. I never got a chance to enhance my skills. Why are you asking?”

“Why...” Grid started to explain to the interested Damian. Damian was a trustworthy person on the level of the Overgeared members, so Grid confessed everything he knew. “That is the conclusion.”

Damian listened to Grid’s complaints and summarized the situation, “You’re saying that the cooldown time of the enhanced skill is fixed at 30 minutes?”

“That’s right. Can this really be called enhancement? Does it matter if the power increased if I can’t use it often?”

“Certainly. It is fair to call it a type of buff.”

“Yes. How is this a blessing? Isn’t this too much?”

To think that the reward of a god was this stingy...? Damian spoke cautiously to the grim Grid, “What about skills with a cooldown of over 30 minutes?”

“Huh?”

“For example, will a skill with a cooldown of one hour change to 30 minutes if it is enhanced? If so, wouldn’t it be considered enhanced?”

“Ah...?”

‘Perhaps?’

Surprised, Grid thought about Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. This was the strongest skill that Grid had with a cooldown of two hours. It was an ultimate skill that could only be used once in battle as long as God’s Command didn’t activate. What if he enhanced this skill? Grid didn’t delay. He opened the list of skills that could be enhanced and looked at Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.

[Genuine - Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle]

[Four types of sword techniques are connected.

2,000% of your attack power will be dealt to the target due to Linked Kill.

If the target is hit at least twice, the damage of Linked Kill will increase by 300%, and Wave will be summoned.

Wave will affect any enemy within a range of five meters. It will deal 750% of your attack power, and all targets hit will have all speeds decreased by 80% for 30 seconds. Additionally, there will be definite damage from the Pinnacle that follows.

Pinnacle ignores 88% of the target’s defense and deals 2,300% of your attack power as physical damage.

You can connect another sword technique immediately after Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle.

* This skill doesn’t share a cooldown with Link, Kill, Wave, Pinnacle, and Linked Kill.

* The enhanced skill is fixed at master level.

Skill Mana Consumption: Half of the maximum mana.

Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.]

‘This is great!’ Grid’s body shook as he confirmed the information of Linked Kill Wave Pinnacle. Damian noticed that things had worked out and smiled. A fusion skill consisting of five sword dances? How funny. Grid was looking forward to fusing six sword dances.