'From now on, it is the real thing.'
Kuoooooh!
The red and purple aura around Grid. Kraugel knew what it was. Sword Saint Muller was also the Hero King.
'Fighting energy...'
Just like Grid learned about Pagma, Kraugel learned about the former Sword Saint Muller. He had a variety of Muller episodes that ordinary people didn't know. He couldn't be ignorant about fighting energy.
'The power of a hero of heroes.'
Muller was said to become complete by combining fighting energy and sword energy. From the time Grid was named the Hero King, Kraugel could no longer follow Muller. Kraugel would've felt desperate if he had been pursuing Muller's shadow. But Kraugel was pioneering his own way. There was no reason to be obsessed with the title of Hero King because he didn't follow Muller. When Grid became the Hero King, Kraugel could congratulate him in a pure manner.
Clink!
It would be a tough fight that couldn't compare to last year. Kraugel's expression calmed down as he faced Grid's fighting energy. But it was just a superficial appearance. His hands holding White Fang were filled with cold sweat. A tension comparable to the time when he faced Great Demon Drasion filled him. It meant that Grid's presence was equal to or greater than a weakened great demon.
"From now on, it will be different!"
The exited Grid ran over to him. He was faster and stronger thanks to his rising fighting energy.
Jeeeeeong!
"Kuk...!"
Grid's sword descended at the fastest speed! Kraugel gritted his teeth and defended. The weight behind Grid's attack was like a great mountain. Kraugel's body and mind were driven to the extreme.
Jaaeng! Jjejeong!Jjeejeeeong!
Every time he hit Kraugel's sword, Grid's fighting energy rose and his attack speed increased. A relentless black and red light pressed Kraugel from all directions, causing Kraugel to take several steps back.
Finally.
Tak!
Kraugel's back ended up against an old pillar. Grid was already in the process of moving forward with his footwork.
"Pinnacle!"
It was one of the basic skills of Pagma's Swordsmanship. The powerful skill that disregarded a certain amount of defense fell like a lightning bolt. Suddenly, a question popped into Kraugel's brain. Wasn't Pinnacle a technique that Kraugel had counterattacked twice in the past already? Every time Grid used Pinnacle, he was hit back with Tearing the Sky the sky and suffered great damage. He wouldn't have forgotten this fact.
'Is he trying to do something else separately?'
Kraugel's intuition told him not to use Tearing the Sky. As Grid's sword descended, Kraugel used Sword Curtain to defend.
Then.
'Che!'
Grid, who was preparing to use Revolve, clicked his tongue. That's right. Grid intended to return the counter to Pinnacle, Tearing the Sky back to Kraugel using Revolve. But it was all for naught.
Jjejeong!Jjejejeok!
Kuwaaaaaang!
The collision of Pinnacle with the Sword Curtain produced a powerful shock wave. Of course, the pillar Kraugel was backed up against as well as the ones 3m to his left and right were swept away by the shock wave. The moment a corner of the castle collapsed.
Kurururung!
The collapsing roof and rising dust hid Grid and Kraugel. The commentators and viewers looked around in order to find traces of the two.
Kuuong!
Grid flew out from the smoke. A jump! He immediately raised his body and used magic.
"Magic Detection!"
[Magic Detection (Enhanced) has been used.]
Paaaat!
Mana was released from Grid's body and scanned around him.
Name: Kraugel
Level: ???
Class: ???
Stats: ???
Race: Human
Status: Player
Since reaching level three on the East Continent, Magic Detection (Enhanced) displayed a small part of the target's information as well as informing Grid of Kraugel's location. It was right in front of him.
Chaeeeng!
Grid hurriedly swung his sword and it was stopped by the empty air in front of him.
Sururuk.
A full moon was floating above the high spires. Kraugel, who had hidden himself in the moonlight with White Light Steps, was revealed. His breathing was rough as he blocked Grid's sword. The commentators, spectators and viewers who saw this series of processes were disturbed.
『 Kraugel's condition is strange...? 』
『 Is that right? 』
Kraugel was different from Grid. He neutralized his targets with pure control rather than overwhelming them with physical stats, skills, or items. Yet his control skills weren't highlighted when fighting Grid. Throughout the battle, he seemed to rely solely on skills like Grid.
People started to speculate.
"Is Kraugel's control less than what it was?"
"Or maybe Grid's control is a match for Kraugel...?"
"In any case, the situation is different from the past."
The reason people envied Kraugel was because of his controll. If only they could move as well as him. If only they could make the same cool judgment in that situation. How many rankers could follow even half of Kraugel? People always thought like this.
But they didn't think this when they saw the current Kraugel. Kraugel seemed to be worse than usual in the confrontation with Grid.
'Is it the aftermath of becoming a Sword Saint?'
A legendary class. Obviously, the Sword Saint was the one with the best power among them. An example was the Space Sword that split apart the world. Perhaps Kraugel had become obsessed with the power of these skills and forgot his own strength? Did his control decline because he became dependent on skills?
People who thought like this couldn't even imagine. In fact, Kraugel was currently controlling four swords against the God Hands. It was in order to block Grid's strength with the God Hands, which was much more proficient than last year. Kraugel was forced to disperse attention to the four swords, meaning he lacked delicacy when dealing with Grid. But people didn't know the principles of Control Sword and couldn't understand Kraugel's position.
On the other hand.
'Is it hard?'
Grid faintly guessed the situation Kraugel was in. It was natural. A delicate command system was needed in order to make high-quality movements with the God Hands, even for Pagma's Descendant. It was Grid's conjecture that Kraugel's Control Sword would be just as hard and his thoughts were correct. Kraugel's mental power was consumed twice as fast after using Control Sword.
'God Hands! Continue to attack Kraugel! Don't rest!'
Grid maximized the benefits of the God Hands. He took full advantage of the ego items that could act on their own. It was the majesty of the legendary class exclusive item that Kraugel hadn't acquired yet.
Peng!Pepepepeng!
The God Hands set Kraugel as the target and started to launch Magic Missiles. The four swords were interfering with Mjolnir. Then Grid would rather abandon Mjolnir and have them support him from a distance.
Syuok!Syuok!
Kraugel moved in a zigzag to avoid Magic Missiles. Grid attacked the gaps that occurred at this time. Kraugel who was trying to defend himself with Super Sensitivity, stopped trying to fight back. Then a new Grid appeared behind him. It was Doppelganger Randy. It was the first time Grid summoned his pets in his three confrontations with Kraugel. It was the influence of Battlefield. Now Grid had become aware. Pets were also his skills. He realized it was wasteful to refrain from using pets in the name of fair play.
"Kill!"
At the same time, Randy was able to reproduce his master's skill.
"Tearing the Sky."
Kwajak!Kwajajak!
As soon as Randy appeared, he was hit by Kraugel's counterattack and died. One of the two pets that Grid had relied on for many years vanished. But Grid wasn't upset.
"Sorry...!" He apologizing to the grey Randy. "It was good enough!"
Grid sent encouragement.
"Pinnacle Kill!"
Then he finally completed the footwork of his fusion skill. It was something he had been unable to do through the battle due to being blocked by Kraugel. If it wasn't for Randy pulling Kraugel's gaze away, Grid would've never been able to complete it.
Kuooooh!
The ultimate slash containing killing intent. It was soon linked with a stab. The skill that Grid had trained in the process of dealing with his clone on the Behen Archipelago was devastating to the target since it ignored defense. It was the second most powerful skill in Pagma's Swordsmanship.
It was a skill that Kraugel's counterattack, Tearing the Sky couldn't cope with. Last year, Kraugel had used Jajinmori, which instantly activated in close ranges, to block it.
'Too late...!'
This year's Kraugel had fallen for the bait that was Randy. Kraugel's reaction to Pinnacle Kill was too late.
Sakak-!
The black and red sword fell in a straight line towards Kraugel.
Puok!
Then it was followed by a stab. The strongest skill that exerted a powerful force. It put a heavy burden on the user's muscles and had a risk of causing the user to lose 4,500 health.
[You have dealt 69,300 damage to the target!]
What did 4,500 health matter compared to dealing a critical wound to Kraugel? Grid smiled with satisfaction.
Snap!
Kraugel took out a gold peach and bit it. It was the ultimate health recovery item that Kraugel gained in exchange for being Pangea's Little Hero. The gold peach restored the user's health to the maximum. Grid ignored the various PvP rules intended to create a 'grand spectacle.' It was Kraugel who positively utilized the newly applied 'potions can be taken' PvP rule.
"What...?"
Grid was confused when Kraugel's health was restored to the maximum.
Kraugel pushed away from Grid using Jajinmori, then used one of the unique endgame skills of a Sword Saint, 'Condemnation Sword.' Unlike the wide-range Space Sword, this skill aimed at a single target and its power transcended Space Sword. It was the beginning of a full-scale counterattack.
By using Space Sword in the beginning, Kraugel deliberately had Grid consume Freely Move. He was in a position to win. Even if it was only a 1% chance, Kraugel hoped. He wished to be Grid's goal for one more year and sincerely swung the Condemnation Sword.
But there was a saying that the heavens didn't love short-lived geniuses. Brilliant talent came with a lethal curse.
[The True White Fang is resonating!]
[The curse 'Bunhelier's Gaze' is activated!]
[Retreat!]
[Bunhelier's Gaze]
The evil dragon Bunhelier is always watching over you.
You might be attacked on the day when Bunhelier is feeling grumpy.
Skill Activation Condition: Random
It was the curse attached to White Fang. It had never activated before and now it was activated in a match that Kraugel had dreamt about for the past year.
Kurwarwarwarwa!
With a roar that shook the earth, a huge shadow that erased the moon appeared.
"Avoid it!"
Kraugel stopped using Condemnation Sword and urgently shouted towards Grid. The worst situation was triggered due to the probability system. There was no time to blame anyone. Kraugel just didn't want to ruin the situation. He couldn't overlook the consequences of what would happen if Grid was trampled on by a dragon while the whole world was watching. He had to bear responsibility for the current situation.
"Freely Move!"
The condition to acquire this title was to 'raid' three named bosses higher in level 'alone.' It wasn't Grid's exclusive skill. It was one step behind Grid but Kraugel also obtained the title this year. Due to this, he could use Freely Move.
Supaak!
Kraugel escaped from Bunhelier's breath, ascended the grey scales and reached its huge head. His black eyes flashed under black hair as he faced the dragon, while the world watched agape. There were only two people in the world who understood the present situation. The people who knew the options of White Fang. One of them was Grid.
"Damn lizard...!"
Appearing at this timing to obstruct the match?
Kwaduduk! A distinctively purple fighting energy rose from Grid's body. His gaze was only following Bunhelier. He ignored Kraugel.
Then.
"100,000 Army Massacre Sword."
The power of the Undefeated King was revealed to the public.
Chapter 769.5
"What the hell is this?"
The National Competition Operations Team in the S.A Group was in a state of emergency.
The National Competition's server was operated separately from Satisfy's server. It was impossible for a dragon that existed in Satisfy to appear in the National Competition. However, a dragon appeared in the most important closing event. It was a situation they couldn't understand and it was serious.
"Figure out what is going on right now!"
"Yes!"
After receiving the orders of the team leader, the employees started to investigate all variables. The National Competition Operations Team was composed of the elites of the S.A Group. Thus, reports immediately poured in.
"Bunhelier has disappeared from this server!"
"What...? Then that is the body?"
"No, how did this happen?"
"I've found the cause! It is the weapon used by Kraugel. The +9 White Fang has an option to summon Bunhelier."
"What?"
The National Competition's server was separate from Satisfy's server. However, the data of the players brought into the National Competition's server was the same. The option of 'summoning Bunhelier' was present in the imported data. It wasn't impossible to exclude the summoning probability from the National Competition's server.
"This is crazy! A user has an item that summons a dragon?"
"It is a drop item from the 'Weakened Great Demon Drasion' that Kraugel raided alone!"
According to the information that came up on the central monitor, White Fang was originally an item with its real power and function sealed. Yet Kraugel had completely released the seal on the item. That's why the Bunhelier's curse option was opened.
"How did he break the seal of a legendary grade weapon? Did he proceed with the hidden quest?"
"There is no history of the quest being unlocked."
"The greatest probability is that it was due to the involvement of Pagma's Descendant Grid..."
"Again...! It is Grid once again!"
The head of the National Competition Operations Team was Mr. Nicol Cage, the server audit director of the S.A Group. He was responsible for preventing errors and bugs from appearing in the server in real time. Therefore, Grid's existence was very troublesome for him. Every time Grid created a variable that was beyond a player's category, he would have to work overtime.
Now it was the National Competition... what was this mess?
"That nasty child!"
Kwang!
Nicol Cage couldn't control his boiling rage and hit the table. His face was green and he was gritting his teeth.
"This situation is very interesting.
"Chairman...!"
An elder gentleman had entered the office of the operations team. He was the father of Supercomputer Morpheus and the creator of Satisfy. The founder and chairman of the S.A Group, Lim Cheolho. After a simple greeting and encouraging the employees to go back to work, he sat down in front of Nicol Cage.
"I-I'm sorry."
This incident wasn't Nicol Cage's fault. It was the fault of the management team responsible for verifying the data of the players. But he still apologized. Nicol Cage was the head of the National Competition Operations Team. He didn't give any excuses and apologized for ruining the closing ceremony.
Lim Cheolho grinned at him.
"I don't think this is a situation where you need to apologize."
"...?"
Nicol Cage was confused. This situation had ruined the closing ceremony. He couldn't understand how Chairman Lim Cheolho could be so relaxed right now.
Chairman Lim Cheolho said, "Hasn't the water already been spilt? There is something else that should be noted."
"What is it?"
"Did you know what Bunhelier just woke up from his seal?"
There was a village called Trempet. It was a village where the descendants of the Taylor Kingdom that was destroyed by the Saharan Empire lived. There was a verse in the folk song of the locals, stating that 'Evil dragon, a hero sealed it 500 years ago.' The evil dragon was Bunhelier. The players who visited Trempet would know that Bunhelier was sealed. The S.A Group executives who knew the world view of Satisfy knew that Bunhelier's seal had recently been released.
"The evil dragon Bunhelier is one of the reasons for Nevartan going crazy. Once he sensed the unlocking of Bunhelier's seal, the insane Nevartan regained his mind for a moment."
From here, an episode that would transform Satisfy's world view would proceed.
In order to get revenge on Bunhelier, Nevartan would travel all over the world and reunited in the Saharan Empire of the West Continent. The West Continent would become a global stage. The two dragons would have a long battle that would last for several months. As a result, most of the West Continent would be destroyed. The number of humans who controlled the West Continent was destined to greatly decrease.
"The species that will replace humanity will appear on the continent and be either fight or ally with players."
Yet Bunhelier disappeared from the server at this time.
"Nevartan can't sense Bunhelier's energy and can't maintain the lease on his reason. He has become insane again and hid somewhere. The original scheduled battle between the two dragons has been cancelled."
"In other words..."
"Grid and Kraugel have caused the planned disaster and transformation to disappear."
"I-Isn't this a big deal?"
Two players twisted the world view of the game that billions of people were playing. It was a serious problem. It must be restored. These were Nicol Cage's thoughts. However, Chairman Lim Cheolho thought the opposite.
"No, it can't be reversed. Have you forgotten that our policy is to absolutely not intervene in Satisfy?"
The management team shouldn't intervene in Satisfy. The reason for this rule was to avoid losing the 'another reality' setting of Satisfy. If the management team intervened in the flow of Satisfy and its users, could it really be called another reality?
In Satisfy, users must be guaranteed the same degree of freedom as reality. The moment that the company intervened, the users might become aware of the fact that Satisfy was a game and lose their immersion. It would violate the reason why Chairman Lim Cheolho created Satisfy.
"We can't intervene to restore the situation and the changed fate."
"But this is a special situation... No. It is nothing."
Nicol Cage objected only to shake his head. It was a basic policy that management couldn't intervene in Satisfy and he had to follow this if he wanted to be kept by the board of directors. In addition, there was no real impact on Satisfy's development if an episode designed by Morpheus didn't proceed normally.
Morpheus' role was to encourage players to have fun in a pleasant environment. Morpheus provided new fun by inducing players to create more diverse forces, not just the current kingdom forces. This episode was intended to give players the fun of choosing different species but the players would eventually pioneer the way themselves. Grid was the one who showed the possibility of destroying an existing kingdom and creating a new one.
'Rejecting even the fate of God (Morpheus)...'
On the monitor, Grid and Kraugel were facing a giant grey dragon. Lim Cheolho's eyes were very fond every time he looked at the miraculous beings who defied Morpheus' predictions. Chairman Lim Cheolho thought they were similar to himself and the employees who broke all expectations and built a virtual reality world.
"Now it is time to reveal Bunhelier's information."
"Huh? Reveal it to the public?"
"Yes. We will make the appearance of the dragon an event." A dragon was a godlike presence in Satisfy. The majority of players might never encounter a dragon. According to the information collected by Morpheus, only 17 players had every seen a dragon from a distance. "Wouldn't it be exciting to experience the existence of another world?"
A crisis was an opportunity. If the public perceived the appearance of the dragon as a 'special event' rather than 'ruining the competition', it could lead to a positive result.
"But it doesn't make sense to restart the finals. People will notice that it is a mistake, not a prepared event."
"Why should it proceed again from the beginning?"
"Huh...?
"Once Grid and Kraugel dies to Bunhelier, don't log them out and have them resurrect in Bunhelier's nest. It was package their death as the process for releasing a new stage."
The National Competition's server was separate from Satisfy's server but all maps were implemented. Bunhelier's nest was naturally included. The operations team wasn't involved in Satisfy but they were constantly involved in the National Competition. An example was the changes in the rules every year.
"This isn't a problem. The appearance of Bunhelier will be finished with a dramatic directing that brings joy to the public."
This year's PvP finals would be more popular than ever. Nicol Cage was impressed by Chairman Lim Cheolho's resourcefulness and creativity.
***
『 D-Dragon... 』
[The evil dragon Bunhelier has appeared!]
This message appeared the moment that the sky was covered. The commentators and viewers were overwhelmed by the grandeur and were speechless. The question 'No, why is a dragon appearing in the National Competition?' was covered by the presence of the dragon itself.
Kurarararara!
Bunhelier opened his huge mouth and shot out a breath. The momentum was like the whole sea being summoned. The range of the blue breath swept over the Lion's Castle. It was different from a wyvern's breath that only burned a few metres. This was a heug attack that was impossible to avoid.
Kurururung!
Was it true that this place existed a while ago? The Lion's Castle disappeared so quickly that people questioned it.
"..."
The crowd and viewers all closed their mouths.
Dragons. Players recognized them as the final boss, a legendary presence that overwhelmed even the 1st Great Demon Baal. It was enough to make the silent world feel fear.
At this time.
[You have suffered catastrophic damage!]
[A legend doesn't die easily. The life force is fixed to a minimum. Resistant to all attacks for 5 seconds.]
Grid was hit by Bunhelier's breath and entered the immortal state, while Kraugel avoided the breath using Freely Move and rose to Bunhelier's head. The height was 30 metres above sea level. He avoided the non-targeted skill and flew by using the effect of Freely Move to reach the target.
"Condemnation Sword!"
Pajik!Paijijik!
It was the Sword Saint's ultimate attack that was originally for Grid. The +9 White Fang was surrounded by silver and struck Bunhelier.
[The information of the evil dragon Bunhelier is released.]
[Bunhelier]
Level: ????
Species: Dragon
Strength: 99,999 Stamina: 99,999
Agility: 12,000 Intelligence: 25,000
Skills: Breath (SSSS). ????, ????,????, ????, ????, ????, ????, ????, ????, ????, ????, ????.
A transcendent dragon. He can destroy the world if he wants. Only a similar transcendent presence can threaten a dragon.
"What...?"
The crowd was astonished at Bunhelier's ridiculous status window.
Puk!
Kraugel's sword flew against the fierce momentum and penetrated Bunhelier. The pupil size along was bigger than Kraugel's body. White Fang was just like a toothpick.
Then.
[Sword Saint Kraugel has done 1 damage to Bunhelier.]
This notification window appeared on the centre of the monitor.
"Ah... Ahhh..."
People realized. The sky above the sky, who they so envied, was a mere speck of dust in front of the dragon.
『 That is the world's strongest creature...! 』
『 Dragon... It is more amazing than I can imagine. Perhaps it can be raided in 10 years, 20 years? 』
『 Named bosses grow with the players. It is impossible to raid a dragon. In the first place, dragons weren't created for players to raid. 』
The commentator was right. Dragons weren't targets for raids. This was clearly stated in Satisfy's default setting.
The moment that everyone was in shock.
"...?"
"What?"
The camera suddenly focused on Grid. The purple fighting energy around Grid was burning.
"100,000 Army."
"...Eh?"
People thought of the 'Grid is a chuuni' video. Overgeared King Grid. He was acting like a chuuni in an emergency like this?
"Was this a joke?"
"No, what is he doing alone in this urgent situation?"
"Crazy. Crazy."
They didn't know where this joke came from. Some people criticized Grid while others thought it was ridiculous. Then Grid...
"Massacre Sword."
The Undefeated King's power was unveiled.
Peng!
Pepepepeok!
The Enlightenment Sword was swung 30 times per second. Black red energy blades filled the air and headed towards Bunhelier.
Kuwaaaaaang!
As soon as Grid fired the 100,000 Army Massacre Sword at Bunhelier, the following notification windows appeared.
[The target is a dragon.]
[The Hero King title effect is activated.]
[The fighting energy of the Hero King has risen to the rank of a transcendent and threatens the dragon. The Absolute Defense of Bunhelier is disabled.
[You have dealt 1,500 damage to the target!]
[You have dealt 1,430 damage to the target!]
[You have dealt 1,610...]
[You have dealt 1,290...]
...
...
Kurarararara!
A storm of energy blades struck Bunhelier! The scratches on the dragon scales that couldn't even be damaged by the Sword Saint's ultimate attack caused massive shock to the public.
"Hiccup!"
People on the stands started hiccuping.