Satisfy didn’t easily discuss limits. The clear evidence was that players could become a myth. A player’s potential to repeat resurrections and reach transcendence was infinite.
However, killing a dragon was impossible. First of all, the absolute defense was a problem. As the name suggested, it was a concept that was close to invincibility. Dragons received only 1 damage no matter the form of attack. Even the power of true damage was halved. It was right to assert the claim ‘it can never be killed.’
Of course, Grid was the holder of the Hero King and Dragon Slayer? titles. He thoroughly neutralized a dragon’s absolute defense. Yet he was more afraid of dragons than anyone else. It was because he realized the strength of a dragon through the words of the tower members and he also clearly remembered the stats of Bunhelier that he witnessed in the National Competition.
99,999—Bunhelier had reached 100,000 for each stat except for agility and intelligence. This meant that just one of Bunhelier’s stats was significantly higher than the total number of Grid’s combat-related stats. It was in a completely different weight class.
Grid was only an ogre in front of the dragon. Just as an ogre couldn’t deal any damage to Grid with its club, it was impossible for Grid to deal big damage even if he ignored Bunhelier’s absolute defense and attacked.
‘…An ogre is too much. Let’s go with an ogre lord.’
In any case, Grid could never win against Bunhelier. However, there was something to consider here. Bunhelier was one of the dragons that had existed since the beginning. He was particularly special and powerful among the dragons.
On the other hand, Ifrit wasn’t an old dragon. Even the name was being heard for the first time. The size was at least two heads smaller compared to Bunhelier. It was clear that the stats would be far inferior. Furthermore, she was critically injured. Every time she let out a breath, she shed blood from her mouth and nose.
Based on Biban’s speculation that she had fled and hid after fighting for territory with another dragon, it meant she was one of those who were beaten by fire dragon Trauka and ran away. She was weak and couldn’t be compared to an old dragon.
‘This isn’t a hatchling.’
She was much larger compared to Nefelina. She was not an opponent that could be considered easy. Even so, Grid saw a chance of winning. The biggest basis was that Ifrit had lost her sense of reason. Baal’s power fragment might exude a sweetness that deceived a dragon, but it didn’t make sense that she was like a beast that didn’t know anything.
Dragons were lords of magic. Putting aside their ferocious and selfish nature, they were wise. There were definitely many dragons who acted emotionally like Trauka, the fire dragon who was angered by Braham’s theft, or Nevartan, who fell into Baal’s trap and became an insane dragon, but most dragons were as cool-headed as the gourmet dragon Raiders. This was even if their way of thinking was twisted.
‘The complete loss of reason means she is on the defensive.’
I can kill her. No, I have to kill her.
It was a great opportunity to get his hands on the Dragon Slayer qualifications.
‘I have to be strong. That’s the only way I can fight Baal.’
Baal was such a transcendent being that he could fight an old dragon. He was a direct descendent of the god of the beginning, Yatan, so he would have many strengths apart from pure force. It could be seen that his power was close to infinity just by looking at his skill to make humanity think of Yatan as an evil god and his distortion of hell. The dragon was obsessed with the fragment of Baal’s power because she knew this.
Grid activated Storm of the Fire God.
“Please protect the fragment,” he requested Old Sword Demon, who was behind him.
Old Sword Demon was astonished.
‘This…’
The whole city was engulfed in fire. All the people were in a crisis and only a handful of people were rescued by Old Sword Demon. He did so by sacrificing himself and enduring great wounds. He felt a terrible sense of helplessness. Yet the moment Grid created a red storm, all the people were saved. The uncontrollably growing fire was extinguished and the new flames that appeared warmly enveloped and healed the wounded.
Old Sword Demon shook. He thought of the mental world of Hwang Gildong that he experienced in the past. Hwang Gildong’s mental world that used hundreds of clones and thousands of clouds to isolate the yangbans was invincible. However, Grid’s mental world at this moment felt much more powerful. It was hard to believe.
Willpower was a separate force from strength. It must be accumulated and polished with time. It was impossible for the willpower of a player to exceed the willpower of a transcendent named NPC, who had lived for hundreds of years. Yet at this moment, Grid was superior. This was different from the realm of talent. It meant that the ‘experience’ accumulated by Grid had surpassed Hwang Gildong’s experience over the years.
‘How many events and trials have you been through?’
Additionally, how many hardships had he overcome? Old Sword Demon couldn’t hastily guess. He just nodded vigorously while looking at Grid’s back with an envious gaze.
“I understand. I’ll protect it somehow.”
In fact, Old Sword Demon was going to refuse. The main culprit behind the current situation was the bead. To calm the situation, the bead had to be destroyed. Meanwhile, Grid planned to be raiding the dragon while using the bead as bait. It was a dangerous plan. If he failed and the dragon obtained the bead, the consequences would be terrible. It was right to stop it.
However, Old Sword Demon decided to trust Grid. As if in response to that trust—
Grid used Freely Move to cross the battlefield. He stabbed and slashed at the yangbans who were rushing toward the bead and quickly reached Ifrit. It combined with the theme song that made the heart feel grand and seemed like a scene produced in a movie.
‘Maybe…’
Maybe a miracle would really happen today. Perhaps it would be the birth of a Dragon Slayer, who he believed couldn’t exist. Old Sword Demon was looking forward to it as he watched the two swords held by Grid move like flashes of light.
Kiyaaaaaaack!
The heaven and earth were turbulent. Ifrit cried out strangely and struggled as she was slashed by Grid’s two swords that moved like lightning. The land received the weight of hundreds of tons and collapsed like a tsunami had occurred. Hundreds of rocks poured like bullets toward the heads of the fleeing people.
“Keuk…!”
Old Sword Demon’s expression crumpled as he was admiring Grid’s skill. He had to protect the bead. He was distressed that he couldn’t help the people who were in a crisis. He was desperate, but there was no need for him to suffer.
Flash!
The God Hands flew toward the people and instantly transformed into magic machines. Dozens of Raiders armed with black armor blocked the falling rocks with their bodies, turning the rocks into powder. Subsequently…
Click! Clink!
They pulled out big spears. They crossed a distance of hundreds of meters with one step and rushed toward Ifrit.
Kiyaaaaaah!
Ifrit cried out again.
Gujel’s Dao, which came from a killed dragon, and the Fire Dragon Sword, which had already cut the enemy dozens of times, cooperated with the attack from dozens of Raiders and forced the dragon to start bleeding.
Chiiiik!
“……?!”
Ifrit’s blood corroded Grid’s armor. It penetrated his skin, melted his bones, and evaporated his blood. However, the reason Grid was flustered wasn’t due to the unexpected counterattack. It was due to the noticeable decrease in Ifrit’s health gauge. The five fusion sword dance might’ve been triggered three times in a row, but the dragon had already started to die. It was strange even considering that Ifrit had been seriously injured.
‘Why?’
Of course, Grid was strong. In particular, his offensive power was strong and this allowed him to defeat the 4th Great Demon within minutes. It was just unreasonable to compare a dragon and Gamigin on the same scale.
‘Something is wrong.’
It happened the moment Grid realized this…
Kiyaaaaaah!
The dozens of Raiders pulled back their arms and stabbed their spears to turn Ifrit into a hedgehog. The giant body stuck with spears turned into a chunk of flesh and collapsed.
A chill went down Grid’s spine. It was because Ifrit’s body started flashing transparently and she gradually became less substantive. It was like Grid was looking at a hologram.
“Wrap yourself around…!”
The Raiders immediately responded to Grid’s urgent order. They threw themselves instantly and wrapped around Ifrit. Grid used Shunpo to move to Old Sword Demon’s side. He didn’t hesitate to stab his sword at the fragment of power that he had asked Old Sword Demon to protect. It was too late.
Ifrit exploded. It was a powerful explosion that blew up the dozens of Raiders wrapped around her.
Grid’s ears became deaf. The world seemed to be submerged in silence. On the other hand, the sight of the city’s buildings turning into ashes and scattering was clearly imprinted on his eyes.
“……!!”
He could see Old Sword Demon shouting something. However, Old Sword Demon quickly moved away. His shocked body was swept through the air and eventually blown outside the city. Grid’s situation was similar. He was pushed back a few steps. It was while holding the sword that he had aimed at the bead.
The bead seemed far away from him. The appearance of it standing still without being swept away by the explosion was very annoying. He had the illusion of Baal’s laughter ringing in his ears.
[How dare someone who can’t even live for a split second…]
A voice pierced his damaged hearing. It was a voice with tremendous transcendence. It seemed to be heard from the very distant sky, right by his side, underground, or from behind him. It was impossible to identify the location.
Grid intuitively knew it. This was the real Ifrit.
There was a creepy pressure as night came. Grid looked up and saw a dragon coming down close to him. She filled Grid’s entire vision as she approached the ground. It was an intentional action. She knew how to use his huge body to intimidate others.
[My illusion might not deal as much damage as I do, but… I didn’t know you would push me to the point where I would self-destruct…]
The remnants of the illusion that had exploded a while ago slowly flew toward the main body and was absorbed. Ifrit’s red scales developed a clearer color and flames spread from her feet as she landed on the ground. It was the unfolding of a domain. The status she had accumulated over the years was as powerful as she was. The Storm of the Fire God that entered Ifrit’s domain was destroyed.
Grid broke out in a cold sweat. ‘I was too arrogant.’
He should’ve doubted the situation. He should’ve crushed the bead instead of being greedy.
‘Now that this has happened, I need to summon the apostles to have a chance of winning.’
He was afraid his apostles would be in danger, but it was impossible to break the bead alone. Ifrit’s face arrived right in front of Grid’s nose as he was caught in belated regret. Every scale on her long neck was as sharp as a sword.
[…I see, it is you.]
“……?”
Ifrit’s killing intent, which caused all types of abnormal conditions, subsided like it had been a lie. Grid found it impossible to read the dragon’s expression, but he could glimpse the interest in the dragon’s eyes.
[Power that transcends time… you are the Overgeared God.]
“I… You know me?”
[All things are spreading your story. How can I not know you? It is just right. Me and you…]
Ifrit’s eyes shook.
“What tyranny is this on Hanul’s land?”
Pungsa, Usa, and Unsa—the three masters who served Hanul descended on golden clouds. They were escorted by Mir, who held the Blue Dragon Dao in one of his hands.
That’s right. This was the East continent. It was even Kaya. It was the realm of the expelled gods. There was no way they wouldn’t have noticed this uproar. The scale of the disturbance was too large.
Ifrit made an unexpected suggestion to the panicked Grid, [Choose. Will you help me absorb Baal’s power fragment or make new weapons from my bones, skin, and blood?]
“What is this…?”
[I don’t have time to convince you, so let’s just do this.]
“……!”
Grid’s eyes widened. It was because Ifrit tore off one of her arms and threw it at Grid.
[You should know. Killing a dragon is a curse that will grab at your ankle. The only Dragon Slayer in the world is still hiding from us. It is better for you to abandon your obsession and cooperate with me now.]
[An unexpected quest has occurred!]
[Make a dragon weapon in the next 30 minutes! If you fail, you will lose your life!]
\\\”No, what are you saying…?”
It was an absurd development. Grid pulled out a portable furnace while clicking his tongue. The penalty of ‘no space movement’ occurred when the three masters started to chant certain spells. The effect was enormous since it was created with the cooperation of the three gods. Not only did his return scroll fail, but Shunpo also failed. It became impossible to flee or summon the apostles. It was also questionable whether the emergency escape system would work properly.
Now he had to trust Ifrit.
‘This is also an opportunity to get a dragon weapon for free.’
The remark that killing a dragon was a curse was also reliable. If he thought about it currently, the losses were greater than the gains if the current Grid became a Dragon Slayer. Wasn’t there the incident where Hayate turned the epic that was Grid’s declaration of war on the dragons into secret words?
‘Calm down first and think about the situation.’ Grid breathed in deeply.
Then the portable fire suddenly lit up with fire. Heat equivalent to a super large furnace had occurred. It was thanks to Ifrit’s breath. Any further hesitation was useless.
Grid peeled the skin off Ifrit’s arm. After cutting off the flesh, he threw the bones and claws into the furnace.
