The Childless Specter, the Gale of the Great Forest, and the Mountain King of Grenier—they were the myth usurpers, or predators.
[Haksen affirms their existence. He claims that if it wasn’t for them, tens of thousands of human gods would cause chaos.]
[Tzudan and Filewolf agree.]
It was human nature to create and worship idols. It was because they were weak. Therefore, there was a flood of human gods. It was the reason why the influence was weak when Grid became a god. The existing gods looked down on the gods that originated from human aspirations.
[Haksen analyzed that the development of civilization became an opportunity to promote human aspirations. The greater that human wisdom grew, the more varied the types of wishes. As a result, there are many objects to be idolized.]
“Hmm…” Grid didn’t agree much. It was because he had a history of being active on the East Continent. The yangbans were particularly wary of gods, especially those created out of human aspirations. They were jealous. Of course, it could also be a simple sense of inferiority. It was because they were artificially cultivated god-candidates. However, Grid knew that the martial god, Chiyou, was also born from human aspirations.
‘It could be distorted in many ways.’
Human gods were overflowing…
Grid had heard such words several times. However, was it true? Grid had never seen the same existence as himself. All that came to mind were a few indigenous gods served by the monks. All of them were gods treated as precious in one specific area. For example, the four gods of the east. But to call them trivial and common…
He wondered if the reason such prejudice was brought to the world was due to some strong willpower to degrade the value of human gods.
“By the way, Tzudan, you are affirming the myth usurpers as well? Weren’t you killed by the Mountain King?”
[Tzudan confesses that the cause of death lay with himself. He explains that he invaded the Mountain King’s territory first.]
“……”
Grid’s expression stiffened slightly. It was due to nervousness. He noticed one definite fact. It was that the prestige of the myth usurpers was greater than expected.
‘It is a level that can kill a legend.’
Wasn’t it safe to say it was even a god-grade? Thinking about it, it was natural for it to be at the level of a god. The myth usurpers had existed even before the fall of the ancient gods. It meant they had lived for thousands of years, not hundreds. It was difficult to estimate how high their status would’ve risen over those long years.
Just look at how hell and Asgard were unwilling to clash with the myth usurpers. The evidence was that none of the portals connecting hell and the human world invaded the realm of the myth usurpers.
‘Is it still too early for me to challenge it?’
At one time, Grid didn’t doubt that he was the supreme one. There were times when he was arrogant because he believed too much in his abilities. It was like a short fever.
The current Grid had a relatively accurate understanding of his own level. At the very least, he knew he wasn’t in the rank to discuss invincibility. Baal, Raphael, Mir, Zeratul, the dragons, the gods of the beginning, Chiyou, etcetera—there were many powerful beings in the world.
‘When will I be invincible?’
At this moment, Grid didn’t recognize his question as containing supreme arrogance. He had such qualifications.
‘In any case… I can’t step back after coming all the way here.’
Grid had been watching Chris’ performance. Every time Chris wielded a greatsword, dozens or hundreds of demonic creatures turned into ashes. His attack skills were only the 10 Ton Sword, 100 Ton Sword, and 1,000 Ton Sword. His ability to utilize the power of the Tyrant, his second class, was close to amazing. What if Chris changed to a legendary class? He would be really reassuring.
Ever since becoming a myth and being in a position where he couldn’t get a secondary class, Grid wanted his talented colleagues to grow. They were still dependable now, but he wanted to rely on them more.
He calmed his heart in the face of a strong storm and looked at the mountain that was getting closer.
Grenier—it was a stone mountain reminiscent of a bear standing on two feet. The greenery was sparse and bare, but strangely, it was difficult to grasp the structure of the mountain. It felt like all the information conveyed through his eyeballs was distorted.
“It looks very big when looking from a distance, but it is shabby.”
There was no flaw in the high and steep scenery. It was too far-fetched to belittle it as shabby. However, it was a mountain that wasn’t included in a mountain range. It was alone. It even decorated the wilderness alone. It couldn’t help looking shabby.
[Firewolf is showing alertness. He advises you to be careful because there are many compatriots who died after challenging the mountain.]
[Haksen feels the traces of a higher barrier. It isn’t based on magic power or techniques. It is close to a natural phenomenon.]
[Tzudan is warning you not to be dazzled by the appearance. He says he has experienced firsthand that the size of the mountain is much larger than what you can see with your eyes and it is as complex as a labyrinth.]
There was no need for a warning. Grid was fully aware of how dangerous the place was. In Satisfy, it was known as the 9th wonder, 10th wonder, and so on, and it was a place that caused multiple casualties. There were numerous reviews about people being deceived by its unusual appearance and trying to climb it, only to have terrible experiences. In the first place, few people reached here, so it was often treated as a ghost story.
‘It deserves to be treated as a ghost story.’
As with most forbidden areas, screenshots and videos were prohibited here. It was impossible for a person who visited it by chance to give evidence. This showed how great Skunk’s ‘original’ map was that was sent to only a small number of Overgeared members.
On the map made by Skunk, the road to this point was marked in detail. Only the internal structure of the mountain was a question mark. According to Skunk, the structure of the mountain changed every time he entered the mountain.
‘He said he had no choice but to give up on the exploration because he died several times without any profit.’
Let me be your guide in the near future.
Grid walked while thinking and notification windows appeared one after another in his vision.
[Tzudan is shrinking back.]
[Filewolf is dissuading you and asking you to think about it again.]
[Haksen is warning you that the flow of mana has stopped.]
“Don’t worry, I’ll retreat immediately if I feel that it is dangerous.”
[You have entered the forbidden area ‘Grenier.’]
[The natural recovery of mana is prohibited. All types of magic are sealed, including the magic engraved on your magic scrolls and items.]
[The return scroll will be disabled.]
[Haksen and Filewolf are sighing.]
[Tzudan is very annoyed as he reflects on his end.]
“……”
He had expected that there would be restrictions on the use of magic. It was because Haksen had warned that the flow of mana had stopped. He just hadn’t expected that the principle of activating the return scroll would also be judged as magic.
‘It is okay.’
Grid tried to suppress his panic. He had a means to cope without the return scroll.
[The ‘Emergency Return’ skill will be activated in the immortal state. Regardless of the concept of time or space, you will return to one of the temples that serves you. However, it must be used within 7 seconds of entering the immortal state. After seven seconds, the skill is deactivated.]
‘This won’t fail, right?’
Death for a god was deadly. It was directly linked to a drop in status. It was even more so if the opponent was a myth predator. He absolutely couldn’t die…
Grid was trying to shake off his uneasiness when he suddenly frowned. Anger surged in his heart.
“No, dammit. Tzudan, haven’t you already experienced it? Why didn’t you tell me in advance what the risks were?”
[Tzudan explains that it happened hundreds of years ago, and it was also before his death, so his memory is vague. He is crying because he is sorry.]
[Haksen and Filewolf are doubting your personality.]
“……”
What was the point of teaming up with people (?) who died a long time ago? He was simply being insulted by the dead.
The enlightened Grid shut his mouth and moved forward. The good news was that Tzudan started to recall old memories. The advice he gave to walk in the direction that the pine branches grew was particularly helpful in breaking through the labyrinth.
***
Was there anyone who had repeatedly traveled around the world from the moment of birth to the moment of death? Could they really travel all over the Earth? It was definitely impossible. It was physically impossible to visit all the regions and streets in every country, even if they could, by a stroke of luck, travel to every country.
Satisfy boasted a wider area than Earth. Exploring all corners of every place was difficult unless they benefited from a lot of skills. There were also places a person couldn’t visit even if they had the benefit of skills.
One of them was Grenier. Unlike the appearance, there were surprisingly a lot of people living on Grenier, which was a fairly large place. A society had formed. The subject of the society were tribes that existed for over a thousand years. The thing they had in common was that they had served the Mountain King for generations. For them, the Mountain King was their only god and the ruler of all nature.
It was evidence that even if Grenier was surprisingly large, it was still just a well in the end. Grenier’s natives couldn’t estimate the size of the world. They were a very lowly tribe that believed the foolish iron-clad rules formed based on shallow experience and uncivilized knowledge was the truth.
‘I am a fool who was captured by these people.’
Player Med couldn’t believe his plight.
A wilderness he came across by chance while walking the path of asceticism with the monks serving Debirion—he was thrilled the moment he faced the towering mountain. It was as if a bear was holding up the sky. He intuitively felt that he had approached one of the famous wonders.
He felt it was fate. He interpreted it as the precursor to a hidden quest. He was convinced that Debirion had guided him to Mount Grenier. He felt an obligation to meet the Mountain King. It was even more so because the war was in full swing.
The reason why Med and the monks had embarked on the path of asceticism was due to the great human and demon war. They received a divine message to help the people that were suffering, and wandered around the continent to fight demons.
In this situation, the opportunity to meet the Mountain King came. He naturally believed that the Mountain King would help. Thus, they tried to climb the mountain. The initial start was good. Med was once ranked 33rd in the unified rankings. Even now, he was still a named ranker that was within the top 100 in the rankings. His skills weren’t lacking. Besides, he was with his fellow monks. They broke through several traps and labyrinths, and climbed to the middle of the mountain. Maybe he could receive the player’s first achievement.
His excitement couldn’t calm down easily until he was captured by the mountain tribe…
‘We can’t communicate with these people.’
He was confident about this because he experienced it personally. Grenier was disconnected from the world. For those who lived here, the world was only Grenier. They didn’t know that demons and demonic creatures were causing disasters in the outside world. They naturally didn’t know that the disaster would someday reach them. It was impossible to ask them for help.
“Yōkai, hurry up and reveal yourself.”
The natives surrounded Med’s group, all of them who were tied by ropes and hung upside down. They heated thick iron on fire. The sound of a small and thin knife being sharpened against a whetstone resonated in an eerie manner.
“How can yōkai from outside the mountain look like us? Perhaps it is only by peeling off the skin that they can show their real appearance.”
The natives were wearing monster skins. It wasn’t an idle threat. They really seemed like they were going to skin him. The woman who spoke to Med’s group boasted a particularly ferocious air. The ogre’s skull that covered her face like a headpiece seemed to hint at the future of Med’s group.
“How many times do I have to say this? We are human beings like you. There are many people living outside Grenier…”
Med was trying to explain when his eyes widened. He was swallowing a scream. The dagger that stabbed his abdomen took away a large amount of his health.
‘What is this attack power…?’
Was this a super named-grade? Med reflexively used Reverse Origin. It was one of the ultimate skills of a monk. It couldn’t be helped if he wanted to live.
[Your health has been fully restored.]
[Your damaged body has been restored.]
[You will suffer a continuous decline in health. This effect won’t stop until your health is at the minimum.]
“It is a magic trick to delay death… they are truly yōkai.” The woman’s voice became colder. She gave a look and the natives who were sharpening knives approached Med’s group. They were holding knives to skin the group one by one.
‘This damn thing.’
He was caught in the wrong place. Dying was a deadly loss and the form of death was the worst ever. Perhaps it would remain as a lifelong trauma.
‘Why did I dare to climb the mountain?’
It wasn’t a prohibited area for nothing. The wonders should’ve been left as wonders…
Med was deeply reflecting and regretting it when he heard screams and shouts.
The man, who hadn’t been there previously, was perceived one step later. He was a man whose hair fluttered even though the wind wasn’t blowing. The natives, who had their faces held in his large hands, suffered and kicked both feet in the air.
An orange light clearly spread out from him. The sun seemed to shine again on the cold mountain where dusk had fallen.
“What do I look like?” The man’s question caused silence.
