Chapter 64

Temple 13 - Chapter 11

The pinnacle of 200 million users, Crowzel.

Hao has met him before.

A year ago, in the Elgard Forest.

<Elgard Forest>

At that time, the top field where at least a 7-person party of users ranked in the top 100 of the integrated rankings was required to hunt.

There, Crowzel was playing solo.

He was slaughtering the Mokmok Spiders and Panther Moths alone, and when Hao saw him raiding Elgard, he realized.

‘An unclimbable mountain.’

It was on a different level.

His combat sense, which perfectly utilized the terrain, and his control skills, which made the concept of level meaningless, were almost divine.

A level that even the thought of ‘I want to be like that’ was not allowed.

Crowzel was solely an object of reverence and an insurmountable wall.

He.

The one who, for the first time, instilled a sense of inferiority in me, who was praised as a genius among geniuses.

‘Why?’

Is he in Reidan?

The mysterious farmer fighting Suelon.

That person must be Crowzel.

Hao knew this.

He had repeatedly visualized every movement of Crowzel he saw a year ago, thousands, even tens of thousands of times.

He could match the movements of the farmer with those of Crowzel.

“White Light Sword.”

A large-scale attack skill that caused blindness was activated, and Hao, standing there in a daze, tightly closed his eyes.

And when he opened his eyes again, Suelon was oxidizing into ash.

“H... Ha.”

Hao could only laugh.

To so easily dispose of Suelon, whom he had acknowledged as a peer in strength.

Indeed, a transcendent being.

Crowzel is still strong. No, he has become even stronger.

The thrill he felt for the second time in his life made his legs tremble.

“Run.”

He ordered his guild members.

Invasion of Reidan?

Impossible.

As long as Crowzel is holding the line, this place is already an impregnable fortress.

“Hurry up and run!”

The Hades Guild retreated.

***

“Should we just let them go?”

It was Damian’s question.

Crowzel responded.

“Should we chase them?”

“Hmm… There’s no need to.”

Upon reflection, there was no reason to chase them.

We are not Reidan’s guardian knights but mere farmers.

As long as the fields are safe, that’s enough.

‘There was no need to fight in the first place.’

That’s right.

The defense of Reidan is the responsibility of Grid and the Temple, not ours.

But due to Piaro’s involvement, we ended up in the battle. Fortunately, everything turned out fine. If they had attacked like mad, it could have been a disaster.

‘Anyway, it’s all over now.’

It’s somewhat satisfying to have contributed, even a little, to the protection of Lord Grid’s territory.

“But who are you, really?”

Suelon’s reputation was well-known to Damian as well.

The evaluation of being stronger than Grid.

Damian was curious about the identity of the farmer who so easily disposed of Suelon. The straw hat he had worn without removing it for a whole week was particularly annoying today.

Crowzel smiled.

“I’m not someone who would interest you.”

Meaning, don’t bother.

“Is that so?”

Damian didn’t insist.

The only thing Damian obsessively clung to was Rebecca’s daughters.

“Damn! Those damn Hades guys! Running away like that!”

“Let’s run too!”

“Damn! If I ever set foot on this land again, I’m not human!”

As the farmers let the Hades Guild go, the Golden Guild also started to flee. They knew well that it was not the time to care about the guild’s honor.

Just then, Bland, who had just finished eating the third Rainbow Potato, expressed his concerns.

“Hasn’t dinner time passed? Are we going to starve tonight?”

“…”

Damian and Crowzel felt sorry for Bland.

He was said to be from a noble family, but his behavior, which seemed possessed, suggested that the stress from his hostage life was immense.

***

Box, the strategist of the Snake Guild.

As the top-ranked Linker, he was the last survivor of the Snake Guild.

“Your abilities were very intriguing. To combine your comrades’ skills and elevate them to be even stronger and more efficient, you are truly a remarkable talent.”

Although Piaro praised him, Box was not happy at all.

Many of his comrades who were killed before him were also praised, but they were ultimately killed.

In any case, it means I’m going to die.

Box made a final desperate attempt. He deployed the Linker’s ultimate skill, Marionette, trying to control Piaro as he wished.

But it was futile.

Piaro had grown even stronger through this battle. Before Box could even activate his skill, Piaro approached and subdued him. Even if the skill had been activated, there was no way Piaro would be controlled by Box.

Bang!

A scythe enveloped in colorless energy pierced Box’s forehead.

Box became the 275th victim of a rumor that would make one unable to hold their head up anywhere.

“G... Gah!”

Box oxidized into ash.

Piaro’s eyes, which silently watched him, were as deep as the ocean’s abyss.

Since starting his farming in Reidan, Piaro had steadily grown and was now gaining a great enlightenment from today’s battle.

‘I am not Mueller.’

That’s right. I am Piaro.

Piaro, the noble of the Saharan Empire.

Piaro, the leader of the Red Knights.

Piaro, the traitor.

Piaro, the sword hero.

Piaro, the farmer.

Piaro, who has friends like Grid, Temple, Crowzel, Damian, and Bland.

Yes, I am Piaro.

Mueller and I are distinctly different.

There was no need to chase after Mueller’s ghost.

‘I am sufficient as myself.’

Swoosh—

Standing against the two moons, a brilliant light that evoked the Milky Way enveloped Piaro’s body.

An indescribably intense aura emerged, vibrating the air around him, and then gathered in Piaro.

At this moment, Piaro became a legend.

Did he achieve the long-desired realm of the sword saint?

No.

Piaro no longer needed the tool of a sword.

He could achieve oneness with nature through farming tools like a scythe, sickle, hoe, and mattock.

There was no need to be confined by the title of sword saint.

[A Legendary Farmer has been born!]

[All farmers in the world will praise and look up to him!]

An alert window announcing the birth of a new legend appeared in the view of all connected users.

The media of various countries prepared breaking news.

Meanwhile, Damian and Crowzel, who had witnessed Piaro’s evolution right beside him, were flabbergasted.

‘Why a farmer of all things?’

Piaro’s essence is a swordsman.

Yet, he became a farmer...

It was shocking in many ways.

But Piaro himself was satisfied.

What if he were a sword saint, or a farmer?

I am already a sufficient being.

It’s impossible to define me by a title.

“Pagma… Were you also like me?”

Pagma, the legendary figure who was both a sword hero and a blacksmith.

Thinking of him, Piaro chuckled.

The Supreme Farmer.

When he plows, the land becomes fertile; when he digs, water veins burst.

When he wields farming tools, a bountiful harvest occurs and hundreds of enemies are destroyed.

The new legend is a sword hero who is also a farmer.

***

“Huff huff… Damn, it’s hard to move.”

The night desert was cold enough to chill the bones.

For the remnants of the Golden Guild, whose morale was already completely shattered, crossing the desert was a torment.

‘We were defeated by a mere farmer.’

‘Surely they won’t send pursuers, right?’

The confusion and fear caused by the unreal experience gradually intensified.

The endless desert made the Golden Guild members anxious.

Roar!

Squawk!

Giant Worms and Desert Toads appeared incessantly.

“Damn…! If only the Master was here!”

The Golden Guild members were barely able to handle a single Giant Worm. The monsters in the west were too strong for them, whose average level was below 230.

The strength of Suelon, who could easily dispatch these terrifying monsters, was once again vividly felt.

And the farmer who defeated such a Suelon must be a monster...

“Focus! We’ll be wiped out if we don’t!”

The Golden Guild members struggled to survive.

They clenched their teeth and resisted the monsters that kept attacking without a break.

But there are things that cannot be resisted by effort alone.

Casualties were mounting, and now the surviving members of the Golden Guild numbered less than 100. Those who managed to survive were barely hanging on with their health, mana, and stamina.

Where did we go wrong?

We are one of the strongest guilds representing Satisfy, so why are we in such a miserable state?

As they all fell into deep doubt and despair, someone muttered.

“We shouldn’t have messed with Grid…”

“…”

The Golden Guild members never met Grid.

But the cause of this situation was clearly Grid.

Because Grid expanded his influence, the Seven Great Guilds felt the need to check him, leading to the invasion of Reidan.

This is the result.

We’re just ruined.

The fear of Grid, whom they never met, was growing.

The Golden Guild members were so afraid of Grid that even hearing his initial, G, made them shudder.

They vowed several times never to step on Grid’s shadow for the rest of their lives.

Roar!

Something huge was flying from the night sky.

It was a red dragon.

“Oh no!”

The Golden Guild members, already at their limit, were perplexed by the appearance of the dragon.

“Form up!”

“Aaaah!!”

Boom!

Although its prestige had somewhat diminished after the appearance of Noe, the red dragon was still classified as the strongest pet.

When it spewed fire, the cold desert sand burned, and the area turned red.

Three men appeared before the Golden Guild members, who were screaming in the sea of fire.

They were familiar figures to the Golden Guild members.

“Damn you… Are you already on your way back after destroying Reidan?”

A bald, burly man with a flushed face like a well-cooked octopus.

His extremely angry, axe-eyed appearance was enough to terrify the Golden Guild members.

“B, Bantner…!”

The unchanging number one in the Guardian Knight rankings.

A monster who boasts overwhelming tanking abilities and wields monstrous strength comparable to an ogre.

He began to slaughter the Golden Guild members, using them as shields and cleaving them with his axe.

The destructive power of the beast-human Torn was even more terrifying.

“You dare to challenge our city! Grid’s city!”

The silver crow was instantly dyed red with the blood of the Golden Guild members.

The Golden Guild members felt wronged.

If we had really destroyed Reidan and then faced this, it would have been less wronged.

But we didn’t even manage to destroy Reidan, let alone properly attack it.

We were defeated and fled before even entering Reidan.

But being accused of destroying Reidan and being brutally killed was maddening.

They needed a savior.

The Golden Guild members, rolling their eyes, spotted Huroi.

Unlike Bantner and Torn, Huroi had a relatively calm expression and was observing the situation.

He seemed to be the only rational person among the monsters.

The Golden Guild members pleaded for help from him.

“Lord Huroi! Please save us! We didn’t even cause a small harm to Reidan!”

“We are deeply repenting! Please calm those two down!”

Huroi, who had been silently watching their desperate pleas, finally spoke.

“May your parents live long and healthy lives.”

“Huh…”

There are lines that should not be crossed.

One of them is speaking ill of someone’s parents.

The Golden Guild members, stung by the harsh words, realized.

Huroi was more evil than Bantner and Torn.