Chapter 83

Chapter 14 - Episode 9

‘If there are no materials, I can just obtain them.’

Grid’s eyes were filled with greed as he surveyed Raphaël’s spear, which had been dismantled.

‘Isn’t it right to secure a little compensation for my efforts?’

Grid had saved Isabelle by sacrificing the essence of a goddess.

He thought it was only right to expect some form of gratitude for that.

‘If I melt down Raphaël’s spear.’

He could obtain adamantium.

This was the only opportunity to acquire the divine mineral for free, without knowing when, where, or how to obtain it otherwise.

‘I only need to take a small part of the shaft.’

According to the analysis based on his Legendary Blacksmith’s Insight (Lv.6) and Greedy Eyes (Lv.Master), the current Raphaël’s spear had a shaft that was unnecessarily long and thick.

It was somewhat unsuitable for a woman to use.

‘Reducing the length and thickness of the shaft would ultimately be beneficial for Isabelle as well.’

Thus, Grid, who had analyzed the situation to his advantage, threw the shaft into the furnace without hesitation.

Grid’s essence was greed.

His desire as a blacksmith to ‘quickly create a higher-level item’ was intertwined with this essence, causing an explosion.

At this moment, Grid was the embodiment of desire. No one could control him, not even himself. He behaved like a drug addict with drugs in front of him.

Clang! Clang!

Grid’s movements were incomparably fast and precise compared to before.

This was due to the increased levels of his crafting-related skills.

The shaft of Raphaël’s spear became shorter and thinner under his fingertips.

“Wow!”

The blacksmiths gathered around to watch were speechless, only able to exclaim in admiration.

Watching Grid’s god-like craftsmanship, one might even wonder if he was the god of blacksmithing.

“Completed!”

After about three hours of struggle, Grid restructured Raphaël’s spear.

His face contorted.

The result was disastrous.

[You have created an Incomplete Raphaël’s Spear.]

<Incomplete Raphaël’s Spear>

The harmony designed by the gods has been broken. This is nothing more than a useless stick.

“...Of course.”

Was this the first time he had experienced this?

Satisfy, which is meticulously designed, would never offer gains that violate its settings.

“Sigh.”

Clang! Clang!

Disappointed, Grid began to restore Raphaël’s spear.

It was regrettable, but there was no choice. If he returned the spear to Isabelle in an incomplete state, he didn’t know what divine punishment Rebecca might inflict.

Ding!

After another three hours of effort to restore Raphaël’s spear, a pleasant sound effect rang out, and an unbelievable notification window appeared.

[Although the result was disastrous, your insight and spirit of challenge in reinterpreting a divine weapon are highly commendable. You are gradually qualifying to become a true legend.]

[You have obtained one of the hidden pieces of <Pagma’s Descendant>, <Sealed Ability>.]

[You have learned the skill <Legendary Blacksmith’s Modification>.]

<Legendary Blacksmith’s Modification> (Lv.1)

Reinterpret and reconfigure an item with 100% understanding into a new form.

The performance of the modified item varies according to your interpretation, skills, and intentions.

*Only one modification per item is possible.

*The number of modifications possible increases by 1 with each skill level.

[By unlocking the hidden piece, <Sealed Ability>, you take a step closer to becoming a true legend. The cooldown times of your profession-specific skills are reduced by 10%.]

[Your continent-wide reputation has increased by 2,000.]

[Your current continent-wide reputation is 30,011. You can now use the reputation shop.]

“...They say there’s no truth in old sayings.”

Grid, who had been trembling with clenched fists, burst into a loud laugh.

“Good deeds bring good fortune! Hahaha~!”

Grid, who had received a significant benefit by restoring Raphaël’s spear to its original form, perceived himself as a kind and conscientious person.

Indeed.

His original malicious intention to sneak away with the adamantium had been erased from his memory.

His brain was as selfish as its owner.

***

OGC is the world’s first dedicated game broadcasting station.

Long before the advent of virtual reality games, it planned and hosted various game tournaments, establishing the e-sports culture.

Even now, with Satisfy dominating the game market, OGC remains one of the world’s top game broadcasting stations.

“Let’s broadcast the live speech of the papal candidates.”

Lee Kuk-rae, the head of OGC’s programming department.

A former PD who rose to the executive position, he has left numerous achievements, earning the nickname of a ‘guaranteed ratings check’.

However, his current decision raised concerns among the programming planning team members.

“How many people will actually be interested in who becomes the pope of the Rebecca Church? It seems no one except Rebecca Church users will be interested.”

“The speech will be static. The ratings will hit rock bottom, and it will be difficult to secure advertisements.”

“Wouldn’t it be much better to broadcast the PvP tournament being held in the Principality of Sieg at the same time?”

“Even if we were to broadcast a recorded version, why a live broadcast? It’s prime time.”

“A recorded version would be a waste. It would be better to conduct a simple interview and briefly feature it in the news.”

Lee Kuk-rae, who had been silently observing the protesting team members, clapped his hands. Confirming that everyone’s attention was on him, he made a shocking statement.

“I’ve received information that one of the papal candidates is a user.”

“Huh?”

“Is, is that true?”

Last year, the number of Rebecca Church followers was about 71 million.

However, this year, the number of Rebecca Church followers has exceeded 80 million, and there are analyses suggesting it could reach 90 million by the end of the year.

Indeed, the growth rate of the first religion in Satisfy is beyond estimation. It’s a remarkable religion whose future size is difficult to gauge.

And the candidate for the leader of that religion is a user?

This was a rare scoop.

A scoop comparable to the incidents involving Grid!

The enthusiasm of the planning team members began to burn.

“Live broadcast is great! Let’s start a major promotion right away!”

“I’ll look for sponsors.”

“We’ll get a lot of ads!”

“Whoa, whoa.”

Lee Kuk-rae calmed down the excited team members.

“What are you trying to spread the news around? It would be a waste to share the expensive information we bought with other broadcasting stations. Our goal is an exclusive live broadcast. We’ll release the information after we start the broadcast.”

In the current era where SNS has evolved repeatedly, the speed of information sharing among people is incredibly fast.

“This papal candidate speech. Even if the starting ratings are less than 0.1%, the peak ratings could reach 15%. The price of mid-commercial ads could set a new record. Let’s get ready.”

“Yes!”

“Wow, we’re going to be busy.”

At this point, Lee Kuk-rae and his team members didn’t know.

That OGC would secure the highest ratings in its history.

***

Count Chirita.

The father of Pascal, he was only a baron ten years ago.

The imperial political circle didn’t pay much attention to him, a lord of a remote region.

But ten years ago.

After Pascal became the leader of the Judar Church, his position changed dramatically.

Due to being the father of the leader of a major religion with 20 million followers, he became a significant player in politics and received the title of count.

And currently.

“Sigh! The air in the Vatican is so clear!”

Count Chirita became a favorite of Emperor Juaunderk, meaning he became one of the most powerful figures in the empire.

It was natural, as he would soon become the father of the pope.

Adorned with various luxury items, he was very noticeable.

Nobles from various countries, who had gathered to attend the papal candidate speech, all flocked to him, bowing deeply.

“Your Excellency Chirita, it’s an honor to meet you.”

“You will become the father of His Holiness the Pope in just a month.”

“Will His Majesty the Emperor grant you the title of duke?”

The sycophantic behavior of the nobles from other countries made Count Chirita’s mood soar.

Thanks to having a good son, his life had changed so much.

Pascal approached him, who was rejoicing.

“You’ve arrived, Count Chirita.”

“Oh, Sir Pascal. It’s been a long time.”

Pascal is a monk.

He treated his father as a stranger in formal settings.

After seeking understanding from the people, the two moved to a secret location.

“Have you received support from His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Hmm, yes. He sent five Black Knights and one Red Knight.”

Pascal’s face crumpled.

‘Just one Red Knight…’

Red Knights are known as the strongest beings on the continent.

But not long ago, Grid had knocked out Camian with a single blow.

A single Red Knight as support didn’t seem very reassuring.

“Which knight is it?”

“The 19th knight, they said.”

“...!”

Pascal’s eyes widened.

The disappointment and anxiety on his face melted away like snow.

‘They sent a 10th rank knight!’

The number attached to a Red Knight indicates their strength.

30th rank knights were known as one-man armies, and 20th rank knights as one-man legions.

A 10th rank knight? They could face five 20th rank knights alone.

The 19th knight was at least dozens of times stronger than the 30th rank knight, Camian.

‘His Majesty the Emperor truly values me!’

Pascal, trembling with emotion, was asked a question by Count Chirita.

“But what exactly happened that you requested support?”

“There’s a mosquito that keeps bothering me.”

Until a little while ago, Pascal had considered Grid a disaster. But now, with the 19th knight here, Grid was no more than a mosquito.

‘My hair loss will soon be gone.’

Pascal’s face, which had recently revealed a bald forehead, broke into a smile.

***

“This is chaos.”

The Vatican was in complete turmoil.

Grid frowned, watching the crowd surge like a tidal wave.

‘OGC broadcasting station?’

Broadcasting cameras were installed throughout the Vatican. Choi Hye-young, OGC’s star announcer, was rehearsing in front of the fountain.

‘It might become bothersome.’

The public’s attention to the papal election seemed much higher than expected.

If my presence here is discovered, interview requests will flood in, asking for reasons.

To prevent this inconvenience, Grid wore the Executioner’s Mask and blindfold. His face was hidden, and his ID was anonymized.

‘These days, this is actually more convenient.’

Grid, who was at ease, was approached by Damian and Froy, along with Isabelle.

He handed Raphaël’s spear to her.

“I sealed the white light. It won’t arbitrarily drain your life force anymore.”

“Thank you… really, thank you.”

Isabelle, moved to tears, was more grateful to Grid than ever. Thanks to Grid, she was saved from a hellish life. To her, Grid and Damian were the light after the goddess Rebecca.

Meanwhile, Froy was breathing a sigh of relief.

‘I was worried that His Lordship might receive divine punishment for trying to take materials from the spear…’

Fortunately, it seemed His Lordship wasn’t so reckless as to tamper with a divine weapon.

‘To not be tempted by such a magnificent item… His Lordship has truly grown. He is truly excellent.’

Froy, who had taken a ten-year penalty, gave Grid a thumbs up.

‘Why is he like that?’

Grid, puzzled, noticed the gazes of those watching him.