Chapter 89

Volume 14 - Chapter 15

[We have defeated Fluton, the 19th Red Knight, who has been massacring minorities under the flag of the Saharan Empire.]

[If this news spreads to the empire, a warrant for your arrest will be issued by the empire.]

[You have gained 43,908,500 experience points.]

[You have gained 81 gold.]

[You have obtained <Red Armor>.]

[You have obtained <Skill Book: Aura Festival>.]

<Red Armor>

Rank: Unique

...

...

Usage Conditions: Level 300 or higher. Advanced Heavy Armor Mastery Level 5 or higher.

<Skill Book: Aura Festival>

Rank: Unique

Launches aura to cause a wide-range explosion. The range and power increase as the skill level rises.

Acquisition Conditions: Must be a class that can use aura.

The Red Armor boasts high durability and defense but is too heavy and has mediocre options, making it insufficient for the members of the Temppal team.

'But it will sell for a pretty penny.'

While the Temppal team members, who receive items directly crafted by Grid, might find the Red Armor lacking, the situation is different for regular players.

For regular players, the Red Armor is no less than an S-grade item. The reality is that there are no better armors available.

'However, it would be better to sell it after modifying it.'

If the modification is successful, the value of the item could skyrocket. It might even be sufficient for the Temppal team members to use.

'Skill book...'

It's a jackpot.

Aura Festival.

There's a reason it's threatening.

'A unique skill...'

Once learned, a skill can be used permanently.

The value of a unique skill book is similar to or even greater than that of a legendary item.

'I can sell this to Fon or Evelyn.'

It's been a long time since I've made a big profit.

After pouring all my assets into building a skyscraper, I've been living like a pauper for a while, but now I can regain some comfort.

'I should order a pizza to celebrate.'

I plan to order a cheese crust pizza, which costs an additional 3,000 won. I'll also add Parmesan cheese, which costs 700 won per serving, and hot sauce.

"Kukuk."

Grid, trembling with joy.

His appearance, wearing a bizarre mask and covered in blood, sent shivers down the viewers' spines.

'Wait.'

Grid, who had stopped laughing, turned his gaze toward the camera.

'There must be quite a few people watching.'

OGC, as the first dedicated gaming broadcasting station, has a certain level of recognition.

Grid estimated that at least 100,000 people were currently watching the broadcast.

'An unexpected appearance on the broadcast.'

Since this is the case, I'll thoroughly take advantage of it.

Grid, reaffirming his resolve, began promoting the guild.

"The Temppal team is recruiting guild members for auxiliary professions such as janitors, cooks, tailors, jewelers, alchemists, and blacksmiths. For more information, please consult with Laowel."

Except for Grid and Yufemina, the Temppal team members are all specialized in combat. The Silver Knights guild, which will soon be merged, also has a much higher ratio of combat professions.

To develop the territory, it is necessary to hire a large number of auxiliary profession members.

'Maybe about 100 people will inquire. Among them, there might be a few capable individuals.'

Grid, who was unaware, did not know that the current OGC channel's viewership exceeded 55%. The peak viewership at one point was nearly 63%.

It was a record that had not been seen in half a century.

Since the establishment of cable channels in 2011, it was the first time in South Korea that a single channel had monopolized such a high viewership.

A 15-second commercial during the broadcast sold for 30 billion won.

At the height of the broadcast, Grid was essentially doing a multi-billion won promotion for free.

The impact was enormous.

Tens of thousands of players immediately began writing guild membership consultation letters to Laowel.

Laowel, who was already busy as the acting lord, now found himself lacking even sleep.

Grid, inadvertently assigning Laowel a heavy workload, was now facing a new notification window.

[A Time Attack Quest <Evidence Elimination> has been created.]

<Evidence Elimination>

Difficulty: AAA

The fact that you have defeated the Black Knights and Red Knights will bring an unavoidable crisis to the Saharan Empire.

Eliminate the remaining enemy remnants and either exterminate or persuade the masterminds behind this incident.

Quest Completion Conditions: Eliminate the surviving Black Knights (0/4). Persuade or eliminate the masterminds, the Pascal family and the elders.

Quest Completion Reward: Suppress the spread of rumors about you in the Saharan Empire.

Quest Failure: A warrant for your arrest will be issued by the Saharan Empire.

Time Limit: 2 hours.

"Huroi."

"Yes."

Huroi, who had been recovering under the protection of Raphael's spear while Grid fought Fluton, received Grid's command.

"Eliminate the remaining Black Knights."

Huroi, understanding the meaning, answered with emotion.

"I will take care of it."

"Good."

Grid immediately left. His destination was the council chamber.

The Black Knights immediately surrounded Huroi, who was left alone.

They were smirking.

"Grid, that guy is a fool. He left you alone and went away."

"We'll kill you and report Grid to the empire!"

"Do not speak the name of our lord so casually with your filthy mouth."

"You're putting on airs, a man about to die!"

The Black Knights looked down on Huroi.

They had seen his poor performance in the previous battle.

Grid had even said that Huroi was weak.

In contrast, the Black Knights were skilled members of the continent's second knight corps.

A 4-on-1 battle. It was clearly advantageous for the Black Knights.

"Die!"

The Black Knights launched a coordinated attack.

Their momentum was fierce, but Huroi did not flinch.

Huroi, wielding a one-handed sword that was a miniaturized version of Dainsleif, defended against the Black Knights' attacks.

"Pretty good, but..."

"You are not our match!"

The Black Knights, further intensifying their momentum, hesitated as they prepared to attack again.

A massive shadow loomed over them from above.

Kuuuuu!!

A red wyvern roared.

The owner of a wyvern, of which there are fewer than 100 out of 2 billion players.

That was Huroi's true identity.

"I am indeed weak, but that is only in comparison to my lord."

"Wh-what...!"

Kuuuuuu!!

Flames poured down.

Huroi, the partner of the righteous messenger, began to rampage, slicing through the Black Knights one by one.

_Holy...

A silver-tongued orator slaughtering Black Knights?

Huroi's appearance delivered a new shock to the viewers.

***

One hour before the start of the papal candidate speech event.

Fon and Regas, who had been out of contact for over a month, finally returned to Reidan.

Did they succeed in the dungeon raid?

No. They failed.

The strongest duo of the Temppal team died without even reaching the boss.

The city of vampires was home to countless powerful vampires.

"Initially, it wasn't designed for a two-person raid. A party of at least 10 third-class users is required. To clear it within four days, a party of 20 or more might be necessary."

"The vampires' evasion skill nullifies all attacks except for holy attribute attacks. To hunt them more efficiently, you must prepare holy attribute skills or weapons."

"Before dying, we tried to reach the boss and gather information, but it was beyond our capabilities."

"Our preparation was insufficient. Potions, food, and weapon durability were all lacking, making further progress impossible."

And so on.

Fon and Regas shared all the information about the city of vampires with the guild members.

Laowel summarized the information.

'There are at least 13 cities of vampires in the western part of the Eternia Kingdom.'

The cities are classified as dungeons, and the entrance is sealed 10 seconds after the first entrant uses it.

The exit is not generated until the vampire boss is defeated.

The only ways to escape are to defeat the boss or die.

'For the 13th city, the level of the vampires ranges from 280 to 350. They are sensitive to the smell of blood and light and have excellent perception skills. Their main skills are dark attribute magic, bloodsucking, and evasion. Some use martial arts or sword skills as their main skills. The items they drop include various gems and cloth armor.'

The <True Vampires>, classified as sub-boss monsters, drop magic books and elixirs with extremely low probability.

'Elixirs... Incredible.'

Elixirs are magical potions that permanently increase stats. Their value is astronomical.

If the city of vampires is operated as a guild-exclusive dungeon, it will be a significant growth platform.

'Information about the boss monster is still unknown.'

Scribble, scribble.

Laowel's hand moved quickly as he wrote the report to submit to Grid.

Focused, he heard a knock and said,

"Come in."

"It's been a while."

Laowel is a baron of the Eternia Kingdom and the acting lord of Reidan.

In his noble office, only the members of the Temppal team and one other person did not bow upon entering.

The notorious rude Minor.

About three months ago.

The young mineral detector, who had been sent by Grid to search for phobranium, had returned safely.

"I was really struggling. I thought I was going to die."

Minor's impolite action of sitting on the sofa without permission did not bother Laowel.

Laowel evaluated people based on their abilities rather than their personalities.

That's why he decided to follow Grid.

"I'm glad you returned safely."

Minor shrugged at Laowel's welcoming smile.

"I'm not happy at all."

"Ha ha ha! You're still the same. So, did you find the Golem's Labyrinth?"

"No. There is no Golem's Labyrinth in the western region."

Laowel's face hardened.

"No phobranium...? Grid, Duke, will be very disappointed."

"Who said there's no phobranium? I said there's no Golem's Labyrinth."

"What do you mean?"

Laowel, puzzled, received a map from Minor.

"I felt the presence of phobranium from the dungeons marked on this map."

It was a map of the western region.

There were 15 X marks, and one of them coincided with the location of the city of vampires.

'Could it be?'

Excited, Laowel asked,

"By any chance, did the dungeon entrance have the form of an ant hell?"

"Eh? How did you know?"

As expected.

The places marked on the map by Minor were none other than the cities of vampires.

"Kukuk..."

Laowel, covering more than half of his small face with one hand, laughed, his shoulders shaking. Revealing his white teeth, he muttered,

"My, my. To discover the city of vampires and the sealed location of phobranium at the same time... The goddess of luck, whom I loved in my past life, has not forgotten me and is giving me great help. To repay her, I must soon recover my past life's memories and find her. I must kiss her blushing cheek."

'Crazy guy.'

Even to the young Minor, the people around Grid seemed abnormal.

It's natural, considering Grid himself is not normal.

'This is not a place for me. A genius like me should be the right-hand man of the emperor.'

He dreams of the supreme position.

"Huhuhu..."

"Kukuk..."

The laughter of Laowel and Minor, each lost in their own thoughts, echoed throughout the room.

"Hmm."

Jude, who came to the office to report to Laowel, felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity from them.