Overgeared (WN KR)

[The anger of the evil god who lost his name has suppressed you. All stats are greatly reduced.]

[The sadness of the evil god who lost his name makes you hesitate. You have fallen into the ‘confusion’ and ‘loss’ abnormal status.]

[The madness of the evil god who abandoned his name is attacking you. All resources, including health and mana, won’t be restored.]

[The curse of the evil god blocks your vision and forbids the use of skills and magic.]

“You might’ve already noticed, but we need to break the chains that bind you. If you break the chains and turn the upside down statues upright, the energy of the evil gods will be weakened.”

His vision was blocked. Trapped in a world of nothing but darkness, Skunk couldn’t discern the situation at the scene. He was reduced to a situation where he could only wait for his impending death. It was fine. He had observed his surroundings as much as possible when he first entered the space. He could give advice to Grid, who, unlike him, would have resisted the status abnormalities.

“Of course, breaking the chains won’t be easy. If you don’t think so, remember the number three. The shape of the statues, the patterns engraved on the statues, and the ornaments worn by the statues… no, even the moss clinging to the walls or the pebbles on the ground are good. Unconditionally find and destroy what makes up this number three. If you don’t find these three things, you have to reverse it. Make it as symmetrical as possible...”

Then he heard a deafening explosion and the ground started to sink. It seemed that the evil gods, who manifested through the statues, and Grid had entered into battle.

“Kuek...” The place for him to step had disappeared. Skunk floundered and started to fall into the endless underground, but he managed to squeeze out his last words.

“Don’t mind me!!”

It was a cry for Grid’s victory. It contained a desire for Grid to concentrate on the battle and not waste an opportunity while saving him. It was because Grid’s victory was millions of times more valuable than his own life.

‘He is the one who must reach heaven.’

Now everyone in the world knew it.

The conquest of Asgard—‘the end of the gods,’ which people had reluctantly guessed would be the ending of Satisfy just a few years ago, was actually likely to be the beginning, not the end. There was even a 99.9% chance. Why? The heavenly gods had to disappear in order for people to use Satisfy for their own purposes and wishes.

Yes, they were useless disruptors. They were just a danger lurking in the sky. Grid was needed to eliminate that risk. Grid had to continue becoming stronger and stronger. Skunk couldn’t hold him back in the name of being a colleague...

“Why are you acting so tragic?”

“Ah...”

A vertical drop with his head pointed downward—Skunk gritted his teeth and sighed as he prepared for the impending shock. Then Grid’s hard arms supported his back.

“Why bother to take care of someone who will be resurrected even after death?” Skunk escaped from death and said somewhat nervously. He wasn’t mad at Grid. He was angry at himself for creating a situation where he forced Grid.

“If I can save someone, then I should save them. Why should I let someone die when they shouldn’t die and I’m not a psychopath?” Grid opened his eyes wide and stuck out his tongue.

Skunk saw it. His vision had suddenly recovered.

“Uh...?” Skunk looked puzzled as he was led by Grid and landed on the ground. The evil gods that should be rampaging were somehow quiet.

Grid pointed to the open ceiling. “It is already over.”

“......!”

Skunk raised his head and his mouth dropped open. He witnessed that the statues of the gods were standing upright when they had been upside down a moment ago. The chains that bound and twisted the statues were broken. Grid swung the Falling Moon Sword in his hand.

“Cutting the chains is like chewing gum.”

In fact, he had hesitated for 0.001 seconds. The evil gods who appeared from the statues all looked as strong as Fenrir. It meant they were perfect to use as a sandbag for Designate Skill. However, what could he do when it seemed like his colleague was going to die right away? The Designate Skill game could be played at any time as long as there was Fenrir. Therefore, this could be postponed to the next time. Skunk’s life was too precious.

Grid wanted to protect Skunk’s precious experience since he struggled to grow because of a non-combat profession. In the first place, Skunk should be protected. He needed Skunk’s knowledge and information to overcome the danger as easily as he did before. That was why they moved together.

“I can see why you are so popular.”

“Looking at me up close, I’m pretty handsome, right?”

“That isn’t it... Ah, no, I don’t mean that you’re ugly...”

“I didn’t misunderstand you. Jishuka told me this. The closer she looks at me, the more handsome I look. That’s why she keeps wanting to kiss me or something. There are even rumors that Hollywood is flooded with screenplays written with me in mind as the main character, so the words are right.”

“......”

Skunk looked at Grid in the distance and smiled. Ever since becoming a god, Grid had always shown maturity in front of people. He didn’t leave even a trace of his old personality behind and lived up to what the public wanted. He dared to think that Grid was pitiful. He was worried that Grid would be weighed down by heavy responsibility and lose himself someday.

However, he didn’t see it now. Grid was still Grid. He just became a person who knew how to choose the time and place.

“Are you less nervous now?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s go back up.”

Grid flew up with Skunk and quickly stood on the cliff again. The statues of the gods, sleeping peacefully in the space between the cliffs, seemed to be thanking him. They left the space behind and moved toward a new labyrinth.

“Maybe there are other spaces like this one in the labyrinth that the other squads are facing. Unfortunately, there will be many dropouts,” Skunk spoke with a dark expression.

Meanwhile, Grid was unconcerned. Unlike Skunk, who belatedly joined the Overgeared Guild, he had been with his colleagues for over 10 years. They were all his colleagues, except for Yura and Kraugel, who didn’t participate in this expedition.

Jishuka, Faker, Regas, Peak Sword, Pon, Vantner, Toban, Laella, Zednos, Euphemina, Coke, Ibellin, Chris, Zibal, etcetera—Grid smiled as he recalled the faces of his colleagues and thought of Vantner’s particularly shiny bald head. Then he declared, “There might be some casualties, but there will be no dropouts.”

The evil gods—they were just remnants of the human gods who had been robbed of their myths and lost their names due to the Specter of the No Offspring Tomb. Nevertheless, a god was a god.

“Everyone must be delighted that it is an opportunity to obtain divinity. They will fight the opponents tenaciously to the point of fear. Even if they die, they will try and try again.”

It was an absolute belief. Grid didn’t doubt the Overgeared members. He knew there were people who said they weren’t good compared to him, but that was only an evaluation when compared to him. It was also hard for someone stronger than him to exist. Even the aloof Absolutes and dragons were amazed by the speed of his growth. How could his colleagues handle it?

In Grid’s eyes, the growth rate of his colleagues was fast enough. Their years of tireless effort to match his steps weren’t overlooked.

“In any case, this is what I want to say.”

Grid paused for a moment and stared directly into Skunk’s eyes.

“Don’t worry about anyone else and just care about yourself. I will worry about it.”

“......”

It was an air like he wanted to take on all the worries of the world alone. After seeing Grid saying nonsense casually, Skunk vowed to be even a bit more helpful to Grid. He was following in the same steps as the other Overgeared members. The more responsibilities that Grid took on, the more people tried to share his responsibilities.

Public esteem—this was Grid’s greatest strength and was comparable to the power of his items.

***

“Why does something like this pop up out of nowhere?”

“This… first of all, we need to find a picture of a worm-eaten fruit. Stick the key we just obtained into the left eye of a bird perched on the branch where the fruit is grown...”

A huge mosaic—a huge work of art filled the wall that was composed of pieces of multicolored stone, colored glass, tiles, and seashells. It was a barrier blocking the way ahead. It appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the labyrinth and dazzled people with its magnificent beauty. It was also impossible to destroy it with physical force or magic. It was a ‘quest device’ that couldn’t be cut even by the Falling Moon Sword.

‘If I had come here alone, I would’ve been blocked here.’

The mosaic was too big. It would’ve been easier to search the painting if he could see it all with one glance, but the labyrinth was so narrow and winding that he couldn’t get a proper viewing angle. Skunk spoke as Grid maintained his flying status and examined the picture, “I’m sure the other squads will face something like this. Still, don’t worry. My colleagues will be able to solve problems like this.”

A few years ago, Skunks’ entire expedition group joined the Overgeared Guild. The adventurers who had been working with Skunk for a long time were now deployed with each squad.

“It is reliable.”

The more they worked together, the more trust they accumulated. The two people put aside their worries and focused on observing the mosaic. Skunk made full use of his Explorer’s Eye, while Grid relied on his high insight. They found the picture at around the same time.

On a branch with a worm-eaten fruit, four birds of various colors were sitting side by side. Two were looking straight ahead and two were turning their heads to the right. All four had their left eye exposed, so it was worrying.

“Which bird’s eye should I put the key in?”

“Um...” Skunk closely examined the four birds. All four had grooves in their left eye. It was as if to tempt them to insert the key they had just secured.

‘Red, green, blue, yellow, magenta... three primary colors... I don’t think this is the end?’

Skunk searched through his knowledge and information for a long time before soon coming to a conclusion. He raised his chin to the fullest and looked at the tip of the mosaic. A sky stretching out tens of meters above the heads of the four birds filled his vision. A white bird was spreading its wings wide. It overlapped with the bright blue sky and was so hazy that it was difficult to find unless one looked closely.

“It is that bird. That bird’s left eye. However, it isn’t a bird resting on a branch, but a bird floating high in the sky. The form of this barrier is structured to summon something from another place.”

“Are you saying it is a trap?”

“It is a trap that can’t be avoided. We have to activate the trap to open the door and move forward.”

This was why expeditions also needed combat power. There were too many types of adventures in the world and many of them involved risks like just now. Grid nodded and took off. He easily inserted the key into the left eye of the white bird that would’ve barely been reached by climbing if it was Skunk.

At the same time, the picture of the mosaic started to change. The mosaic tiles split apart, stacked, and connected over and over. It turned trees into the ground, the ground became buildings, and the sky moved away, turning into a completely new work.

“...The Vatican?”

The painting on the mosaic was originally a forest, but now it contained a familiar landscape. It was a towering white building at the end of a forest path. It was a building decorated with symbols of light. It looked quite different from the modern Vatican, but he could see with a glance that it was the Rebecca Church’s Vatican.

“It seems to be the Vatican of the past...”

Clink, clink!

As Grid and Skunk watched, some tiles were still moving. It repeatedly split apart and reconnected. As a result, the main gate of the Vatican, which rose as high as the entrance to the palace, slowly opened. It was like watching an animation.

“Uh...?” The eyes of Grid and Skunk widened. It was because they found a group of people walking out of the wide open gates of the Vatican. There was one man and three women. The man was armed with the Holy Light Armour and the three women were armed with the Rebecca Church’s three divine artifacts. It was a picture that depicted the Pope and Rebecca’s Daughters of the past.

They moved closer every time the tiles moved and quickly got closer to Grid. Grid noticed their identity.

“Chreshler...!”

It was a face he had never seen before, but it was easy to deduce. It was because the Mountain King had informed him that Chreshler’s body was buried in the No Offspring Tomb. It happened when Chreshler’s painting was finally enlarged to the size of a person...

The mosaic collapsed.

The transcendent who sealed Marie Rose—the strongest Pope in history strode out of the painting. The holy sword of light in his palm struck Grid. However, there was something that flew faster than the holy sword.

It was a pure white coffin. A charming woman had crossed her legs and sat on top of the coffin that flew over and crushed Chreshler.

“Marie Rose...?”

Why was she coming out here?

Grid was feeling flustered when someone’s screams pierced his ears.

-This is crazy! This is my body... Ahh! It is good!! All I need is Marie Rose’s butt!!

“......”