Chapter 119

After crossing the Suaz Mountains, Grid was able to arrive in Rolling. Rolling was a small village, but if he headed south for half a day, he would finally arrive at the Vatican.

“There are Rebecca statues everywhere.”

There were large and small Rebecca statues in every street, store or house. He could find one or two statues no matter what direction he turned his head. Well, the residents of Rolling seemed to serve Goddess Rebecca.

‘It is geographically located near the Vatican, so it makes sense that the Rebecca Church is the main religion of the village...’

Nyang~

He leaned back against a Rebecca statue and enjoyed the warm sun and the peaceful cats. The merchants and residents were going about their daily routine without moving fast. Grid also felt calm.

‘It’s a different place from Winston. It feels like a resort.’

A hum emerged. Grid walked around the village with a free heart.

‘Am I crazy?’

He needed to complete the quest as quickly as possible! Tourism was just a waste of time!

'I have been lazy lately.’

Grid was well aware of what happened when a person became lazy. He might become debt-ridden again if he wasn’t alert. Due to his past trauma, Grid became irritated and hasted his pace. He headed towards a smithy.

[The effect of mastering ‘Blacksmith’s Craftsmanship Skill’ is activated. Blacksmith NPCs whose craftsmanship skill is beyond the intermediate level will treat you in a friendly manner.]

[’Pagma's Successor’ class effect is activated. Blacksmith NPCs whose craftsmanship skill is at the advanced level will treat recognize you and worship you.]

Notification windows he hadn’t seen for a while popped up when he entered the smithy. He had been living in Winston for a while and only entered Khan’s smithy. Was Rolling’s blacksmith an intermediate or advanced blacksmith? Grid wanted to be admired. However...

"Welcome~"

The blacksmith approached Grid. Unfortunately, he was a young blacksmith and seemed to only be at a beginner level. He was unable to tell Grid apart from an ordinary customer.

“Is there anything you were looking for?”

Grid sighed with disappointment and replied. “I want to repair my items.”

“Yes, I will repair it for you.”

Grid doubted his ears.

“What? You will repair my items?”

A beginner blacksmith was going to repair the items of a legendary blacksmith!

Grid scoffed. “You are either brave or ignorant... You don’t even know who I am...”

“Huh?”

“Hey hey. Cut it out. I’m a blacksmith, so I will fix my own items. Can I borrow your furnace? I will pay a fee.”

Rolling’s blacksmith, Rector, cautioned Grid. “Are you really a blacksmith?”

Grid was armed with steel gauntlets, black iron boots and heavy armor. What type of blacksmith would go around wearing this? Grid seemed like a warrior at first glance, so it was hard to see him as a blacksmith.

Grid clicked his tongue. "Do you doubt that I am a blacksmith? What a poor guy... You can’t even tell who a great blacksmith is.”

“W-What?”

Rector was a young man who was only 20 years old. He was young, but he could understand that Grid was talking badly about him. Rector’s face reddened with shame. Grid felt sorry for him and cleared his throat several times. Then he carefully said.

"But who can tell the future? Even if your eyes are rotten right now, they can be trained... Watch me. This is a rare chance. You should thank Goddess Rebecca for being able to meet me and see how I work.”

“...?”

Grid no longer sought permission from Rector. He approached the furnace and started to light it.

“Hey! You will be burned if you do that... Heok?”

Rector’s eyes widened. It was because Grid quickly raised the temperature of the blast furnace.

‘Handling the fire so freely? How is that possible?’

Even his father, an intermediate blacksmith who died two years ago, couldn’t handle the fire as easily as Grid. Grid seemed like the embodiment of fire. As Rector was feeling admiration, Grid pulled out a hammer and anvil from his inventory. Then he started to repair his items one by one.

[The durability of the Ideal Dagger has been maximized.]

[This is an item you created. Your understanding is 100%.]

[The durability of the Best Gauntlets has been maximized.]

[This is an item you created. Your understanding is 100%.]

[In the case of items made by you, a penalty will be applied if you don’t meet the item usage requirements, even if you have full understanding.]

[The durability of Khan's Masterpiece has been maximized.]

[Your understanding of Khan's Masterpiece is at 100%. You have learned the production method and can use it without any penalties.]

[The durability of Dainsleif (Reproduction) has been maximized.]

[Your understanding of Dainsleif (Reproduction) has increased from 3% to 31%.]

[The durability of the Frostlight Orc Chief’s Helmet has been maximized.]

[Your understanding of the Frostlight Orc Chief’s Helmet has increased from 7% to 85%.]

[The durability of Braham’s Boots has been maximized.]

[Your understanding of Braham’s Boots has increased from 3% to 6%.]

Understanding an item was a concept that only existed for Pagma's Successor.

Pagma's Successor was able to increase their understanding of an item by using the item, appraising it, repairing and disassembling it. They were then able to freely use items with 100% understanding. It was even possible to learn the production method.

If Dainsleif’s understanding was at 100%, Grid would be able to produce Dainsleif. However, the higher the rating and usage conditions of the item, the slower the comprehension. Therefore, it was still unclear when he would be able to learn how to make it.

‘But the Orc Frostlight Chief’s Helmet has a high understanding. Hmm, should I try for 100% understanding?’

Kaaang!

Grid placed the perfectly repaired Frostlight Orc Chief’s Helmet on the anvil and started hammering again.

'He’s crazy.’

Rector was amazed and surprised while watching Grid repair the items. Grid suddenly hitting the perfectly fine skull helmet seemed like a crazy person. And...

Kaaang! Kaaang!

Thanks to Grid’s unstoppable hammering, the Frostlight Orc Chief’s Helmet was instantly shattered.

'Why is he destroying a perfectly good helmet like this? He’s too violent.'

Rector misunderstood. He thought that Grid was destroying the helmet, but he was actually using the Legendary Blacksmith’s Disassembly skill to break down and reassemble it.

"Putting the wires in the seams like this... It’s sloppy. I'm going to need to supplement this part.”

Grid perfectly grasped the structure of the helmet and started to assemble it again. It wasn’t a simple assembly. Grid complemented the disadvantages of the helmet during the assembly process. It didn’t take long for the Frostlight Orc Chief’s Helmet to be restored to its original shape.

[Your understanding of the Frostlight Orc Chief’s Helmet has increased to 100%.]

[From now on, you can use the Frostlight Orc Chief’s Helmet without any penalties.]

[The production method of the Frostlight Orc Chief’s Helmet has been acquired.]

"Okay."

Grid equipped the Frostlight Orc Chief’s Helmet with a pleased face.

[Due to your class characteristics, you have equipped the Frostlight Orc Chief’s Helmet.]

[You don’t meet the conditions to use the item. However, your understanding is 100%, so no penalties will be applied.]

[Frostlight Orc Chief’s Helmet]

Rating: Unique (Set)

Durability: 290/290 Defense: 190

* The chance of suffering a critical blow is reduced by 25%.

* Health will increase by 15%.

* Has a certain chance to cast fear at the target.

* Frostlight Orc Chief’s set effect:

-3 set items equipped: Strength +50, stamina +80.

-5 set items equipped: Strength +100, stamina +200, can transform into the frostlight orc chief.

*Frostlight Orc Chief’s transformation:

-It is possible to command the frostlight orcs.

-The skill ‘Rotation Cut’ will be generated.

The frostlight orc chief can be described as the ruler of the northern snowfields. This helmet, which he loved, was made from the skull of a snowy ogre and has a terrible appearance. In particular, the horn on the left has a very threatening appearance. Just wearing this helmet can cause fear.

Originally there was a sense of crudeness, but a craftsman with great talent and potential had reassembled it, complementing the weaknesses and enhancing the function.

Conditions of Use: Level 150 or more. More than 400 strength.

Weight: 800

“Kuk... Truly great.”

Grid was impressed as he verified the improved performance of the helmet. Then he turned his attention to Rector while wearing the helmet.

"How about it? Don’t you think this helmet is somewhat cool?”

“H-Hik...”

Rector paled. It was because the bizarre skull helmet felt so terrible.

Grid saw his expression and sighed. "It seems to be my mistake... Damn, I need to replace this helmet quickly.”

Grid grumbled as he approached Rector and handed over 10 silver.

“Did you watch me well? You should start practicing from now on, while trying to recall how I used the bellows and my hammering. Perhaps we’ll see each other again. Your skills might be low now, but you might become an intermediate blacksmith after 10 years of practice.”

Grid was joking. He never imagined that Rector would take his joke seriously as he left the smithy.

After a while. Rector jumped up. Then he locked the door of the smith and listened to Grid’s advice(?), practicing his handling of the bellows and hammering.

And later. Rector, who was inherently gifted, became an advanced blacksmith who represented this area. He would often tell his disciples the story of how he met Grid. But Grid didn’t know this.

***

The village center.

Grid was amazed as he stood in front of the Rebecca Temple.

'Gold?’

The temple here was small compared to other temples in the area. It was a single story building that was less than 100 pyeongs (1 pyeong=3.3058m). But the outer walls were painted in gold and shining brilliantly.

"Is there any way to get this...?”

Grid looked around at the other people before scratching the gold with his nails. But no matter how hard he scratched, not one speck of gold dust fell off.

“How rotten and dirty.”

Grid didn’t give up. He didn’t want to miss an opportunity to get free gold. His appearance and scratching at the gold revealed that he was obvious a first time visitor to Rolling. A middle-aged priest found him and gave a meaningful smile.

'It has been a long time since I’ve seen a sucker.’

The priest’s ID was Dong Pao. He was a Chinese user. He followed the rigid laws of the Rebecca Church such as forbidding love, forced silence and fasting, and managed to raise his level to 160.

He grinned and approached Grid. "Brother, is this your first visit to Rolling?”

“...!”

Grid flinched from where he was squatting in a corner and scratching at the gold. ‘I’m not a thief, hahaha!’ He laughed loudly while trembling.

“Ah~! Yes! It is my first time here! Oh, this temple is so beautiful! It reminds me of the beautiful Goddess Rebecca! Hahahahat! Yes?”

The person who suddenly greeted him was wearing the clothes of the Rebecca Church. Grid was so worried about being called a thief that he hadn’t noticed until now. The priest in front of him was a user, not an NPC.

‘It is the first time I’ve seen a priest user.’

Grid had heard rumors about how difficult it was to become a Rebecca priest. In fact, all Rebecca priests that Grid had met since playing Satisfy were NPCs. So it was surprising that middle-aged priest in front of him was a user, not an NPC.

‘His ID is Dong Pao... Chinese...’

The ID was somewhat appetizing. Grid pledged to visit a Chinese restaurant today with his family and eat Dongpo pork.

“Are you a monk in reality? How did you manage to clear the Rebecca Church’s class change quest?”

Dong Pao laughed heartily.

"In reality, I’m just an ordinary person. However, in Satisfy, I succeeded in suppressing all desires while thinking that I only want to serve Goddess Rebecca... Then I was able to become a priest of sacred light.”

“Wow... I don’t know about anything else, but staying silent seems pretty hard. Well, I can’t date anyway... No, I don’t want a relationship, but it will be hard to withstand the silence and fasting... Weren’t you supposed to stay silent for 20 days? How did you manage it? And even if you succeed in the priest class change quest, don’t you have to perform quests often if you want to keep the position? It’s great that you could endure all of that.”

The original Grid was indifferent to other people’s matters. But this was his first experience meeting a priest user, so he was naturally interested. When he was in a bad situation, he became sick when he saw others doing well. Now he had paid off his debt and was running along a part of success, so he could praise others.

Dong Pao smiled at him.

“It was difficult to remain silent. But when I prayed to Goddess Rebecca, the time passed quickly. The act of praying itself raises the divine power stat, so if you think about it positively, it is good to be disciplined. But what brings you to Rolling? There’s no special hunting ground or sightseeing spots besides the Vatican, so most people who visit here have business in the Vatican...”

“I’m on the way to the Vatican. I need to meet the pope for a quest.”

“Hah... His Holiness?”

Dong Pao’s eyes shone sharply at the words.

‘Someone who isn’t part of the Rebecca Church is on a quest to meet the pope? Even I have only seen the pope from afar. It seems like he is on a S-grade or higher quest.’

Dong Pao observed Grid’s equipment closely.

‘The armor and gauntlets are ordinary... That cloak is garbage... The only accessory is a ring that looks simple... But the boots are tremendously expensive. Yes, he must be a high level.’

Rolling was far from the centre of the continent. It was difficult to come here without being a high level because the roads were difficult and full of monsters. Dong Pao was pleased at the thought of Grid being a high level user.

‘He will have a high value.’

Dong Pao’s eyes curved into a half moon as he suggested to Grid, “I am also on my way to the Vatican. Do you want to accompany me?”

If a healer accompanied him, how much money would he save on potions? Others had to pay money to party with a healer, but he could party with one for free? Grid readily accepted this.

“Of course I would like that.”

Thus, the two people formed a party. Grid was surprised when he saw Dong Pao’s level in the party window.

“Level 160? I know that priest is a difficult class to level up, so isn’t this level very high?”

“There are many quests to be done, so there’s no time to raise my level. However, due to the nature of the class, it’s easy to find a party. I hunted with a high level party and quickly raised my level. But Mister Grid... You’re level 147? That is surprisingly low.”

"Haha, I don’t have much time to raise my level. I’ve only been able to raise it lately.”

“Ah, yes...”

Dong Pao made an uncomfortable expression.

‘He crossed the Suaz Mountains alone at this level? Did he avoid the ogres and gargoyles? He has good luck... Damm, I thought he would be at least level 160...’

Dong Pao used his status as a priest to lure high-level travellers to a certain place that couldn’t be logged out of. He made money by intimidating, killing or ransoming travellers.

‘Level 147...’

It was obvious, but the higher the level of prey, the higher the ransom value. Level 147 was ambiguous. It was higher than the average level, but it wasn’t that high compared to the rankers.

'If he’s level 147, he can recover the experience lost through dying by hunting... He won’t pay a large amount of money for his life... Tsk, this is annoying. I’ll have to make money by killing him and selling the boots.’

Thus, the two of them went on a short journey to the Vatican. There was a group watching them from the entrance of the village.

"Dong Pao has started the game.”

“Okay. We can follow slowly and eat up the profit.”

They were three people. They were assassin users who joined hands with Dong Pao. The fifth ranked assassin Shay, the 11th ranked Kerb, and the 13th ranked Sniffer. The three of them had managed to assassinate a user who was 51st on the unified rankings, so there was no doubting their skill.

Grid was the target of some bigwigs. But Grid didn’t know this and was just excited at the thought of partying with a priest.