Chapter 338

“Pant... Pant...”

He reached his physical limits. Nevertheless, he was able to hold on for only one reason. It was to hold up the enemies until Marquis Steim received the news of the invasion. Laden struggled to buy some time.

But now it was over. The moment he witnessed the 5,000 troops, unbearable despair suppressed Laden’s tired mind and body.

"Bow to the prince!”

Chucksley easily overpowered Laden and forced him to kneel.

“K-Kuack...!”

Laden didn’t want to bow his head. The royal family of Eternal? Future king? No matter what, it was still his lord’s enemy.

“Damn bastard!”

Chucksley pushed down Laden’s head. Due to the pressure on his neck, Laden’s gaze was finally directed towards the ground. The satisfied Chucksley bowed to the prince.

“I greet the prince!”

"You suffered on the way here.”

Prince Ren talked to Chucksley before turning his gaze to Laden.

“You defeated Beida? You have great skills for your young age. I heard that the northern powerhouse is Phoenix, but that seems to be a story of the past.”

"...”

Laden didn’t answer. It was enough to incite the wrath of the royal retainers, including Chucksley.

“You! You should appreciate the prince’s generosity!”

"Shut your mouth, it isn’t an honor!”

"Calm down.”

Ren stared at the northern army. They looked frightened. They were accused of opposing the royal family, so only fools wouldn’t realize they would die. Ren smiled benevolently towards them.

“You are also people of the Eternal Kingdom and it is right to follow me, successor of the royal family. If you repent and surrender, I will forgive and accept your sin.”

In the end, they were people from the same nation. The prince’s attitude weakened the hearts of the northern troops. They started looking at each other the moment they saw a hole to survive.

At this point, Laden shouted, “The one who protected us was Marquis Steim, not the king! It is only thanks to the marquis that our northern people can exist, and we have pledged allegiance to him! So I can’t accept your suggestion!”

The north was formerly a land of war. The area was filled with the most monsters and barbarians, causing the royal family to give up on it. Thanks to that, the northern people were always threatened and felt despair.

The person who led them was Marquis Steim. He wasn’t frustrated, despite the royal family cutting off their support. He had excellent leadership and united the northern people to protect and stabilize his territory.

Marquis Steim was a hero and savior for the northern people. The northern troops recalled this thanks to Laden’s cry and firmed up their hearts. Rather than surrendering, they held their weapons and took an attitude of resistance to the end.

“Everybody is so excited to die.”

Ren’s expression distorted. It was unpleasant to miss the opportunity to obtain 1,000 soldiers. He revealed his true nature as he gave an order to Chucksley.

"Kill those useless dogs.”

“Yes!”

Chucksley answered and pointed his sword at Laden’s neck. Laden didn’t feel any regret. It was better to die than to beg for life and betray his master.

‘Duke Grid, please guard my lord.’

Kingdom's Hero. His strength would be able to overcome this ordeal. Laden didn’t doubt it and closed his eyes.

Jeeeong!

A golden hand glowed under the desert sun. It flashed through the 5,000 troops and protected Laden.

‘What is this?’

Chucksley’s eyes widened. It was absurd. A golden hand was flying alone and swinging a sword without a master? It wasn’t very threatening, but he had to admit that it was fast. He couldn’t understand it.

“What type of person?”

Chucksley shouted as he blocked the golden hand. The answer came from the sky.

“The duke.”

“...!”

It was a calm and relaxing voice. It was the middle of a battlefield. Chucksley, Prince Ren, the 5,000 royal troops, Laden, and the northern army stared up at the sky. There was a man with black hair. The man had a small crown on his head. He wore harmonious red armor and black boots as he looked down at the battlefield.

"Beggars move around in groups. Foolish.”

The man spoke with arrogance on his face. That person was Grid. A person who rose from a commoner to a duke! His sudden appearance reversed the atmosphere of the battlefield.

“Grid...!”

“Duke Grid!!”

The 5,000 royal troops shrank back because of a single man, while the northern army were delighted. It was a presence beyond common sense.

***

Fast Boots boasted a wonderful movement speed. Stamina and endurance suffered from a rapid decline, but movement speed increased by up to three times in all terrains.

Bunny Bunny ran through the desert and was able to catch up to Prince Ren.

‘I’m not too late!’

Bunny Bunny felt relieved and switched his view to camera mode.

Peeng!

“What...?”

Something moved swiftly over his head. At first, he thought it was a huge bird. But then he zoomed in and saw that it was Grid.

"It’s natural!”

Bunny Bunny thought Grid appeared in a dramatic moment to save the northern troops. Grid had done it countless times in the National Competition and the Reinhardt golem invasion. He was a hero who made the crowd cheer by appearing at the perfect timing.

‘Why did I only realize this now?’

Unlike other celebrities in Satisfy, Grid had a lot of anti-fans. This was because he relied on items rather than skills. It was the same with Bunny Bunny. Bunny Bunny didn’t like Grid. He judged that it was difficult to raise the public’s enthusiasm for Grid as the protagonist. In other words, it wasn’t easy.

He always watching Grid through sunglasses, but it was different now. Now he belatedly realized. In the first place, items weren’t a factor that could be underestimated. Didn’t Bunny Bunny arrive here quickly because of the Fast Boots? Items were an indispensable element in the game. It meant he wasn’t looking at Grid through sunglasses.

Bunny Bunny discarded his useless egotism and focused on Grid.

“Grid! Show me the performance of a hero!”

His video would make people cheer all over the world.

***

[Great Lord’s Sword]

It was a rare sword only given to the greatest lords and it made it possible to closely observe the target. Normally this target was only limited to one person. It was difficult to observe several people at the same time.

However, Grid had a high level of insight. His insight further amplified the power of the Character Observation skill attached to the Great Lord's Sword. Thanks to that, Grid could simultaneously observe the information of the people on the battlefield.

Instead, the information was very brief.

Name: Chucksley Rokan.

Level: 313

Name: Ferrell Shaiva du Bon.

Level: 305

Name: Andu

Level: 301

...

..

It included the knights of the royal army.

Name: Laden

Level: 258

...

..

The northern knights. In addition, there were the royal soldiers and the northern soldiers. Grid could identify their name and levels. It was impossible to check the details information including stats, skills and stories, but this alone was a big help.

‘The average level is 130... It is surprisingly high.’

The average level of the northern soldiers was 110, while the average level of the royal soldiers was 20 higher. Given that the Winston soldiers he saw a few months ago weren’t even level 100 yet, the level of the royal soldiers was well above the average. In other words, they were the elite of the kingdom.

‘But so what?’

It wasn’t as good as Reidan’s soldiers. The average level of Reidan’s soldiers was 148.

'Today they will reach 160!’

Ssik!

It was truly a wily smile. It was enough to make the royal army uneasy. Grid dismissed the Great Lord's Sword and swapped Braham’s Boots with Grid’s Boots.

[The magic Fly is no longer available. Fly is stopped.]

[You will fall.]

Kwaang!

Grid’s Boots boasted a heavy weight. Sand scattered as Grid fell onto the desert sand.

“D-Duke Grid!”

Laden was baffled. He discarded his favourable position in the sky and fell into the middle of the enemy? He couldn’t understand Grid’s judgment. Grid spoke harshly towards him.

“You are really weak.”

“...Huh?”

"I’ve known you since you started bluffing. You are a braggart who can’t fight properly.”

Grid judged Laden using three things.

Firstly, it was the first time they met. Laden said there was a rodent hiding in Irene’s bedroom. But the result? There wasn’t even a fly, let alone a rodent.

The second was his level. The level of the royal knights was at least 300, while Laden was only level 258. It meant that while everyone was hunting hard, Laden was playing alone.

The third thing was results. The royal knights and soldiers were fine, while Laden and the northern army were dying. No matter how great the number, this one-sided result proved that he was powerless.

“Tsk tsk... I don’t understand why Father-in-law appreciates you so much.”

“Ugh...”

Laden’s heart was stabbed as he heard the words.

‘The duke’s words are true. I am too weak and useless.’

Laden fell into shame. He felt guilty to his lord. Meanwhile, the royal army was astonished.

‘He got rid of Beida and the Iron Wind.'

‘He is strong enough to defend against Chucksley’s sword many times.’

‘Yet he is weak?’

Grid’s measure of strength seemed to be much different from theirs. Indeed, it was natural. Grid was the kingdom’s hero. He already showed overwhelming strength in the golem invasion. They couldn’t be compared. The 5,000 army shrank back.

"Plunging into enemy territory alone, you don’t understand the situation.”

Chucksley pointed his sword at Grid. His momentum was great. Great Swordsman. He had the title of one of the continent’s strongest swordsman, so he didn’t shrink back despite the opponent being Grid.

“During the Reinhardt invasion, I was somewhat lacking. I could only watch you from a distance.”

But.

"Since then, I have made an effort to become stronger than before.”

Chucksley wielded his sword. It was a straight trajectory with no flaws. It truly was a sleek and sophisticated blow. Bunny Bunny exclaimed as he filmed the scene from a considerable distance.

‘Too fast!’

It was an unavoidable attack. The problem was that Grid gave the enemy an opportunity. Bunny Bunny was sure that Grid would be hit first.

But.

Jeeeong!

A blood sword emerged from a dark space in front of him. It wasn’t a greatsword that Grid normally used, so his attack speed surpassed that of Chucksley.

‘Fast!’

It was so fast that it couldn’t be seen! Grid scoffed at Chucksley, whose attack was blocked.

"Are you a fool? Do you think that I was playing around while you became stronger? I have grown stronger, just like you. You won’t catch up.”

"Won’t catch up?” (TL: Grid uses an Internet slang that basically means someone who can’t catch up)

What did that mean? Grid’s onslaught poured towards the puzzled Chucksley.

The repetitive use, disassembly and assembly process led to a 100% understanding, and Iyarugt was now going to turn the battlefield into disarray.