‘Is it possible to deliberately nurture legends?’

Ke’s growth presented Grid with new possibilities. Of course, Ke was old enough to be called ong (elderly man). He was old even by dwarf standards. He had been a craftsman for over a hundred years, so he might’ve already been qualified to become a legend. However, the result came after working with Grid.

‘It is likely that Ke accumulated experience that he couldn’t have accumulated alone thanks to me. He must’ve learned a lot from seeing the Overgeared God’s Techniques and gained enlightenment from helping complete a mythical work.’

It was a matter that must be addressed. If it was really possible to intentionally nurture legends, then his future aspects would change dramatically.

‘I will need an assistant every time I work...’

He would make sure to work with craftsmen from the time he started making the dragon weapons. Of course, they would only help with the minor parts. It was to the extent that they couldn’t affect his work.

‘This alone will be a great experience for them.’

“The lord of the half-draconians has arrived.”

“Um.” Grid awakened from his thoughts at the voice. Grid nodded and the doors of the great hall slowly opened.

[You have encountered a strong person who has transcended the times.]

Fighting energy—it was a powerful and ferocious energy that was difficult to control. Unlike mana, aura, or sword energy, which was in harmony with the technique department of skills, body, and heart, fighting energy wasn’t suitable for pursuing harmony. So when he saw Martial God Zeratul using it, he thought, ‘Ah, it is like this,’ and was convinced of the unruly nature.

This was the essence of it.

Grid’s fighting energy that was permeated with an orange light calmed down. It didn’t dare go on a rampage. It was due to the infinite sword energy and divinity contained in Grid. After seeing Bunsdel, the red and purple fighting energy that glowed like lightning was the same as usual. It was maintained at a certain level and provided appropriate stimulus for Grid.

‘The lord of the half-draconians...’

Grid admired it. Arms and legs that stretched out like old trees, centered around the upper body that developed as a reverse triangle. It was a short, thick neck compared to his height of nearly two meters. Dragon scales wrapped around his neck like iron armor...

Bunsdel’s body was truly optimized for combat. His thick eyebrows and sharp eyes made the impression he gave off even stronger. It seemed like his neck wouldn’t be broken even by a blade. Add the high level of transcendence...

‘I’ll feel reassured leaving my back to him.’

Grid was surprised by the thought that naturally rose in his mind. He couldn’t believe he felt this way from the very first meeting. Grid had met numerous skilled people so far. This meant that Bunsdel’s level was truly great.

‘Helena deserved to have her lord’s position taken away.’

Deep favor filled Grid’s eyes as he compared Bunsdel to those he defeated in the Chaos Mountains.

-Can I execute him?

In a rare situation, the Fire Dragon Sword spoke to him first. It expressed blatant killing intent toward the half-draconian warrior, who was shouting and about to attack.

[* Activates a ‘One Time Absolute Defense’ when encountering a dragon race. Cooldown Time: 24 hours.

* Attack power against the dragon race is increased by 20%.

* Every time you kill a dragon type, the attack power of the Fire Dragon Sword will increase by one. (Permanently applied)]

The Fire Dragon Sword had this nature and was basically hostile to the dragon species. Now the other side provoked it first, so it couldn’t bear it. Grid didn’t respond because he knew the development that would follow.

“Gasp...” The half-draconian warrior, who belatedly confirmed Grid’s appearance—the man called Bunsvil took a step back. The hierarchy was organized without the need for the Fire Dragon Sword to act. As an aggressive species, the half-draconians had an excellent ability to recognize the strong.

The stronger the opponent, the stronger the aggressiveness. This was a story only when the concept of ‘fighting’ was established. They weren’t crazy enough to die in vain.

-It is a pity...

The Fire Dragon Sword made a regretful sound. Grid could understand the mood of the Fire Dragon Sword. Dragon monsters, represented by wyverns and half-draconians, had a very small population. They were almost treated as an endangered species.

Furthermore, the half-draconians stayed deep in the mountains and the wyverns were preferred as pets, so the hunting competition was fierce. It was as difficult to meet them as picking stars from the sky. In the future, the half-draconians would be allies. It wasn’t known how long the alliance agreement would last, but there would be no fighting for a while. It was a pity for the Fire Dragon Sword.

“C-Crazy...” The half-draconians were frightened by Grid and shivered.

Step. Bunsdel took a step forward. The way he stared at Grid with sharp eyes was as intense as his first impression.

A smile spread across Grid’s face. ‘As expected. We need to sort out the hierarchy before continuing.’

In fact, Grid’s aggressiveness wasn’t lacking. He had fought with all types of transcendent beings and now he was ready to point his sword at the gods. The half-draconians were afraid of a useless death, but Grid could tolerate even a useless death. He had surpassed many strong people by using the unreasonable nature of players, who could gain experience with death.

‘Bunsdel.’

How high was his level? How much could the dragon scales wrapped around both wrists and the thick neck like iron armor withstand his sword? It happened the moment when Grid was about to raise himself from the throne...

“Bark!” Bunsdel barked.

“......?”

Grid’s cognitive ability couldn’t keep up with the situation.

People looked flustered while Bunsdel shouted, “The great Overgeared God who defeated the martial god! I, a Bun, deeply admire your noble character! Please let me serve you as our half-draconian's only pillar and god. I will become your faithful dog! Please accept us!”

“......!”

“......!”

Bunsdel had been silent toward his clan. Apart from the open-minded Hao, he didn’t have a proper conversation with his clan. It was due to the guilt of locking his clan in a well under the pretext of the clan’s safety. Due to this, the half-draconian warriors belatedly grasped the situation and were stunned.

The human on the throne—they thought he was strong, but he was actually a god? He even defeated the martial god? Now that it was like this...

“Bark! Bark bark!”

“Woof woof! Grrr! Woof!”

“Yip~!”

The half-draconians made a variety of dog noises. It was a courtesy to the god. They didn’t even know why they were barking like dogs. They had never served a god before. They just learned from their lord.

“Your Majesty,” Lauel, who had been silent for some time, urgently spoke up as Grid’s mind was confused, “I think you should leave this to me.”

***

“Get in your formations! Hurry! What are you doing with your shields? Prepare them for battle right now!!”

Sera, Ribon, Zeldark, and Horyu—the thing they had in common was that they were from the Tzedakah Guild. They were somewhat lacking in comparison to the 10 meritorious retainers or equivalent named rankers, but they were talented people worthy of the reputation of the Overgeared Guild.

In particular, their ability to command the army was outstanding. It was because there were many cases where they had to take command of troops while the Overgeared members focused on individual activities. Fortunately or unfortunately, their skills as a commander had become outstanding.

The same went for members of the Giant Guild such as Zirkan, Mihara, and Asellas. They were Chris’ subordinates and took advantage of their experience of commanding a large number of people before joining the Overgeared Guild. This was combined with Toban’s charisma, the assistance of the allied leaders, and the strength of the 10 meritorious retainers present and Noll.

“Good! Retreat while maintaining your formations! Don’t rush! Slowly!”

The allied soldiers fighting in a dizzying manner against the demonic creatures quickly reorganized their formations. They stepped back little by little in a steady manner under the protection of the shield soldiers who erected a barrier. The commanders were still watching the hell moon.

The ominous moon high in the sky with tens of thousands of moving eyes. It was eerie to look at. Then suddenly, it turned its eyes to the Abyss and started shooting rays for the first few seconds.

The commanders couldn’t understand the situation properly. It was confusing and they interpreted it as a positive phenomenon after seeing the demonic creatures crawling from the Abyss disappearing in groups. Then they realized it a few seconds later—there would be disaster the moment the eyes of the hell moon turned to them.

This was the reason they urgently led the army to take a formation and retreat. The sight of hundreds of thousands of troops moving without disorder in just a few minutes was really spectacular. It was truly unbelievable. The commentators of broadcasting stations around the world made a fuss while viewers couldn’t help marveling. The commanders of the Overgeared Kingdom had truly excellent capabilities.

Soon, the people’s praises and cheers turned to silence. It was for a terrible reason.

[The 1st Great demon, Baal, has appeared.]

[You feel absolute malice. You are affected by abnormal status conditions including fear, weakness, poisoning, burns, and bleeding.]

[The shadow of hell that is distorted by malice is clearly presented. Omitted.]

[The shadow of the absolute god that is distorted by malice is dimly cast over everyone. Omitted.]

[The hell moon is under Baal’s control. The eyes of the hell moon are looking at you.]

“......!”

“......!”

A bug? The allied players, who were retreating while enduring the attacks of the demonic creatures, and the viewers all had the same question. They didn’t realize that the pinnacle of hell had emerged. It was because the high-intensity debuffs they never imagined hit them all at once.

Baal’s appearance was completely different from what was expected. He used to be associated with a large and hideous demon, but now a handsome, blond-haired man appeared. The great demon was reminiscent of an angel.

“Uh...” The minds of the commanders of the allied forces turned blank. Yet surprisingly, orders were being given.

Retreat, retreat, retreat...

They reflexively repeated the same cry. However, the soldiers didn’t hear it. They were reborn as elites after enduring the training that felt as if their bones and flesh were being cut, but right now, as if all of it was a lie, they were reduced to a mess. The debuffs caused by Baal were too deadly. Their minds were caught in terror.

Eventually, the battle lines collapsed and the demonic creatures were allowed to enter.

[Baal has stolen Zik’s body.]

[Baal has appeared in the Abyss.]

[Ordering all troops to retreat from the Abyss. Be wary of the hell moon while retreating.]

New information poured in one step late. The report that Faker immediately made after his resurrection was finally disseminated.

“Baaaal!” Soldiers died without even screaming because they were completely stiffened by fear. In this gap, a furious cry rang out. It was Noll’s cry. It was filled with anger toward the culprit who expelled his mother from hell and cursed all her family with the Curse of Sloth.

“Is it Beriache’s child?” Baal reacted as he stood with his back against the hell moon and looked at the surface. For the first time, a small smile appeared on his expressionless face. “Bring it on.”

“......!”

There was no dignity in the words that he briefly spat out. Noll was flustered because it didn’t fit with the existence at the pinnacle of hell. Due to this, Noll was stunned for a moment. Then he soon broke through the army of demonic creatures with a bitter expression. He gained acceleration as he crossed the battlefield and flew toward Baal in the sky. The blood-colored magic power in his two small hands swirled in a menacing manner as it aimed at Baal.

“Die!”

“Did Beriache hand down her things in her later years?” There was an appreciation for Noll. Baal waved his hand in a bored manner and destroyed Noll’s magic at once.

However, Noll was still charging forward. He immediately linked new blood magic and reached Baal. However, he wasn’t Baal’s opponent. In the first place, Noll couldn’t exert his power by himself. His magic and abilities were specialized in ‘support.’

The moment he approached Baal, he was struck by demonic energy and crashed into the ground without being able to do anything. He fell into the middle of the enemy camp and was quickly attacked by hundreds of demonic creatures. He stared at Baal while his small body was bitten, torn apart, cut, and stabbed.