Overgeared

The Sword Grave was an open plains area with 4,179 swords stabbed into the ground. Of these swords, 3,580 were insignificant while 599 were significant. The 599 swords rotated to the left or right, changing the orientation and slope of the plains depending on how they were turned. Think of it as a lock with tens of thousands of patterns. As the puzzle progressed, the plains turned into a hill which was the appropriate form for a so-called ‘grave.’

“Dammit. The pattern has changed again.”

They turned the 423rd sword to the left, and the positions of the 1st–422nd swords were reset. The hill, which had emerged, sank again and became a plains. Skunk clapped and tried to reassure his colleagues, “Let’s take a break before trying again. Don’t be nervous because there are only a few more left.”

“Okay~ Let’s log out and eat.”

The Skunk Expedition Group had been investigating the Sword Grave for one year and four months. They had been trying to find the location of the Sword Grave for a year, then they spent four months figuring out the pattern of opening the grave. Despite having repeated the same thing thousands of times, made mistakes, and failed, the Skunk Expedition Group was still full of motivation.

Digging up hidden histories and mysteries was the ultimate fun that they pursued. Yes, concepts such as level and rankings were stories they had no interest in.

“Isn’t it a bit strange?” Someone questioned Skunk as he sat in the barracks and looked at the pattern of the swords. She was the second person in charge of the Skunk Expedition Group and 9th ranked explorer, Dog Woman. “This place is associated with Pagma. It is a place that Pagma's Descendant should’ve visited.”

There was no one in the world who didn’t know who Pagma's Descendant was. It was Grid.

“Can Grid solve this complex pattern? It took us a few months with 80 experts like us. It is strange no matter how I think about it. The Sword Grave was originally a trial for an individual, but the difficulty is too high.”

Grid didn’t have any skills related to exploration. Could he alone grasp the tens of thousands of patterns and reveal the secret of the grave? It was physically impossible.

“Of course, Grid is a king and can mobilize many people... But what if Pagma’s Descendant is someone other than Grid? What is they weren’t a king? Does it make sense that Pagma’s Descendant would have to solve this problem alone?”

“What do you want to say?” The curious Skunk turned his gaze toward Dog Woman.

Dog Woman looked anxious. “There must be an easier way to open the grave. We are currently using the hardest way.”

“Hrmm.” It was a plausible argument. In fact, Skunk had the same thought as Dog Woman, but he had realized it too late. Skunk shook his head. “It is too late even if your thoughts are true. We have already figured out some rules of the pattern and the key up to the 422nd sword. We can’t waste time and manpower searching for a new method.”

There wasn’t long to go. The Skunk Expedition Group was expected to open the grave within the next two months. It was extremely inefficient to find a new method and study it. Additionally, it would adversely affect the morale of the members. Dog Woman nodded. “I know. I’m not telling you to come up with a new way. I’m just saying that it would be better to explore in more diverse ways when exploring new places in the future.”

“I’ll do that. We will think of this exploration as a study.”

“Yes. By the way, I’m really looking forward to seeing what is hidden inside the grave. If there are any items or quests related to Pagma's Descendant, we may be able to sell them to Grid at a high price...”

“The negotiations should be leisurely. After all, Grid is the one in a disadvantageous position.”

A few months or a few years later, Grid would also find this place. Then he would be nervous when he saw the empty tomb. Once his nervousness reached the peak, it would be the most appropriate timing for trading. Skunk believed that the treasures inside the Sword Grave already belonged to him.

***

white horse ran through the labyrinth, and the man on the horse

a party without tankers or magicians to deal with. Pon had never dealt with them one-on-one. He

Regas bastard, did

on Regas’ nature of pursuing a difficult fight rather than

‘He is the enemy!’

The moment the

through them with a charging

was foolish. Fighting monsters that counterattacked with 100% of the melee damage would just be a loss. Was Pon stupid enough to dig his own grave? As the white horse reached the end of the passage, it faced the wall and turned to

stabbed its sword. However, Pon had predicted this situation and responded calmly. He twisted his waist to avoid the

Pon swung the spear, and the follower flew through the air—these three scenes unfolded at the same time, giving the illusion that time had stopped. Then the war god follower rolled along the ground. The white

point, he just needed to open the distance as much as possible and he could

“Aaaaaaack!”

the dark passage, and a new war god follower appeared. Pon frowned.

war god follower was chasing Regas, who was running

and shouted curses. However, it didn’t discourage Regas. After all, his head would fly away if he

Uwah!” In fact, Regas felt like he had found a line of rescue. He felt hopeful that after combining strength with Pon, they could fight against the war god followers. Then he noticed the war god follower behind Pon. Regas’ vision became blurry when he learned that, just like

woke up Regas’ spirit. Pon’s spear stabbed the face of the

of the follower chasing Pon. The war god follower was kicked far away due to the feature of the kick. Regas didn’t keep fighting. Instead, he climbed behind Pon on the

don’t want to be hit.” Pon found it troublesome to explain that his pushing skill was on

Kuaaaaaaah-!

“....!?”

new war god follower appeared in front of them, blocking the way. The startled white horse

“Ouch...”

arm has

left arm and looked around. He

responded to Regas with a shocked expression, “It wasn't your work? I thought this was due

so I stayed away

who did this? Is this

damn bastard angered the war god’s followers? Pon wanted to know the truth. It was too unfair to die without knowing why. It would seem less unfair if there was someone to curse.

“Battle gear... mountain... where...”

“...Battle gear... mountain... where...”

around Pon and

have a question, you should wait for an answer before

Followers of the war god! Put down

war god moved their swords. Then it was at this

“Way of the Tyrant.”

loud it gave the illusion of water buffalos charging forth. Pon, Regas, and the followers turned their heads in the direction of the sound and witnessed a person

“1,000 Ton Sword!”