Overgeared

“Ugh!”

Something huge and ugly was the method to create primitive fear. The black tortoise merely cried out to the sky but the high rankers shuddered with fear. They felt threatened by the enormous size of the black tortoise and disgusted by its appearance. Grid was the same. No, the confusion he felt was much greater. It was a side effect of knowing many things.

‘Is this one of the Four Auspicious Beasts?’

Grid knew—the Four Auspicious Beasts were the guardian gods of humanity, born from the aspirations of humanity. It was their role to help with the stability and prosperity of humanity. Naturally, they were favorable to humanity and their existence itself was beneficial for humanity. This wasn’t speculation, it was real.

Grid had witnessed the resurrection of the red phoenix enriching the south. Now the current black tortoise was completely different. The resurrection of the black tortoise didn’t help the north. A black, sticky liquid oozed from the snake scales and eroded the civilization of the earth. The smoke that came from the fire spout protruding from the tortoise shell covered the sun in the sky.

[Death is coming!]

[Death is coming!]

[Death...!]

The transcendent senses that detected and warned of danger drove Grid to great confusion. The warning messages steadily rose and Grid was dizzy.

‘...This isn’t the guardian god.’

Grid watched the growing size of the black liquid puddle and was convinced.

‘A wounded god.’

It was completely different from the red phoenix. The black tortoise was a god that stifled human life and destiny just by its existence. Was it originally like this?

‘No, it is impossible.’

The Twelve Zodiacs had told him that the black tortoise was the gentlest of the Four Auspicious Beasts. They said the reason the black tortoise denied and got rid of artificial substances was for humans.

‘By preserving nature, it is protecting the human race.’

It was extreme logic comparable to the claim that there was no war without an army. In any case, most of the actions of the black tortoise came from its heart or instincts for humanity.

‘It is different now.’

Night came to the world because the poison that the black tortoise emitted completely covered the sun. Was this darkness that withered life, for humanity? Not at all.

‘Something is wrong.’

It was strange from the beginning of the resurrection. It appeared that the yangbans had deliberately released the black tortoise.

‘Did they make this type of black tortoise?’

It happened when Grid was constantly thinking.

“Dammit! They hid a monster instead of a treasure!”

by the yangbans!

fail the

but we don’t even know where the treasure is! It is

skin, they quickly took out an antidote to drink it. However,

“Hey! Come this way!”

their shields to stop the black liquid falling from the sky. They didn’t know the

“Gasp.”

by the black liquid and turned to scraps. The tankers found it unexpected that objects meant for self-defense would melt without defending them. The black tortoise had no idea of the situation on the ground. It was still roaring at the sky without looking at the humans it needed to take care of. Every time it roared, new black

"Damn...!"

their shields and the magicians behind them all paled. A black drop of

“Shield!”

“Anti-magic!”

used various spells but it was useless. Shield couldn’t handle the mass of liquid

‘We’re going to die!’

was the blond intruder—the person someone claimed was Grid’s knight appeared between the black drops and the rankers. For some reason, his armor and helmet were removed. He was only wearing a shirt, shoulder guards, gaiters, and boots. The water droplets that should’ve soaked the rankers splashed all over the blond man. The blond knight’s shoulder guards, gaiters, and boots melted away in an

“H-Hey!”

“Kyaaak!”

melt and die without

and gaiters recovered immediately after the black liquid touched it. They repeatedly melted and regained their form. The process

half-naked blond man spoke, “This liquid only extinguishes artificial substances and is harmless to organic things. So take everything off and run

“Eh?”

items without hesitation. Then they yelled at

knight—Grid shrugged with Asmophel’s appearance. "I never thought of

killed them the moment he saw them. He

out of here,” Grid urged them. He had noticed why the rankers

a call from the heavens, just

or later, they would regret it. There was no need to inflict pain on them. Grid recalled the blacksmiths who had been killed by Garam before looking

“Uh...?”

rushing to leave this spot when they suddenly stiffened like statues. They stared

of Berith's Skin Mask

It meant the skin mask made by Berith wouldn’t be safe before the

short black hair and the cool eyes became sharp. The muscles that made

“...Grid?”

blond knight and were astonished. Then their faces soon

rankers stopped moving. They stared at Grid who was standing in front of the black tortoise. Bubat, Shane, Ronam, etc.—they were representatives of their countries. If they had something in common, it was that they suffered due to Grid every

Why are you

was special. They envied him and took him as their goal. Yes, their goal. No matter if they liked Grid or not,

we are really nothing

the event because it was boring. He was going to be stronger. He would be

Grid was the one trying to overcome it. Bubat didn’t want to tolerate this

it mean we’re not even your competitors?” Bubat

were angry. They were mortified by their pitiful selves, who could only be angry at Grid for doing them a favor. It was a complicated feeling that the rankers themselves couldn’t understand. However, Grid understood—he knew the feelings of the

a yangban say, “The wrath of the black tortoise is directed