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!”

were deceived by the yangbans! We have to run

the quest

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

took out an antidote to drink it. However, the situation of some magicians wasn't good. They had relatively low physical abilities due to their investment in intelligence.

“Hey! Come this way!”

them while raising their shields to stop the black liquid falling from the

“Gasp.”

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

"Damn...!"

behind them all paled. A black drop of water, the same size as a house, was falling over their

“Shield!”

“Anti-magic!”

Shield couldn’t handle the mass of

‘We’re going to die!’

this thought. It 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,

“H-Hey!”

“Kyaaak!”

without a single bone

to close their mouths. The blond knight’s shoulder guards, boots, and gaiters recovered immediately after the black liquid touched it. They repeatedly melted and regained their form. The process was quickly repeated dozens of times and the body of the blond knight wasn’t damaged at all. Not even

only extinguishes

“Eh?”

The female rankers were perplexed while the male rankers took off their items without hesitation. Then they yelled at the blond knight. “You’re our enemy! Why are

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

he saw them. He would’ve gone beyond the

and get out of here,” Grid urged

here by a call from the

Five Seniors. Sooner 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 up at the black tortoise. In the blackened world, the roaring red glow was

“Uh...?”

to leave this spot when they suddenly stiffened like statues. They stared blankly at the blond

Skin Mask has

a god. Berith, who was only ranked 22nd, couldn’t be compared to a god. It meant the skin mask made by Berith wouldn’t be safe before the power of the black tortoise. He took off the skin mask in order

sharp. The muscles that made up the chest and the thick waist

“...Grid?”

Then their faces soon distorted. The emotion that

standing in front of the black tortoise. Bubat, Shane, Ronam, etc.—they were representatives of their countries. If they had something in common, it

Why are you helping

No matter if they liked Grid or not, they had been struggling to catch up with him and learn

we are really

determined after seeing Grid’s interview about how he wouldn’t attend the event because it was boring. He was going to be stronger. He would be sure to become stronger so that Grid

and Grid was the one trying to overcome it. Bubat didn’t

of hindering us...! Does it mean we’re not even your competitors?” Bubat yelled with bloodshot

the other rankers. They were angry. They were mortified by their pitiful selves, who could only be angry at Grid for doing them

a yangban say, “The wrath of the black