“He was murdered by his own son...”
It was ridiculous. Such tragedy couldn’t exist in the world. Coincidentally, this was the reality they lived in that they wanted so badly to deny. Incidents where blood kin harmed each other were common in history and modern society.
’Even an ancient man of power...’
He shouldn’t forget this fact. Grid had been trying hard for a long time. The reason he was able to maintain his average grades in school was because he studied a lot more than other people. In particular, he was strong in subjects that required students to memorize rather than understand, such as history. He pledged after hearing about Madra, who was killed by his own son.
"At least in the Overgeared Kingdom, I will make it so that such sad things don’t happen...”
Grid didn’t know the specific details. But Grid wasn’t uneasy about it. As a husband and a father, he believed there would be no discord if he cared for and respected his family.
‘Just like my parents and Sehee cared for me...’
Grid smiled fondly at the thought. Then Sticks said to him.
"The reason why Prince Rajandra hurt Madra wasn’t because of bad feelings. In Prince Rajandra’s memoirs, we can see how much he loved and admired Madra."
“...?”
Love and admiration? No bad feelings? Then why did he murder his father? Grid found it absurd. He couldn’t understand why Rajandra murdered Madra. Sticks’ explanation was as followed.
"Madra believed he could defend Lubana for eternity. However, Prince Rajandra knew that Madra was human and would someday die from old age.”
“Then?”
"Prince Rajandra was worried about after Madra’s death. At the time, just Madra’s existence alone caused the empire to continuously invade and Lubana was swept up in it. The more war there was, the higher Madra’s reputation became. However, the people of Lubana were torn to shreds.”
“...”
"Prince Rajandra asked this of Madra several times. For the people of Lubana, for the future of Lubana, let’s make peace with the empire. But this request was ignored every time. Madra condemned Rajandra as a coward and was disgusted by him. Time passed and Madra became a white-haired old man.”
"When Madra was in his last years, Rajandra’s nervousness reached its peak...”
“That’s correct. Apart from Prince Rajandra, all the nobles, knights, soldiers, and people were nervous and afraid. They thought that Lubana would be destroyed once Madra died and begged Prince Rajandra to take action. Madra’s head was given to the empire.”
“...”
In the process, the Lubana Kingdom became the empire’s possession. Prince Rajandra kept the lives of the royal family and the Lubana people in return for giving his father Madra’s head to the empire. He might’ve lost his kingdom, but he was alive. After that, Madra’s head was said to have hung at the gate of Titan, capital of the empire, for one year.
“...How pathetic.”
Grid felt uncomfortable at the thought of people spitting on Madra’s head whenever they entered the gate. It was a poor ending for the person who protected his kingdom all his life and was praised as the Undefeated King. But at the same time, he could understand the position of Prince Rajandra and the people of Lubana. Of course, he couldn’t advocate for what they did. But Madra couldn’t think from the position of the weak and was overconfident in his own strength.
‘If Madra didn’t have such a personality, this wouldn’t have happened... Hrmm.’
It was nothing but history. It already happened and the result was now. People lived in the present. They could learn from history.
‘I can’t get too immersed in my strength. Make Madra as the example.’
Grid got up from his seat. His gaze was fixed on the gate to the 66th island.
"...I will go and give the poor spirit his first defeat.”
Players had heard that Sword Saint Muller was the strongest person in the last decades. Of course, Grid was the same. In addition, according to Sticks, the Behen Archipelago was the succession site connecting past legends and present legends. In other words, legends existed before the legends of the previous generation that players knew.
Legends classified as sword saints, magicians, archers, assassins, blacksmiths, tailors, and miners were likely to have passed down their legacy for quite some time. But what about the Demon Slayer and Undefeated King? Alex had a grudge against great demons and cried out for the destruction of hell, while Madra was a legend because he had never been defeated. They were people who pioneered a new path, like the current Piaro.
Grid couldn’t rule out the possibility of them being more distinguished than other legends. Demon Slayer Alex had ‘hell restriction’ as a powerful force and might’ve seemed a bit weaker on the Behen Archipelago. But it was absolutely impossible for Madra to be the same.
‘The last boss is always the strongest.’
Duguen!Duguen!
Grid’s heart thumped as he moved to the 66th island. Grid was looking forward to being the first one to defeat someone who had never been defeated.
***
Eat Spicy Jokbal South Jeolla Province, Haenam Branch.
"Welcome!"
The Dungeon Maker, who was once head of Blood Carnival, was diligently doing business today. He loved jokbal and made sure to go to the store for at least one hour every day. The fun of picking up a hot and crisp jokbal and eating it one by one gave him happiness.
"Hmm, you have no customers today.”
"...My store has a lot of delivery customers.”
Eat Spicy Jokbal’s expression hardened when he confirmed the identity of his customer. It was because the late night customer was Peak Sword. He was a Satisfy ranker representing South Korea, President of the Patriotic Association, and a marquis in the Overgeared Kingdom. He visited Eat Spicy Jokbal’s Haenam branch once a week.
The purpose was naturally to obtain Eat Spicy Jokbal. It was analyzed that if Eat Spicy Jokbal’s ability to make dungeons was combined with the Overgeared Kingdom, the power of the Overgeared Kingdom would rise significantly. It was natural to covet Eat Spicy Jokbal.
"One makguksu.” (noodles)
Eat Spicy Jokbal looked coldly at the ordering Peak Sword.
"Why is it that you come here and order makguksu every time?”
Eat Spicy Jokbal opened a jokbal store and used Eat Spicy Jokbal as his game ID because he really loved jokbal. He didn’t like it when Peak Sword came all the way from distant Seoul just to eat makguksu. He seemed like a person who hated jokbal. Peak Sword answered with a serious expression.
“I don’t like jokbal.”
"Jokbal... You dislike it?”
Eat Spicy Jokbal’s face distorted like a demon. Peak Sword’s expression was still serious. It even looked noble. It was reminiscent of an independent fighter during the Japanese occupation period.
“Hrmm... It would be better to lie and say I like jokbal to gain your favor. But I don’t want to lie to you. I want to be true companions with you. That’s why I will be honest.”
“...”
This man, he was honest to the extent of being stupid. And Peak Sword sincerely wanted him. Eat Spicy Jokbal was somewhat excited when he realized this. This great giant of South Korea knew his evil past, yet still coveted him. But he didn’t show it on the outside. Eat Spicy Jokbal kept staring at Peak Sword.
"Why do you dislike jokbal?”
That’s right. From the viewpoint of Eat Spicy Jokbal who loved jokbal, Peak Sword’s remarks were unacceptable. Peak Sword replied honestly to Eat Spicy Jokbal.
“It’s too expensive.”
“What...?”
"The price of jokbal is usually 30,000 won. But what about the volume? Isn’t it small enough that an adult male can eat it all by himself?”
"...Can you usually eat it all alone?”
“A person with a high basic metabolism like me can eat it all alone. But the price of jokbal can easily exceed 35,000 won. I can’t afford that price. Think about the cost of jokbal. Isn’t it enough to go to a butcher’s shop and buy two jokbal for 10,000 won? The prices I see for jokbal are ridiculously expensive.”
Of course, Peak Sword was rich. But he wasn’t born rich. During the hard days, there were times when he couldn’t eat jokbal when he wanted to eat it. This still made Peak Sword tremble. Eat Spicy Jokbal asked him.
“If... What if the jokbal is made of handon?”
“What? Han... Don?”
Peak Sword’s eyes shook.
Handon! This meant domestic pork! Peak Sword shook.
A smile of satisfaction appeared on Eat Spicy Jokbal’s face.
"My Eat Spicy Jokbal store uses jokbal made from handon. It is also the finest handon. Do you still think 30,000 won is expensive after hearing this?”
“Kuk...! You aren’t fooling me about the origin?”
22nd century South Korea. Most of the meat was imported from foreign countries. The value of handon was enormous. The president of the Patriotic Association, Peak Sword eventually gave in.
“Okay! Add one jokbal to my order of makguksu!”
“Yes...!”
Peak Sword and Eat Spicy Jokbal. Due to the repeated meetings, they were becoming more familiar with each other. It was a story that showed how well the Overgeared Kingdom could run without Grid. On the other hand, breaking news was coming from the TV set on the wall of the restaurant.
『 It has been confirmed that a common notification window has emerged in front of all players of Satisfy. The information of this notification window... 』
[A new hero has given peace to the specters of past heroes and has opened the final gate of the Behen Archipelago.]
This was a world message that appeared to every player connected to Satisfy. Who was the new hero and who were the specters of past heroes? In the first place, the Behen Archipelago wasn’t a publicly known place. Only some of the top rankers monopolized the information and challenged it. The majority of players who didn’t know about it were curious about the the identity of the Behen Archipelago.
***
Build strength against the five pillars of the empire.
This was a quest given to Agnus by Empress Marie. Agnus was a mighty force for Marie, who had the ambition to make her son the emperor. She invested a lot in Agnus. Agnus was on the way to receive her support when he hesitated.
"...The final gateway of the Behen Archipelago was opened?”
It meant someone had cleared the 62nd island that he failed to capture. But who had reached the last gateway? Agnus’ worries didn’t last long.
“Kik... Kikik, of course it must be you? Kraugel...!”
Agnus had to give up on the Behen Archipelago because of Demon Slayer Alex. Alex’s attacks were deadly to Agnus, who held the power of a great demon. It was a perfect counter to Agnus that made it impossible for him to beat the 62nd island. But Kraugel was different. There was no theoretical counter for him who had obtained the strongest combat class.
“Kikikik, yes! I am willing to concede if it’s you!”
If only he could take all the death knights of the previous legends. Agnus was sorry, but he didn’t cling to it. The value of the quest he acquired from Empress Marie was comparable to the Behen Archipelago.
***
“Who the hell reached the 66th island?”
“...I can’t imagine it.”
Hao and Alexander. They were with Kraugel and were stunned to see the world message. They couldn’t imagine that someone other Kraugel had managed to capture the Behen Archipelago.
‘Who...?’
Who had almost captured the Behen Archipelago, which they thought existed only for Kraugel? Kraugel laughed at the shaken Hao and Alexander.
“It’s Grid.”
"Grid...”
Hao and Alexander didn’t deny it. Grid’s strength during the duel against Kraugel in the 2nd National Competition and the Great Demon Belial raid was too intense in their minds.
“Let’s hurry up. Kirinus is a NPC who only appears once every three years. If I miss him today, I don’t know how long I’ll have to wait.”
“Yes...!”
There was no one who didn’t try, no one who missed an opportunity. From here on out, it was a matter of talent and tenacity.