Overgeared (WN KR)

“Stop adding cheese to fried rice. I feel uncomfortable just looking at it because you are putting too much cheese in the rice stir-fried in pork oil. It is better to add more kimchi.”

At a pork belly restaurant near Youngwoo’s building...

All the Overgeared members living in South Korea gathered in this place. It was to celebrate the success of today’s festival in the Overgeared Empire. At first, the atmosphere was harmonious. Fried rice was cooked on an iron plate. This was until Lauel was tackled by Peak Sword as he was sprinkling additional cheese on top. Well, Peak Sword didn’t tackle Lauel, but these words were still correct.

“...Why don’t you stop paying attention to my fried rice and focus on your own fried rice?”

“Didn’t you always insist on it? We have a duty to teach people who eat food in the wrong way.”

“Wrong way? Is it wrong to sprinkle mozzarella on fried rice? Are you serious? Are you disparaging South Korea’s traditional food culture?”

“I just pointed out that the amount was too much. Besides, I presented kimchi as a solution. Isn’t it traditional Korean food culture to add kimchi to fried rice?”

“It is prejudice! This is discrimination! You are disparaging Korean people by saying they add kimchi to any food!”

The atmosphere became chilly for a moment. Of course, it was only for a moment. The group soon drew their attention away from Peak Sword and Lauel. In any case, the argument between the two of them always ended with Lauel’s victory. It wasn’t a matter of concern because Peak Sword would soon become mute.

“Jishuka, you are sprinkling flying fish roe?”

“Yes, yes!”

"Yura, don’t sprinkle seaweed powder.”

“Yes.”

From the beginning, Grid was focused solely on Yura and Jishuka. He stood in the center of a large iron plate and cooked his own fried rice for them. His skills were dazzling. The expression of ‘playing with fire’ was appropriate. His culinary experience in Satisfy also helped in reality.

Both the master—with 40 years of experience in grilling and stir-frying—and the general manager of the pork belly restaurant were so surprised their mouths dropped open.

“The rice was pressed down in a short period of time and he perfectly enhanced the texture with flying fish roe...? No, what is this? Youngwoo-ssi, are you perhaps from the CIA?”

“Huh? CI what?”

“It means the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States.”

“He is referring to the cooking school, idiot.”

Grid, Sehee, Yura, Yerim, Bokja (Elizabeth), Eat Spicy Jokbal, Peak Sword, etc. There were quite a few Koreans in the Overgeared Guild. There were also many people who moved to South Korea such as Jishuka, Lauel, and Toon. This meant that once they had a company dinner, there were dozens of people gathered. It was bound to be noisy. How many conversations would there be with colleagues who they crossed the line of life or death with while drinking together?

At a second drinking party that took place in a more private location, more in-depth conversations occurred.

“When Katz called out Solar Eclipse, I thought a Japanese person wanted to be Japanese.” [1]

...Peak Sword was ignored.

“Kraugel has arrived at the Peach Blossom Spring?”

“It seems there is a swordsman among the daoist immortals there. I’m expecting a hidden quest to happen.”

“If things go well, will he incorporate daoist magic into swordsmanship?”

“That will be less cool. The romance of the Sword Saint is to cut anything with the sword.”

“This isn’t the era where romance can feed you.”

Starting with Grid, all the players were leveling up. The thing they had in common was that they developed their abilities in a variety of ways. Grid alone had grown and gained dozens of different opportunities. The mindset of being proud and obsessed with a single class was worn down.

“In the first place, the strength of a Sword Saint had no particularly great merit now.”

Muller’s greatest achievement that made him the strongest Sword Saint was sealing Hell Gao. Of course, there was no guarantee that this was Muller’s limit. It was likely that the greatest threat of the Muller era was just Hell Gao. However, it should be taken into account that in Satisfy, achievements were immediate.

People of the present time had achieved more than Muller. Grid, Braham, Mercedes, etc. might have already transcended Muller. This was where the problem arose with Kraugel. It was because Muller, who held the title of ‘strongest Sword Saint,’ had fallen in value since he fell below others. The status of Kraugel, who was originally hidden in the shade of the name Muller, was reduced even further.

The Overgeared members thought that in order for Kraugel to develop further, he needed to abandon his obsession with the Sword Saint. On the other hand, Grid thought differently.

“Who knows... I think the Sword Saint is greater than what is known to the public.”

Grid knew a few more Muller stories that other people didn’t know. He knew that all of Muller’s achievements that were known to the world was after Muller had handed over his status to the Mountain King. Furthermore, the greatness of the Sword Saint was proven by Biban who was still alive in this era. It was just that people didn’t know it.

“I think Kraugel’s purpose isn’t to learn, but to fight the swordsman immortal and win,” Grid expressed his opinion with a serious expression while peeling tangerines. His dexterity was great. The tangerines were easily peeled. The net-shaped white fibers were neatly removed and the tangerines sparkled like they were gold.

“Too soft~” Jishuka’s mouth was wide open as she ate the tangerine that Grid put in her mouth.

Yerim, who was staring at it, poked Sehee’s side with her elbow. “Doesn’t that Unni look like a dog the more you see her?”

“Hiik!” The cowardly Sehee blocked Yerim’s mouth. “No matter how cat-like a woman is, you can’t swear too harshly! She is our captain before she is Oppa’s lover!”

“Oof oof!!”

Yerim just meant that she was pure like a dog. She thought of a puppy when she saw the surprisingly weak and gentle Jishuka, unlike the leopard-like impression. She had no intention of swearing that Jishuka was a dog.

‘Why is she so strong?’

Yerim wanted to explain, but she didn’t have a chance. She couldn’t remove Sehee’s hand covering her mouth. She couldn’t help wondering if strength was hereditary.

‘...Why did it suddenly become a mess again?’

The fighting Sehee and Yerim, Eat Spicy Jokbal who kept calling Bokja’s name and complaining, Peak Sword who was arguing with Lauel again...

Toon, who didn’t drink alcohol, was wary of the atmosphere that was more distracting than necessary. Not long ago, he told his friends who came to the country from Italy to prepare for any possible risks.

The night of the Overgeared Guild was deepening.

***

A few days after the captains selection...

“Ohhh!”

Finally, the hell elevator started running. The underground facilities emitted light and the land around the area turned blue. It was like looking at a lake.

“Good luck.”

Grid sent away the hell expedition directly.

12 units organized by selecting and organizing volunteer rankers from any affiliation. Hundreds of them were given various elixirs made at the Reidan alchemy facility. Their role wasn’t a one-off.

Try to rush as far as possible. They had to play in hell for as long as possible and consume the demons and demonic creatures until the hell elevator was opened to the public. This meant that sustainability was important. The Overgeared Empire had a duty to support them properly.

“However, try to become acquainted with those in the safe zone.”

At Lauel’s final request, all the expedition members boarded the elevator. It was the moment when humanity, which had been subjected to the one-sided aggression of demons for hundreds of years, finally went on the counterattack. It was a revenge that didn’t forget the history of humiliation as well as a holy war for the future.

***

Why should they distinguish between good and bad? Wasn’t it like their lives existed for humans by making the wicked pay for their sins and providing the good with opportunities for reincarnation? It was a contradiction. Hell needed to be revised.

Amoract was deeply sympathetic to Baal’s claims.

The 2nd Great Demon—one of the three original evils, she was on Baal’s side. She helped reform hell and made it into its present form. She stabbed Beriache, who was at the forefront of the opposition, directly with her own power. It was something she regretted all her life.

She sympathized with Yatan, who was stigmatized as the evil god as hell deteriorated. She realized that her choice had dropped her father into the abyss and was deeply frustrated.

Thus, she established the Yatan Church. Her father would never be able to wash away the stigma as long as the present hell existed. Thus, she tried to change the concept of evil. She preached that evil was valuable, just as there was a reason why her father made them. As a result, many people started to worship Yatan again.

Even so, Amoract wasn’t satisfied at all. Her father was one of the gods of the beginning. It was right for him to be treated equally with Rebecca, but he was endlessly shabby compared to Rebecca.

Amoract realized this was a mistake that must be made up for. She wanted to return hell to its original form. She wanted Baal’s destruction the most. She missed Beriache the most.

Therefore, she turned a blind eye to many events. She was rooting for humanity. However, she was furious when she heard of humanity’s invasion of hell.

“No, this can’t be. No, kids.”

Looking back on it now, it was right that they existed for humans. The reason why her father made evil was as a warning to humanity. He was teaching that they shouldn’t be evil by watching and learning from evil. It was a mercy to elevate all humans to Heaven someday. He couldn’t have wanted to see humans fall to hell alive.

“How dare you break Father’s wishes?”

Transcendence meant being far from the general public. It was impossible to understand transcendents from a general point of view.

At this moment, Amoract’s feelings toward the invaders were completely different from hostility.

***

“I didn’t feel it incorrectly.”

The reason why dragons slept for a long time was simply because their lives were long. For humans, hundreds of years of history couldn’t be covered in a lifetime while for dragons, hundreds of years was a split second. However, now—

“It is real.”

Gujel’s son, Xenon, was adjusting his time-sensitive senses close to humans. His father was killed while he was sleeping for a while. It was even by humans. In other words, it was close to a warning that a dragon’s sense of time should be tailored to humans. Xenon didn’t want the terrible experience of having his eyes and nose cut while sleeping so he started to be wary of humans.

‘Is human civilization quite advanced? I have to get the items back and sort them out.’

The remains of dragons were recognized as treasures for the same type of dragon. In order for Xenon to succeed as the stone dragon, it was necessary for him to eat Gujel’s remains. They weren’t objects that should be held in human hands.

Kurarararara!

The shadow of the gray dragon roaring with his huge wings spread out turned the wilderness dark.