Chapter 301
On the large screen, Elfin Stone scattered into black smoke. It was an incredible result.
Lim Cheolho stretched out a hand towards Yoon Sangmin and Team Leader Ashley, whose mouths were gaping open.
“Come on, give it to me.”
The two people pulled out a 50,000 won note.
“Ugh…! My allowance…”
“I won’t be able to buy chicken this week…”
Yoon Sangmin and Team Leader Ashley had some of the highest salaries in South Korea. However, they both had strict wives and only lived on a small amount of money. Their loss in the bet was really heartbreaking.
“I shouldn’t have bet… I never imagined this.”
They were convinced that Grid’s party wouldn’t succeed in the Elfin Stone raid. Lim Cheolho smiled warmly. “Grid won because he blocked the first Blood Field. If Blood Field was deployed at the beginning of the raid, the Overgeared members wouldn’t have been able to hold on that long.”
“I agree.”
Grid’s skills were improving day by day.
After reaching level 300 and waiting a short time to activate his newly acquired Item Combination skill, he could exert a fighting power comparable to the combat specialist legendary classes.
It was strong enough to transcend all presumptions. There was a reason Grid was included in the ‘five people who could make miracles’ that Lim Cheolho mentioned.
“But Grid… Isn’t it a little dangerous? Didn’t he die in the Blackening state?”
Chairman Lim Cheolho laughed at Yoon Sangmin.
“Grid will get to experience a whole new world.”
In the meantime, Grid’s radius of activity was too narrow. The Human World. He was active only in the Eternal Kingdom on the continent. It was necessary to experience the wide world that two billion users enjoyed.
“In the first place, it isn’t a dangerous place. Most of the residents are friendly and similar to humans.”
***
[You have died.]
Grid had died before in the past. He died four times to the green slime that even level 5 beginners could go against. However, death was unfamiliar to Grid after he became Pagma’s Descendant.
The last time was with Doran. It had been a long time since he struggled against Yura and died. If it was the Grid of the past, he would’ve been trembling about the penalties caused by death. He would’ve cursed. But now he was different. He was worried about the safety of his party members.
‘Is everybody okay?’
Grid wasn’t sure if the Elfin Stone raid succeeded. His mind had darkened the moment the 5th strike of Linked Kill had landed.
“Status window.”
Lv.300 (11.05%)
“…Hah.”
Grid smiled as he checked the experience gauge on his status window. When he encountered Elfin Stone, Grid’s experience gauge was only 0%. If he had failed the Elfin Stone raid? Of course, his level would’ve decreased. However, now his experience gauge was at 11%.
In other words.
“The raid was a success.”
The death penalty at level 300 meant a 30% drop in experience, so he had gained 41% experience from Elfin Stone. It was a huge number, as expected of a named boss.
‘Everyone will be safe.’
Thank god. A relieved Grid was reminded of the pavranium.
‘Did he drop my pavranium?’
There was no need to worry even if it didn’t drop. His party members would search the city for it.
“In the meantime, I…”
The durability of his items was ruined by death. In particular, the item combination meant that Failure only had 10 durability remaining. If things went wrong, it would’ve been destroyed.
‘I need to repair my items.’
Grid turned to head to Khan’s smithy and hesitated.
“…Where is this place?”
Grid’s resurrection point was Reidan. The landscape that unfolded before his eyes should be familiar. But the surrounding scenery was unfamiliar. It was a small and tranquil village with around 20 shacks. Grid stood alone in the center of it.
“…?”
The confused Grid unfolded the map. However, Grid’s location wasn’t marked anywhere on the map.
“What the hell is this?”
Grid frowned and swept over the village. There wasn’t a general store in the village. There were just 20 shacks, macaroon trees, and a small stream.
‘There aren’t any people.’
Grid picked a sweet and sour macaroon and placed it in his mouth. Why did he resurrect here instead of Reidan? A bug was unlikely. He never once heard of a bug being discovered in Satisfy.
“Kuk….”
Grid’s thinking ability was unable to analyze the current situation.
‘I need to go back to Reidan.’
In order to do that, he needed to know his current location. Grid tried to ask the guild members for assistance.
{Does anyone know my location right now?}
[You have failed to send a message to the guild. Hell is disconnected from the human world.]
“…Hell?”
Hell was a place with a blue sky and warm breezes? Shouldn’t hell be darker and filled with lava?
“Dammit!”
In the end, Grid revealed his nature.
“This is hell! I fell down into hell!”
If he knew this, he would’ve lived a nice… No, he would’ve paid more attention to his demonic power figure!
‘I killed too many people in the empire, the Vatican, and Winston.’
Grid currently had 401 demonic power. It happened when Grid was sure that he fell into hell because his demonic power was too high.
“They are…?”
A group was entering through the entrance of the village. They had strange appearances. Some men had horns on their foreheads, while some women had purple skin. They didn’t look strong, but it was hard to see them as humans.
‘Demonkin?’
He didn’t want to fight when the durability of his items was so low.
The demonkin found Grid who was trying to run away. It was so fast that Grid failed to escape.
‘Damn… In the end I have to fight. But demonkin do farming?’
The demonkin held farming equipment in their hands and their clothes were dirty. It was like Piaro’s usual appearance. The demonkin asked him a question.
“Who are you?”
“A traveller…? Why would a traveller come to a place like this?”
“…?”
The demonkin weren’t wary or hostile towards Grid. They treated him normally. It was great for Grid.
‘The demonkin aren’t hostile towards humans?’
Grid felt doubt and suddenly looked down at his hands. They were pale. He looked at the rest of his body, but it was the same. Grid realized.
‘Blackening wasn’t over.’
That’s right. Grid was currently in a half demon state. The demonkin perceived him as their own people. An old demonkin put down a basket full of unfamiliar plants and looked benignly at Grid.
“You seem stiff for some reason. Don’t be nervous. Everyone’s just curious because it has been almost 100 years since a visitor came to this village. Wasn’t it an exhausting trip? Would you like to have a meal? As you can see, this is a poor village and we can only cook Atura grass.”
“…Grass? You eat grass? You don’t eat humans?”
Grid blinked and questioned. The demonkin laughed.
“This young friend made a funny joke.”
“How can we eat humans?”
“We are fortunate not to be eaten by humans.”
“…?”
Their perception of humans was quite strange. These demonkin seemed different from the stories that Grid had heard.
‘Living in this shabby neighborhood… Are they weak among the demonkin?’
Then Grid cocked his head with surprise. It was became a demonkin called Helmis came up and grabbed his wrist.
‘Do they know that I am human?’
Grid was nervous as Helmis looked at his hands with interest.
“Looking at your calluses, you are a blacksmith? Isn’t this very interesting? I’ve never heard that there was another blacksmith among the demonkin.”
‘Blacksmith?’
Blacksmith among the demonkin?
‘Perhaps…’
Was the one who made Iyarugt a demonkin?
A notification window popped up in front of Grid.
[Blackening will end in one minute.]
Blackening wasn’t lifted even if he died. The problem was that it wouldn’t last forever.
‘This…’
He didn’t know what would happen if he changed back to a human here. The demonkin were surprisingly good people so Grid asked them.
“Do you know how to go to the Human World?”
The demonkin said hopelessly.
“We don’t know either. Even the great demons can’t freely enter the human world, so how can trivial people like us know the way?”
“Why do you want to go to the Human World? You, aren’t you a little strange?”
“Something is suspicious.”
The demonkin started to question Grid.
‘Did I screw up?’
Grid gulped. At that moment, Noe jumped out of Grid’s pet inventory.
“Nyang! It was the smell of home!”
The short-legged cat sniffed and his tail waved as he smelled the familiar scent of hell. Looking at his bright expression, Noe seemed quite happy. He even seemed to be doing a shoulder dance.
‘Cute.’
Grid wanted to continue watching Noe dance. The demonkin’s faces turned pale as they gazed at Grid.
“Heok! M-Memphis!”
“The best demonic beast of hell!”
The astonished demonkin shouted and knelt down when they saw Noe. A memphis. The most intelligent and mighty servants of the great demons, they were objects of worship for common demonkin. Then Noe finally noticed the bowing demonkin.
“Ah! Do you see Master? This body is so great!”
Grid scolded him.
“You only hid when I was trying to hunt Elfin Stone.”
“I’m sorry…”
Noe’s expression changed rapidly. The demonkin started speculating when they heard Noe called Grid his master.
“M-Memphis’ Master!”
“We didn’t know who you were and we dared offend you!”
“Kill us!”
Although they were demonkin, they were also friendly people who invited him for a meal. It happened when Grid was about to answer them.
[The duration of Blackening is over.]
[Your demonic power is sealed and your species has returned to a human being.]
[It is impossible for ordinary humans to enter hell. You are expelled from hell.]
“Kuk…!”
Grid’s vision blurred. Then after a moment, he opened his eyes at Reidan’t resurrection point.
{Grid! Are you okay?}
{What, why were you marked in an unknown location?}
There was an uproar in the guild chat window. Jishuka and the Pavranium Expedition members were clamoring. Grid could feel how worried they were.
‘The Elfin Stone raid must’ve succeeded if they can make contact with the outside world.’
{Grid! Look look! These are the items Elfin Stone dropped!}
{Really amazing! A growth type item! We didn’t even know that these items existed!}
“…!”
Grid’s eyes widened. It wasn’t because he checked the item options of Elfin Stone’s Ring and Iyarugt that was shared by the party members. There was another reason why he was surprised.
“You came.”
“…Yura?”
Why was she here? Yura looked at Grid and her cheeks puffed out. She could make a cute face like this?
Yura was standing next to Lauel and the Overgeared members.
‘Acting like this because she’s pretty. Tsk tsk, those pathetic guys.’
Grid was smiling despite this. The power of beauty was truly great.