Chapter 543
V52C6P3 – Weed and Bard Ray
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ON JANUARY 23, 2019 BY MIMOSAB
Thanks to all proofreaders who worked on this part: Armada, TysonSlayer, Seviper9, PuszekSE, Auryum, Seb & EvilSanta1423 .
A huge crowd gathered around the location prepared for the showdown between Weed and Bard Ray .
“Everyone please be seated . It may be inconvenient but this way, more people will be able to spectate . ”
Under the directions of Lemon, the saintess of the Grass Porridge Cult, the crowd sat down on the ground .
Users sitting on the ground were wearing armor of different shapes and colors, reminiscent of a grain field .
“We can’t see anything back here . ”
“Sigh… I can’t see the fight between Weed and Bard Ray? No way!”
Enormous sculptural creatures that were brought to life in the Garnav Plains approached the users in the far back .
They were beings fit to be bosses at levels ranging around 700 to 800, with the size of mountains .
“Humans . Climb onto our shoulders and back . ”
“Spectate comfortably from higher grounds . ”
The enormous sculptural creatures graciously offered their heads and backs for the humans to climb .
They had optimistic and kind personalities because they were sculpted by many humans .
Hundreds of supersized sculptural creatures .
Over a hundred thousand users were able to climb up to spectate the fight and the sky was covered by Avians .
The Avians each had as many users riding on their backs as possible .
“Will Weed-nim win?”
“Of course he will . ”
“Bard Ray will be very powerful… There are rumors that he learned 6 secret sword skills . ”
“Such a spectacle it will be . ”
“Objectively, I think Bard Ray is superior . Though in my heart I want to root for Weed-nim . ”r
The users’ excitement blew up in anticipation of the battle that would soon happen before their eyes .
Some thought they would witness a great fight, while others were admiring Weed’s spirit for a challenge .
“He would have won the war staying still, but instead he took it to a duel . ”
“That is because he is Weed-nim . ”
The atmosphere was full of expectation as the best of the Versailles Continent was to be decided soon .
“Whoo . This is quite a crowd . ”
Pale and the other comrades arrived at the battle location .
They were worn out like rags due to battling against the Hermes guild members on their way here .
Weed and Bard Ray .
Even their close companions were eager to see a spectacular battle, and Surka burst out suddenly .
“Let’s all bet on who will win!”
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“… 100 gold on Weed . ”
“1000 gold on Weed . ”
“I’m betting all my life savings on Weed-nim . ”
“We can’t have a bet this way . ”
“Then Python should bet on Bard Ray . ”
“That’s… All-in on Weed . ”
There was a long silence between them .
This wasn’t about rooting based on loyalty or honor . They had spent too much time with Weed for them to do so .
“It was Weed who proposed this fight . Honestly, I think that Bard Ray would come out ahead . But the point is that Weed proposed it first . ”
“Pale is right . It means Weed prepared a guaranteed strategy to win . A perfect trap . A backstab . ”
Seasoned Crab shook his head in response to Irene .
“Not necessarily . There’s a variable for every situation . You really think Bard Ray did not come prepared to fight Weed?”
“Weed would have planned tricks for such situations as well . ”
“Hmm…”
Seasoned Crab simulated Weed and Bard Ray’s duel a bit in his head, but it was uncertain to determine the outcome before they actually begin their battle .
Godly Warrior Bard Ray .
He had an impressive combat history and fame in his own standing .
The figure of Bard Ray leading the Haven Imperial army was thought to be befitting of his nickname ‘Godly Warrior’ by users across the Central Continent .
“Alright . To establish this betting game, I will bet 10,000 gold on Bard Ray’s win . ”
Surka screamed thinking that someone finally fell for it .
“Yes! Free money!”
Hermes guild members arrived at the battle location with an imposing figure, herding demonic beasts .
“Wow . It is Bard Ray himself . ”
“Giant Knight Boemong! Amazing…”
“I was able to learn the ropes of Royal Road by watching Ranger Troker’s Dark Mountain guide . ”
Users were in awe watching Bard Ray and the other Royal Road’s best rankers .
These figures who rarely showed up even on broadcast had appeared riding on vicious demonic beasts .
The Hermes guild was very infamous around the world but the northern users did not know much about them and only picked out the most famous ones of all .
“Bard Ray is really handsome . ”
“He did not spend a single stat point into charm . But he has the equipment boost giving him that handsome aura . ”
“Plainly, Bard Ray wins just for being good-looking . ”
There were positive comments about the Hermes guild, but as the rest of their forces arrived the views of the spectating users began to change .
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“They all have murderer marks on their foreheads . ”
“It means they killed a considerable number . ”
“In Morata I’ve never seen a murderer inside the city walls . ”
“Hermes guild members would kill anyone to defend the supremacy of their guild . ”
“Their equipment looks really powerful . They’re all wearing the Serodei armor considered to be the best out of all the late 400 level equipment . ”
“Their character is not so good, but they are skilled . I’ll admit that . ”
“Hey hey, I still can’t sleep at night because of my experience of their assault back in Central continent . ”
“How bad were they?”
There were novice users but there were also skilled users over level 400 among the crowd .
They glared at the Hermes guild with resentment in their eyes .
“Tell me about it . They would hit you for no reason, take your money and bully you in dungeon grinds…”
“Really? You aren’t lying?”
“They kill because they are annoyed . They were practically acting as tyrants . ”
Hermes guild members were a tad bit uneasy due to the crowd that had filled the Garnav Plains .
‘By the way… Isn’t that Jaco from the Black Lion Guild? That guy also killed quite a lot of users . When did he move to the Arpen Kingdom…’?
‘Wow . There seemed to be a lot of users who signed up to join the Hermes guild…’
They learned through the crowd attitude that the heart of the people around the world had changed .
Through occasional broadcast observations through the crystal sphere, the announcers were reporting that the Haven Imperial army was being pushed back in military strength .
“There are approximately 1 million users gathered in Garnav Plains . ”
“Hold on . Didn’t you say that there were 1 million at the start? Countless users died in battle . ”
“There were also many users that arrived late . The Arpen Kingdom hosted festivals to encourage participation, but there were still a lot of users who took their time . ”
“Why did they arrive so late?”
“It’s because of grinding . The higher the level, the greater the desire for growth . You could see it as users who lingered around the hunting fields until the situation became risky . ”
“You can see that there are a lot more… Central users now . You can distinguish them easily by their wonderful armor . ”
“Yes . They now stand in the camps of the Arpen Kingdom . There’re many users who couldn’t choose between the Haven Empire and the Arpen Kingdom until the very last moment . ”
“How come?”
“It’s because they probably did not want to die in vain . They were probably also afraid of the Haven Empire’s assassination orders… The higher the level, the more attached they are to their characters and their homelands . ”
“These people taking the side of the Arpen Kingdom means that the tides have surely turned in its favor . ”
“That’s correct . They all have witnessed the failure of the Hermes guild’s strategy . During the stalemate, the Arpen Kingdom had replenished its forces completely . According to my speculations, all of this may have been Weed’s plan…”
The Hermes guild members began to picture defeat before the fighting even began .
‘But we still have Bard Ray on our side . ’
‘If he can kill Weed, it can create a possibility . A guaranteed possibility…’
It was faint, but they grasped their last straw of hope .
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“Chwii . It is dazzling . ”
“I set some jewels in it . I mean, it is our work . It deserves some recognition . ”
“Where are they from?”
*Chwik!*
“They’re blue diamonds from the Malbio mine . ”
Weed, in the form of Karichwi the Orc, put on the armor given by Fabio and Herman .
He covered his growling muscular body with impressive splendid armor . The primal beauty of the orc and the wonderful armor strangely complimented one another .
“There is no other armor as impressive as this one . ”
Fabio spoke out with pride in his voice .
Durability 320/320 .
Defense 330 .
Armor made from a combination of the world’s most mystic and unique metals .
A collaborative work of Blacksmith masters Fabio and Herman .
Many materials such as the Tear of God and Helium the living metal were put into this armor . For complete fusion, the lava from the Inextinguishable Volcano was used .
It went through 14 smelting and reinforcements, made to be the most robust on earth .
It was forged from Earth and Fire and had the affection of the elementals . .
The wearer will be awarded with infinite fame and honor .
Requirements:
Level 850 .
over 300,000 Fame .
1300 Strength, 500 Dignity, 400 Faith .
Option:
200% increase in maximum health points and mana .
5% increase in all stats .
78% reduction in physical damage taken .
No damage received from arrows shot beyond a 200m radius .
31% magic resistance .
A chance to negate incoming magic spells .
75% reduction of mana cost for all skills .
If injured, health recovery rate increases 5x .
Quick mana recovery if mana falls below 30% .
Enhanced effects of defensive skills .
Immune to abnormal conditions .
Blessing of either Freya, Mine, or Battali is granted randomly .
Very light-weight .
Very sturdy .
Increased movement speed .
Based on the wearer’s abilities, the armor performance can grow up to a maximum of 20% .
Solid Body and Admirable Resilience activate automatically . >
‘This is insane . How easy grinding would have been if I wore such an armor from the start . Surely, squeezing every drop out of these blacksmith masters really paid off in the end . ’
Weed was satisfied as he examined the options .
Trustworthy dwarves one should say .
He lightly provoked the self-conceited dwarves, which resulted in such a masterpiece .
“Chwii, Chwiiiik! I heard that many dwarves yearn for Thor, the kingdom of blacksmith masters . ”
“Well yes, that is the case . ”
“As compensation, I will construct a dwarven city . Chwiiik!”
One thing that Weed was disappointed with the northern continent is that they did not have a dwarven city like Kusoro .
There were dwarves residing in the continent, but their numbers were low and scattered .
There was a lack in blacksmith techniques, and he would be able to bring in many dwarves from the central continent by promoting Fabio and Herman .
‘Dwarves are very active in the production of weapons, and they spend all their earnings drinking tremendous amounts of beer . The more dwarves the better . ’
Dwarves, known for vigorous production and spending, were a race well suited for exploitation .
“A dwarven city . Isn’t that too much of a compensation?”
“You should consider the lord position . Chwiiik . It is fun being the lord of Arpen Kingdom . Chwik!”
“I’ve heard such stories… Then who will be the lord?”
Sparks of competition dwelled in the eyes of Fabio and Herman who had worked on the armor in harmony .
“Hmm . Not to brag or anything but I know a lot of dwarves…”
“If I call for them, at least a thousand will gather . I’m Fabio . ”
“I was the first to create a dwarven association . ”
“I made the dwarven merchant alliance . ”
Fabio and Herman faced one another tensely .
They knew from their life experiences that they were being used, but they could not back down .
‘A man is still a child even when he gets old . His pride becomes especially stronger . ’
They wished to be recognized as the best for the great accomplishments and potentials in a given field .
“I will build a city for both of you . Chwiiii! How they will be operated will differ though . Chwiik!”
If the dwarves were to settle, the nearby mountains would have to be developed into mines . Also, the monsters would have to be wiped out .
Weed planned to exploit Fabio and Herman in their competition down to the last drop he could get .
(To be continued)