How many people had a flat trajectory in life? Perhaps most people lived a life full of ups and downs. 

This was especially true for Grid. The trajectory of his life was like a roller coaster. He went through both the worst and the best. He experienced all types of situations from multiple different points of view, and met people with different personalities and from different points of view. His insight was naturally tempered. 

‘The Mountain King’s personality is surprisingly gentle.’ 

Grid had this thought as he climbed the steep mountainside. 

A mountain made of rocks—it was hard to find any leaves or grass. It was an environment that must be lacking. Yet thousands of natives had lived here for a thousand years. It was proof that the ruler of the mountain didn’t exploit them. The way that the guardians had walked earlier while exchanging greedy looks was also a hint. They didn’t fear the Mountain King. 

‘This is why they are guiding us this way.’ 

Oxygen was rapidly thinning. It might feel like they were wandering in the same place, but the group was definitely climbing to a higher ground. However, Grid could tell that the Mountain King wasn’t at the location where they were now heading. Tzudan had never mentioned oxygen deficiency when recalling his memories of Grenier. 

‘These guys... they don’t want to offer Randy to the Mountain King. They want to eat him themselves.’ 

It meant they weren’t harmed even if they were greedy. 

Grid guessed the nature of the Mountain King based on various circumstances. It wasn’t an important fact. Regardless of the nature of the Mountain King, Grid’s purpose remained unchanged. Grid wanted greater power, and the Mountain King had lived by eating legends and gods. The two of them had no choice but to fight. They would do their best to eat each other the moment they met. 

‘Randy will be at the limit soon.’ Randy’s breathing was starting to become heavy. Randy had proudly stepped on the land of human beings since joining Grid and couldn’t easily adapt to the recluse’s home. 

[The breathing rate of your pet ‘Randy’ has increased. Concentration, judgment, and muscle strength will deteriorate. There will be a continuous decline in health.] 

It happened as Randy’s symptoms worsened... 

“Huhu, I’m a bit comfortable now.” The guardians stopped walking in front of a cliff and gave sly smiles. 

Clouds were seen at the bottom of the cliff. The sun, which had just started to rise, was also below them. It was the area tens of thousands of meters above sea level that the natives, no, all humans didn’t dare to pass. This was the world of the guardians. Their eyes, breathing, muscle relaxation, posture, etcetera—the guardians showed changes in every way. It was very different from what they showed when they were at the location where the natives lived. 

‘They were constrained in the lowlands.’ 

It wasn’t a dramatic change. Perhaps the difference in stats was small. It seemed easier for them to control their breathing and they became lighter. This was just a threat when combined with Randy’s weakening. 

‘The changes that Randy will feel must be huge.’ 

It was as expected. Randy failed to respond properly to a guardian’s surprise attack, which came as a kick as soon as he turned his back. He defended with his forearm without being able to draw his sword and was shocked. 

“I told you! The difference is paper-thin!” 

A guardian cried out joyfully. He recovered his stretched leg. The posture he made as he twisted his back diagonally from the ground and pushed with his hard shoulders seemed like a shield soldier’s charge. 

Randy’s front view was blocked. He had to rotate using one foot as the axis to leave his spot. The guardians predicted it. 

Left, right, and from the top. They threw axes in advance so that Randy would take a hit from any direction. A hand axe struck Randy’s chest as he spun to the left to escape. He gritted his teeth and endured the shock, but the balance of his body collapsed. It was a very small collapse. He stood firmly even if he wasn’t in an intact state. 

However, even this subtle shaking was a fatal flaw against the guardians. A guardian grabbed the back of Randy’s head and slammed Randy’s face into the ground. The other guardians thrust their axe in. The four attacks were smoothly linked. The four of them seemed to be one body. 

‘It isn’t just because the environment has changed.’ 

It was right to call it the power of learning. It was notable that they grew in the process of fighting and losing against Randy once. They were existences equal to the yangbans. 

‘It is useless doing that.’

“......?!” 

 “......!!” 

Randy didn’t give up even in the worst situation. The guardians were kicking at Randy and laughing at him for resisting to the end, only for their expressions to stiffen. It was because something fell from the sky and struck the top of one brother’s head.It was a mass of black metal. 

Was it a meteorite from space? 

They were flustered as they saw their brother’s neck that was strangely twisted, only for wounds to appear all over their bodies. It was caused by the 30 God Hands that suddenly emerged and swung their swords and hammers. They were the God Hands that had some of Grid’s stats, just like Randy. 

“This... it is a great power.” 

The guardians who hurried to retreat couldn’t help being nervous. They looked at Randy, who was being protected by the God Hands, as if he was a monster. 

‘What are those brilliant weapons?’ 

All the swords held by the God Hands were precious swords. It included the divine swords that Grid used habitually such as the Fire Dragon Sword and Enlightenment Sword. On the other hand, the axes used by the guardians were coarse. Grenier’s civilization had never developed. 

‘It seems greater than the treasures in the Mountain King’s treasure warehouse.’ 

The expressions of the guardians gradually relaxed. There was greater greed in their eyes. A person who used moving hands as a power. They were already thrilled at the thought of devouring him and gaining his treasures and divinity. 

“Indeed. It is fortunate we didn’t dedicate him to the Mountain King.” 

“It is time for the master of the mountain to change.” 

They discussed treason like it was no big deal. The half-gods born between humans and the Mountain King were free and unrestrained. They weren’t restrained by respect toward their parent and master. Was it simply a different culture? Or was a tragedy created by the gentle nature of the Mountain King? 

‘How does he feel a sense of worth in his life?’ 

In this small world, he was surrounded by children who were less than beasts. What was he dreaming about? In retrospect, he didn’t know much about the myth usurper. He only knew they deprived others of status to improve their own status. However, he had no idea about their principles or the purpose of their actions. 

“......”

Grid was immersed in his thoughts when a chill went down his spine. It was due to a sudden question he had. Was it true that the Mountain King was gentle? What if he was generous to his children without exploiting the natives simply because he was indifferent? 

Grid thought of Rebecca. She was silent and passive in front of the deaths of angels and the wishes of the people. If the Mountain King resembled her, then the Mountain King’s status was likely to be higher than expected. 

‘...No, it is pointless speculation.’

It was too much to speculate that the Mountain King was similar to an absolute god just because his personality resembled an absolute god. It was an excessive worry. Grid had just calmed down when he heard Randy’s scream. He suffered new injuries despite being defended by the God Hands. 

The guardians, who entered the highlands and regained their full capabilities, properly showed the dignity of a half-god. Like the yangbans who reigned as the strongest in the East Continent, they saw and broke through the trajectory of the God Hands to pressure Randy. Randy’s deepening debuffs were fatal. Randy’s movements became noticeably slower as the oxygen deficiency worsened. 

Grid watched silently. His knitting stopped. He pulled out a portable furnace and anvil, and used the hammer. He had created a cloak for Overgeared Skeleton One, so this time, he planned to make a new sword. 

‘It is nice that the item slots increased after gaining Zik’s body.’ 

The biggest strength of the Overgeared Skeletons was that they could wear items. However, the item slots were limited. Now two slots were added this time. It was a huge value considering the performance of Grid’s items. Overgeared Skeleton One would rapidly become stronger. It was just like Randy. 

Ruuuumble!! 

“What else...?!” 

Grids often used Randy as a shield. It was even more so the harder the fight. Randy’s death frequency increased in proportion to the enemy’s level. 

Grid’s heart wasn’t comfortable. Randy was classified as a pet, so he was free from the concept of death, but Grid would feel mental distress when Randy died in vain. Grid didn’t want Randy to die. He hoped Randy would show his potential on the brink of death. 

This was why he made this armor. It was armor that replaced a portion of the accumulated damage with a stat when the wearer’s health entered a specific section. It was a relatively common effect. Berserkers used it habitually. The video of Asuka, armed with Grid’s items, accumulating as much damage as possible before killing the boss monster in a single strike, was once ranked first in the global popularity videos. Moreover, Randy’s stats transcended Asuka’s stats. Randy’s weapon and armor received from Grid overwhelmed the performance of Asuka’s weapon and armor. 

“Ke...oook...” 

The guardian who was previously seriously injured by the mass of Greed—him having his heart pierced by Randy’s sword and turning into ash was by no means a fluke. It was Randy’s potential that Grid hoped for and created. 

“This is crazy...!” 

Half-gods weren’t invincible. The guardians knew this best. They had stayed at the Mountain King’s side for a thousand years and witnessed the deaths of gods again and again. In the midst of their screams of astonishment and fear— 

[The Mountain King of Grenier has appeared.] 

[The huge mountain rooted in the earth has responded to the will of the ruler.] 

An earthquake seemed to occur and three mountain peaks that rose particularly high were slowly broken. The God Hands helped the wounded Randy to Grid’s side, while the guardians hung from the rock wall to avoid falling. Grid put away the furnace, anvil, hammer, and other equipment, and raised his head. 

A white-haired man sat on the huge stone seat made by a broken mountain peak. He looked all skin and bones. There was no flesh on his cheeks and his skin was cracked. The dry lips seemed like they would tear and bleed right away. The names ‘usurper,’ ‘predator,’ etcetera, didn’t match. Rather, he seemed familiar with hunger. This was only the outward appearance. 

Grid shivered. 

[The Mountain King’s eyes are observing you.] 

[Some of the skills and magic information you've acquired will be exposed to the Mountain King. Skill damage and magic damage dealt to the Mountain King will be reduced by 80%, while the probability of a weak spot attack and critical hit is reduced by 50%.] 

[The status of the target is higher than you. Resistance has failed.] 

“Overgeared God. I thought you would definitely come.” 

[The Mountain King’s voice has caused echoes. There is a problem with your sense of balance. All attributes resistance and defense are reduced.] 

[The Mountain King has eaten all types of legends and myths and embodied some of them.] 

[The unbreakable power of the myth of immortality has made the Mountain King invincible. The Mountain King will invalidate all types of damage.] 

“What type of desire did you come to me with?” 

[The Mountain King’s question is filled with the power of predation.] 

What was the power of predation? There was no friendly explanation. Grid didn’t panic. It was easy to infer. He would be eaten as soon as he was suppressed in momentum. It was just like the many people who previously came to this place. There was no need to take special measures. 

Grid replied as usual without shrinking back, “I want to be friends with you.” 

...This wouldn't work. The odds were slim. In the first place, the Mountain King wasn’t harmful to humanity and it was questionable if it was necessary to fight him. The Mountain King was a myth predator, so wasn’t he the enemy of Asgard in a way? It was wise to use enemies as allies. 

‘This crazy person?’ 

The guardians looked at Grid in a dumbfounded manner. A servant interfered in the conversation of the Mountain King and wasted time on nonsense. It was natural for them to find it ridiculous. The reaction of the legends wasn’t much different. 

[Haksen is looking at you in an absurd manner.] 

[Filewolf is scolding you and wondering why you are wasting time when you could be making a magic machine.] 

[Tzudan doesn’t understand the situation.] 

In the midst of the chaos— 

“You are a disgraceful person! I need to educate you thoroughly before taking you to the Mountain King!” one of the guardians shouted. 

He seemed to take this strange development as an opportunity. Something had gone wrong when trying to steal the prey, so this was a good excuse for the gluttony. It was also an opportunity for Grid. 

Grid deliberately pulled out the Falling Moon Sword. It was to appeal to the fact that the power of the invincible myth was meaningless in front of him. 

‘In the first place, it is probably a power that can only be used a limited number of times.’ 

Sometimes there were invincible beings. They were those who ‘didn’t die.’ A typical example were the NPCs in the starter villagers who served as beginner guides. Did myth usurpers have the same value as them? 

Grid was confident. They didn’t enter the world because it was difficult to think they accounted for a large proportion of the world outlook. In a blunt manner, they were ‘good enough to die.’ 

“......!” 

The faces of the guardians turned white. The woman they considered a servant of the human being actually cut their brother’s throat with a single blow. They couldn’t believe it even when they saw it. 

The Mountain King’s dry lips twisted. The ends curved up and it was close to a smile. “The momentum is good. It reminds me of the verses of the epics that were carried by the wind.”

[Tzudan feels the gaze of the Mountain King and is frozen.] 

“I know what you want right now. Okay. If you can climb to this seat, I will let you be my friend for a day.”

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