Chapter 2004

Agnus had used a skill in real life…

Lauel seemed pretty serious about this, which meant that he had personally seen Agnus do that or had evidence of it.

“The asteroid hasn’t even fallen yet. Are things like this happening already?”

Grid shook his head and limbs to try to calm down after hearing such shocking news. He could feel the sweat on his back slowly drying.

[Whisper from Lauel: I was also very confused. I thought this would only happen once Ghamid fell, since it could cause ecological changes and many other things.]

“Can anyone else other than Agnus do this?”

[Whisper from Lauel: No. I only know about Agnus…]

“The skill that Agnus used exists in Satisfy, right?”

[Whisper from Lauel: Yes, according to what I saw from the video, it was a basic skill of a necromancer—the art of controlling the bones of animals buried in the ground.]

“We have no choice but to doubt the S.A. Group’s intentions, just as Nathaniel said. I’m sure they did something to the capsule.”

People who had never attended a taekwondo school in their lives happened to become martial artists after playing Satisfy. This led to many conspiracy theories. Society was convinced that players could reproduce in reality the techniques they had mastered in Satisfy.

But using a skill in real life? This was a real problem. This wasn’t something that people could do in real life, so it was proof that this was the result of someone’s meddling, and that someone had to be the S.A. Group. Nathaniel’s theory that the S.A. Group was training players in preparation for Ghamid made even more sense now.

‘The key materials needed to make capsules are provided by the S.A. Group…’

Yura’s grandfather, the chairman of the Comet Group, had said the same thing as Nathaniel. He said that companies which produced capsules must follow the guidelines of the S.A. Group no matter what. The core materials of the capsules were also provided by the S.A Group’s headquarters.

“Should I contact the S.A. Group directly?”

Grid had chairman Lim Cheolho’s contact information. Not even the president of the United States had that.

However, Lauel refused.

[Whisper from Lauel: I can’t tell whether the culprit behind this incident is Chairman Lim Cheolho, Morpheus, or someone else from the S.A. Group. You shouldn’t contact him until we know for sure who is causing this.]

Worst case scenario, the S.A Group could be helping the players become stronger not to save the world from Ghamid, but to inflict harm upon it… Maybe they were trying to conquer Earth by bringing the monsters from Satisfy’s into reality, but then an error occurred, and players ended up with special abilities instead.

[Whisper from Lauel: Grid?]

Grid had zoned out. He came back to his senses.

“Uh? What were you saying?”

[Whisper from Lauel: Countries such as the United States and China, and powers like Rothschild seem to be putting a lot of pressure onto the S.A. Group. It would be better for us to wait and see what the S.A. Group has to say about this and not put ourselves at risk.]

Grid and Lauel had many ways to communicate with other countries and organizations who had a favorable impression of them.

Grid nodded.

“I agree.”

[Whisper from Lauel: I will look at the dynamics of the S.A Group and observe the changes that other players are going through. Someone else must’ve gone through the same transformation as Agnus.]

That was entirely possible. Lauel could investigate the Overgeared Guild and the rankers active in the alliance. One could say that Lauel had a richer database than many powerful countries. The information he had access to was second only to the S.A. Group. This was why many countries were obsessed with Grid and the Overgeared members.

“Could there be someone else in the same situation as Agnus? It seems that, once whatever happened to Agnus occurs, the character information gets deleted.”

[Whisper from Lauel: Even if there were others in his situation, there wouldn’t be too many. There would be a lot of buzz if there was a noticeable change in so many people. I will find out more once I start looking into things.]

“Yes, I will leave that to you. By the way… Where is Agnus, and what is he doing? Do you know his whereabouts?”

[Whisper from Lauel: Not yet. I’ve sent in new personnel, but I’m honestly a bit skeptical that I’m going to get any new results. Depending on the type and level of the skills he can use, he might be completely impossible to track. Realistically, I have no choice but to hope that he will contact us first.]

“Will he dare do that though?”

[Whisper from Lauel: I think he will. He won’t be very mentally stable. He will try to find someone to rely on.]

“You really think he will rely on us?”

[Whisper from Lauel: Whatever happened to him, it happened suddenly. It must have been a scary and confusing experience for him. He will have a lot of doubts, and he probably doesn’t understand what really happened. I think he’s afraid that others might try to find him and experiment on him if they find out about his condition. Because of this, I think he’ll keep to the shadows and only talk to someone he can trust.]

Grid was a bit tired. Lauel was speaking calmly, but his bleak predictions about the future were a bit frightening. Grid wanted to curse, but he knew that Lauel was just being realistic.

“…I hope that he trusts us enough.”

[Whisper from Lauel: I don’t think he will trust us. But he will trust you.]

“Pfft.”

Grid let out a laugh. He remembered the times when he and Agnus tried to kill each other. They had teamed up to conquer hell, and Agnus had cooperated with the Overgeared members for a short period of time, but… Considering that he and Grid didn’t use to be on good terms, there was no way Agnus trusted him.

Lauel thought differently.

[Whisper from Lauel: You think he hasn’t moved on from the times you tried to kill each other? That probably isn’t the case. From what I can see, you seem worried about him.]

Grid wanted to deny that, but he gave up. “That’s only because I’m nice…”

After the conquest of hell, he remembered that Agnus had made an effort to interact with other people, even though that didn’t last long. Still, he’d made an effort. It wasn’t much, but it was the equivalent of greeting someone when one met them on the street.

Grid had not thought until now that Agnus had truly made an effort back then. However, looking back at it now, he realized that Agnus had clearly tried his best.

Grid nodded. “…Yes, he has changed a lot.”

He believed that Agnus would come to him one day.

[Whisper from Lauel: I have to get going.]

After a few more exchanges, Lauel hung up, stating that he would concentrate on dealing with the Full Moon Fortresses. Unless something unexpected happened, the Full Moon Fortresses all over the West Continent were likely to be destroyed within ten days.

To be honest, it felt a bit pointless. Cultivators had terrified everyone when they first appeared, but now they were on the verge of extinction.

‘At this point, I think I misinterpreted the point of the update.’

At first, he thought they were going to become stronger by fighting the cultivators. He was wrong. The key to his update was to learn to become stronger using mystical arts and elixirs. The cultivators were just simple examples. They showed that players could become as strong as them. Perhaps the cultivators had such vicious personalities because they were supposed to be somewhat like mentors.

“…In any case, I can’t afford to slack off.”

They might have won, but there were still many Full Moon Fortresses left. Even in Asgard, the demon cultivators were collaborating with the gods to build new fortresses. The war against Asgard wouldn’t be an easy one. They needed to make the necessary preparations.

Clang, clang, clang…

The sound of hammering reverberated clearly along the river where the flames of the fire dragon and the flames of the Red Phoenix flowed. Grid had opened up his mental world and was entirely focused on crafting new armor.

The clone was watching him from the sidelines.

“The United States or China need to have sufficient evidence to pressure the S.A Group,” the clone said. “For example, will the S.A Group feel pressured unless others have evidence of what happened to Agnus?”

The clone had Grid’s consciousness, so he knew everything that Grid knew, including what Lauel had informed Grid moments before. However, when operating in auto mode, he was just as intelligent as a super named-grade NPC. Simply said, he was smarter than Grid.

Grid stopped hammering for a moment. “What are you implying?”

“It appears that Lauel deliberately leaked Agnus’ information. This way, governments and organizations will be able to put pressure on the S.A Group to obtain the information he wants.”

“……!”

Grid’s eyes widened. Lauel’s voice echoed in his mind.

I think he’s afraid that others might try to find him and experiment on him if they find out about his condition. Because of this, I think he’ll keep to the shadows and only talk to someone he can trust.

So Lauel had given Agnus away. As a result, now Agnus risked becoming a guinea pig. Lauel was using Agnus as a scapegoat to understand the intentions of the S.A. Group.

“That’s so disrespectful. Lauel even teamed up with Agnus at some point, so isn’t he betraying Agnus’ loyalty?”

The clone’s clear and thoughtful eyes stared at Grid. Grid had some difficulty speaking. He looked very uncomfortable and avoided the clone’s gaze.

The clone nodded. “You can’t blame Lauel. Focus on taking care of Agnus once he contacts you so you can make up for Lauel’s sins..”

Grid didn’t have the right to blame Lauel, since his subordinate had always done things for Grid’s sake. Grid knew what Lauel could do, yet he gave him more and more power. Grid bit his lip as he remembered the moment when Lauel captured tens of thousands of enemy forces and killed them all to set an example.

Clang, clang, clang…

He was hammering faster. Was this his way of trying to suppress his guilt? Soon, the sound of the hammer hitting metal resembled thunder. The river of flames flowing through Grid’s mental world seemed to be flooding the area as if a tidal wave had come.

The mental world reflected his state of mind. Of course it reacted this way, given its master’s mood.

The flames of the fire dragon blended with the ones of the Red Phoenix in the river because of the change in Grid’s mindset. The mental world didn’t always stay the same. Crafting Items in a place that was constantly changing meant that Grid was prepared to end up with any results.

Clang, clang, clang.

The red armor made from the scales of the fire dragon was turning black. The dark armor seemed somewhat grim and ominous. In fact, it emitted an aura that had a negative effect on its surroundings. The enemies who would face Grid in the future would have quite a headache.

“Shit.”

Grid couldn’t stand it and cursed. He sent a whisper to Toon.

“Find Agnus and protect him.”

[Whisper from Toon: On it.]

[The whisper recipient has logged out.]

Toon had been by Grid’s side in real life for a long time, becoming richer and more powerful. He used to be part of the mafia. This meant that he had a lot of connections and knew how to use them.

Men in dilapidated suits from all over the world were on the move.

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