Overgeared

Shin Youngwoo was in a very uncomfortable state. 

Due to his enhancement failure, he had gotten so angry that he almost lost his sight. The ancient enhancement scrolls enhanced items from +1 to +3, but both the Enlightenment Sword and Valhalla of Infinite Affection had only increased to +1. Wasn’t that the lowest value possible? His luck was truly bad.

As such, Shin Youngwoo had been forced to stop the enhancement. He wanted to be cautious with the remaining ancient scrolls and would use them when his luck was high.

It was natural to be cautious. One enhancement level increased the basic stats of the item by 5%. This value was very important when looking at myth rated items with basic stats exceeding 1,000. He would be able to secure a difference of dozens or hundreds in attack and defense with just one enhancement level.

‘Furthermore, it is likely to be hard to obtain the ancient scrolls again in the future.’

Shin Youngwoo had noticed from the beginning that the giant cave cricket wasn’t a monster meant for players to hunt. It hadn’t used any special magic or skills, but its basic stats were simply too high.

How could a player beat the cave cricket when Piaro and Mercedes had failed and suffered serious injuries? It was likely that Shin Youngwoo would’ve experienced death if he had attracted the cave cricket’s aggro. This made it understandable that such a strong monster dropped the fraudulent ancient enhancement scrolls.

“Umm…” So when Shin Youngwoo sat facing Lim Cheolho at his birthday party, he muttered, “Why is such a big person...?”

The VIP guest, Chairman Lim Cheolho of the S.A Group, had come to celebrate Shin Youngwoo’s birthday! What was the title of this new hidden camera broadcast program? There was no other explanation for this. Chairman Lim Cheolho, who only appeared in magazines or on TV, was actually sitting in front of Shin Youngwoo on his birthday? Was this a normal scene?

Shin Youngwoo tapped his fingers before coming to a conclusion and asking, “Is this a hidden camera TV show?”

Shin Youngwoo started to feel excited. He was looking forward to the gift that the S.A Group had prepared for him after he contributed to the National Competition. Maybe it would be enough to make up for the two wasted ancient enhancement scrolls?

Unable to hide his expectations, Shin Youngwoo looked like an excited child. His family was the same.

As he met the burdensome gazes of the family members, Lim Cheolho was very stressed. He was used to meeting the presidents of the United States and China, yet now he was uncomfortable when facing these ordinary family members. It was difficult for him to disappoint them.

“Hum hum.” There was a moment of awkward silence. “First of all, happy birthday. I am very happy to personally meet a great player like you, Grid. I am a huge fan.” He was being sincere. 

Lim Cheolho respected all of Satisfy’s players, but he felt greater liking for certain players. In particular, he felt great respect for the five people called the Five Miracles. The supercomputer Morpheus couldn’t predict their actions, and the pleasure that gave Lim Cheolho couldn’t be converted into money.

“Ah...” Youngwoo’s face reddened. His heart was pounding as he felt Lim Cheolho’s sincerity. He couldn’t help being moved. After living a life at the bottom, Youngwoo had grown up, succeeded, and become someone who was acknowledged by one of the greatest people in the world. A joy that was difficult to describe filled him, blanking out his mind.

It was the same with Youngwoo’s parents. Chairman Lim Cheolho, who was a famous person, a great scientist, and an entrepreneur, had come to congratulation their son on his birthday and profess to being a big fan. This was a sight that seemed like a dream.

“Hehe.”

“Hum hum.”

Sexy Schoolgirl Yerim and Beast Master Toon looked at Lim Cheolho and Youngwoo’s family with warm expressions. This was a heartwarming sight, yet it was an atmosphere that made Lim Cheolho feel increasingly burdened!

“Hum hum.” Lim Cheolho pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat flowing down his face. It had become hard for him to tell Youngwoo to return the ancient scrolls. While he was feeling embarrassed about that, Youngwoo’s mother gave him some rice and said, “Please eat.”

She was aware that Chairman Lim Cheolho was a busy person, so she would cut her son’s birthday cake right after Chairman Lim Cheolho ate something. Chairman Lim Cheolho was surprised when he saw her dark nails. “Are you still doing work in the fields these days?”

“Yes, of course.” 

Everyone in South Korea knew that Youngwoo’s parents personally farmed the vegetables they sold. Even Chairman Lim Cheolho was aware of it.

“Why do you need to suffer when your son is enjoying great success? Isn’t it enough for you to hire people or to stop working?”

“The successes of a son is separate from his parents’ lives. How can we spend our son’s hard-earned money? We aren’t old enough to retire, so we should work too.”

That wasn’t all. Youngwoo’s parents thought about the past. The real reason they worked even harder than before was for Youngwoo’s sake. Their son was currently experiencing great success. Therefore, they constantly gave to charity in their son’s name out of fear that people would feel jealous of him. They personally sent their vegetables to orphanages and nursing homes.

It was also meant as a repayment of their debt. As parents, they hadn’t been able to believe in their son and hadn’t given him any strength back when he was having a hard time. Youngwoo’s parents couldn’t get rid of their feelings of guilt toward their son. However, this caused Youngwoo pain. As their son, he had always gotten involved in incidents and had never been praised. He had gone to university thanks to his parents, yet he hadn’t studied and had ended up in debt. 

Nevertheless, his mother had prepared breakfast for her son every day, and his father hadn’t turned against him. They had done enough for him and had been waiting a long time for him to find success. Yet now they were sorry toward their son? Youngwoo felt like a sinner. He was the son who broke their hearts in the first place. If he had even half resembled Sehee, then his parents wouldn’t have a shadow in their hearts now.

“...” The previously harmonious atmosphere sank, and an awkward silence flowed. Lim Cheolho felt like he was sitting on a cushion of thorns. Yerim and Toon were staring at him. They seemed to be saying, ‘Why did you make the atmosphere like this by saying unnecessary things?’

“Hum hum.” How long had it been since he last felt someone’s blatant resentment? Lim Cheolho was embarrassed for a while before smiling in an attempt to recover the atmosphere. He took a spoonful of food. Was there a need for other people to say so much? In the end, as parents and children, they would be able to understand each other, care for each other, and find greater happiness. 

“It is delicious.” Lim Cheolho couldn’t remember how long it had been since he last ate a homemade meal. It was probably 33 years ago when he lost his parents.

Lim Cheolho had a gentle expression as he ate the rice and seaweed soup. ‘I was treated to warm rice, so I must repay them.’

Recalling the original intentions he’d had when he made Satisfy, he had dreamt of everyone being happy. He wanted Satisfy to be a world beyond a game and for it to give people joy they couldn’t feel in their harsh realities. Yet, now, he had come here to put a constraint on a person just because of the game balance? Would he forcibly take away the happiness a person had obtained after suffering? What was this unscrupulous act?

‘I have become too rigid.’

Chairman Lim Cheolho put down the cutlery and said, “Overgeared King Grid.”

“Yes?”

“I will give you a small hint. The reason why you’ve grown so much isn’t because you are Pagma's Descendant.”

“...?”

It was hard to understand what Lim Cheolho meant since Youngwoo had reached his current position due to becoming Pagma's Descendant. Lim Cheolho explained to the confused Youngwoo, “NPCs... The act of treating the people who live in Satisfy as if they are people is the thing that has made you what you are now.”

Could the Overgeared Kingdom have been born if there had been no talents beside Grid? That was impossible as Grid wasn’t versatile enough to have done it all by himself. It was because he had been able to support Khan’s wounds, rejuvenate Piaro, and meet Rabbit that allowed him to be reborn as the Overgeared King.

“I hope you don’t lose your foundations,” Chairman Lim Cheolho spoke meaningful words and rose from his seat. He had no intention of interfering with the family’s birthday party any longer. So, he put on his coat and gave a large present to Shin Youngwoo. There were travel vouchers for his parents and a hint. “You have become angry due to the blacksmith god a few times.”

“...?”

“Please be aware that there is a big relation with Pagma's Descendant’s class quests.”

It was a big hint. This was a huge hint for Shin Youngwoo who was afraid to use the ‘Divinity’ skill due to the blacksmith god’s curse, and it eased some of his mental burdens. Shin Youngwoo asked excitedly, “Isn’t it too much to be called a birthday present? Can you give this privilege to a specific player?”

“Privilege? Did I give any to you? I was just speaking to myself.”

There was no doubt that problems would arise from Grid hunting the cave cricket and obtaining the ancient enhancement scrolls. However, Lim Cheolho regained his original thoughts and decided to leave the flow of Satisfy to the players.

“Let me say a few more words to myself,” Lim Cheolho said while putting on his shoes at the front door. While nodding to Youngwoo’s parents and Sehee, he whispered, “Even if you are a few times stronger than you are now, there are countless strong enemies that you can’t face alone. Don’t be so overconfident that you lose the things precious to you.”

The catastrophic episodes designed to deal despair upon all of humanity had largely been deleted. From the players’ standpoint, the various variables caused by this were a poison.

One example was the empire’s grand master. This person, who originally should’ve been killed by the insane dragon, was currently still alive. Like Mercedes, he was an NPC with one of the highest growth potentials. Unlike Mercedes, there was no one to put a brake on his growth since he was a grand master.

How could the players handle the vicious NPCs who would continue to reign, unlike the insane dragon that would just go crazy for ‘a while’ before leaving? Lim Cheolho wondered this as he left Shin Youngwoo’s house.

After that...

“Do you acknowledge me now after the S.A Group’s chairman came personally to celebrate my birthday?” Youngwoo asked Toon while shrugging.

“Uh. I acknowledge you.” Toon was perfectly accustomed to life in South Korea and raised his thumb.