Chapter 2036
[You will level up significantly as a reward for completing the quest.]
[The level of all your skills will increase as a reward for completing the quest.]
[You will obtain the Technique Selection Book, Mystical Arts Selection Book, and Crafting Materials Selection as a reward for completing the quest.]
[The title Hero Who Prevented the Disaster has been received as a reward for completing the quest.]
[You will receive an Item Promotion Ticket for being in the top 100 players in the contribution ranking.]
[Your status will increase for being in the top 300 players in the contribution ranking.]
The reward for clearing this unprecedented large-scale world quest, Stop the Erosion Ritual, exceeded people’s expectations.
Depending on their performance, they gained at least a few dozen levels. They acquired a lot of things from the cultivation world, including techniques, mystical arts, Treasures, and elixirs. Some players’ status increased by several levels while others became the owners of new Mythic items. The higher their spot on the contribution ranking, the more rewards they received.
In other words, this meant that the Overgeared Guild received the most benefits. Other people weren’t really jealous of them. Different compensation based on performance was a fair and familiar system.
“Wow, that’s crazy. Is it true that you gained thirty levels? I can’t level up that much even if I hunt for a few months.”
“Have you checked the technique we can select from the rewards? No matter the technique, you have to learn at least one, right?”
“It’s the same with the mystical arts. I don’t think there is any other game in the world like Satisfy.”
“I feel sorry for the people who didn’t meet the level requirements and didn’t receive the quest.”
“If they didn’t meet the minimum requirements, they wouldn’t have been able to help in the quest at all. Why feel pity for them? They wouldn’t have managed to hurt the cultivators anyway.”
“Hoh. Why are you so sensitive about what I just said?
“Well, it’s obvious. I guess he is angry because people are currently whining about discrimination and making a big deal out of it.”
“Really? People are so predictable. This reminds me of the old days. We used to protest to the S.A. Group that they were discriminating against us whenever Grid played solo and won great rewards.” ”That makes me feel embarrassed. Let’s not talk about the past, my friend.”
People were celebrating on both continents. The Full Moon Fortress disappeared with only a few fragments remaining. Millions of people gathered around it. Players had flocked from all over the continent once they heard that the war was over. There were also many reporters from many media outlets present. Players from media companies from all over the world participated in the quest to get coverage on the event.
Cultivators, the third-party force that threatened the world after the update, finally collapsed. This was great news, considering people were complaining that Satisfy’s success was hindered by the sudden appearance of the cultivators.
The cultivators were gone. After the players absorbed the civilization of the cultivation world, Satisfy would finally enter a period of stability. The game world would be able to evolve peacefully like never before.
Of course, the power struggles between players would remain a constant factor, but overall world peace had definitely been achieved due to Grid’s thorough management. While the cultivators were running wild, he actually managed to destroy the Hwan Kingdom. People were amazed that Grid was so ahead of others while working by himself.
Now, only very few foreign powers could threaten the surface: Asgard, who had lost Judar, the old dragons, who had lost the fire dragon, and Chiyou, who was now alone in the ruined Hwan Kingdom. In addition, the dragons seemed to be as friendly with the Overgeared World as hell was. Therefore, there were practically no threats remaining except for Asgard and Chiyou.
This was only one step toward the unity of humanity in the world. The future of Satisfy would be constructed purely by the players. People who had been looking forward to this could finally breathe in relief. They were deeply grateful and excited for how things had turned out.
“So, when will our protagonist come? Shouldn’t he at least wave at us on a day like this?”
[Number one in the contribution ranking: Grid.]
[Contribution Points: 5,590,138,264.]
Grid’s contribution was enormous. It was eighty times higher than the person in second place. It would’ve been impossible to destroy the cultivators without him. If it hadn’t been for Grid, the Full Moon Fortresses would have been still floating in the sky.
Grid would naturally reign as the ruler of the new world that would unfold. The people who checked the quest results window longed to see Grid in action for the first time in a while. That was what they wanted after the war was over. Regardless of affiliation and ideology, their gratitude and reverence for Grid grew uncontrollably.
“Is he fighting solo somewhere else?”
King Ares of Valhalla, who was in the top 20 of the contribution rankings despite not being an Overgeared member, clicked his tongue. He disliked the barrage of questions from the reporters. Not a single reporter would have bothered him if Grid had been here. He was worried about Grid momentarily, though he regretted doing that when he suddenly came to his senses. His surroundings became particularly noisy. He looked back and saw an unexpected person approaching.
“Braham…?”
The God of wisdom and magic, one of Grid’s closest confidants, was also a bigshot who was ranked second in terms of skills. If NPCs had been included in the contribution rankings, wouldn’t he have aimed for at least third place?
Ares was rarely humble. He wiped the potato chip oil from his palms on his cloak and greeted his guest.
“What is Sir Braham’s business with me?”
“You seem to know a lot about the mental world. From the outside, your mental world looks quite interesting at first glance… Would you give me a chance to experience it sometime?”
Braham spoke politely, using honorifics. This was the first time he had ever been so polite to a player other than Grid. Some of the Overgeared members complained about this.
“Braham is going too far. He still treats me like a child. Why is he talking like this to Ares…”
“Ares had built a kingdom second only to the empire and has ruled brilliantly so far. You are incomparable to him. Your small territory is in a terrible state because you can’t manage it properly. Ares deserves to be treated differently.”
“Small territory? My territory is small? I can’t compare with the empire, but it isn’t that small compared to Valhalla.”
“But it is smaller than Valhalla, right? It’s also true that it’s ruined.”
“It’s enough for the people in my territory to eat and live well. What are you saying? Dammit, stop picking on people just because you are stressed about investing in alchemy and failing.”
Chris cut in between the two bickering players. “By the way, I’m a bit sad… I am ranked higher than Ares, but…”
He looked at Ares, whom Braham respected, with envy. The reactions from the others weren’t much different. They had spent nearly twenty years with Braham. They thought they had shown quite a lot of growth over the long years, but Braham still treated them like they were children. It was difficult to feel happy because Ares was receiving special treatment despite not being part of the Overgeared Guild.
Lauel laughed when he came back from the press conference and saw this.
“You are jealous of everything. Think about it in reverse. If I was Ares, I would rather be envious of you for Braham’s informal treatment.”
Lauel was talking about a period of twenty years.
“Braham has been with us for a long time. What if, one day, Braham suddenly respects us and is polite? You will instead feel that he has become distant. In fact, isn’t Braham’s attitude toward His Majesty the same?”
“That is true.”
“He isn’t disregarding us by treating us as if we’re children…”
The Overgeared members were very excited. They had been fighting the cultivators more than anyone else. Today, they finally achieved victory. They had no choice but to feel excited. As a result, their judgment was somewhat clouded. They misunderstood Braham’s attitude for no reason and were jealous of Ares… They were embarrassed when they realized this.
“Who knows?” Jishuka asked. “You guys can’t even open up your mental world. I think it’s only right that Braham treats you as if you’re kids.”
“…Jishuka, why are you suddenly ruining the mood? Is the press conference over already? Chris and Lauel were also set free early. How did you get rid of the reporters who have so many questions?”
“Well, about that…”
The group followed Jishuka’s gaze.
On one side, Huroi had great speech skills that made people listen to him. He was maintaining the attention of thousands of reporters. “Victory has been achieved by the Overgeared members, who joined forces with Grid to plan a careful strategy…”
On the other side, Peak Sword was bragging and boasting to hold back a group of Korean reporters. “If my sword containing the spirit of the nation hadn’t cut through the sky and shattered the Treasures of the Transcendent-level cultivators, we would’ve been in great danger. The soldiers were thrilled after witnessing the light of my sword that resembles the Taegeuk and started to sing Arirang as a group…”
Yura appeased some reporters who were worried about the post-war situation. “Hell will continue to cooperate with the Overgeared World and remain harmonious with humanity. Not only did Black Knight Eligos swear allegiance to Grid, he also proclaimed that hell is part of the Overgeared World. There is no need to fear betrayal…”
But there was definitely someone who drew the most attention.
“Line! Stand in line! Shouldn’t you stand in the order of contribution?”
It was Damian. He had been involved with the Apostles due to his position as leader of the Overgeared God Church, but he recently became much closer to them. The experience of fighting against Absolutes on the same battlefield seemed to have formed some type of bond between them.
The Apostles entrusted Damian with a new responsibility. They had Damian distribute the loot they got from killing the immortal, who had been the final boss of the East Continent.
It was a mess. Those who were seduced by the jaw-dropping loot rushed in, including a number of reporters from the Japanese media.
“This is the site where Damian, the leader of the Overgeared God Church and the pride of Japan, personally rewards the players who contributed greatly in the war. Dear viewers from Japan! Do you see the tens of thousands of people flocking to Damian?”
“…Fuck.”
Why am I the only one who can’t rest and is pushed forward…
Damian was pale and eventually looked like he was about to cry, but the Overgeared members ignored him.
“By the way, where is Grid and what is he doing?”
“Of course, he should be with his wives. Their due date is soon…”
Ibellin casually answered someone’s question but suddenly fell silent. He remembered that Jishuka was right next to him. Laella noticed this and changed the subject.
“Come to think of it, Jishuka, shouldn’t you be preparing for the wedding soon? There will be a lot of guests, so it’s better to make a reservation for the wedding venue in advance… Ah! Leave the wedding song to me!”
“Huh? T-That’s right. I need to prepare.” Jishuka awkwardly replied.
Grid, Yura, and Jishuka. Their colleagues believed that marriage between the three of them would be the next step they would take, but that wasn’t really the case. Jishuka had yet to receive a proposal from Grid. The same went for Yura.
‘Does he not want to get married?’
Her colleagues saw Jishuka’s awkward expression and were flustered.
Meanwhile, in Asgard.
“Why are my ears itchy again?”
Grid frowned. How ridiculous. Who was cursing him when they safely cleared the world quest? What was he being blamed for? He tilted his head because he didn’t know the reason.
He stopped walking when he made it to the heart of the temple. The angel Mumud was waiting for him beneath the jade full moon.