Chapter 1385
Underwear that changed to fit the body—Beriache’s Underclothing became full-body tights that revealed Grid’s muscular body.
‘It is comfortable to wear.’
A notification window emerged in Grid’s vision as he recalled Elfin Stone with a complicated expression.
[The effect of ’Worn but Not Worn’ has occurred.]
[The weight of the armor you are wearing is halved and speed related penalties caused by weight are suppressed.]
“......!”
Grid’s eyes widened with surprise.
‘This... maybe this is a better skill than Impenetrable Skin.’
Weight was proportional to the content of the materials. Heavy armor was naturally stronger and had more defense than light armor. The reason why people were obsessed with light armor was the penalties caused by weight. The heavier the armor, the slower the speed and the more limited the movement. Thus, defense had to be compromised to some extent.
However, the effect of Worn but Not Worn eliminated the need for this compromise.
‘By my standards, it is possible to increase defense by over 30%.’
If he added the effect of Impenetrable Skin to it, he would be able to withstand the lightning that Mir shot.
‘Isn’t this really huge?’
His shoulders naturally moved up and down. Grid was feeling joy when he suddenly had a question.
‘Was it really okay to use Mir as the standard? Are single digit great demons stronger than Mir?’
First of all, a great demon had overwhelmingly high health. The weaknesses of human-type NPCs had always been their health and defense. Still, Mir’s overall combat power should be above a single digit great demon. Mir was the intermediate boss of the East Continent. Apart from Baal, who could be called the intermediate boss of hell, he didn’t think the single digit great demons could be Mir’s opponent.
Now he wasn’t so sure. Leraje was only 10th ranked and she could endure the damage of the five fusion sword dances with her bare body. Of course, her ability to reduce physical attacks meant she might be able to exert a higher defense at times than single digit great demons, but even without this, Leraje’s combat power far exceeded Grid’s expectations. First of all, she had the unusual visual acuity to read all of the five fusion dances.
“Leraje, you said that there are several rulers above you?”
"Yes, it is unbelievable, but it is true.
“Are they much stronger than you?”
If the answer ‘yes’ was received then it would be quite troublesome. To be honest, his motivation would probably be somewhat dampened. Leraje gave an unexpected answer to the concerned Grid.
“It depends on compatibility. Among the rulers with a higher rank than me, number 5 and 6 don’t specialize in magic so I can fight and win. However, the other rules are hard for me to beat now... Ah!”
Leraje was talking only to shut her mouth in surprise. She glanced left and right for a long time before trying hard to look calm.
“My weakness isn’t magic. Don’t misunderstand.”
“...Yes.”
“Really!”
“I know?”
“Shit! It is ruined! Ruined!”
“......”
Why was a braggart unable to lie? Based on the way that she was hitting the ground resentfully, she couldn’t hide the fact that she confessed her weakness.
‘In the first place, it is an obvious weakness.’
Grid couldn’t help clicking his tongue at the naive Leraje.
“If only I had beat you today! I would’ve fixed my record of a draw with the Undefeated King to a victory and I would’ve challenged 8th place!”
‘Hmm... She is the great demon of struggle.’
She had the characteristic of becoming stronger the more she fought and won. It would be one of the strongest characteristics if supported by talent and hard work.
‘This is why Beriache had expectations of Leraje and showed kindness to her.’
In the Behen Archipelago Record, Leraje was planning to go against Baal. Perhaps the reason why she followed Baal’s orders until she had the strength to fight Baal was also for Beriache?
‘If so, she might be a great ally...’
Aside from the fact that Grid built up affinity with Leraje, her attitude when facing Elfin Stone was very favorable. If she met and cooperated with Braham in the future, just imagining it...
‘...No, I can’t imagine a scene of the two of them cooperating?’
Why could he only imagine Braham harassing Leraje? Grid was frowning when the ceiling started shaking. Due to the structure of the castle, Leraje’s great hall was above the treasure warehouse. It seemed that something huge had fallen.
“They have no manners.”
Leraje’s eyes which had been gloomy since her weakness was revealed sharply narrowed. She pushed Grid behind her and emerged from the treasure warehouse, running straight to the great hall. Grid followed her. As he got closer to the great hall, he sensed a terrible smell and heat. Finally, he heard the breathing of a wild beast.
“You, Krucha!”
Leraje seemed to know the intruder’s identity. The moment she entered the great hall, the demon with the title of ‘Deputy Commander of the 8th Hell’ started laughing bizarrely. He was someone with a very heavily bent back. His jaw was about to hit the ground. Nevertheless, he was over 3 meters tall and had rugged muscles. His shoulders were relatively narrow compared with his back and his head was a dog’s head. The thing that stood out was the flames overflowing from two large fists. They were familiar flames.
‘Hell fire.’
Hell Gao was wearing it...
“Krucha was originally the leader of the 9th Hell Army. Once Hell Gao lost his body, he abandoned the 9th Hell and came to the 8th Hell where he became Barbatos’ subordinate.
It was Yura’s explanation. She had been waiting for Grid outside the castle and ran inside when she heard the turmoil.
“Barbatos is the 8th ranked great demon?”
“Yes, he is a sniper. I don’t know when and where he will snipe from so you have to be especially careful when fighting with Barbatos’ subordinates.”
As Yura progressed through her class quests, she had been reading the records of the former Demon Slayer, Alex. Barbatos was an exceptionally difficult opponent among the great demons because he could snipe from dozens of kilometers away. The assassination ability of the great demon who grasped the location of the target and accurately sniped them was the strongest among the great demons.
“Grrr... Kukuk, kukungkungkung!”
Krucha stared at the whispering Grid and Yura before laughing wildly.
“Leraje! Grrrrung, keok! Seeing the Demon Slayer here, I guess the rumor that you lowered your tail to the Demon Slayer is true, bark bark! I see! Bark! Grrrr!”
“Uncivilized son of a bitch. You need to keep your snout closed. Every time you open your snout, you give off a bad smell and it brings trouble to the people around you.”
The reason Leraje invited Grid here was to hold a festival for herself. As a result, it became a nightmare instead of a festival. Even so, she still treated Grid with a smile. Now her gaze toward Krucha was filled with contempt and disgust. The overbearing pressure and killing intent that suited her status as a great demon finally appeared on her face.
“Grrrr!!”
Krucha’s dog face crumpled. He alternated looking between Leraje and Yura and the saliva dripping from his tongue flew in all directions.
“Yip yip! Leraje, kill the Demon Slayer right away.”
“A son of a bitch is barking. How dare you command me?”
“Grrrung! This is Barbatos’ order! If you don't kill the Demon Slayer right now, it shows that you are working with the Demon Slayer! Yip!”
‘This...’
Yura was in danger. The two of them had no chance of victory against Leraje. It happened the moment Grid judged this and sent an eye signal to Yura to run away...
“Barbatos’ intelligence must be reduced to the level of a dog from staying with you. Now that the 9th place is vacant, my next highest ranking opponent is Barbatos. What rights do you have to command me when you are the subject of a competitor, not a superior?”
“Competitor? Kukuk, bark! You are Barbatos’ competitor? Ku bark bark! A loach who can’t even handle the heat of my flames?”
The flames around Krucha’s hands grew bigger and ran wild. The soaring flames quickly heated up the great hall.
“Uh!”
Grid was used to the heat, but it was different for Yura. Grid reflexively took a step back to cover her with the heat insulation cloak while glancing at Leraje’s condition. Leraje’s smooth skin was cracking. Her mucus was rapidly drying due to the heat.
‘Her power is sealed.’
Leraje’s greatest strength that Grid had experienced was her mucus. The mucus had the power to decrease physical attacks and corrode objects. If it was lost then it was safe to say that Leraje’s combat power was halved.
It was as he expected. Krucha’s furious onslaught increased the number of wounds on Leraje’s dry body. At first glance, he seemed to be randomly swinging the fire claws, but it actually contained the wild senses. He instinctively saw the opponent’s weaknesses and targeted them.
‘Strong.’
Kalbaba, the deputy commander of the 10th Hell, was skilled enough to be comparable to the great demons who came to the human world. Now Krucha, the deputy commander of the 8th Hell, was one step above Kalbaba and this made Grid tense. His speed, destructiveness, and above all, his combat senses, were all excellent. He effectively used all types of things to pressure the other person instead of just relying on physical ability.
Wouldn’t it be too hard for Leraje when pushed against a monster like that?
Grid’s thoughts matched Kalbaba’s thoughts.
“Leraje!” Kalbaba had been watching the situation for a while, but couldn’t stand it anymore and intervened. He helped Leraje who became helpless in front of the high heat and aimed a spear at Krucha.
“Grrrung!”
Krucha avoided the spear by bending his waist 90 degrees and grabbed the spear by reaching back. He twisted his waist and threw it back at Kalbaba.
“Ugh!”
Kalbaba stopped the returned spear with a shield and was pushed back 10 steps. Krucha became proud. “Will I become the master of the 10th Hell if I kill you here?”
It was a remark that crossed the line. The atmosphere became worse and Grid and Yura were even more flustered. The situation was awkward because they were in a position to be threatened and hunted by the demons here, but the demons were fighting among themselves.
‘Either way, this is a good opportunity.’
It was a chance to accurately gauge the demons’ skills. Grid and Yura focused on the battle, but their focus soon broke. It was due to the intervention of another being.
[There are no attacks that you won’t recognize.]
“?”
There were no existences threatening Grid. Leraje and Krucha were busy fighting each other.
Then what was this warning?
Grid’s eyes widened and he hurriedly jumped. At the same time, a dark hand stretched out from the ground where Grid had just been standing. It missed Grid, who was its original target, and just grabbed empty air.
‘What is this?’
It was a hand that exuded a creepy and ominous energy. The tip of the cloak was burned just by being near the black hand.
Yura exclaimed, “It is Barbatos’ sniping!”
Subsequently, four more black hands appeared from the front, back, left, and right of Grid, who was floating in the air. If Grid hadn’t used Shunpo immediately after seeing the warning window that appeared again, he would’ve been caught and melted down. Grid was feeling tense when he received a forced quest.
[The quest ‘Barbatos’ Sniping’ has begun.]
[Barbatos’ Sniping]
Difficulty: SSS
[The 8th Great Demon, Barbatos, has targeted you.
Barbatos’ sniping won’t stop as long as Krucha is alive.
Defeat Krucha to survive.
Quest Clear Conditions: Krucha’s death.
Quest Clear Rewards: Barbatos’ Vision (5)
Quest Failure: Level -5.]
‘Vision?’
It was a type of reward he was seeing for the first time, but it wasn’t hard to understand the reward.
‘Can I see from a long distance like Barbatos?’
Grid gulped. It was because if he could see from a distance and take advantage of it, the utilization of the rain of battle gear would rise dramatically.
‘It doesn’t matter where I am.’
As long as he could see it, he could release a rain of battle gear without being there directly. It was like a heavenly god pouring rain down on earth.
‘I must be sure to clear this quest.’
Grid drew a brilliant future and his motivation rose.