Pahat!

Leo narrowed the distance toward Grid with quick movements. Grid wanted to step back, but Leo was already in front of him.

“What?”

Leo aimed a flashy blow toward the panicked Grid.

Kaaang!

Grid raised his dagger and barely managed to defend against Leo’s attack. His wrists and shoulders were strained in the aftermath, and his right arm was temporarily disabled, but Grid survived thanks to the successful defense.

‘I wouldn’t have caught Leo’s movements at all if it weren’t for the Ideal Dagger.’

This was true. After using the skill ‘Quick Movements’ attached to the Ideal Dagger, his agility doubled. Ideal Dagger itself increased the user’s agility by 20. In addition to that, all of Grid’s stats had increased by 12 points after making a unique item. Grid’s combined agility was close to 250 points, making him able to respond to Leo’s attacks.

Leo frowned with an unpleasant expression and asked, “You avoided my attack? Aren’t you a blacksmith?”

Leo was one of Winston’s most accomplished young talents. He was even called the ‘Northern Nova’ and his name was spread throughout the north. It was impossible for an ordinary blacksmith to block his attack, even with a fluke.

Thus, Leo started taking the battle seriously.

“You aren’t an ordinary blacksmith? Were you just acting in the interrogation room? Good, I will acknowledge your skills and do my best.”

Hwaruruk!

Red flames emerged from Leo’s longsword. It was a magic sword equipped with the fire attribute. Grid, who had been hoping there was a slight chance of victory, felt despair again.

“A magic sword...! Why is a strong person using something like that? This is a foul!”

The time limit for rescuing Huroi was 25 minutes. Could he defeat a knight equipped with a magic sword? It was impossible. He would be killed in a minute.

Grid was completely lost.

‘I have to run away. At this rate, I will die a dog’s death and fail the quest. Running away is the only option, but how can I run?’

Grid couldn’t outrun the knight. The physical abilities of a knight transcended him. It might be possible if he had a skill that gave the target an abnormal condition, but Grid was a blacksmith and didn’t have such useful skills.

In the end, Grid was destined to be killed here by Leo, but at that moment, something happened that no one could predict. There was suddenly a huge explosion in the spot where Leo was standing.

Kwa kwa kwa kwang!

“Wah!”

Grid fell as flat as possible in order to avoid being affected by the aftermath of the explosion. However, the explosion was so big that it was impossible for his body to not be damaged.

[You have suffered 17,300 damage.]

[A legend doesn’t die easily. You can resist all attacks for 5 seconds with a minimum of health.]

He had one health point remaining. After a moment, the explosions stopped.

“Ugh... what happened all of a sudden...”

Grid rose from his spot and drank a potion to replenish his health before looking at the collapsed Leo.

“Cough! Cough!”

Leo coughed up blood. He was in a miserable condition. Leo’s silver majestic armor was in pieces and his body was covered in burns. It was a miracle that he was even breathing.

‘What on earth happened?’

When Leo exploded, Grid thought that Euphemina had appeared. He believed it was Euphemina’s magic that hit Leo. However there were no signs of Euphemina at all, and there were still only two people here, Grid and Leo.

Grid was stunned by the situation and immediately confirmed the status of Leo’s sword. Leo’s sword had completely shattered. This meant it received the most damage from the explosion. It was as if the explosion began from Leo’s sword.

“It can’t be…” Grid thought rapidly.

This was underground. There was no wind because there was no ventilation and the ceiling collapsed due to Euphemina triggering the trap, filling the air with dust. What would happen if a fire started in this enclosed space?

Grid was reminded of the dust explosion that his chemistry teacher taught him in high school. Dust explosion was a phenomenon where dust was concentrated in the air and exploded after receiving heat and pressure. In the past, there were insufficient dust explosion prevention methods and this phenomenon frequently occurred in coal mines, mills, and other areas.

“Ha! What? It’s like ‘that’? Pfff! Puhahahahat!”

Grid relaxed as he grasped the situation and then laughed like crazy. He was really lucky to be able to succeed in the quest after thinking he would be killed by Leo.

“Uhh... you... what did you do?” the collapsed Leo could barely open his mouth to ask.

Grid stopped laughing and turned to Leo. He tried to look as cool as possible as he declared, “This is what you call the difference in skills. In fact, I moved at a tremendous speed that your eyes couldn’t follow and made your sword explode. That is why you can’t avoid death.”

“W-What? Is such a thing possible? You... what is your identity?”

Grid placed the dagger above Leo’s heart and replied, “I am Pagma's Successor. Now you really are going to be a bachelor ghost.”

Puk.

Grid’s dagger pierced Leo’s heart. His words came true. Leo really was going to be a bachelor ghost!

“Kwaaaack!”

Leo turned into a gray light and dozens of notification windows emerged in front of Grid.

[You have defeated Winston’s knight, Leo.]

[The title ‘Knight Slayer’ has been acquired.]

[8 gold has been acquired.]

[The prison key has been acquired.]

[432,000 experience has been acquired.]

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level...]

The level of ‘Northern Nova’ Leo was exactly 188. Grid’s level rose from 21 to 45 in an instant. There was also a bonus title.

[Knight Slayer]

[Stamina +100. Strength +30]

“Ohhhhhhhh!!!!”

Knight Slayer was the easiest title to obtain because it was received after killing a knight. However, it was necessary to be skilled to take down a knight, so it wasn’t a title that could be obtained unless the person had a high-level, yet Grid, who was level 21, killed a knight and acquired the Knight Slayer title.

‘I received the title of Knight Slayer, which is one of the indications of a high-level user...!’

He never dreamed of getting the Knight Slayer title, even in his days as a warrior. Grid enjoyed the thrill as he started running. Then he reached the end where Huroi’s voice had been heard.

“Huroi, I’m here!”

Ching!

The iron door easily opened due to the key from Leo.

“Ugh!” Grid frowned. The solitary cell was filled with a bad stench and Huroi didn’t look the same. It was like touching a skeleton. “What? You... you are Huroi right? Why do you look so different? What have you been doing in the meantime?”

Grid originally planned to hit Huroi’s cheeks 200 times, but Huroi’s condition was so bad that he didn’t dare. It wasn’t because of his conscience.

‘Won’t he die immediately if he is slapped? I don’t want to be stigmatized as a criminal and player killer.’

“...You?”

Huroi slowly opened his eyes in the darkness. Then he looked at Grid. At that moment, Huroi was able to recall who he was, where he was, and what type of quest he was completing.

“You... you are my saviour... thank you... thank you...”

Then a notification window flashed in front of Grid.

[Quest success!]

[The title ‘Apostle of Justice’ has been acquired.]

[The courage stat has opened.]

[All stats have increased by 10.]

[The skill ‘Unbreakable Justice’ has been generated.]

[Your reputation in Winston has reached the peak. In the future, the Winston residents will show you the best hospitality.]

[Affinity with the Winston residents has risen to the maximum. In the future, the Winston residents will share things with you.]

Huroi also had notification windows appear in front of him.

[Quest success!]

[The second class ‘Apostle of Justice’s Partner’ has been acquired.]

[The courage stat has opened.]

[When you are with the Apostle of Justice, all stats will increase by 20%.]

[The skill ‘Unbreakable Justice’ has been generated.]

[The skill ‘Sacrifice for Justice’ has been generated.]

[The title ‘One who Overcomes Hardships’ has been acquired.]

[Indomitable stat has opened.]

[The skill ‘Strong Will’ has been generated.]

[Congratulations! You are the first to obtain a second class in Satisfy. If you wish, your achievements will last for a long time in Satisfy.]

“Ah...!”

Tears poured from Huroi’s eyes. He was thrilled at receiving these rewards after the hellish ordeal. Huroi used all his strength and barely raised his body. Then he fell to his knees in front of Grid.

“Grid, I didn’t know it when we met, but we clearly have a destined relationship. My saviour, Grid! I, Allunbatar, descendant of the Blue Wolf, will follow you for the rest of your life as the Apostle of Justice’s Partner!”

‘What is this?’

Grid didn’t know the details and just thought Huroi was crazy, but Huroi was sincere. Huroi dismissed Grid when they met a few days ago, but now he was convinced that Grid was his destiny. He vowed to repay the favor to Grid.

Thus, the relationship between the two men began in earnest.