[The duration of immortality is over.]

The worst notification window emerged as Kraugel was about to strike Grid’s neck with White Fang. Was he going to lose? But Grid still had a trump card.

[Braham’s soul, which lost a great deal of power from closing the hell door, has woken up from his sleep!]

[The cooldown time of Assimilation is over!]

“Shield.”

Jjeejeeeong!

The moment that Assimilation was used, a shield blocked Kraugel’s attack and Grid was convinced of his victory. Until Braham opened his mouth.

“This is a talent from the heavens. But you are still young.”

‘Stop making noise and use a spell!’

Grid shouted, but Braham trusted his shield. He believed it would never be broken and summoned a flame. It wasn’t magic of a particular form. It was simply flames made of pure magic power. Grid’s mana was almost empty, so it was impossible to use a spell.

‘Well, this is enough.’

The man in front of Braham was also in a bad state. A light attack was possible. The moment that Braham smiled.

Tak!

Kraugel laid a hand on the shield. It was similar to Regas’ technique, who temporarily boosted his body’s weight by using its rotational power.

‘Don’t tell me...!’

Grid and Braham simultaneously became nervous. 

“Crying Tiger.”

Peeng!

An intangible energy passed through the shield and struck Grid’s chest. The damage wasn’t strong, but Grid had only recovered 400 health from the effect of Spear Shot and Elfin Stone’s Ring. Grid was unable to withstand the blow and died immediately. Once again, he couldn’t enjoy the effect of Tiramet’s Power attached to the Rune of Darkness.

In his final moments, he saw Kraugel’s body being burned by the flames.

***

Kraugel was uneasy throughout the fight against Grid. In the end, would he lose? Would he not be able to treat his mother’s illness? Grid was so strong that he made even Kraugel, the ultimate player in the game, have these thoughts.

The ruler of the battlefield, Ares. The Black and White sisters. And Baal’s Contractor, Agnus.

Grid was no less skilled than the four people working on Satisfy’s central story and wasn’t left behind when it came to the possibility of development. In particular, at the end.

“Assimilation.”

Kraugel’s heart froze as Grid’s hair turned white and Blackening was lifted. Grid’s white haired version had taken out Yatan’s First Servant with Fireball. It was only supposed to be for a certain quest, but this power could be used in PvP? It was outside of Kraugel’s scope and he faced a great crisis.

But in the end, he won. Kraugel’s Crying Tiger was one step ahead of the white haired Grid’s flames. The difference was as thin as a sheet of paper. If Grid hadn’t been confident and used the magic immediately after Shield, the result would’ve changed.

[You have won a battle against a legend.]

[The legendary class, Sword Saint has been obtained.]

[Your level has dropped down to level 1.]

“Mother...”

He felt a surge of emotions. He would be able to free his mother from her suffering. He could repay the love his mother gave him all his life. Once again, he could be called ‘Son.’ Kraugel trembled as tears poured from his eyes. They was tears of joy.

***

As a result of the video replay, it was discovered that Grid died before Kraugel. It was a mere difference of 0.1 seconds. 

『 Only 0.1 seconds... The moment that South Korea and Russia, Grid and Kraugel’s fate changed. 』

『 The winner is Kraugel! Russia has taken first in the overall rankings! 』

『 It’s really disappointing from Grid and South Korea’s perspective. If Grid’s magic had been 0.1 seconds faster, South Korea would’ve won first place. 』

Indeed, it was really competitive. As a result, Grid was defeated, but the sky fell. Who could possibly label Grid as a loser?

『 The title of the sky is no longer exclusive to Kraugel. 』

『 That’s right. Grid also deserves to be called the best. 』

『 As of this moment, Satisfy has two suns. 』

The commentators of various stations started to praise Grid and most of the world was in agreement. However, Grid was different.

'In the end, I lost.’

He realized that he was still lacking to receive that title. But Grid wasn’t frustrated. He was glad. It was true that the distance between him and Kraugel was gradually narrowing.

‘Next time.’

Next time would be different. At that time, he would win the title of the strongest. Grid pledged with a grin as he gazed at Kraugel.

‘Is he this happy to win over me?’

Kraugel was grabbing his chest with tears in his eyes. Grid thoroughly misunderstood the meaning of his tears.

'Rejoicing so much after beating me...’

Huhuhut!

Grid was proud despite losing.

***

1st. Russia (5 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze) 

2nd. South Korea (5 gold, 1 silver) 

3rd. United States (4 gold, 4 silver, 6 bronze) 

4th. Canada (3 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze) 

5th. Spain (1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze) 

6th. Japan (1 gold, 3 bronze) 

7th. Brazil (1 gold) 

8th. United Kingdom (4 silver) 

9th. France (3 silver) 

Joint 10th place. Argentina, China (2 bronze) 

12th. Turkey (1 bronze) 

The final rankings for the National Competition was revealed. The United States and Canada, who were strong winning candidates, ended up third and fourth respectively. Most people didn’t predict this result. In particular, it was shocking that South Korea, which was evaluated as one of the weakest countries, ended up second in the world.

『 South Korea is a very unusual case. Grid alone won five of the six medals. 』

『 It was also 4 gold medals and 1 silver medal. 』

『 If I had to pick an MVP for this competition, I would definitely pick Grid. 』

Of course, Kraugel’s work was also dazzling. The impact alone allowed him to be compared to Grid. However, the person who won more medals was Grid. Few people would disagree if Grid was chosen as the MVP.

***

The 2nd Satisfy National Competition. The best one month festival held in Paris came to an end. The participants from all over the world stood on the stage for the spectacular closing ceremony. The person with the most spotlight was Grid. A new person who was the best! The second sun! And so on.

Grid had all types of new nicknames and the attention of the media on him was enormous. Beautiful... In particular, glamorous reporters wanted to interview him about the white haired Grid, causing Yura to poke Grid in the side.

“You’re drooling.”

“Heok.”

Unbelievable! He was drooling while the entire world was watching!

'Why is there D cup...!?’

He had worked hard to manage his image, but this blew away instantly. Grid felt embarrassed and blushed, causing Yura to pull out a handkerchief and wipe at his mouth.

"...”

Really, she was a woman who behaved in misleading ways. The crowd and players from all over the world looked at Grid with jealousy.

"People are misunderstanding because you keep acting like this. Act moderately, or I will start thinking that you like me.”

"...”

Yura’s lips twitched. This was a great chance to confess that she liked Grid. But she couldn’t honestly confess. She had received countless love confessions, but it was awkward and embarrassing because she had never confessed to anyone.

“It’s very lively.”

Peak Sword laughed. It was like looking at pure children when he saw Grid and Yura, so it was fun. Of course, he also felt frustrated. For reference, Peak Sword had also been solo since his mother’s womb. While Yura and Grid’s love affair (?) was causing an uproar, Chairman Lim Cheolho of the S.A. Group climbed onto the stage. 

He looked at Grid with an unknown meaning and spoke to the camera.

“Hello? I am the developer and operator of Satisfy, Lim Cheolho. I would like to thank all the staff and players who have worked hard for this competition... Now, I will deliver happy news to all the people watching on their TVs.”

The good news delivered by Lim Cheolho was as followed: 

First of all, to commemorate the National Competition, every player in Satisfy would receive a 10% experience buff. Secondly, additional buffs would be awarded to players who had entered the National Competition. The buffs would depend on their country’s ranking.

Some people shouted that it was unfair. Too much benefit was given to the players who won medals in the National Competition. But the purpose of the S.A. Group was to increase the influence of the National Competition. It was reasonable to provide proper compensation so that the 3rd and 4th National Competitions would become bigger.

In any case, the Korean players could look forward to a buff that increased their experience and item acquisition rate by 27% for the next fortnight. As a result, Grid became a true national hero. The Korean players got a chance to grow rapidly thanks to Grid.

Grid won four gold medals and one silver medal, so he obtained four adamantium and one bloodstone as the blacksmith’s reward. In addition, a huge sum of 20 billion won was added to his bankbook. It was the advertising fee that the Comet Group deposited.

Once autumn passed. Grid realized that he would be hit with another 38% tax bomb in next year’s comprehensive income tax report and shed tears of blood. He tried to comfort himself that the taxes he paid would be used for the country’s development, but the billions of won lost in taxes was still too much of a burden. Would he get hair loss again?

After the closing ceremony. Lauel approached the worried Grid.

“I have something to say to you.”

“...?”

***

"Hee~~ This is the kingdom of the Water Clan that I heard about. A pretty place? It makes me furious.”

“Hihit! Yihihihit!”

The Water Clan kingdom, Siren.

Uninvited guests came to the place where Duplicator Euphemina had been staying for several months already. It happened much sooner than Euphemina expected.