“What? An orc is fine after my blood magic?”

“Grruk. It hurts. Vampire. Bad! Grruk!”

“A kid who hasn’t lost his baby fat shouldn’t talk back to me! I have lived hundreds of years longer than you!”

“A strong person. Gruruk. Adult!”

“This rude little bastard! Ack! My potatoes! Give me my potatoes!”

“......”

The potato battle between Teruchan, who looked like an uncle in his mid-30s, and Noll, a beautiful youth who seemed to be in his teens, intensified while Skunk’s party watched with bemused expressions. It was a confusing conversation where a vampire and carnivorous orc argued over a potato, so they thought it was a bug.

‘Is the red potato special...?’ Skunk’s group started to pay attention to the blood potatoes.

‘The Five Seniors and Chiyou.’ Meanwhile, Grid was thinking about the organizational chart of the Hwan Kingdom. Garam and Pagma were yangbans of the Hwan Kingdom. On top of them was Chiyou. who gave the test to the yangbans, and the Five Seniors they served.

‘First... I don’t think the average yangban are gods.’

Grid knew Garam and Pagma well. Their combat power was unique, especially when Pagma overwhelmed the great demons, but it wasn’t enough to be considered as a god. In Garam’s case, his specialty was ‘blindness’, and he had been caught off guard by Grid several times. A god wouldn’t be so clumsy. Additionally, Hexetia’s jealousy of Pagma was due to a ‘human’ threatening a god’s specialty. It was clear evidence that Pagma wasn’t a god.

‘The Five Seniors and Chiyou are gods while those beneath them are the descendants of gods...?’

It was a reasonable guess. Grid got a chill down his spine as he thought about the two categories of yangban and the possibility that there was a king-like presence among the Five Seniors.

‘It was a god’s power.’

In the past, there was the sudden event of a hidden quest ‘Call of the Heavens.’ It was a massive quest for all blacksmith players, and Grid led 100 blacksmiths to the East Continent. He met Garam there and got in a predicament. At the time, Garam had said it was to catch him.

That’s right. The quest that had attracted hundreds of thousands of blacksmiths had actually been a trap for Grid. Grid had been seduced by NPCs using quests. He had been going through it since becoming Pagma's Successor, so it wasn’t insignificant.

‘It gives me goosebumps when I think about it now.’

It was impossible to create a quest of such magnitude unless they were a god. So, it was likely that Garam got the help of one of the Five Seniors to set the trap. The expelled gods already knew him, and they weren’t favorable to him.

Grid felt a vague fear as he had a thought. If he didn’t know the identity of the Abyss, he might’ve explored it successfully and entered the Hwan Kingdom. What would he have suffered? Just imagining it was horrible. He wanted to thank Lee Jeong.

‘It is a strange fate.’

No matter how he thought about it, his relationship with the yangbans seemed to be negative. Garam wasn’t the problem. Grid needed more strength. He needed information. One day, he might fall into a trap and face a crisis.

‘I need to work harder.’

It wasn’t the time to be relieved that he had passed level 400, and it wasn’t the time to be satisfied that he had become transcendent.

‘Can I make something like a mobile smithy?’

Due to the nature of his profession, Grid had to spend a lot of time stuck in a smithy. It meant he couldn’t hunt often, leading to a low growth rate.

‘I want to hunt and do blacksmithing at the same time.’

Of course, Grid had a portable furnace. It was just that one furnace couldn’t create the complete environment of a smithy. There were obvious limitations to the type of items and the materials that could be used with the portable furnace. Therefore, it was less efficient to hunt and blacksmith at the same time. Then what if he had a portable smithy?

‘What if I work in a smithy in the middle of the hunting ground while Noe and the God Hands sweep away the mobs?’

Grid’s heart was pounding with excitement as he considered it. He thought it was quite feasible.

‘Would it be enough to build a barrack in a big wagon?’

It would be just like a motorhome. As it happened, Grid knew a dexterous dwarf. Dwarf Ke had been caught by Grid after breaking into the castle and couldn’t refuse Grid’s request easily.

‘It is a race that loves making things, so if I give a reasonable reward, he will work on it actively.’

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes.” Grid turned when he heard someone calling for him.

How long had they been waiting? There were three knights in uniform.

Piaro introduced them, “In order, they are called Amelda, Kentrick, and Dante. During the time when Asmophel and I led the Red Knights, they were called the Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth Knights. Each one has a high reputation. They have lived rough lives and so might not know formalities well, but they are highly skilled and loyal.”

“H-Hello, Your Majesty! Your Majesty! I’ve heard a lot about you!”

“I heard that you took care of Captain Piaro and cleared our names. I am deeply grateful for your grace.”

“It is an honor. This body of mine might be an old one, but if you give me a chance, I’d like to serve Your Majesty with all my heart.”

“It is nice to meet you.”

There was nothing happier in the world than getting new colleagues. These were former single digit knights. Still, Grid wasn’t excited. He turned his gaze behind the three knights. Asmophel and Mercedes were visible. Mercedes had been helping Asmophel for months while he had wandered alone for years to collect old colleagues. Grid’s heart throbbed at the sight of them in rags.

“Everyone has suffered.”

Grid strode past the three knights toward Asmophel and Mercedes, hugging them tightly. He had trained hard over the years, so his chest was wide enough to accommodate two people at the same time.

“Thank you for coming back safely.”

“...I’m glad to see you.”

The embrace of the three people continued for a long time. Grid couldn’t release strength from the arms hugging the two people, seemingly not wanting to let them go again. The emotions in his heart were felt by the two people.

“Your Majesty...”

“...”

Mercedes smiled as happily as a girl while Asmophel grimaced. Sinners didn’t deserve to be happy. Amelda bowed her head as she watched from a distance. “A-Asmophel. How pitiful.”

“...”

***

Grid pulled out the King’s Sword and observed the knights in turn.

[Name: Amelda

Age: 37 Gender: Female

Race: Human

Title: Geographer

* Finds terrain that’s favorable to your allies in any location.

* Increases the terrain adaptability of your party by 100%.

* Greatly increases the marching speed of the army.

Title: Chatterbox

* Loves having conversations. Be sure to stutter the first word to demoralize the enemy and reduce their stats slightly.

* There is a low probability of providing buffs when talking to allies.

Level: 435

Strength: 2,673 Stamina: 1,960

Agility: 2,300 Intelligence: 2,105

Skills: Empire's Swordsmanship (B), Genius in Swordsmanship (S), Geography (SS)

The Fifth Knight of the former Red Knights—she was the only daughter of a family that had produced the most renowned scholars for generations. She joined the Red Knights after showing exceptional talent in swordsmanship. Since then, she has achieved countless achievements in wars.]

In Amelda’s case, her level was very low compared to Singuled. Considering that Singuled was the Second Knight and Mercedes’ assessment that he was stronger than Asmophel, the level difference was too great. Singuled’s level was already 455 when they first met a few years ago.

Additionally, Singuled possessed a large number of titles and skills specialized in combat, while Amelda was more unusual. She wasn’t like a knight. In fact, she didn’t look very strong. However, her total stats were extraordinarily high, and her ability to use geography as a commander seemed to be outstanding. Above all, the skill Genius in Swordsmanship was amazing.

[Genius in Swordsmanship]

[Skills that are classified as ‘swordsmanship’ can be learned without a skill book.

It is limited to a total of five types.

Currently learned swordsmanship (1/5): Empire's Swordsmanship.]

‘What does it mean to learn skills without a skill book?’

Grid cocked his head as he realized something.

‘Is teaching possible?’

Perhaps.

‘Will she learn it if I teach her my sword dances?’

No, it was unlikely. It might be possible if Genius in Swordsmanship was an SS-grade skill, but it was only S-grade. She wouldn’t be able to learn legendary skills.

Grid was reminded of Kraugel. ‘Kraugel must’ve learned many sword techniques even before becoming a Sword Saint.’

What would happen if Kraugel taught Amelda?

‘I heard there is even a swordsmanship that increases strength. If Amelda acquires that type of swordsmanship, she will overcome her shortcomings and become very strong.’

The question was whether Kraugel would help her.

‘I’ll ask next time.’

[Name: Kentrick

Age: 41 Gender: Male

Race: Human

Title: Knight of Annihilation

* Increases physical attack by 15% and the attack power of single target skills by 50%. Deals more damage to enemies with greater health.

Title: Vanguard

* Can wear all types of armor and the defense of equipped armor will increase by 10%.

* Once you stand at the vanguard of the battle, you will gain a shield that is proportional to your maximum health.

* In battle, the first target to be attacked will be hit unconditionally, and there will be a high chance of instantly killing them.

Level: 440

Strength: 3,820 Stamina: 2,190

Agility: 1,215 Intelligence: 503

Skills: Empire's Swordsmanship (B), Charge (A), Charge Command (S), Decapitation Cut (SS).

The Seventh Knight of the former Red Knights—his ability to sweep through the battlefield is unparalleled. Even Piaro gave up the vanguard when he was with him.]

[Name: Dante

Age: 73 Gender: Male

Race: Human

Title: Veteran

* All attacks will deal a critical hit, and there is a high probability of triggering a weakness attack.

* When attacking, 30% of the target’s armor is ignored, and there is a low chance of disarming them.

Title: Vigorous Old Age

* Always immune to critical hits and receives damage on behalf of nearby allies. Relieves 80% of the damage done to teammates.

Level: 480

Strength: 1,820 (▼) Stamina: 650 (▼)

Agility: 715 (▼) Intelligence: 1,503

★ This person's life is coming to an end.

Skills: Empire's Swordsmanship (S), Dotage Swordsmanship, Bodyguard (S), Reserve Strength (SS)]

The Ninth Knight of the former Red Knights—he is a power who mastered the foundations of the Empire’s Swordsmanship and is a mentor to all the Red Knights.

He is a lot weaker now that he is old, but he often exhibits a surprising strength.]

“...”

It was good up to Kentrick. He thought he really got a jackpot. Then Grid’s heart cooled down when he confirmed Dante’s information. The phrase ‘life is coming to an end’ pierced Grid. He was forced to think of Khan. Grid took a deep breath and smiled as widely as possible to the three knights. “I am lacking but I will try not to shame you as your king.”

“It is an honor, Your Majesty,” the three knights answered vigorously as they fell to one knee. In the huge forest, the knight’s pledge ceremony that was carried out under the golden sunlight wasn’t shabby but rather solemn and sacred. The knights—who had been abandoned by their masters once already—pledged allegiance to a new master, and the new master pledged allegiance to them.

“Waaaaaaaah!” The Sword Knights cheered from their position.

‘Crazy bastards.’ Kyle clicked his tongue in a bewildered manner.