Crossroad of the past and future prologue-The king's Pride

9 months have passed since Grid became 'Madra's disciple', the epic created an uproar in the media.

{Grid and Madra??? What's their history together?}

{ Grid used Madra's swordsmanship many times before but how exactly did he acquire it?}

{ Was Madra on Behen archipelago? the story behind the undefeated king}

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Many similar headlines filled the news, and Many analysts tried to understand the meaning behind the new epic. Meanwhile, Grid continued to train and practice under the guidance of Madra, thanks to that Madra's sword skills had improved tremendously and 100,000 army swordsmanship had finally regained a form close to the original.

[100,000 army massacre sword (re-interpreted)]

[It is a single blow. A skill that deals 10,000% attack power to all targets within 50 meters Each time a target dies, the damage applied to the next target increases by 300%. There is no limit on the increase. 50% more sword energy can be consumed in order to imprint a mark on all enemies within range, in that case, the attack will be unavoidable.

Skill Resource Consumption: 15,000 mana, 200-300 sword energy.

Skill cooldown time: 10 minutes.]

''huff, finally''

' I am not going to lie to you, you really got no talent. How the hell were you able to grow that strong with such a mediocre talent'

Grid frowned as he heard Madra's words, although he knew it, he didn't understand the point behind Madra saying it out loud.

'' I am already aware of it, that's why I put in as much work as I can, if you are not satisfied with me why are you staying?''

'AHAHAHA, look at this kid. Have more respect for your elders. Although what I said was not a lie, I admire your improvement given your talent level, I am even more impressed by how persistent you are.'

'Don't get me wrong though, whether you're the greatest talent in the world or useless in swordsmanship, you're still my disciple. I won't abandon someone who I've recognized and accepted as such.'

*Sigh*

Grid couldn't help but sigh, he knew his growth was slow, after all, Sword saint Biban had said that Madra's swordsmanship could only show its true might starting from the 500,000 army swordsmanship. However Grid struggled for 5 months in order to bring the 100,000 army swordsmanship to its original level, he didn't have any hope in removing the remaining degradation in less than 10 years.

'Well at least I am done with one...' -Grid

' Hm, it is true that you made an interesting addition compared to the original'

Unlike Madra's original '100,000 army massacre sword', Grid's version was less powerful but he managed to compensate for the lack of pure power by introducing the notion of 'marks'. It was a concept that Grid was familiar with thanks to his 'Flower' sword dance, after working together with Madra he finally managed to implement it in his interpretation of Madra's skill.

'' Anyway I can't stay in the east for much longer, it's about time I return to my kingdom.''

'Ho? You think you can handle your enemies with your current power level?'

''No I don't, but it is the duty of a king to stand in face of the impossible for his people, at least now I can use myself as a shield to protect my people.''

'Indeed my eyes didn't deceive me... You truly remind me of my younger self. Don't worry kid, as long as I am with you, you'll be able to grow powerful enough to protect your kingdom from anything.'

'' Haa... this narcissistic king...''

'WHAT? ME? WATCH YOUR TONGUE, I AM MADRA, THE UNDEFEATED KING THE ONE WH...'

Grid closed his eyes and blocked Madra's voice from reaching him. Even though he put a tough act, Grid was still pretty nervous; a single wrong move could lead to a disaster in his kingdom, he couldn't afford to take the matter lightly.

'First, there's the myth hunters'

Grid had heard about the myth hunters from Radwolf before. They were beings who hunted young and weak myths in order to grow stronger. he had encountered 'Grenier's hermit' At one point and barely managed to escape thanks to Braham's help, even now he didn't know if he would be able to take him head-on.

'There's also Zeratul's new triad'

On the other hand, Grid did his best to hunt Zeratul's followers in the east and eventually met the other 2 members of the triad. Although he had killed them back then, he had heard recently that a new triad was born and that all of them were at least stronger than 'Lee Jeong', in particular, their leader 'Kang Shin' was said to be able to assimilate with Zeratul much longer than other followers.

'Not to mention the 3 churches and Valhalla turning against us by being the new center for the center for the churches.'

He was sure he would be unable to fight all his enemies right now, however, the Overgeared kingdom has been growing unstable and the citizens were living in a state of permanent fear after their king left them. Even the empire couldn't support the kingdom publicly due to the empire's people denouncing 'Grid' as a heretic so any support may lead to a revolution or a civil war within the empire.

' First, there's Zik, even though I don't want to admit it...'

Grid and Zik's relationship has been growing ever since Zik became Grid's apostle, however that came with its own disadvantages. If Zik were to operate publicly he would also become a target of the churches and the gods after years of hiding, Grid couldn't afford that.

'Until I remove his curse he shouldn't reveal himself often'

The curse of sloth that Zik has been suffering from was still not removed but Grid believed that the path he's currently walking would eventually lead him to a solution.

'so... Marie rose?'

The only other help he could get was from Marie rose, but she had always said she wouldn't help actively unless it's a matter related to hell.

'Jishuka, faker, and Euphemina have been growing rapidly, but it's far from enough. Braham is still not done with his research and sticks still has the curse. Piaro has to protect his family. And Yura can't hunt in the top 9 hells yet...'

Grid's remembered Mercedes' face, although they fought together for a long time and Grid knew how strong she was, Mercedes was an NPC at the end of the day. Always putting her in danger is a very risky move. Even though a long time has passed and he looked like he had gotten over it, Grid hadn't forgotten Khan. Actually, he would always have a sullen look on his face when he remembered him. For Grid, Khan was a true father figure, he didn't want to go through such a heartbreaking event again.

[What are you doing right now?]

Grid suddenly received a message from an unexpected person.

'Kraugel!'

Sword Saint 'Kraugel' Had grown rapidly and has returned to the west 2 years ago after He finished fighting the Yangbans and Zeratul's followers in the east. Although he was offered the opportunity to take Chiyou's test, he refused, saying he needed to grow more first.

[ Just finished training, I was thinking of whether I should go back to the west or not]

[You need to come fast, it seems 'Valhalla' is starting to act more boldly now. I am afraid they are planning on invading your kingdom after recruiting the Undefeated king's successor.]

[ Ah... right, the tournament...]

[If they manage to recruit him it might be hard for even you to take all of them on. Your soldiers have been in a state of despair and fear ever since you went away]

[ Yes I know that, Lauel already filled me in on the details, but...]

[ Yes?]

[I am still too weak to fight the dangers that will pop up if I return...]

[Weak? What have you been doing for years in the east?]

[...]

[ Regardless of whether you're strong or weak anyway, at this rate everything you built will collapse.]

[You're right, it's time for me to go back... Thank you.]

[It's alright, If you fall behind I am afraid I would lose my motivation too haha.]

[Well I hope you won't let me down.]

Grid ended the conversation with Kraugel and spoke to Madra.

'Madra, How much time would the successor need to grow as strong as me?'

One of the characteristics of the 'Undefeated king's successor class' was that the user's level would only drop to the current player level average instead of level 1. This characteristic along with the insane stats gain per level made the class a complete cheat, however, satisfy made it clear that power came at a price. The successor is not allowed to lose in a one-on-one fight, if that happens they would lose all the benefits and reset to level 1, it was a highly risky class.

'Hm, that's hard to judge as all I saw during the last 9 months was your performance so I can't judge how strong you are compared to others right now.'

'That's true, well then let's go to the west and do that.'

'HOHO it seems you're finally regaining your morale.'

'yes, yes, whatever'

'HEY DIDN'T I TE-'

Grid once again blocked Madra's voice and grinned, he then pulled out a continental teleportation scroll and used it, he arrived at the hall of fame on Behen archipelago.

''HEY LOOK ISN'T THAT GRID?''

''WHAT? WHERE?''

Players who came to visit the hall of fame in order to gain the benefits of the statues saw Gird appear out of nowhere and started causing a fuss.

'Ah... maybe I should have called sticks instead...'

News about Grid's return to the west quickly spread through the community and that also caused the churches to start to move to locate him. It hasn't even been 5 minutes since his arrival but trouble had already started coming at him.

''Haa... Damn it, why am I so dumb...''

Suddenly a light burst in the middle of the hall of fame and Grid vanished. Players were confused and started speculating about what happened. However, the true cause behind this event was...

''Thank you, Braham...''

''Bah! What are you doing appearing in front of so many people when you're being hunted by the whole world!''

''Yes, I am sorry...''

''Hmph, anyway it's a good that you're back, it seems things are going out of control, since you already revealed yourself, go out and speak to your people.''

''Yes, I will do that as soon as I can... Have you been well?''

''You ask me about that after leaving with a tedious task that took me 9 years...''

''Ah...Yes...Thank you for your hard work''

Cold sweat started dripping from Grid's forehead. He had completely forgotten about his request towards Braham, asking him to temper the new greed which was mixed with divine stone with the 'Disintegrate' spell. Braham had mostly stayed in the Kingdom to protect it and continue his research even when Grid was away, so they had been away for a long time now, however it seemed like Braham was rather understanding.

Braham gave Grid a weird look before opening his mouth.

'' You grew stronger, but you also changed.''

''Yes?''

''Although I didn't like that the damn elf threw Muller's responsibilities at you, you accepted them. However, you're acting like a coward who's afraid of facing anything.''

Grid's eyes grew wide as he heard Braham's words. A coward? Him? Why did Braham give him a weird gaze? He couldn't understand his words. Braham disappeared from his sight while sighing. Then grid recalled Braham's words.

'However, you're acting like a coward who's afraid of facing anything.'

''Ah...''

Grid finally realized what Braham meant. Braham had once dissed and blamed Pagma for seeking power regardless of its source, however, he still admitted that Pagma managed to save humanity thanks to those efforts. Did Braham mean that Grid turned into the complete opposite of Pagma?

'But that's not what I meant to do...'

Madra's voice then entered Grid's head.

'I am not one to judge, but didn't you run away from here because you wanted to gain the power to protect your kingdom?'

'Yes, that's true.'

'You promised you would stand before everything to protect those you hold dear even as a weak person. But what about now? Even though you're stronger, you're afraid of acting and keep hesitating ?'

'I see...'

He was right, why did Grid grow stronger to begin with? He wanted to protect those whom he held dear, so why was he afraid of defeat? he just needed to do everything he could do. Even if he's weak he would do everything he could to protect them and be their shield, So why was he hesitating about coming back when he heard those same people were in a dire situation? wasn't all his power and strength for the sake of protecting them? what use would this power have if it's not to protect them?

'Duke of virtue, Lantern of humanity, Hero king... I am not worthy of those titles'

' No, the fact you realized and returned to your original path, proves that you are the only one worthy of them. Even I strayed from my path at one point, I swore to protect my people but I ended up protecting a piece of land and not seeing through the hearts of those whom I held dear.'

There was an apparent pain in Madra's voice, It seemed that although he died, his lingering regret didn't allow him to forget his life.

'Please help me so that I do not repeat the mistakes that you and I made in the past, Madra.'

'Hahaha, I am eager to see what path you'll follow, kid.'

*************************************************************************

''So you're saying he returned to his kingdom?''

''Yes, my lord, that is probably the case.''

''HAHAHAHA interesting, it wouldn't be fun if we swept them out of the map that easily''

On the throne, Ares sat and looked at oasis who was delivering the news to him.

''So, are you going to join the tournament?''

''Yes, my lord, I will do my best to win.''

''Well don't push yourself too hard, regardless of who wins we can recruit them as long as they are not one of the leaders of the Overgeared Kingdom.''

''Yes, my king.''

''So did the churches contact us yet?''

''Yes, they are requesting our support in order to take Grid's family as hostages.''

''Hm, an interesting plan. But how are they planning on doing that when their kingdom has such a well-built intelligence system.''

''It seems that Goddess Rebecca sent a special gift to the pope that would allow him to not only take the form of other people but also teleport people with him. The pope of the Rebecca church requested that we arrange a fake assassination in order to stimulate the shadows to act and he'll take care of the infiltration himself.''

''Well it doesn't sound like a bad plan, but do they know the consequences of their actions? Don't they remember what happened to 'Immortal' when They killed Khan?''

''Yes, it seems the Triad and many other followers of Zeratul are supporting them for this mission.''

''Ho? so what do they plan to do with his family?''

''It looks like they will be executed in the name of the goddess as heretics.''

''Hmm...''

Ares had a complicated look in his eyes, Although he wished to rule as a supreme emperor, he wasn't lacking in morals. He was also rather fond of Grid and he knew how much Grid cared for his wife and son. He felt that the plan may end up damaging Grid's mind and cause him a lot of sorrow even in the real world. As such he was hesitating, if he refuses the churches' offer, the churches would move their center to the empire again and he would lose his advantage and most of what he built during the last years.

''This is really hard...Oasis, what do you think?''

'' With all due respect my king, I believe we should become Grid's allies.''

''Hm... And why is that?''

''If all those forces are moving against him right now, it means his growth potential is that great if we manage to support him and become his partners, we will benefit much more later than just being the churches' main kingdom.''

''Do you think They won't be able to complete this plan without our help?''

'' No, I think they will, which is why we should accept their offer.''

''Elaborate.''

'' We will help the churches with the mission, however, we will betray them by collaborating with the Overgeared kingdom and replacing the hostages with fakes, keeping them busy while we attack their main church and destroy it.''

''You punk, when did you start having such a cunning personality''

'' With all due respect, I am but a fly compared to you, my king.''

''HAHAHAHA, I like it, I like it, however, how will you avoid the churches eye while getting in contact with the Overgeared kingdom?''

''I will go under the guise of having a quest related to 'Madra' and inform the churches that I will take this chance to plant some agents, I believe it's pretty likely that they will accept because of the sheath.''

''Hm indeed, proceed with your plan then, don't disappoint me.''

''Understood.''

********************************************************************

''Irene , lord!!!''

''Husband!''

''Welcome back , Father.''

Grid hugged Irene and looked at Lord , who had a wide smile. He was 28 now and acted as his replacement while gone.

''You sure grow up fast...''

''It's just father who ages slowly''

Grid hugged Lord while laughing. 10 years had passed and he couldn't see them often, they met sometimes during their diplomatic visits to the east and they used to meet once a month before sticks fell ill for a while which left them apart for

years. Gird looked at his son and examined him.

[Lord Steim]

[Age: 28 years Gender: Male

Occupation: Grandmaster candidate / Acting King of the Overgeared Kingdom

Title: Grid's Son

* The son of a legendary blacksmith and The Overgeared god , Grid. He has inherited most of his father's abilities.

Title: Genius of the world

* A genius that represents the whole world. He overwhelms all of the current era's geniuses, and his level and abilities will rise 100% faster than normal. In addition, he can acquire skills in a wide range of fields and master them to their peak level.

Title: One who Will Become a Legend

A person who will leave his name in history. There is an 80% chance of being immune to all status effects and illnesses. When attacked, if his health falls to 1 point, he will enter the immortal state for 2.5 seconds.

Title: Jack of all Trades

A genius who's also hard-working and has mastered a multitude of occupations and is on the verge of becoming a legend. Skill acquisition speed and growth speed increases by 30%.

*The possibility to acquire the ''Grandmaster'' class is acquired.

*The special resources of combat occupations have been opened.

*additional special resources will be acquired if the skills grow to 'Legendary' rank.

Title: Grandmaster candidate

A master in many fields who still has a lot of room to grow, his potential is infinite and he can reach the pinnacle of mastery in any field.

*The possibility of achieving multiple ''legendary'' occupations is acquired

*However he will need to achieve a substantial achievement in order to become a legend in a given occupation

*Once more than one legendary occupation is unlocked the legendary growth class ''Grandmaster'' will be acquired.

*The potential and Growth speed increase significantly.

Title: Ruler of the shadow realm

One who reached the pinnacle of mastery over shadows and the techniques related to them. You have become the shadow of yourself. If you wish so, none will be able to detect your presence. None can escape your senses.

*All shadow related skills are 50% stronger

*Can take control of others' shadow techniques.

*Can teleport to a shadow's location

*All stats increase by 20% at night and by an additional 15% in the shadow realm.

*Agility increases by 25%

Title: Disciple of the Legends

The pupil of many of the current era's legends. As such he was able to gaze at the skills beyond simple mastery and acquire a higher understanding of many concepts.

* every time he acquires a legendary skill, he gains enlightenment and his growth speed increases further.

*He acquired the qualification to create his own special techniques.

Title: Powerhouse of the continent

Level: 547

Sword energy: 2000 (can not be used at the same time as sword energy)

Aura: 1000 (can not be uses at the same time as sword energy)

Strength:6723 Stamina: 5762

Agility: 8341(+2085) Intelligence: 6590

Dexterity: 762 Charm: 9451

Dignity: 1320 Insight: 5634

Skills: Master Bow Mastery (S), Intermediate Blacksmith Skill (C), Master Weapons Mastery (S), Daluka's Methods (A+) Discerning Eyes (SS), Overwhelming Charm (SS), Lantier's Methods(improved)(SSS), Famous and Legendary Pedigree (SS), Master sword Mastery(S), Master spear mastery(S), Intermediate Grid's sword dance(A) , Sixth sense(SS) , Magic contemplation(degraded)(A), Master magic Mastery(S), Sage's knowledge(SSS) , Polyvalent sword techniques (S+) , peak physical constitution(SS), Advanced farming technique(S), Shadow realm (SSS) .

His mother is the queen of the Overgeared Kingdom and his father is a legend who has become a god and will become a myth.

He has inherited all of his parent's strengths, so his potential is infinite. His main growth was as an assassin however he achieved great feats in many other occupations.

His love for his family and Girlfriends is Great. He has been recognized as a great 'King candidate' by the people and is on the path to becoming a true powerhouse of the world.]

'His growth is really monstrous'

'Ho, it seems your son is the polar opposite of you HAHAHA'

'Do you really need to point that out...'

The family reunion had made Grid's heart warm, however, he was more aware than anyone else, that this ideal world would not last for long.