Born as the son of a prominent filmmaker, Skunk had seen many masterpieces ever since he was a child.
In particular, he was devoted to the classics from one or two centuries ago.
A mafia boss who fought to defend his organization but conflicted with his family, a young genius absorbed in wealth and defending evil, an archaeologist—who while discovering ruins and treasures of the world—stopped the Nazis’ ambitions, a middle-aged man who shaved his head to save a local child, and so on... The protagonists of countless movies impressed Skunk, and he was attached to them. Ever since he entered the drama department during his school days, he had walked the path of an actor, living various lives. Sometimes he had the life of a hero, sometimes a villain, sometimes an explorer, and sometimes a normal office worker or an unemployed youth.
He was very happy experiencing things that were different from his ordinary life. In particular, the life of an explorer encouraged him to dream of exploring the world and pioneering unknown land. However, this was rare in today’s society. The earth had already been revealed by great people. The only place left to explore was the universe, but Skunk was a second-rate actor and rarely got the chance for space exploration.
Then Satisfy was released at this time. It was a whole new world! For Skunk, Satisfy was a land of opportunity. He became a young Indiana Jones and revealed many secrets about Satisfy over the years.
[The Great Explorer’s Knowledge and Intuition has been activated!]
The Sword Grave—the place where legendary blacksmith Pagma was known to have spent his last years—was a vast plain. There were thousands of swords stuck into the center of the plain, nothing else.
‘He spent his last years here?’
There wasn’t even the minimum of living spaces or any tools.
‘Did someone erase the traces?’
No, there were no such signs. It was likely that a living space on the plains hadn’t existed in the first place.
‘Then Pagma...’
Had he solved the problem of living in the middle of the plain, be it during spring, summer, autumn, and winter? Or had he been exposed to the sun and heat, the dry and cold, and the rain and wind?
‘No, I don’t think he is that unreasonable.’
There were no signs of any tools having been used. Skunk analyzed the area and found it was difficult to think that the signs had disappeared after hundreds of years of weathering. So, he could only conclude that no one had lived here before.
“There is nothing!”
“I feel the same way.”
“This isn’t a place where people lived.”
“The rumor that Braham was buried here is just that, a rumor.”
It was as he had expected. The reports from Skunk’s subordinates weren’t different from his. They couldn’t find any clues at the Sword Grave.
‘There are only these swords.’
Skunk grabbed one of the thousands of swords stuck in the plains. The sword didn’t budge. The swords here were just the ‘backdrop’ of the Sword Grave. It was impossible for players to physically influence them. One sword, two swords, three swords...
Skunk was deep in thought as he grabbed the sword sunk into the ground.
‘Are they real?’
A player could hold them and swing them.
‘Mysteriously, there are no signs of life, but shouldn’t there be some treasures?’
It was a place where Pagma was known to have spent his last years. Would the blacksmith have left any useful swords behind? This place was called the Sword Grave because it was a place where Pagma had discarded thousands of swords. That’s right. It was a plains area where thousands of swords were stuck in the ground. They were discarded swords because they had been useless garbage to Pagma. However, this was just from the point of view of a legendary blacksmith. In general terms, these waste products were great swords.
‘There is a high possibility.’
Wouldn’t the works criticized as failures by Pagma actually be epic or unique rated weapons?
‘It is amazing.’
A high-grade weapon from Pagma...! It was clear that the performance would be overwhelming. Even if the performance had dropped slightly, the historical value could be appreciated. As an explorer, it was a chance for Skunk to raise his reputation and skill level.
‘Money is a bonus.’
Skunk was filled with anticipation and shouted to his people, “Check the swords! Don’t miss a single one!”
“What?” Everyone was confused by the absurd command. They needed to check all the swords? These swords had been stuck in the ground for many years. They would be less valuable because the blades were weathered.
‘How long would it take to check all of this?’
‘I don’t think it is very meaningful.’
His subordinates were dissatisfied, but Skunk was already taking action, carefully checking the swords stuck in the ground. Then it happened.
“What?”
It happened when he twisted the 134th sword. Skunk confirmed that an unexpected phenomenon had occurred. He twisted the handle of the 134th sword, and the blade stuck in the ground spun by half a turn. It wasn’t pulled out of the ground as Skunk had hoped it would be, but it was distinctively different from the other 133 swords that didn’t move.
Duguen! Duguen! Duguen! Skunk’s heart sped up. He couldn’t help feeling a sense of anticipation. As the sword rotated half a turn, the positions of the other swords changed slightly! The ground was moving!
“...Did all of you notice?” Skunk smiled as he exchanged gazes with his colleagues. Then he shouted as hard as he could, “Align them in a cube from now on! A few days—no, it might take a few months to prepare everything!”
“Ohhhh!” The talented explorers were burning with motivation and enthusiasm. Now that they had a clue, they wouldn’t give up until they found hidden secrets or treasures.
Every time a sword moved, the ground moved. The position of the ground moved depending on the sword. Sometimes, it was returned to its original position. It was quite a complex structure. As Skunk feared, they might be tied up here for a few months.
However, the eyes of Skunk and his colleagues were shining.
***
-Hexetia’s envy brought sorrow to countless humans and threatened all of humanity. Hexetia’s sins are truly heavy. Will you be able to forgive him?
“I...”
Grid had seen the reality of the gods. What decision would he make? Would he inherit the will of the fourth evil and rebel against the gods? Or would he act like he had done previously and turn away from the truth?
-The probability that Player Grid will inherit the will of the fourth evil is 61.8%, Morpheus’s voice entered the ears of Chairman Lim Cheolho, who was watching the troubled Grid listen to the 7th evil’s whispers.
Lim Cheolho responded with surprise, “61.8%? Then there is only a 40% chance that Grid will deny the fourth evil?”
The reward for the current episode Grid was experiencing was the ‘4th evil.’ It was a reward which could be obtained when Grid declared that the gods couldn’t be forgiven. The effect would be the strengthening of God’s Command, which was what Grid had missed in the Crossroads of Good and Evil quest.
On the other hand, there was no compensation if he ignored the truth. The only advantage was that he could keep the goddess’ blessing. Chairman Lim Cheolho decided that Grid was likely to agree with the 7th evil. The goddess’ blessing was an excellent reward, but it was nothing compared to strengthening God’s Command. Therefore, Morpheus set the probability as fairly low.
“Is it because he has already given up on becoming a half-god once?”
-That’s right. When I analyzed Grid’s last action, I determined there was a 97% chance of him becoming a half-god since he is a person who doesn’t want to receive excessive penalties. Yet the result ended up differently.
“...It is because his colleagues might end up receiving penalties.”
Grid was concerned about his surroundings. He had already proved through several incidents that he values his family, friends and colleagues. The Grid on the monitor was responding, “I... It’s okay. I also feel envious of others. Do I deserve to condemn or forgive Hexetia? I don’t care.”
-You aren’t on the same level. You are human and he is a god. Hexetia’s envy threatens all of humanity. Will you still forgive the crimes committed by Hexetia?
“Yes, he is a god. That is why he is strong enough to threaten the entire human race with his envy.”
-...?
“If Hexetia was weaker than me, I might’ve rushed to condemn him. But isn’t he stronger than me? So I have to lower my tail.”
-You! You coward!
“It can’t be helped since I am responsible for my family, not the human race.” Grid’s smiling eyes became serious. “...Therefore, I want to avoid him right now. However, his envy might be directed to me one day. If he threatens my family, I will take responsibility. No matter how many times I fall, I will try again until I eventually destroy him. Is this selfish? What can I do? This is me.”
-.....
The 7th evil stopped shouting and started to disperse. The story of the past that was laid out before Grid ended. Grid had once again refused to inherit the will of the 4th evil. On the other hand, he received the hint that a god might become hostile to him. He had honestly and confidently expressed his opinion. Thanks to this...
[The 7th evil has become interested in Player Grid.]
[Affinity with the 7th evil has risen by 10.]
Things headed in a strange direction.
“Affinity with the 7th evil...? The intelligence of the seven malignant people—this intelligence that has been isolated for years has already developed to this extent?” Lim Cheolho’s eyes shook. He was obviously baffled.