Thanks to all proofreaders who worked on this part: Armada, TysonSlayer, Seviper9, PuszekSE, Auryum, Seb & EvilSanta1423.

A huge crowd gathered around the location prepared for the showdown between Weed and Bard Ray.

"Everyone please be seated. It may be inconvenient but this way, more people will be able to spectate."

Under the directions of Lemon, the saintess of the Grass Porridge Cult, the crowd sat down on the ground.

Users sitting on the ground were wearing armor of different shapes and colors, reminiscent of a grain field.

"We can't see anything back here."

"Sigh… I can't see the fight between Weed and Bard Ray? No way!"

Enormous sculptural creatures that were brought to life in the Garnav Plains approached the users in the far back.

They were beings fit to be regional leaders at levels ranging around 700 to 800, with the size of mountains.

"Humans. Climb onto our shoulders and back."

"Spectate comfortably from higher grounds."

The enormous sculptural creatures graciously offered their heads and backs for the humans to climb.

They had optimistic and kind personalities because they were sculpted by many humans.

Hundreds of supersized sculptural creatures.

Over a hundred thousand users were able to climb up to spectate the fight and the sky was covered by Avians.

The Avians each had as many users riding on their backs as possible.

"Will Weed-nim win?"

"Of course he will."

"Bard Ray will be very powerful… There are rumors that he learned 6 secret sword skills."

"Such a spectacle it will be."

"Objectively, I think Bard Ray is superior. Though in my heart I want to root for Weed-nim."r

The users' excitement blew up in anticipation of the battle that would soon happen before their eyes.

Some thought they would witness a great fight, while others were admiring Weed's spirit for a challenge.

"He would have won the war staying still, but instead he took it to a duel."

"That is because he is Weed-nim."

The atmosphere was full of expectation as the best of the Versailles Continent was to be decided soon.

"Whoo. This is quite a crowd."

Pale and the other comrades arrived at the battle location.

They were worn out like rags due to battling against the Hermes guild members on their way here.

Weed and Bard Ray.

Even their close companions were eager to see a spectacular battle, and Surka burst out suddenly.

"Let's all bet on who will win!"

"… 100 gold on Weed."

"1000 gold on Weed."

"I'm betting all my life savings on Weed-nim."

"We can't have a bet this way."

"Then Python should bet on Bard Ray."

"That's… All-in on Weed."

"…"

There was a long silence between them.

This wasn't about rooting on loyalty or honor. They had spent too much time with Weed for them to do so.

"It was Weed who proposed this fight. Honestly, I think that Bard Ray would come out ahead. But the point is that Weed proposed it first."

"Pale is right. It means Weed prepared a guaranteed strategy to win. A perfect trap. A backstab."

Seasoned Crab shook his head in response to Irene.

"Not necessarily. There's a variable for every situation. You really think Bard Ray did not come prepared to fight Weed?"

"Weed would have planned tricks for such situations as well."

"Hmm…"

Seasoned Crab simulated Weed and Bard Ray's duel a bit in his head, but it was uncertain to determine the outcome before they actually begin their battle.

Godly Warrior Bard Ray.

He had an impressive combat history and fame in his own standing.

The figure of Bard Ray leading the Haven Imperial army was thought to be befitting of his nickname 'Godly Warrior' by users across the Central Continent.

"Alright. To establish this betting game, I will bet 10,000 gold on Bard Ray's win."

Surka screamed thinking that someone finally fell for it.

"Yes! Free money!"

Hermes guild members arrived at the battle location with an imposing figure, herding demonic beasts.

"Wow. It is Bard Ray himself."

"Giant Knight Boemong! Amazing…"

"I was able to learn the ropes of Royal Road by watching Ranger Troker's Dark Mountain guide."

Users were in awe watching Bard Ray and the other Royal Road's best rankers.

These figures who rarely showed up even on broadcast had appeared riding on vicious demonic beasts.

The Hermes guild was very infamous around the world but the northern users did not know much about them and only picked out the most famous ones of all.

"Bard Ray is really handsome."

"He did not spend a single stat into charm. But he has the equipment boost giving him that handsome aura."

"Plainly, Bard Ray wins just for being good-looking."

There were positive comments about the Hermes guild, but as the rest of their forces arrived the views of the spectating users began to change.

"They all have murderer marks on their foreheads."

"It means they killed a considerable number."

"In Morata I've never seen a murderer inside the city walls."

"Hermes guild members would kill anyone to defend the supremacy of their guild."

"Their equipment looks really powerful. They're all wearing the Serodei armor considered to be the best out of all the late 400 level equipment."

"Their character is not so good, but they are skilled. I'll admit that."

"Hey hey, I still can't sleep at night because of my experience of their assault back in Central continent."

"How bad were they?"

There were novice users but there were also skilled users over level 400 among the crowd.

They glared at the Hermes guild with resentment in their eyes.

"Tell me about it. They would hit you for no reason, take your money and bully you in dungeon grinds…"

"Really? You aren't lying?"

"They kill because they are annoyed. They were practically acting as tyrants."

Hermes guild members were a tad bit uneasy due to the crowd that had filled the Garnav Plains.

'By the way… Isn't that Jaco from the Black Lion Guild? That guy also killed quite a lot of users. When did he move to the Arpen Kingdom…'?

'Wow. There seemed to be a lot of users who signed up to join the Hermes guild…'

They learned through the crowd attitude that the heart of the people around the world had changed.

Through occasional broadcast observations through the crystal sphere, the announcers were reporting that the Haven Imperial army was being pushed back in military strength.

"There are approximately 1 million users gathered in Garnav Plains."

"Hold on. Didn't you say that there were 1 million at the start? Countless users died in battle."

"There were also many users that arrived late. The Arpen Kingdom hosted festivals to encourage participation, but there were still a lot of users who were laid-back."

"Why did they arrive so late?"

"It's because of grinding. The higher the level, the greater the desire for growth. You could see it as users who lingered around the hunting fields until the situation became risky."

"You can see that there are a lot more… Central users now. You can distinguish them easily by their wonderful armor."

"Yes. They now stand in the camps of the Arpen Kingdom. There would have been many users contemplating between the Haven Empire and the Arpen Kingdom until the very last moment."

"How come?"

"It's because they probably did not want to die in vain. They were probably also afraid of the Haven Empire's assassination orders… The higher the level, the more attached they are to their characters and their homelands."

"These people taking the side of the Arpen Kingdom means that the tides have surely turned in its favor."

"That's correct. They all have witnessed the failure of the Hermes guild's strategy. During the stalemate, the Arpen Kingdom had replenished its forces completely. According to my speculations, all of this may have been Weed's plan…"

The Hermes guild members began to picture defeat before the fighting even began.

'But we still have Bard Ray on our side.'

'If he can kill Weed, it can create a possibility. A guaranteed possibility…'

It was faint, but they grasped their last straw of hope.

***

"Chwii. It is dazzling."

"I set some jewels in it. I mean, it is our work. It deserves some recognition."

"Where are they from?"

*Chwik!*

"They're blue diamonds from the Malbio mine."

Weed, in the form of Karichwi the Orc, put on the armor given by Fabio and Herman.

He covered his growling muscular body with impressive splendid armor. The primal beauty of the orc and the wonderful armor strangely complimented one another.

"There is no other armor as impressive as this one."

Fabio spoke out with pride in his voice.

<Sky Dominator's armor:

Durability 320/320.

Defense 330.

Armor made from a combination of the world's most mystic and unique metals.

A collaborative work of Blacksmith masters Fabio and Herman.

Many materials such as the Tear of God and Helium the living metal were put into this armor. For complete fusion, the lava from the Inextinguishable Volcano was used.

It went through 14 smelting and reinforcements, made to be the most robust on earth.

It was forged from Earth and Fire and had the affection of the elementals..

The wearer will be awarded with infinite fame and honor.

Requirements:

Level 850.

over 300,000 Fame.

1300 Strength, 500 Dignity, 400 Faith.

Option:

200% increase in maximum health points and mana.

5% increase in all stats.

78% reduction in physical damage taken.

No damage received from arrows shot beyond a 200m radius.

31% magic resistance.

A chance to negate incoming magic spells.

75% reduction of mana cost for all skills.

If injured, health recovery rate increases 5x.

Quick mana recovery if mana falls below 30%.

Enhanced effects of defensive skills.

Immune to abnormal conditions.

Blessing of either Freya, Mine, or Battali is granted randomly.

Very light-weight.

Very sturdy.

Increased movement speed.

Based on the wearer's abilities, the armor performance can grow up to a maximum of 20%.

Solid Body and Admirable Resilience activate automatically.>

'This is insane. How easy grinding would have been if I wore such an armor from the start. Surely, squeezing every drop out of these blacksmith masters really paid off in the end.'

Weed was satisfied as he examined the options.

Trustworthy dwarves one should say.

He lightly provoked the self-conceited dwarves, which resulted in such a masterpiece.

"Chwii, Chwiiiik! I heard that many dwarves yearn for Thor, the kingdom of blacksmith masters."

"Well yes, that is the case."

"As compensation, I will construct a dwarven city. Chwiiik!"

One thing that Weed was disappointed with the northern continent is that they did not have a dwarven city like Kusoro.

There were dwarves residing in the continent, but their numbers were low and scattered.

There was a lack in blacksmith techniques, and he would be able to bring in many dwarves from the central continent by promoting Fabio and Herman.

'Dwarves are very active in the production of weapons, and they spend all their earnings drinking tremendous amounts of beer. The more dwarves the better.'

Dwarves, known for vigorous production and spending, were a race well suited for exploitation.

"A dwarven city. Isn't that too much of a compensation?"

"You should consider the lord position. Chwiiik. It is fun being the lord of Arpen Kingdom. Chwik!"

"I've heard such stories… Then who will be the lord?"

Sparks of competition dwelled in the eyes of Fabio and Herman who had worked on the armor in harmony.

"Hmm. Not to brag or anything but I know a lot of dwarves…"

"If I call for them, at least a thousand will gather. I'm Fabio."

"I was the first to create a dwarven association."

"I made the dwarven merchant alliance."

Fabio and Herman faced one another tensely.

They knew from their life experiences that they were being used, but they could not back down.

'A man is still a child even when he gets old. His pride becomes especially stronger.'

They wished to be recognized as the best for the great accomplishments and potentials in a given field.

"I will build a city for both of you. Chwiiii! How they will be operated will differ though. Chwiik!"

If the dwarves were to settle, the nearby mountains would have to be developed into mines. Also, the monsters would have to be wiped out.

Weed planned to exploit Fabio and Herman in their competition down to the last drop he could get.

(To be continued)

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