It rained. It was a rain of fire that covered the entire south.

Ah... Ahhh...

Flames appeared in the pupils of the people of the Cho Kingdom, who ran out of their homes and looked up at the sky. The animals in the heat-filled forest stopped their activities and looked up at the sky. The beasts made a ruckus.

God...! Our god...!

The people cried. The rain of fire wasnt a disaster and they werent crying out of fear. Both humans and beasts welcomed the rain of fire from the sky. Their arms widened as they embraced the rain. They instinctively felt that this was a blessing of the old god, who had been long forgotten.

[The protection of the red phoenix will be imbued in all things in the south.]

[The level and stats of all beings living in the south are greatly increased and recovery has risen.]

[Some of the weakened sacred creatures have regained strength.]

[The scattered traces of the false myths are burned.]

[All those living in the south have become hostile to the Hwan Kingdom.]

[The news isnt transmitted to the three kings of Pa, Xing, and Gaya due to the interference of the Hwan Kingdom.]

...Grid!

...!

In the capital of the Cho Kingdom, Kars...

Grid had been overcome with emotions after knocking down Garam only to come to his senses. He left behind the updated notification windows and looked back to see the Cho king and his ministers on their knees and bowing to him.

Grid, thanks to you, the Cho Kingdom was protected and the red phoenix resurrected. I would like to thank you on behalf of all the people of the Cho Kingdom.

The Cho king was unreservedno matter how much grace he had received, the Cho kings attitude was beyond the attitude that should be shown to another king. The kneeling man was hurriedly pulled up by Grid.

I was fighting for myself. Additionally, didnt you fight with me? Grids attitude was also polite. If he wasnt polite to the kneeling Cho king while his people were watching, he wouldve insulted the entire Cho Kingdom.

The people roared.

He is so humble.

It is completely different from the yangbans.

This is what a real god looks like.

Change was coming.

[The Cho king and all the people of the Cho Kingdom are deifying you. Your deity stat has risen by one.] It was an achievement that exceeded expectations.

Originally, the deity stat was one where it was hard to gain a point in half a year. Now within a few days of coming to the East Continent, three points had already been accumulated. Furthermore...

[The Cho king and all the people of the Cho Kingdom are deifying Braham. Brahams deity stat has risen by one.]

Brahams deity stat also rose. It was natural. Grid wouldnt have been safe without Brahams help and the red phoenix wouldnt have been resurrected. Brahams majesty that overwhelmed the yangbans would be talked about and praised by the Cho Kingdom forever.

Hoh...? Braham sensed his change and responded with interest. He had seen the possibility of regaining eternal life.

In the future, you should treat others well for your own sake, Grid rebuked him.

Bah. It was unpleasant but Braham didnt hate it. He remembered the joy and emotions he felt after being saved by Grid. He realized how those in power should act and was also changing.

Divine flames sprang up. The red phoenix appeared in front of the people after opening its eyes. A guardian god born of the aspirations of humanitythe shockwave caused by the emergence of a real god was great. Hundreds of thousands of people in the Cho Kingdom felt infinite compassion from the warm flames and shed tears of emotion, bowing their heads.

Please dont forgive those who dared to forget a god...!

The Cho king was sobbing.

He couldnt raise his head. The 10 meritorious retainers silently gulped because they were overwhelmed by the presence of the red phoenix while Brahams pride was greatly wounded and he gritted his teeth. In the silence...

Noble one.

The red phoenix opened its mouth. It faced Grid, not anyone else.

With your courage and sacrifice, you have defeated the fake gods and returned the south to its rightful place. You have created a crack in the providence forced by Hanul.

Everyones eyes were focused on Grid. In particular, Hera and the other players were looking at Grid with respect.

Thank you. You vowed to fight against the providence that even us sacred creatures couldnt change.

I am a god who exists for the protection of the south... I cant walk with you but Ill watch you and cheer you on from afar.

I admire you.

The divine flames that made up the red phoenix scattered in all directions. The flames that will spread throughout the south will bless all things and burn out the unclean.

[Hidden Quest Red Phoenix Guardian has been cleared.]

[The Red Phoenix Breath is absorbed into your body as a quest clear reward.]

[The 999th Red Phoenix Heart has been acquired as a quest clear reward.]

[The 999th Red Phoenix Heart has been absorbed by the 9th Red Phoenix Heart already in your body.]

[The 9th Red Phoenix Heart has grown to the next level. Health recovery rate has increased from 20% to 30%.]

[A new field effect has been added to Storm of the Fire God.]

[Affinity with Blue Tiger has increased by 50.]

[Affinity with Red Phoenix has reached the maximum.]

[The red phoenix will cherish your equally along with the land it defends.]

[Red Phoenix Breath Lv. 1]

[Once activated, health recovery rate is doubled and the skill Fire of Life will be activated.

* This skill can be stacked with Incarnation of Fire but not Incarnation of Lightning, Incarnation of Earth, and Incarnation of Death.

Duration: 10 minutes.

Cooldown Time: 3 hours.

Resource Consumption: None.]

[Fire of Life]

[Burn the health of the target to restore your health.

Cooldown Time: 3 hours.

Resource Consumption: None.]

...!

Incarnation of Fire was a skill attached to the Red Phoenix Bow currently owned by Jishuka, increasing health recovery rate and stamina recovery by 90%. It also prevented stamina from falling below 5 points. Just like when Grid created the Blue Dragon Boots and gained Incarnation of Lightning, Red Phoenixs Breath caused his health recovery rate to exponentially rise.

Incarnation of Fire is a persistent passive... as the level of Red Phoenix Breath increases, the longer the duration will be. Wont it be like Im in a state of always taking potions?

Generally speaking, the health recovery rate per second was two points per 100 stamina points. Please note that the health recovery per second didnt increase with the stats awakening. Unlike the other additional effects, the health recovery per second growth rate wasnt affected by the effect of titles, skills, and items that players gained as they grew.

Grid alone could raise the health recovery per second rate many times through the blessings of the gods imbued in Greed, the Red Phoenix Breath, the Storm of the Fire God, and the Queen of Fire power embedded in the Rune of Gluttony. The effect of Duke of Virtue increased his stamina stat by 35% and there were a number of items that could raise the health recovery per second rate.

It meant that if Grid intentionally focused on raising health recovery per second, he could temporarily restore thousands of health per second. This was why there was no health recovery per second growth in the stats awakening effect. If even health recovery could be increased like other factors, potions would gradually lose their value and this would cause all sorts of problems.

Im certain. Right now, I have to activate Storm of the Fire God and the Red Phoenix Breath to keep in top shape but I can always stay in great shape with Incarnation of Fire.

Every second would be at the level of taking an advanced potion. If he activated the Storm of the Fire God as well, it would be like taking the highest quality potions The S.A Groups effort to keep the health recovery per second in check was ineffective and a player possessing the health recovery per second of a boss monster was born.

......

Grid measured the possibilities and was speechless for a moment. He felt like he was increasingly becoming a monster...

He was scared of himself.

...?

Grid was shaking his head when he belatedly sensed a strange atmosphere. The Cho king, the people of the Cho Kingdom, Hera and the players, and even the 10 meritorious retainers, were staring at him silently. It was with a bemused expression.

Why are their souls gone? Grid asked Braham, who was standing beside him, in a whisper.

It is amazing for a man to be revered by a god, Braham replied.

Then Grids heart was overwhelmed as he recalled the words of the red phoenix again. Yes, he wasnt going to be a monster. He was on the right path.

***

At the VIP room provided by the Cho king...

Grid and the 10 meritorious retainers met after a long time and shared their stories. All of them had enjoyed adventures over the past few months and they naturally exchanged information.

So how did you end up sabotaging Baals ritual?

Grid was particularly interested in Yuras adventure in hell. The help he received from her at that time had been so intense. Yura replied like it was inconsequential, It was a coincidence. I was on a quest to wipe out the demonkin nearby and was disturbed by the ritual.

Doesnt Baal rule the 1st Hell? Are you already on a quest to hunt in the top hell?

Yes, it was by chance.

......

It wasnt a joke. Grid stared at Yura but her expression was so consistent that Grid didnt dig deeper.

Dont sacrifice yourself for me.

I wont.

......

She had answered too easily to be believed. However, it would be nagging if he said anything more.

Grid confirmed that the cooldown of Red Phoenix Breath had returned and once again activated it. Vantner was intrigued. How is it? Did your skill experience rise this time?

It didnt rise.

Grids expression was complicated. He had already activated Red Phoenix Breath twice but the skill experience hadnt improved. It seemed that Jishukas opinion was correct. It was agreed that in order to raise the skill level of Red Phoenix Breath, he needed to consume a Red Phoenix Breath.

Damn... how can I chew on a lump of stone?

Grids expression was weary. The Red Phoenix Breath might be a divine material but it was a mineral after all. There was even a burning fire inside it. The taste was unimaginable.

Eat it once. Once its confirmed, Ill ask for the Red Phoenix Breath as compensation for the gold medal. Jishuka smiled and urged.

Her playful smile made Grid feel even more complicated. You are serious...

Should he really eat this? Grid had a complicated expression as he pulled out the Red Phoenix Breath dropped by Garam. Was it possible to directly eat it in this form? The atmosphere remained cordial as Grid hesitated.

Time passed and the group separated. Now the 10 meritorious retainers had to return to the real world to participate in the National Competition while Grid had to plan for his future adventures.

Deep in the night...

Grid turned his head and looked up at the sky, breathing in the air of the Cho Kingdom that seemed clearer, perhaps due to the red phoenixs blessing.

Do you intend to resurrect the rest of the auspicious beasts? Braham dressed in Eastern clothing was seen. The gorgeous purple robes accentuated Brahams shining appearance. You shouldnt overdo it right now. You should return to the West Continent while trying to gauge the level of the other yangbans that Harang warned you about.

I think so as well. Sometimes rest is more helpful.

Yes.

Rest was important. During the break, he could check and maintain himself in order to provide a springboard for a bigger leap forward. Above all, Grid wanted to see Irene.

I dont think a new epic is likely to be written right now...

As his level progressed, his growth seemed to slow and so did his epics. It was clear based on the fact that there wasnt an epic despite killing four yangbans and resurrecting the red phoenix.

However, I have to meet those kids before leaving.

He was referring to Blue Tiger, Tosun, and the other sacred beasts. Grid had believed he needed to resurrect the red phoenix due to their memories and they believed he would be the one to do it.

Would you like to accompany me?

Grid reached out to Braham. He no longer worried about Brahams safety because Braham was much stronger than himself.

Now you are relying on me, the strongest magician of all time?

Braham gave a rare smile and grabbed Grids hand. The quiet scenery blessed the reunion of the two men.

***

The players of the 5th National Competition are entering!

This year, the National Competition had suffered from a number of crises. It was because Grid took away all the attention from the National Competition. He killed a half-god, wrote a new epic, and resurrected an old god called the red phoenix. It was no wonder that attention was focused on Grid, who made a ridiculous feat every few days. The backlash was that interest in the National Competition was reduced.

Still, it was fortunate. Fortunately, the ratings for the opening ceremony of the 5th National Competition wasnt much different from the previous ones.

-Where is Grid right now?

-He still seems to be on the East Continent.

-There should be a boycott of the National Competition without Grid.

-Praise God Grid!

The problem was that the audience chat window was bombarded with talk of Grid. In Shin Youngwoos house

They keep talking about our son.

Youngwoos parents were watching the opening ceremony together and laughed. The two of them chatted well as they watched it on the latest TV model released by Daejin Electronics.

The Korean players were entering the stage. Yura and JishukaYoungwoos mother clapped and cheered as her beautiful daughter-in-law candidates appeared. Then she soon became worried when Sehee and Yerim appeared.

Their levels are still low. Will they be okay?

Low level...

Youngwoo heard his mother using game terminology and laughed. Dont worry, their levels aren't low. They are really strong.

Sehee and Yerim told him that they would only compete in duo events. Who could stop the combination of the Saintess and Saintess Knight who had grown hunting in the Galgunos Temple.

His father asked Youngwoo, who was smiling and drinking Coke, So who do you think will win this years National Competition?

Our country, Youngwoo replied without any hesitation. The growth of the 10 meritorious retainers he had recently been reunited with was shocking. In particular, the development of Yura and Jishuka, who received the red phoenixs blessing, was remarkable.

Youngwoo was convinced. Theres no one who can stop Yura and Jishuka except for Kraugel and Chris.

Haha...

Youngwoo's parents laughed. Youngwoo cocked his head at their reactions and his mother spoke through her laughter, It is nice to see you already taking care of your wife. Hey, so who is it among the two of them?

...No, what?

Most professionals and viewers expected the United States to win. Many reporters argued that it would be strange if the United States didnt win. His parents were bound to misunderstand. They thought that Youngwoo was being protective of the person he was interested in and that it was a personal matter.

...Dont be surprised in a few days.

Youngwoo blushed as he cleaned the table. It would soon be time for his access restriction to end. He planned to wash the dishes and return to the capsule. He wanted to reduce the household burden of his mother, who often struggled every day.

'Let's hire a housekeeper. Someone like Yang Fei...

No, it would take a long time if he looked for someone like that in reality. Youngwoo decided to contact the domestic help companies tomorrow and concentrated on washing the dishes.

***

Are you sure Grid is coming?

The information is definite.

Yes...

Veradin, the necromancer who lost everything due to the Overgeared Guilds kill orderhe stood with dozens of jiangshi at the entrance of the forest where a monster colony was located and burned with killing intent. After escaping to the East Continent, he met an evil daoist and developed his strength. He had no intention of missing out on this opportunity for revenge.