On the battlefield on the East Continent where the last Full Moon Fortress was located, the situation had been rough from the very beginning.

Because the area had been deserted for a long time, the cultivators chose it as the construction site for the Full Moon Fortress. Since it was home to a large number of high-level monsters, the players kept delaying destroying it.

Therefore, it ended up being the last surviving Full Moon Fortress.

“Get out of the way! It’s dangerous! No, shit...! Get out of the way! Are you deaf?”

“U-Uh? I-I can’t see on the other side.”

“Fuck, this is worse than the coronation of Emperor Grid.”

“People were orderly back then.”

Today, tens of millions of people gathered in this area. They were constantly coming to see and report on the heroes who succeeded in the ‘Stop the Erosion Ritual’ world quest that would go down in history.

As a result, raids were still going on nearby. The elite monsters and field bosses that originally inhabited this land became the targets of many high-level players who had to keep them busy so that the rankers could focus on capturing the Full Moon Fortress.

According to the original plan, these enemies should’ve been left alone once the world quest was completed. The role of the high-level players would be over because they could use the return scroll to escape.

But the rapid influx of people disrupted their plans. The players couldn’t tell for sure if these people were so distracted that they couldn’t see the monsters, or if they truly didn’t see them...

People came running from all directions, totally ignoring the creatures. They were just trying to get one step closer to the Full Moon Fortress expedition group. Because of this, the high-level players struggled with the monsters and were unable to leave. It was obvious that the civilians would be slaughtered the moment the players stopped keeping the mobs at bay.

“Wow, if the skill cooldown had come up 0.1 seconds later, hundreds of people would’ve died... What the hell is up with all these people?”

“It’s because the quest had such a dramatic success. People are more excited than necessary.”

“So,” one of the rankers bragged, “I managed to make it three hours before the time limit... Oh, why is that strange guy bowing to me again?”

Players who were classified as high-level were celebrities even though they weren’t rankers. Their reputation could be significantly affected if they acted inappropriately. Thus, they couldn’t turn away from the crowds who flocked to see the heroes of the quest. They had been hired by the guilds, armies or kingdoms that participated in the expedition, and their mission was to keep the monsters at bay until the Full Moon Fortress was destroyed, but...

The Full Moon Fortress had fallen. They had been fighting for nearly an extra hour after that. The rankers in the expedition group seemed to notice their situation and sent support, but they were unable to move quickly because of the crowds that were impassable like mountains and seas. They kept getting caught and pinned down by reporters and extreme fans who were more persistent than monsters.

This was a real pain...

A strange notification window appeared as they felt a small jolt of pain.

[Someone unknown has hit you.]

The people were stunned. They couldn’t understand who attacked them. They even wondered if this was the result of lag because of how many people were in the area, but their doubts were quickly cleared.

[The effect of the Motley Flail has greatly increased your main stats for 10 minutes.]

[The effect of the Motley Flail makes your next attack 10 times more powerful.]

[The effect of the Motley Flail has increased the level of your skill to the Master level for 20 minutes.]

[The effect of the Motley Flail has restored all resources.]

[The effect of the Motley Flail has given you the Flight ability for 5 minutes.]

As was often the case with Grid’s cherished items, the Motley Flail was a very famous item. Grid often used it to fight powerful enemies, so he had revealed its power to the world.

Ironically, there were times when Grid himself was hit by the side effects of it... In any case, that wasn’t an important issue right now. What people received right now were buffs, not the flail’s infamous debuffs.

‘Is he really a god...?’

The exhausted players burst out laughing. Just now, they became overwhelmed by a great sense of strangeness. Tens of millions were celebrating beside them, but they were struggling with their lives at stake. They wondered why they had to put up with this awful situation and felt that their efforts were in vain.

Just then, the buff of the flail engulfed them. Of course the person who suddenly helped them at the right time was Grid.

“I think Grid is watching us. Let’s keep fighting.”

“Wow!”

Was Grid really watching them? Probably not. They were normal players, not Overgeared members or rankers. He wouldn’t even know who they were.

Still, that was fine. Even if this miracle was a coincidence, Grid still helped them. His touch clearly brushed against them.

Baaaaaang!!

“......?”

Everyone had been focused on the heroes. Suddenly, they turned their attention toward the battlefield. There was a sudden explosion and monsters screamed.

“Hey, what...”

Elite monsters and daunting field bosses with shiny red or black names above their heads were unleashing powerful attacks very close to the crowd. Did they appear out of nowhere? Or had they been here from the very beginning?

People started panicking. High-level players who weren’t rankers were somewhat well-known but were still ordinary people like the rest of the player base. However, now they were showing a phenomenal performance. They easily overwhelmed the ferocious monsters.

Every time a wounded and glowing monster tried to attack the crowd, the players would throw themselves to block the strike instead.

“Ohhhhhh!!”

The onlookers were thrilled watching the players’ determination to protect them.

Kieeeeeek!

The monsters’ scream made the crowd cheer enthusiastically.

"Waaahhhhhhhh!"

The public’s attention and praise was no longer focused on the heroes who had destroyed the Full Moon Fortress, but on the mediocre players who dedicated themselves to finishing things off behind the scenes.

Thanks to this, the Overgeared members and rankers were freed from the crowd and managed to take a breather.

“They are helping us in many ways.”

“I agree. By the way...”

The rankers tilted their heads. The average level of monsters in the East Continent was higher than in the West Continent. In particular, the monsters where the last Full Moon Fortress was located had a minimum level of over 600 and were all at least elites. They were even a threat to rankers when there were a lot of them clumped together.

However, the high-level players were massacring them. The rankers had simply asked them to keep the monsters busy, but their expectations had been blown away.

“...Did Damian share the loot with them?”

There were hundreds of items obtained from killing the immortals. There was an endless stream of new things coming out of the small pouch that belonged to the immortal. The most valuable items were Treasures and skill books, such as technique books and mystical art books. However, the value of the consumables classified as elixirs couldn’t be disparaged. The elixirs that had a permanent effect were worth more, while the elixirs that only had a one-time effect were volatile, but could dramatically increase a player’s stats.

The players who were currently dealing with the monsters had surely consumed one-time elixirs.

Some rankers expressed their displeasure. “Hmm, that is a bit of a waste...”

Even they couldn’t get the loot of the immortals due to their low contribution. Meanwhile, the high-level players who were just fighting monsters got such valuable elixirs? It was hard to believe.

“You have no shame.”

The small number of rankers were glaring at the high-level players who were becoming stronger while slaughtering elite monsters. The rankers suddenly came to their senses because they realized that other rankers surrounded them.

“Have you forgotten that we were able to concentrate on the battle against the cultivators because they kept the monsters busy?”

“There were no civilian casualties thanks to them staying focused until the end while the reporters interviewed you. It is purely because of their sacrifices that you guys, who didn’t do much, were able to boast in front of the camera.”

“...I-I’m sorry.”

Until just a few years ago, there were many rankers who didn’t care about the eyes around them and acted in an unruly manner. According to the logic of the law of the jungle, abuse of power was a common occurrence. However, such people were rare these days. Katz, Agnus, the Black and White sisters, and so on—all of the first generation psychopathic players repented and became normal at some point.

In an era when the craziest and most arrogant people were trying to live a good life, if a half-hearted ranker showed their awful nature, they would get heavily criticized.

Furthermore, there were too many people around them right now. If the rankers continued to show off their ugly side, worst-case scenario, they could lose their sponsor. The rankers suppressed their jealousy and controlled themselves.

Just then, the reporters rushed to the high-level players who had finished cleaning up their surroundings. “Wait, wait a moment! Please give me an interview!”

The questions for the high-level players were very different.

How did they become stronger when they weren’t even rankers? Did they get a huge reward for doing a lot during the war against cultivators? Similar questions of this caliber were asked.

Basically, the reporters wondered how the players had managed to become stronger.

“Grid helped us,” the players answered honestly.

“......?”

The reporters, the rankers, the Overgeared members, and even the Tower members and Apostles couldn’t believe it. How could Grid help them when he wasn’t even here? No one believed the claims of the high-level players.

“It’s no wonder you don’t believe it. But it’s true. So what can I do?”

The players didn’t speak for a long time. They didn’t understand what was going on either. They just said what happened to them.

“Ahh... Is it you again, God Grid...?”

People had no choice but to believe them. Everyone praised Grid. Some people prayed with sincerity while some half-jokingly prayed while chanting God Grid, which was a meme created by Peak Sword a long time ago.

Ares, the god of war, burst out laughing when he saw Valhalla’s soldiers getting carried away by the atmosphere and seriously praying. “Hey, hey... Are you praying too?”

His generals such as Luck and Scott tried to stop the soldiers, but Ares waved his hand.

“Leave them. I’m sure Grid is still struggling somewhere on his own, so it would be nice if we could help out a bit. Plus, in today’s world, is there any place that believes in a god other than Grid? At this point, let’s consider accepting the Overgeared God Church as the kingdom’s religion. The people should have someone to rely on.”

“What nonsense... Ares, you should also think about becoming a god. Haven’t you gained a bit of divinity lately?”

“My capabilities aren’t that great.”

[The number of prayers toward you has increased explosively.]

Just then, in the Behen Archipelago, the First Divine Image, the first of Grid’s statues, emitted a vibrant golden light.