Chapter 3) The Special Myul Griffon Knights

“Aaaack!”

“Those people are stupid enough to come here to die! Clean them up.”

Jjanguerang!

Kurururung.

Weed infiltrated Node Krape.

There was a fierce battle going on outside as the fortress was shaken by the magic and arrows.

‘Judging by the sound of the battle…almost all the power of the Black Sword Mercenaries have come. Don’t they listen too well?’

It was progressing so smoothly that something felt wrong. It was difficult not to feel strange since this area belonged to the Hermes Guild.

‘The Black Sword Mercenaries should play their role properly.’

The rebels thought this was the plot of the Black Sword Mercenaries. None of them would have thought that Weed had already infiltrated the area.

While Weed was deep in thought, a female griffon neared him.

Kuoooh. Kkuoh. Kkuooooh!

She rubbed against my face and hips in a friendly manner. An att.i.tude that young children should be banned from watching on television!

Weed cried out loudly.

“Kyak!”

Then he quickly avoided the female griffons!

Jaaeeeeeng.

However, the females kept giving him sad eyes and didn’t give up on the courts.h.i.+p. They were smaller than the wyverns but the griffons had a violent and aggressive nature.

Weed hadn’t entered the doors of Node Krape as a human.

A male griffon!

He used Sculpture Transformation to transform into a wild male griffon with a scar on his side and entered the nest at Node Krape.

Kuuong!

The male griffons were deprived of their influence and retreated into a corner. At first, the male griffons had tried to determine the hierarchy when Weed appeared.

Kyahat!

They made threatening gestures by puffing their chests and spreading out their wings.

However, Weed the griffon merely shook his head at them. He fought by flapping his wings and pecking with his beak. The male griffons in the group were taken down by the fourth successive attack.

On the other hand, the females kept on aiming at him because he smelled of a strong male.

‘d.a.m.n. Did I make this piece too perfect? It is like Karichwi’s stunning looks.’

Weed learned about the characteristics of flying creatures after carving wyverns.

He was familiar with the appearance of a griffon. While fighting the sulleions, he had rescued the arnin, saber-toothed tiger and griffons. The size of a griffon was different in each region but they almost looked the same.

Weed had transformed into a griffon with proud and feral eyes and a golden mane. That’s why the females kept approaching him.

“Kuaaang!”

Weed let out a huge roar.

The females hurried off but showed signs of immunity to his voice.

‘d.a.m.n, my stupid popularity. At this result, I will suffer due to the griffons.’

Weed impatiently waited for his chance.

The Myul Knights had a total of 5,000 knights. 3,500 griffon knights had been dispatched to repel the rebels. This meant there were 1,500 troops and Myul left behind in case of emergencies.

He waited for the Black Sword Mercenaries to launch their attack.

“The enemy came. Ready the army!”

1,000 knights entered the griffon’s nest. The knights examined the equipment on the griffon they were riding.

Griffon riders carried swords, spears or bows! The body of the griffon was covered with specially coated armour that blocked magic attacks.

“Divide into groups of 250.”

“Yes!”

“Hopefully there are plenty of opportunities for rich hunting. The enemies on the ground can’t be ignored so don’t be too greedy.”

“Of course.”

The griffon unit headed to the entrance of the tower and spread their wings.

The power of the Black Sword Mercenaries were invisible right now but they were the prey of the griffons. It was like when how Weed felt he could easily catch all living things on the ground when he was riding a wyvern.

In fact, hunting with a bow would be easier if he could fly quickly through the sky. Of course, there were huge boss cla.s.s monsters with special abilities that wouldn’t budge from dozens of arrows.

‘Myul still hasn’t come out.’

Weed felt a little bit nervous.

It didn’t matter if it was the rebels of Black Sword Mercenaries as long as knight Myul emerged. If he stayed inside the fortress then Weed would miss out on his chance.

He could create a 2nd or 3rd chance but the probability of success would fall further.

Weed had slipped into Node Krape alone.

‘This situation…the Black Sword Mercenaries need to hold on.’

The sounds of cras.h.i.+ng and explosions meant he could roughly guess how the battle was proceeding outside.

The Black Sword Mercenaries intended to rule this kingdom and dragged out all their troops after receiving Weed’s help.

They mobilized their army to fight against the governor here. This unexpected deployment was caused by Weed’s letter.

Finally, Myul and 400 other people climbed the griffon’s nest.

“The invasion inside the fortress has been repelled. However, we still can’t be a.s.sured. We should wipe out the troublemakers in this empire during this battle. Make sure to kill the important figures, even if you have to chase them.”

“Yes!”

“We will teach them how foolish it is to mess with the Haven Empire. Board!”

The knights found their griffons and boarded.

‘There are probably 100 troops in reserve.’

Weed stood up while proudly displaying his majestic head.

In this battle, the Myul Knights in the air would be fighting the Black Sword Mercenaries on the ground. There would be a fierce compet.i.tion to attack Myul.

For the sake of his plan, he had already put his stats from Sculptural Destruction into agility. He was ready for the messy combat in the air.

“Oh, the appearance of this griffon is quite good.”

Myul turned away from his griffon as he noticed Weed.

He had an exclusive griffon but unfortunately, he was mercilessly beaten by Weed and squatted in the corner.

“This is the first time I’ve seen such a large and nice looking griffon. When did we obtain one like this? He seems like an incredible griffon.”

Myul examined Weed’s teeth as well as thrusting a finger deeply between the feathers of his shoulders and wings.

He had meticulously sculpted the piece so that there wouldn’t be any strange points.

‘Heh, you won’t understand me no matter how you look.’

But he couldn’t help feeling nervous as Myul’s hands neared his bottom. Fortunately, the search ended with his hind legs.

“This griffon has a great body. Who caught it?”

Weed flew into the nest alone but he was pretending to be a griffon right now. But the battle situation was urgent and Myul needed a dominant power.

Aides at his side explained the situation.

“He left the nest after hatching and came back after becoming fully grown.”

“In recent years, many free griffons have come from the outside. It is due to Captain Myul’s reputation.”

Naturally they made the explanation up. The objective was to make Myul feel good.

“Well, I will give you a reward for the good treatment of the griffon. Today I will use this griffon.”

“Really? The griffon doesn’t belong exclusively to you so the combat power will fall.”

“It’s impossible that the Black Sword Mercenaries can capture the fortress. They are stupid but they used the attack of the rebels as an opportunity. The battle isn’t that hard so I will use it as a chance to tame the griffon.”

“We will make preparations.”

Griffon body armour was placed on Weed.

A special griffon armour in the Haven Empire. There was a helmet, body armour, wing guards and protection for the claws. Each item had a level limit of at least 250. It was low for regular users but catered to the griffon species. Special goods were produced in the magic workshops of the Haven Empire.

A magic set armour!

‘Ohhhh.’

Weed behaved like a meek sheep while the armour was strapped on. He even went as far as extending his beak forward when he felt something empty.

“Oh, I missed this one.”

This was exactly like giving machine guns to bank robbers!

Myul put a leash on Weed’s neck and boarded the saddle with satisfaction.

“He is a well behaved griffon compared to his appearance.”

Myul tugged on the reins.

“Let’s play nicely today!”

Weed lightly flew.

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The night sky overlooking Node Krape!

There was magic flying everywhere as the Black Sword Mercenaries tried to catch the Haven Empire.

Arrows flew back and forth over several kilometres as warriors faced each other with swords.

‘It is a pretty cool sight. There are lots of influential people here.’

The griffon troops flew down towards the ground while dominating the sky.

Weed had changed species to a griffon so the night felt like a bright day to his eyes.

The Black Sword Mercenaries were once a powerful force that ruled over the Gradian and Nest Kingdoms in the past.

In their peak period, most of the mercenaries on the continent belonged to the Black Sword Mercenaries.

Despite losing a lot of employees, there were still mercenaries wielding their sword for them.

Michel gave more benefits to the mercenaries compared to other guilds and made them the focal point.

Michel’s administrative ability and loyalty was high so he had a lot of popularity among the foreign players.

“There is a lot of prey. Go forth!”

Then Myul pulled the reins. It meant to go down to the ground!

Weed moved his eyes around and saw a lot of griffon troops around Myul.

‘Now isn’t the right time. Well, let’s have a little bit of fun.’

Weed breathed lightly and headed towards the ground.

‘I will let him know the real fun of riding on my back. It should be quite fun.’

He folded back his wide wings and accelerated.

They were skills gained when he placed his stats from Sculptural Destruction into agility.

Swaeeeeek.

He flew like a beam from the sky towards the ground.

He forced his way through the thick air resistance with great power and speed.

“Danger, Captain!”

“We should rescue the captain…”

The griffon riders near Myul were appalled.

Myul tugging at the reins firmly.

“Soar again! Come on! Come on!”

The distance to the ground was narrowing.

500 metres.

320 metres.

140 metres.

60 metres.

It was like the griffon Myul was riding abandoned life and decided to commit suicide.

‘Not yet, not yet.’

Weed’s eyes were calm and cool.

Once he was 22 metres from the ground, he spread his wings widely.

“Kuweeeek!”

He resisted the tremendous speed with all his strength.

Wind blew in every direction like a storm while the muscles of his body, including the wings tensed.

He was close to the ground but his agility and power meant he managed to change directions.

“Kuoohhh!”

He didn’t even touch the rocks on the ground.

‘How was it? Was it fun?’

Myul was barely holding onto the reins.

“Ugh, this wild griffon…”

He was a skilled knight but he thought he would crash into the ground.

Weed and Myul used the heavy winds to move forward. He was fast on all fours but craved even faster speed with his wings.

The griffon was for quick and rough movements.

‘What is life? I will release all the acc.u.mulated stress.’

The Black Sword Mercenaries were staring at him blankly.

Something had suddenly fallen from the sky and then headed towards them. It was like a truck coming at full speed! It happened in a brief moment that was barely 1 second.

‘Around level 460? That is some pretty good equipment. I am a little sorry but…who told you to be there?’

Weed mercilessly kicked at a warrior as he flew.

“Kuweeek!”

A fast attack that couldn’t be stopped!

It was common sense that some defense was possible. The opponent could use a sword, a s.h.i.+eld or shoot arrows to prevent it.

But the griffon suddenly fell from the sky and they never thought they would be kicked!

‘Not dead. I have to catch Myul but I destroyed a sculpture. So why shouldn’t I eat some generous side dishes?’

Weed used a barrage of kicks and pecks as he rushed past.

His targets were the Haven Empire as well as the Black Sword Mercenaries.

An outrageous and violent griffon.

The soldiers were smacked as he spread his wings wide.

“A-awesome.”

They admired his spirit.

Weed showed fierce flight skills while carrying a body. He was comfortable flapping his wings in long distance flights as well as combat.

The griffon could ride the wind and change the centre of gravity in its body. A remarkable sense of balance and maneuverability. There was also the innate aggression that caused it to randomly attack humans on the ground.

‘Just a little bit…the griffon is a great p.a.w.n in battle.’

A flying monster with an aggressive nature was excellent.

The knights wanted a domesticated griffon like that.

“Fire Explosion!”

“Frost Bolt!”

“This!”

The magicians in the Black Sword Mercenaries cast spells and Weed reacted before Myul could. Dozens of ice and fire spells flying across the night sky.

Weed stared at the magic approaching and tilted his wings diagonally. Then he pa.s.sed all the spells by spinning.

Concise and accurate avoidance behaviour. After pa.s.sing it, he accelerated and pecked at the magicians.

“Kuwaaak! Help me!”

Ku ku kwa kwa kwa kwak!

There were many murderers among the Black Sword Mercenaries. It meant he could kill the red named without any penalties.

“Kuooooh!”

Weed made a strange sound.

There were many eyes watching as he flew through the sky. He couldn’t collect the loot from the dead so it felt like he was going to explode!

Myul felt complicated riding such a griffon.

‘An awesome monster anyone would be afraid of. Now I will be able to create a legend. My hunting speed will become much faster. Later I might even be able to hunt Bardray and Weed, the G.o.d of War. I will become invincible in the sky.’

His chest was tingling with excitement.

The griffon was a fast, tough weapon and worth more than his other colleagues.

“Let me use my skills!”

Myul pulled out a long spear.

The Sealed Thunder Spear. It was approximately 20 metres long and could use thunderbolt ranged attacks. It had a huge level restriction of 570. Myul hadn’t reached level 500 yet but could use it use to the restriction of being a knight.

“Fly low!”

Myul ordered Weed as he firmly held the reins.

‘A little bit more fun. Well, I won’t lose anything by doing so.’

Thunderbolts flew in all directions from Myul’s spear.

Kwarururung!

Kwaaaaaah!

Thunder hit the ground and dealt chain damage to dozens of people.

Weed moved at a high speed while Myul damaged the group of enemies.

He used the terrain and ground cover to avoid any arrows or magic attacks.

“A low alt.i.tude thrust.”

“Yes, Captain!”

170 of Myul’s griffon troops gathered with their spears.

The griffon troops were a weapon of the Haven Empire that achieved the myth of invincibility.

They swept low on the ground and decimated the Black Sword Mercenaries.

The mounted knights found it hard to stop the griffon riders who could freely move through the sky. They scattered when destructive magic spells were cast and then gathered to resume the attacks.

The users had to concentrate on the ground attacks as well as those coming from the sky.

The troops of Node Krape were doing a terrible amount of damage to the Black Sword Mercenaries.

Weed and Myul boasted a fantastic harmony as they killed the magicians and mercenaries.

“Unbelievable…”

The users of the Black Sword Mercenaries were devastated.

Fierce attacks from the sky, the terrible griffon troops.

However, this wasn’t a situation that Myul could take lightly.

“Attack. Cause the fall of Node Krape fall!”

Even if they were wiped out.

The Black Sword Mercenaries put everything into this battle in order to win. They mobilized of lot of people and money for this battle. There were users as well as NPC mercenaries that they hired.

While the griffons were attacking, they raised s.h.i.+elds over their heads and ran towards the fortress. They were powerful but the griffons could only attack from the sky.

The brave soldiers a.s.saulted the fortress.

“Stupid b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!”

While preparing for the big battle, the Black Sword Mercenaries’ movements were exposed to the suspicious Hermes Guild.

There were war preparations inside Node Krape included roadblocks.

“Kill. All of them!”

“Kuwaaaaah!”

“Fierce Chain Explosion!”

“Shoot those resisting with long range arrows. Don’t aim at the walls and pour it on enemy lines!”

The violent noise of the battlefield.

Weed watched the progress of the battle.

‘Gathering riches in 3 years…the strength of the Black Sword Mercenaries are awesome. They managed to gather this much together.’

But it would be the Haven Empire’s victory if this siege continued until morning.

The griffon troops that left to subdue rebels in the Nest and Gradian areas would come back and the situation would adversely change.

The Black Sword Mercenaries were familiar with this fact and aimed all types of magic at the walls of Node Krape. Explosive magic, poisonous clouds, earth magic, curses, etc.

Of course, the magicians of the Haven Empire came out to counteract the curses.

The power on both sides couldn’t be ignored as the battle spread around the fortress. Ranged attacks broke through the gates while the warrior troops also played their part.

‘This is a s.h.i.+fting war. Strong will to fight…a war that is vying for supremacy.’

Weed suddenly felt quite a lot of regrets.

He had never had that thought himself. It wasn’t easy to obtain subordinates that were running in the same direction towards a shared goal.

Betrayal or paths s.h.i.+fting wasn’t uncommon in Royal Road. Still, his chest heated up as he thought about the battles that took place in the Central Continent since the early days of Royal Road.

Myul brandished his thunder spear and commanded the griffon troops.

“The griffon troops will disturb the enemy. Don’t let them step foot in the fortress.”

This battle was being broadcasted so millions of people around the world would be watching. The scale and size of the battle meant there might be 100~200 million people watching.

The commander needed to show great heroism.

Node Krape was fine despite the violent attacks from the Black Sword Mercenaries.

In Royal Road, it was possible to simply enjoy the pleasure or to direct the history of the continent by becoming a ruler or knight.

That attracted the so-called ambitious people. Myul was one of the Hermes Guild’s 24 military commanders and in charge of the Gradian and Nest areas!

He wanted to show a great appearance as he defeated the Black Sword Mercenaries.

It was unspoken.

Weed also felt his heart.

‘But your fate is decided now that you are riding on my back. You will die at my feet.’

Weed calmly watched the battle as he fought with Myul.

Dozens of griffons had crashed and were killed by the Black Sword Mercenaries.

‘I’m not even receiving a tip or bonus.’

Weed responded by heading in the direction of the magicians targeting Myul. 100 griffons followed behind Weed and Myul.

And there were numerous magic spells flying from the ground.

“Spread out to avoid the damage!”

The griffons dispersed as soon as Myul gave the order. They could utilize the distance from the ground to avoid the magic and minimize the damage.

The griffons that received a severe injury would return to the griffon’s nest at Node Krape.

However, Weed rushed head on into the magic.

“What are you doing?”

Myul grabbed the reins but the direction didn’t change no matter how hard he pulled.

“Kuooooooooh!”

Weed just roared and flew aggressively forward.

“Stupid! I said avoid it!”

Myul scowled as he tried to control Weed.

The fearsome magic attacks were approaching.

‘He still doesn’t have any doubts. The problem is right now.’

Weed observed the spells.

The magicians of the Black Sword Mercenaries weren’t stupid enough to cast the spell in a straight line to make it easy to avoid.

They were curved, bent or even those that chased the enemy target. A mad configuration of magic flying into the sky!

The magicians on the griffons prepared for a crossfire with the magicians from the Black Sword Mercenaries.

‘There isn’t an escape hole. But this sky is wide and there is a path to break through. I believe in myself. It is a lot easier than when I was trying to sneak away from my sister to the cinema when I was younger.’

Weed flew faster.

The magic rushed over so it seemed like he was a fool who would just die. However, his body barely pa.s.sed through a gap.

Kwa kwa kwa kw.a.n.g!

Weed narrowly pa.s.sed the magic that was exploding in the sky.

The crisis didn’t end there. There were still hundreds more magic attacks coming from the ground. The magicians had prepared spells for the griffon troops.

Weed stopped for a moment and balanced his body like an eagle.

‘Wait. Still wait. Now!’

His huge body swayed like a breeze and moved past. The magic attacks pa.s.sed him or exploded in the sky.

It was different from avoiding obstacles. It was enough if he moved to the front, back, left and right. Weed meticulously calculated it and waited for the right time to squeeze between the magic.

‘This world is not so bleak. There must always be an escape hole.’

Sharp concentration! His body and head moved faster when it was more dangerous.

‘I need to catch Myul since he is my biggest target. Just a flick…”

The griffon’s body perfectly avoided all the magic.

Even if he was. .h.i.t, he didn’t receive any big injuries.

Sometimes the blast from the magic explosions would hit.

His sharp eyes regarded all the finer points. Weed used the flames to break through in front! He even knew the direction of the blast in advance and moved his body to the right position.

He was like a fish swimming in the torrents as he moved between magic attacks.

“Kueeok!

Myul could only grab the reins with all his strength so that he would not fall.

‘Avoiding damage like this…unbelievably amazing and great.’

The griffon somehow found holes to squeeze through the magic attacks. After a brief moment, Weed ended up completely breaking through.

“What is that?”

“A scam!”

The magicians on the ground were devastated. It was hard to hit a griffon in the sky but those movements were closer to a scam!

It was the reason why Weed maximized his agility with Sculptural Destruction. It allowed him abnormally high speeds, direction changes in the sky and incredibly nimble movements.

“G-great!”

Myul calmed his frightened heart.

The griffon had steered through all the magic attacks without any damage.

There was a serious crisis several times but he always managed to escape the magic. The griffon deliberately used defensive techniques and swerved the trajectory of the magic. He couldn’t help admiring the griffon’s attacks, judgement and motor skills.

‘Anyone who watches will be surprised. This is the scene I wanted.’

A scene capable of moving people! He let himself dream of a lifetime of memorable scenes.

“This is the griffon troops!”

Myul lifted his thunder spear.

“Kuwaaaaah!”

He could hear the subjects of the Haven Empire shouting from a distance. Avoiding the magic attacks meant the griffin was quite a distance away.

Myul was perfectly satisfied.

‘They are probably looking up at me with amazement and envy.’

Weed continued flying.

Myul was already thinking about the schedule for the day.

‘I have to prepare for an interview with a broadcasting station. I should wrap this up nicely. Should I confidently answer that it was inevitable when they ask me about avoiding the magic attacks?’

The sound of the shouts became more and more distant.

‘The Black Sword Mercenaries…it doesn’t matter anymore. The griffons fighting the rebels will return and turn it into a hunting mood.’

If they protected the fortress until the day, then their objective would be perfectly achieved.

It was important that the griffons suppress the rebellions occurring all over. Otherwise the rebels would loot and destroy villages and facilities, causing a significant loss for the territory.

Node Krape’s military army was forced to be reduced due to the griffon troops. Therefore they were forced to block the rebels.

He just needed to wait until morning and the Black Lion Mercenaries would be destroyed.

‘Victory. A complete victory.’

Weed raised his speed even more.

“Huh? Where are you going?”

Myul was suddenly puzzled.

His voice was full of affection for this griffon.

Weed gave a low cry.

“Kuaah.”

And flew faster.

Forests pa.s.sed as he flew low in the sky.

A griffon enjoying freedom! And then Weed eventually climbed higher into the sky.

Faster, higher! Flying creatures had a similar romance.

“Kuaaaaah!”

He felt similar and let out a huge roar. He was the most powerful in this arena.

Myul couldn’t see it but Weed currently had a rotten smile revealing a lot of teeth.

“Well, yes.”

Myul also had this immeasurable feeling as he rode flying creatures. But right now the battle was important. The timing wasn’t good.

“It is okay if I spare a moment. This griffon will be my hands and feet moving forward.”

Right now he was riding the griffon comfortably. He couldn’t see the griffon troops anymore but it didn’t matter. The Black Sword Mercenaries couldn’t threaten the griffons.

Weed changed his direction a few times. He pa.s.sed rivers and lakes in 1~2 minutes and also 2 villages.

Myul patted Weed’s head and said.

“Yes, I know it feels good. But it is time to return. We need to finish the cool hunting.”

Of course, Weed didn’t listen to him. He rose vertically in the sky.

The ground was moving away at a breakneck speed and he flew past the clouds. He reduced his tremendous speed after breaking into the clouds. The ground was already far away from the sky.

Only the sun was above his head.

A griffon and Myul. Only the two of them were in this s.p.a.ce.

Weed roared.

“Kuaaaaah!”

It contained the sense of freedom and dominating the sky. Flying creatures would understand this cry the best.

This was a shout about being alive. It showed the essence of life.

Myul felt the freedom but wanted to return to Node Krape.

“Now it is time to stop! Let’s head back. We can play together.”

Then the griffon said.

“I won’t follow you.”

“Huh? You could talk?”

Myul was stupid enough to feel delighted. He thought the p.a.w.n would be better if he had intelligence. Then it would take a much shorter time to tame. Myul would soon make him realize that freedom was just an illusion.

The griffon’s tone didn’t contain any respect at all.

“Like you said, it is time to stop.”

He started diving towards the ground. A full acceleration downwards.

Although it was familiar, Myul felt like it as the first time seeing such flying speed. They broke through the clouds and could see the ground in an instant.

‘Great maneuverability. But it is really dangerous…stop…’

However, the griffon didn’t respond when he was pulling on the reins. Myul even kicked the griffon but it didn’t stop.

Unlike before, it would be highly difficult to avoid a collision with the ground. The earth was quickly approaching.

‘Now it is unavoidable. There will be a crash.’

At that moment, he felt the saddle falling off.

Weed had cut the leash of the saddle with his beak.

“Uwaaaack!”

Myul was separated from the griffon’s body and continued falling.

Finally, the griffon quickly changed into a glide before colliding with the ground.

“That crazy griffon…!”

Kwaaaaaaaang!

It was like a meteor fell to the ground.

It was a huge shock but the Courage Armour had reduced the damage from the collision by 78%.

Therefore, Myul was barely able to survive.

“What…why did this happen…?”

At that moment, five people surrounded his body.

It was Weed who turned off Sculptural Transformation, Bahamorg, Eltin, Gernika and Eun-sook.

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