Chapter 119

The mining site ‘Titanium’, which was almost as large as an underground city, was filled with smoke. The previously damp underground now vibrated with the smell of meat.

“Tasty… Hic…Hic…” An Ahin child spoke between hiccups.

“Eat some more, dear.”

“I’m full… Hehe…”

Initially concerned there wouldn’t be enough food, the Ahin tribe members had been hesitant to indulge. However, thanks to the endless supply of wild boar legs, they were now enjoying their meal heartily. It was quite a spectacle watching dwarves, aquatic races, and even the herbivorous elves eagerly devouring meat at breakneck speed.

“Log out.” While the Ahins savored their feast nearby, I continued reading the Grimoire.

“Ahh, so many useless spells…”

I typed the contents of the page I had just seen. Unlike other books where it was easy to remember and transcribe one page, copying the Grimoire wasn’t so simple.

“Ah…my head hurts.”

Basically, there were too many special symbols with thousands upon thousands of shapes or patterns. Some pages consisted entirely of drawings, taking up an enormous amount of time when transferring them over.

“Log in.”

I entered Ardenia. As I read the Grimoire, Hellaim approached me. I reached into my inventory and took out more hind legs.

“W-Wait. You didn’t come here because we ran out of meat! No, rather than that, how much can you take out?”

Hellaim looked slightly overwhelmed. Initially, his expression suggested suspicion of trickery, then magic, followed by disbelief akin to witnessing a miracle—now, yet another new look emerged.

“You won’t run out of it. It just requires a bit of effort and consumption.”

”…Consumption?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Indeed, my purchasing power had decreased slightly.

‘Well, it isn’t at a level where I can’t handle it.’

For example, if I obtained a Spearman’s Sword (Rare), worth 100,000 won as a drop, only 90 won would be deducted from my purchasing power. There was no need to mention the Wild Boar Ham (Ingredient), which had almost negligible value. Of course, feeding 100,000 people wasn’t just one or two individuals; it required a massive amount.

‘My purchasing power is minus 33,000. By providing beef soup for seven bowls, I managed to feed 100,000 people satisfactorily—it’s quite profitable.’

“Still, even considering all that, being able to supply enough food to satisfy 100,000 people…”

My once-full inventory now had plenty of empty spaces. No matter how much I’d stockpiled, it was never enough to feed one hundred thousand people, right?

That’s why I continued reading my Grimoire even as those around me ate their meals.

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

Hellain waved her hand at me when I placed more meat on the table.

“I-I’m good for now! There’s still some left that I haven’t eaten yet!”

I frowned at her response.

“You don’t need any more just because you’re full? You should save some for later.”

“Oh!”

“Make jerky or whatever so we can eat it afterward.”

With that, I returned to my studies.

“Wow, he even saved food for later…”

“But who exactly is this guy? A saint?”

“No saint could pull off something like this. Is he a god incarnate? Or maybe a legendary dragon…?”

jae-yeon ignored their chatter and continued reading his magic book.

“Log out.”

Back on Earth, he copied down what he’d learned before lying down next to Cheeda and rubbing its belly.

Killians88 was diligently clearing wild boars from the area.

LSubCharOfAllSubChars: Killing all these wild boars… But why is a Myth-rank character hunting here of all places?

LKenshi: He’s been at it for quite some time now. I heard this sub character has been continuously hunting here.

LSubCharOfAllSubChars: Even with that level of power, wouldn’t it be more profitable to farm leather elsewhere…?

LKenshi: And instead of going to town, he just hunts nonstop. Doesn’t use potions either and only wields bone swords found around here…

LSubCharOfAllSubChars: Still, shouldn’t there be items worth collecting? Is he really gonna delete himself like the rumors say?

Regardless of what other characters were saying, Killian changed weapons and organized his inventory. Unlike the continuously extracted meat, Bone Dagger (Ordinary), Bone Long Sword (Ordinary), Leather Shield (Ordinary) weren’t taken from here, causing his inventory to eventually become full.

“Then for the next character…”

After logging out from ‘Killian88’, I logged in as ‘Killian89’ and continued hunting.

SubcharofSubchars: Wow, Killian89. Wasn’t it Killian88 before? How many sub-characters do you have… No, why did you make so many sub-characters? What is the meaning?

In Revenge, having 2-4 sub-characters was considered adequate. This was because classes, pets, gatekeepers, and even collections were shared, making it sufficient to have just a few with different stats or equipment. However, my situation was different.

“It is because of the inventory, damn inventory.”

Since I could take items from Revenge’s inventory at any time, more sub-characters were better for me. The remaining equipment after distributing the wild boar meat would also be useful someday.

“Log in.”

I moved to Ardenia and took out the farmed meats.

“T-There. We will take it.”

“Yes.”

A woman with a wild appearance hesitantly approached and bowed her head.

“Thank you very much! A-and sorry about before.”

“Before?”

“That wolf… His name is Long Legs.”

‘Long Legs… What kind of name is this?’

However, when I thought about it, the humans in my territory had names like Big Hand Handsome Man. It was just a difference between English or Hangul, nothing special.

In any case, I was able to recognize who he was. It seemed to be the werewolf from earlier, but this time, he had reverted back to his human form before approaching me.

I chuckled. “Ah, it’s that thug.”

“N-no, sir! I am the chief ranger of the Crystal Alliance and captain of the self-defense force…!”

“I know. Now go grill some meat.”

“Yes…” Long Legs walked away with a dejected expression on his face.

At that moment…

Vrrr.

The tablet placed on the table began vibrating. When I touched the screen, a video call came through, showing Flower’s image.

“It is my regular report.”

“Okay. Anything unusual?”

“We have run out of materials for making gigas.”

“Oh, so it finally happened.”

Creating gigas not only took time but also required large amounts of resources, including diamonds.

Gigas were made for sieges, yet they’re ridiculously expensive just because they look cool. And I can’t even use them for hunting…

When he had no idea about the importance of purchasing power, jae-yeon had carelessly spent his diamonds and bought materials from the exchange as he pleased until running out completely. Originally, he’d planned to replenish supplies and continue production, but naturally, that wasn’t happening now—not only due to lack of funds.

“How many pilots have we secured so far?”

“We’ve got twenty-four kirank gigas, none swamp masters yet. We’re currently testing all soldiers who volunteer, but…”

“Oh boy, why does reality always ruin everything?”

The pinnacle of modern civilization, gigas weren’t machines anyone could pilot.

The Giga operates with the Iron Heart, and the pilot needs spiritual compatibility to synchronize with it.

‘In fact, I couldn’t do this either.’

Due to my cursed low mana affinity, I briefly explored gigas piloting.

‘So what if you can’t handle mana! Modern warfare is all about gigas!’

That was roughly the sentiment at the time.

However, the result was disastrous; the Iron Heart didn’t even recognize my presence. For someone who enlisted just for the chance to pilot a gigas, it felt like a bolt out of the blue. This incident contributed significantly to my growing bitterness.

“It would be better if they had mechanical gigas without the Iron Heart.”

Specifically, the early models produced by the Game Master, based on the Lightning Heart, were universally compatible, literally ‘anyone could pilot them’.

Of course, that makes them weaker. But Iron Hearts incorporate the latest technology from the macrocosm.

Expensive? Difficult compatibility requirements? Who cares when it’s just a game? The developers saw no reason to include outdated models, so they equipped all gigas produced by Giga Factory with the most advanced technology available. Every single one without exception, even those mass-produced kiranks.

Thanks to this…the Human Empire now faced a shortage of pilots rather than gigas.

“Well, on the bright side, we don’t need to rush production anymore. Have whoever succeeds train ten hours a day at the Giga Experience Center for starters. Then gradually have them undergo practical training using actual gigas. I’ll personally inspect their progress after a month.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

While listening to Flower’s response, something suddenly came to mind.

“How is the competition going?”

[There aren’t many entries yet, but it has attracted tremendous interest.]

“Well, considering the prize on offer.”

The prize was excessive, but I needed to go overboard to draw attention. If culture flourished in Ardenia, it would contribute to the Human Empire’s capabilities and lead to continuous production of works.

‘Yes, let me become a factory owner.’

And all the profits from the factory would be mine.

“Good work.”

[Thank you, Your Majesty.]

After ending the call, I opened the Grimoire that had been placed nearby. There was no time for rest.

“Log out.”

I transferred to Earth to continue working on the Grimoire.

The work proceeded smoothly. Occasionally, concepts emerged that I wasn’t familiar with, but they could be found by searching through published papers. If there was something I couldn’t understand, I posted a question on the internet and solved it.

L You are curious about Ephlam’s Law? It is sc.ar.y.ha.rd!

L I will tell you this difficult thing!

L Think of the smallest unit of mana. Then its form would…

L I am answering already! Why are you interrupting in between?

In Earth-34, the magic forum moved incredibly fast due to outdated information. In Ardenia, knowledge that caused parents and children to kill each other for protection existed, while in Earth-34, people were frantic because they couldn’t teach such things to their children.

“Ah, my head hurts. Still, almost done…”

Before I knew it, I had successfully copied about 80% of the Grimoire. Everything was progressing smoothly.

However, there was unease brewing within me.

“Ah, this is taking much longer than expected.”

Unlike other books that merely required transcription, copying the Grimoire demanded comprehension, consuming vast amounts of Earth’s time. Time flowed like water, relentlessly passing by.

This allowed ample opportunity to automate hunting with Revenge, providing more meat for the Ahin tribe. But that wasn’t the issue.

“I can’t let the Revenge service end…”

My income continued to grow steadily. Once the Grimoire was completed and received sponsorship, it could potentially leverage my currently minor purchasing power. This would open up even more avenues for earning money.

‘Because then I could work as a cosmic mercenary.’

I could maintain incomparable earnings by securing copyrights while working as a space mercenary. This was currently my perfect plan. However, all these plans would be useless if Revenge disappeared.

‘Firstly, it is unclear what will happen if Revenge disappears.’

It might still be okay if I couldn’t obtain game items going forward. But what if everything related to the game system vanished from me entirely?

“That…can’t happen.”

If possible, I wanted to storm Sky Soft and intimidate Shining. As my strength grew, this desire became increasingly stronger. Yet, in Middle Age Land, I am an emperor, but on Earth, merely an ordinary citizen. Acting recklessly would land me straight in prison.

‘In truth, brute force won’t work either.’

Yes. Strength alone wouldn’t work either. Shining, the chairman of the game company, wasn’t he a grand mage of class nine? Even if I gained enlightenment and transcended to another level, he would still be a formidable opponent.

“Ha… If it isn’t fun, then time on Earth will stop and I have to live here forever…” Murmuring these words, I opened the stock app for the first time in a while to check Nemesis.

Nemesis - 35,113,110 won (-2,233,500 won) ↓

“Wah. It was almost close to 40 million won… Huh?”

Blue color. Downward-pointing arrow. It didn’t just fall slightly. Although I hadn’t held stocks for even a week, a decrease of two million won compared to the previous day indicated a near-crash.

“H-hold on. Wait a minute. What does this mean?”

My head was dizzy. I couldn’t determine if this was good or bad and became confused. Quickly, I searched the Internet. Firstly, I entered the Revenge fan site but the reaction was lukewarm. There were titles like ‘(Celebration)’ but they were filled with curses, making it difficult to grasp the exact situation.

Therefore, I went to a website covering all games. Then I saw it:

L Wow, you bought this?

L You bought this (2)

L Bought this thing (3)

L Bought this crap (4)

L Bought crap here (5)

The posts expressing regret made me burst out laughing involuntarily. Considering the atmosphere of the site until now, the meaning of these posts was clear.

“H-Haha! This…this is ridiculous!”

It meant that I had lived through it.