Chapter 123

I started my speech in this manner. The story was quite long, aimed at those trapped underground and unaware of the current state of affairs on the continent.

The gates opened from every dragon vein across the continent, releasing otherworldly monsters within them.

“As you go deeper inland, the monsters become stronger. In particular, there exists a god-like creature in the center of the continent once occupied by the Ming Empire.”

The problem with Heavenly Origin was the special boss. It wasn’t just the Phantom Dragon Lefler that posed an issue.

[Phantom Dragon’s Nest (Myth)]

From its dungeon rating alone, it was evident that it wasn’t merely between Legendary and Myth but solely designated as Myth grade.

‘Every monster emerging from there would be of Myth rank.’

Explaining the ferocity of Myth-ranked entities was almost painful to articulate.

Whether through enlightenment or possessing immense wealth and influence, entities reaching Transcendent rank were akin to cosmic beings. The special boss Phantom Dragon Lefler, for instance, was a legendary ancient dragon resurrected by its extraordinarily powerful soul despite being destined for extinction. Protecting him were four archfiends: Grand Death Knight, Arch Lich, Elder Vampire, and Undead Pharaoh—each a monster of boss caliber. Additionally, there were dozens of elite monsters with their own unique backstories.

But the real problem lies with the regular monsters.

Elite, boss, and special bosses tended to provide good rewards. However, despite being incredibly difficult to defeat, Myth-rank regular monsters had abysmal drop tables, causing most Players to avoid them.

Despite having numerous Myth-rank Players, there was a reason why Revenge struggled to contain Heavenly Origin.

What if Phantom Dragon Lefler acted like other Special Bosses, rampaging and claiming territories?

It wasn’t a joke; no monster could have stopped him had he chosen that path. Ardenia would likely have become a continent of darkness and death long ago.

Of course, it didn’t happen.

One only needed to look at the significant portion of Iron Castle’s population to understand this fact. If the Phantom Dragon and its minions were more active, how could the emperor, his subjects, and citizens of the Ming Empire possibly survive and reach Iron Castle?

But that wasn’t the only issue.

‘Even though Ardenia is shrouded in mystery…it’s impossible for Transcendents to exist here, right? No way. Perhaps even the inability to transcend Heavenly Origin stems from this limitation?’

This conviction allowed jae-yeon to live without worry. Despite how realistic this world felt, there had to be limits, and manifesting beings on par with gods seemed beyond those boundaries.

However, he recently found himself feeling uneasy. Witnessing the land worm unleash its attribute power equivalent to a skyscraper made him wonder if perhaps…

“Oh, over there!” One of the sirenoids below raised their hand and shouted a question due to the distance between them.

“Ah, over there!” At that moment, one of the water people below raised their hand and asked a question. Due to the distance, they had to shout.

“Yes, speak.”

“Well, isn’t this place close to the outskirts of the continent?”

“That’s why the monsters here are weak enough for you to kill some.”

”…!”

”…!”

Ignoring their silent screams, I continued with my explanation about the nine special monsters located near the dragon vein and their rankings. Fortunately, the ranking system in Revenge—normal, advanced, rare, hero, legendary, myth—was intuitive and easy to understand.

“The rankings apply to monsters and equipment. And although I’m not sure yet, it seems classes or pets might share this system as well. For example, Heavenly Origin is teeming with myth-ranked monsters.”

My words caused silence to descend over the square.

“Myth.”

“Myth…”

“Wait, you mean Myth?”

Everyone looked up at me with frightened expressions. To be precise, they were looking above me.

The complete form (Myth) - Landworm.

“Oh, there is one example here indeed.”

Silence fell once again after my statement.

“Well, let’s continue the explanation.” I proceeded before they became even more scared. I told them about the sudden appearance of monsters and how all the powers on the continent were destroyed when they couldn’t overcome these creatures.

The first city. The story of how I grew my influence from the starting point. My special power. And finally, creating the Human Empire.

“Certainly. If we have such strength…”

“But the Human Empire.”

“Really, the entire continent was destroyed? Even absorbing the Ming Empire and capturing their emperor?”

“Think about the situation with the Crystal Alliance…”

It became increasingly noisy. Naturally, there would be much to say after being trapped for so long and hearing this kind of story. However, I struck the landworm’s head lightly. Despite its massive size, it somehow sensed the touch and reacted accordingly.

Huung!

The previously motionless landworm began moving slightly, turning its head ever so gently. Its response was dramatic.

The landworm’s body, which had been frozen like a picture, started to move slightly. It wasn’t a big movement, just turning its head slightly, but the reaction was dramatic.

“Eek!”

“Aaack!”

“Yikes! It moved!”

The Ahjins were frightened. In particular, some of the water people couldn’t recover and fainted after trembling all over. They seemed to sense the strength of the landworm, which was close to that of a beast.

“It is a living creature. Of course it will move, fools!”

“Now now, be quiet! Everyone be quiet!”

“Listen carefully to what His Majesty says!”

As the leadership among the Ahjins stepped forward, the chaotic atmosphere settled down.

I continued speaking, “In fact, I originally intended to just pass by here.”

This was the situation. Even if I occupied much territory right now, wouldn’t I struggle to protect it?

Despite this chaos, I decided to raid the flower shops to curb the momentum of the attribute monsters who were targeting the Human Empire after devouring the outskirts like pieces on a Go board.

‘If their base is destroyed, all conquered territories revert to their original state.’

Indeed, when I killed Edward the Fanatic and took over his flower shop, all the dungeons he had conquered reset. Although these areas remained teeming with monsters, at least it prevented them from consolidating their strength seamlessly. Flying around, I witnessed numerous monsters engaged in battles against each other.

“I’ve excavated underground tunnels connecting every vein within my territory. The cave you used to reach here…it was purely coincidental that you stumbled upon it. My initial plan was just to pass through.”

However, I am sitting here now. Although it disrupts my schedule, there was no way I could abandon over one hundred thousand Ahjins. It wasn’t just out of respect for human life.

‘The Ahjins are an excellent pool of talent.’

The water people possessed exceptional physical abilities from birth, and dwarves were renowned blacksmiths. Elves had high affinity with elementals and a strong connection to plants.

‘What if they obtain classes?’

Considering the Empire’s abundance of resources but shortage of skilled individuals, leaving behind such talents would be a disqualification for any emperor.

“Tomorrow—no, the day after tomorrow morning, I will leave this place. My purpose is to confront the World Tree, and I plan to close the underground passages that have been created.”

“But wouldn’t it be beneficial for travel if we have such passages?” someone asked jae-yeon.

“I’ve cleared out the monsters for now, but that won’t last long. Monsters from other dragon veins will soon flock here, so I can’t leave these tunnels open to the Human Empire.”

For the same reason, he had also sealed up the hole he’d made at the false Holy Land of Light. Of course, the underground passageways still existed, but they were buried about three hundred feet down and protected by specially fortified walls, making them inaccessible unless breached.

“So decide whether you want to stay or go before then.”

The distance between this location and Iron Castle was vast—walking a thousand kilometers would not be easy.

However, they have had ample rest and possess more than enough food. Moving underground is a hundred times better than encountering other monsters above ground.

“If you plan to leave, gather everything from the city by the morning after tomorrow and return here. If you reach the Human Empire using the underground roads, the Empire will accept you as equal citizens. I guarantee this in the name of Emperor Han Jae-yeon of the Human Empire.”

Of course, there was no intention to force them. Accepting discontented individuals would only sow seeds of chaos within the empire.

“Furthermore, for those who choose to remain, if you’re still here in two days, we’ll provide sufficient food and equipment to counteract your enemies. Naturally, it’s fine if you don’t come back.”

My words caused another round of discussions among the Ahjins. As expected, they were flowing naturally towards my desired outcome, so I spoke one last time:

“Remember this. Tomorrow morning.”

Ku-goo-goo-gooong!

The land worm moved with a loud noise. I quickly changed my equipment.

‘Ah, damn it for forgetting.’

I took comfort in the fact that we had conducted our conversation from quite a distance away before sending the land worm back.

Then, a group of Ahjins approached me.

“You are very lenient. We thought you would force us.” The first to speak was a tall woman with slender green hair. Her pointed ears and exceptional beauty matched the typical appearance of elves.

“It’s just because I have some leeway.”

“Indeed… You are truly enigmatic. It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty. I am Nasha Blackwood, leader of the Black Wood Clan.”

Next, an elderly dwarf stepped forward. As expected, he had a typical appearance with his short stature, abundant beard, and broad shoulders.

“It is good to meet you, Emperor of Humans. I am Terra, leader of the Steel Pestle Tribe.”

Contrary to rumors about dwarves being arrogant and stubborn, his demeanor was very courteous. Of course, given this situation, it would be foolishly disrespectful to act otherwise; they wouldn’t have survived until now if they were that stupid.

Lastly, a middle-aged man with numerous scars on his face approached.

“Greetings. I am Red Fang, leading the Savage Tooth Tribe.”

He resembled a human but had cat-like ears and nose. His height of around 8 feet also indicated that he wasn’t quite human.

A Tiger Human, huh?

They possess some of the highest combat capabilities among water beings.

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you too. I am Han Jae-yeon.”

As she spoke, she glanced behind them. The city, now cleared of monsters due to the dungeon raid, was bustling with over one hundred thousand Ahjins dispersing throughout its streets. As natives of this place, they were likely gathering their belongings, books, food, and clothing from various locations around the city before returning home.

“There is no need to waste time,” Terra said while searching through his pockets. He produced a small booklet, not much larger than half the size of a notebook or journal. However, the intricate gold-plated cover adorned with complex mechanisms indicated that this was no ordinary item.

“What is this?”

“I heard you were seeking a book rich in history and tradition. Here’s the manual for Steel Flame technology.”

“Wow!” Despite himself, jae-yeon couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

Wait, could it be this easy?

The sudden appearance of this treasure-like book caught my attention. However, it wasn’t just that.

“Here.” Nasha approached and handed over a small booklet. Strangely, it was made from woven leaves that seemed almost alive.

“This flow…?”

“Yes. It is the Book of the World Tree.”

The elf and dwarf had each given their own treasures.

‘I thought they would be near the dragon vein, but both were here.’

As I was bewildered, Red Fang spoke to me, “We don’t have any valuable books due to our lack of knowledge. Instead, we will send you a Berry Variant Ranger. They have undergone extreme training, so they should be useful.”

This unexpected shower of gifts compelled me to ask:

“Why? It seems like more than just gratitude for saving your people.”

My words prompted glances among the Ahjin leaders. Then…

Thud.

They simultaneously dropped to their knees.

”…What’s going on?”

“Emperor, we do not trust humans. Ever since the history of this continent began…they have continuously discriminated against us and coveted our lands.”

In truth, elves and dwarves don’t get along well. Dwarves love metal, fire, and excavating earth, while elves consider themselves guardians of forests. Their fundamental differences make it difficult for them to be friendly with each other.

The aquatic race faces a similar situation. Although they’re collectively referred to as water people…there exist immense variations within their ranks. Catfolk and dogfolk literally have a cat-and-dog relationship, while herbivorous water people like deer and rabbits instinctively fear carnivorous ones such as tigers and wolves.

Yet they formed the Crystal Alliance together. How was this possible? Were Ahjins so rational that they could overlook their personal biases for mutual benefit? Or perhaps, were they all striving for perfect political correctness?

That can’t be it.

They’re just humans after all. Despite their differences with each other…they despise and distrust humans even more.

“It’s undoubtedly true, but so what? I’m human as well.”

“Please protect us from humans. We don’t ask to be favored over them. Currently, and in the future…we hope not to become slaves due to humans’ desires.”

“Speak precisely.”

Nasha bowed her head at my words. “We request you to prohibit slavery by law. If Your Majesty promises this, all Ahjins will pledge loyalty to you.”

I smiled at their words. This wasn’t even something worth pondering.

“Fine.”

“I know it’s difficult… What?” Terra forgot his solemn demeanor and looked stunned, his beard trembling.

The red fang also appeared flustered. “Did I hear that correctly? You’re asking for slavery to be permanently abolished?”

“Don’t worry, you heard me right. As I’ve already stated, the Empire will treat all of you as equal citizens.”

“But…for real?”

“My lord, do you truly mean it?”

Their request seemed too easily granted, leaving them bewildered instead. I nodded reassuringly.

“There is nothing for you to worry about. In fact, I’m slightly hurt by your doubt. Do you not trust me?”

“N-no, it’s not like that.”

“I wouldn’t doubt you even if you were just a wanderer, let alone possessing Emperor’s Skill,” Terra said but his red fangs showed confusion. “No, but slavery…”

“Forget it. Go back and govern your clan. There will be much confusion due to the many people who were captured as prisoners.”

At my words, the leaders looked at each other before respectfully bowing and retreating. I sat on a nearby large rock with the Steel Flame skill book and World Tree’s Book.

“Log out.”

I moved to my one-room apartment and clenched my fists tightly.

“Amazing!”

It was like finding gold on the street. The unexpected results left me stunned. I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart.

“Don’t get too excited… This might also be overlapping. There is no reason to set up new skills like elemental magic or crafting separately?”

Like the Grimoire, these books would likely come with sponsorships as well. The mysterious sponsors seemed to value both the content and originality within the works.

“Well, still… It should be around several hundred million won.”

I inadvertently spoke those words before breaking into laughter. Several hundred million ‘won’? It sounded absurd coming from someone who was working part-time at a convenience store just last year.

“Ah, my sense of money has gone haywire…”

It was due to the storm of 1.5 billion won sponsorship during the encyclopedia incident and the aftermath of the Nemesis stock windfall. My perception of money became distorted after suddenly handling such large sums.

It was still true now. In fact, I could start working again. Despite not having fully repaid my negative purchasing power debt, my stats were much higher than last year. Like before, I could work around-the-clock at a convenience store, club prayers, and production factory combo.

However, I couldn’t do it. No, I didn’t do it. Of course, I was still trying hard… but…

‘It can’t be compared to the past.’

Compared to the days when collecting money for stocks drove me insane with repetitive labor, my current life was truly relaxed. Instead of dividing up the hours in a day, there were even luxurious moments where I lay on the bed sleeping.

“My body has become unsatisfied with earning several hundred thousand won per day…”

Yes. I had already become corrupted.