Chapter 143

The cooldown of Legend Songpyeon’s Moonlight Defense was 10 minutes. Considering that the Songpyeon buff lasted for four hours, theoretically one Legend Songpyeon could trigger Moonlight Defense 24 times.

However, it obviously wasn’t like that.

‘There is too much flying time.’

Due to the time needed to treat injuries and accumulate 100 critical hit stacks, it was impossible to go to Earth every 10 minutes. In particular, during the last battle, I only went to Earth four times within the four-hour buff period. It meant that just one Legend Songpyeon was used for four trips.

This was why I was muttering,

“I only have one Songpyeon left…”

I looked at the Songpyeon in my inventory. No matter how desperately I searched, there was only one legendary Songpyeon left in Killian’s inventory, while the other sub-characters’ inventories were filled with rare and hero-grade Songpyeons, but no legendary ones. Perhaps it was inevitable. Even if they were event items, legends remained legends. Moreover, Chuseok Songpyeon was a non-tradable event item, so despite diligent collection, there was a limit to securing them.

“Sauteed corn with butter and well-done hellhound steak. A stew made by placing iguana fillet inside a leban cactus and heating it whole.”

“Oh, the food is getting better and better.”

“Many chefs are researching. Personally, experimenting beyond wild boar meat has been rewarding.”

I devoured the meal that was prepared to break my appetite.

‘Good. Now I’m starting to gain weight.’

Once there was one Songpyeon left, I stopped fighting and returned to Flame City for a month of rest. After all, it would be difficult to fight without the Songpyeon buff, right? The vicious Heavenly Horse couldn’t endure daily healing showers in hundreds of rooms while eating and sleeping, so they were washed away. I was truly in perfect condition but hesitated to log out.

‘Without Moonlight Defense… can I survive?’

Moonlight Defense didn’t have an extraordinary effect. It lasted for 0.1 seconds, no, maybe even less than 0.01 seconds. In fact, sometimes it wasn’t enough to withstand the attack for even that brief moment.

However, that momentary time separated life and death.

‘No.’

I made a cold judgment. Yes, it was impossible. The battle against Hyperion was gradually turning in our favor but proceeded with precarious danger, like walking on the edge of a blade. What if Boram failed to withstand the energy even once? What if Hyperion broke through our interference and entered the base camp? What if the Dark Messiah, bound by two dragons, managed to give buffs to Hyperion? What if I suffered irreparable damage? If just one of these scenarios became reality, all our advantages would disappear, leading to our certain annihilation.

“We need to find a way…” I sat in my study, deep in thought.

“Should I change my martial arts?”

The martial arts I use aren’t normally cultivated but rather transformed from neutral mana using elemental forces. Thus, changing my inner force technique isn’t impossible. It would take at least two to three days, but compared to other cultivators who need to discard their existing inner force entirely, it’s hardly a penalty for me.

However, I shake my head.

‘No, there is no martial art that can respond to attacks from a level 22 expert.’

Of course, it isn’t completely hopeless. There were mythical stats and skills. Among them, I could immediately reach the desired area with the mythical stat by using the Stat Reset Potion.

‘But no, I can’t even reach 900 stats… Even if it’s close, it will still be problematic.’

I have over 80 bottles of Stat Reset Potion since they were included in various packages.

However, due to diminishing returns on bonus stats when concentrated solely on one attribute, reaching the mythical threshold would leave his other attributes significantly weaker by comparison.

‘Having just one stat high won’t cut it.’

If his agility surpassed 900, he could accurately predict Hyperion’s attacks. But what good would that be if his physical abilities couldn’t keep up and avoid them? If his health exceeded 900, he likely wouldn’t die instantly from sword glares. However, investing all points into health would turn him into a stationary punching bag, absorbing blows without retaliation.

The solution was quite simple: Just increase his overall stats further.

‘Skill proficiency, class awakening, equipment inscription, unlocking fame… There are various ways to achieve this.’

Upgrading the Astral Shield skill from Legendary to Mythical would also suffice.

*Sigh…’

I became frustrated automatically.

‘I need money. This damn beggar…’

I had to make money quickly, but reality was completely blocked due to those cursed monsters.

‘I should transfer the Light Bible and get sponsorships or publish contest entries…!’

However, all of this could only be done after resolving the current situation. While eating, I finally made my decision.

“Flower.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Pass on the order. Occupy all dragon veins.”

Flower’s eyes widened at my words. “Your Majesty, with all due respect…”

“I know. It is dangerous. We lack power as well.”

Capturing castles would be easy. If I flew alone and swept everything away, it would be enough. The problem lay in defending the captured lands.

Flower spoke as if reading my mind. “According to reports, the forces within the mainland are gradually consolidating. There’s the one-eyed giant skilled with various weapons, Kasim-like drakes, wyverns flying over vast distances, ghost armies, black orcs, tiger tribes, and even a group calling themselves the Bright Revolutionaries…”

Each of these were legendary monsters once considered Heroes. It might seem like a large number, but considering each monster controlled its own territory during Revenge, it was actually quite sparse now. These creatures had fought fiercely against each other, realizing their opponents were formidable adversaries. Consequently, it was only natural for them to expand outward instead of continuing their internal battles.

“It seems difficult to defend.”

“The Mythical Iron Castle and Legendary Northern Castle should be fine. However…if monsters swarm Light Castle, World Tree Castle, or Stormwind Castle, there could be tens to hundreds of casualties.”

A Hero versus a Legendary monster was no laughing matter. Even if a Hero-level castle boasted the size of an apartment complex, monsters could either climb it or destroy its gates. Despite defense towers and protective objects, defending against such creatures would require countless warriors’ blood and sweat.

“But…we must still attempt this.”

If I succeed in capturing eight flower shops, my chakra boundary will enter the ninth level. In other words, it’ll reach Transcendence.

Of course, reaching the ninth floor without enlightenment meant it was only half-complete, but even that should be enough to withstand one strong attack.

“Then…I will immediately relay your decision.”

Many resources would be consumed and numerous imperial citizens would die due to my current decision. However, I am the emperor, capable of overriding all such irrationalities.

“To the great and magnificent Emperor - Hail!”

“Hail!”

The situation rapidly progressed. Iron Castle, possessing the most talents and resources within the Human Empire, prepared for their westward advance. Naturally, this wasn’t about siege preparations.

‘I’ll handle the sieges.’

Everything was ready within just two weeks. Thunder Mountain, home to the Thunderbirds, was adjacent to Iron Castle, which served as the base of the Human Empire.

The distance to Thunder Mountain was only about 600 kilometers away, and preparations for its capture had been subtly underway for some time now. I even assembled a second expeditionary force.

“Formulate it around volunteers. If they successfully defend the castle for more than three months, inform them that newcomers will receive citizenship and class cards, soldiers will be awarded achievements, and merchants will get rewards.”

The Human Empire possessed immense wealth, with over one-third of it belonging directly to me as the emperor. This wasn’t due to my greed but because most of the empire’s riches originated from my actions. Contributions included merit coins received in exchange for class cards, drops obtained by defeating monsters, occasional sales of pets and gatekeepers, Songpyeon, wild boar meat, etc.

However, the most significant wealth came from reinvestment. I absorbed all the gold accumulated by my empire’s citizens as they raided dungeons and spent it on items from stores powered by stock dividends. This included millions of skill books, potions, and dissolution fluids enough to fill a lake. Whenever there were signs of inflation due to accumulating gold, I released these items back into circulation, generating substantial profits for me. Currently, just the gold stored in my inventory exceeds ten trillion.

“Now preparations… Ah, almost forgot.” Before heading out to battle, I issued one final announcement.

[I would like to express my gratitude to the numerous applicants who submitted their works for the First Imperial Literary Festival. These are seeds of culture that will enrich the Human Empire and fuel to restore my authority. So far, a total of 5,107 works have been submitted, with 811 passing the preliminary round. However, unfortunately, I want to extend the competition by one year. This is because I want to personally read and evaluate all the works. Ideally, I would do it immediately, but frequent work and battles make it difficult.]

If this notice was posted on Earth’s literary contest site, it would’ve exploded. Who in their right mind would postpone a contest with a set deadline by a whole year? It would be inundated with waves of criticism, possibly leading to lawsuits and complaints.

However, it was different in the Human Empire.

“His Majesty… His Majesty will read them personally?”

“My writing will be read by His Majesty!”

“Again! Let’s write again. One year… I’m glad we have more time!”

Surprisingly, there were no complaints. Moreover, this wasn’t the end of the announcement:

[After six months following the Literary Festival, on August 15th of Imperial Year 3, the First Imperial Music Festival will commence. The prizes will be the same as the Literary Festival, and detailed conditions…]

More events were being created.

‘Singers aren’t very useful. What is important is composing.’

There was a severe lack of funds. Everything that could be extracted from the Human Empire needed to be taken. Of course, all these actions were possible only after defeating Earth’s enemy.

[Han Jae-yeon is attempting to engrave her name on the throne!]

[Congratulations! A guild has occupied Thunder Mountain!]

[New Castle Master: Han Jae-yeon.]

The army of Sun Thunderbird, which had been neighbouring the Human Empire for a long time, collapsed. This wasn’t entirely good news. The dungeons that were previously controlled by him would be reset, allowing hero and legendary monsters to move northwards.

Kugung!

“It’s breaking through! Light!”

“Move steadily forward! Advance in formation!”

Thousands of troops moved smoothly along the path created by the landworm. After confirming that soldiers had taken up positions at the castle upgraded with Hero rank, I headed westward. My army followed behind me as I carved out underground roads.

The Thunderbird from the upper right flower shop and the Seven Colored Centipede from the lower left flower shop. With this, I occupied three of the top flower shops on the board. It was a goal that could’ve been achieved earlier but was postponed due to difficulty in managing it. As a result, seven flower shops were now marked with stones.

“This…the eighth floor…”

I felt my inner world expanding endlessly. Despite not yet being proficient, I could activate elemental powers without any hand gestures. Just as someone with around 10 years (600 months) of martial arts training can reach peak proficiency despite starting at a hobbyist level, my heightened basic abilities brought my chakra mastery to an entirely new realm.

In this state, he reached the final flower shop.

Boom!

[GROOOOAAAHHH!] The land worm erupted from the ground and roared.

However, it quickly shut its mouth.

“Too noisy.”

A much larger land worm silently stared down at it.

Mature Stage (Legendary) Land Worm

[W-Who…are…you…]

“Oh, I remember that voice well.”

[Shut up. It’s time to erase this dark chapter of my past.]

And with that, the fully realized Mythical stage settled matters with its past self.

Finally…the Immeasurable Storehouse was completed.