Chapter 155

“How far have you thought this through?”

”…”

Sa-rang seemed momentarily taken aback by Jinwoo’s unexpected response but quickly composed herself and calmly answered him.

“Of course, we would offer you the best compensation package in the industry. And even though it might sound crazy, may I ask… Would you accept diamonds as payment?”

Her flexibility was commendable, but unfortunately, due to his charging power, diamond bonuses were meaningless. Sure, he could receive them one-on-one, but what good would that do?

“No, thank you. While I can’t go into detail, those types of deals aren’t feasible anymore.”

“Oh, how disappointing. So money is your preferred method of compensation?”

“I also like stocks.”

This had been on his mind for some time now. The store items he had stockpiled using summoned NPCs were gradually running low.

‘If I don’t replenish these store items soon, inflation will occur.’

In truth, Ardenian Players struggled to earn gold. Unlike Revenge characters with Diva’s Favor Stage 2, granting fixed boosts of 400% experience, 300% item drops, and 200% gold acquisition alongside automatic 24-hour hunting capabilities, Ardenian Players became exhausted after just fighting for several minutes. Regardless of their skill level, even proficient Ardenian Players could only clear about ten dungeons per day at most. Consequently, one non-paying player from Revenge earned more gold than ten skilled players from Ardenia combined.

‘However, no matter how little they earn, it still accumulates over time.’

The gold system in Revenge was designed with scarcity as its foundation. Gold wasn’t centrally minted but rather generated as a byproduct of defeating monsters. Consequently, without any major gold sinks like shops in Ardenia, it inevitably led to an accumulation of gold within the kingdom. Thankfully, Jinwoo could manipulate the system through stocks; otherwise, he would have had to periodically melt down gold coins for a tower or feed them to the land worm.

“Stocks…” Cheeda paused briefly before making up her mind and smiling. “Anyway, you’re planning to shoot commercials?”

“You need to strike while the iron is hot.”

Jinwoo hadn’t constructed even one subsidiary building at his mythical castles yet. Due to limited manpower, he couldn’t properly utilize gigas, let alone defend the castles effectively.

‘And above all… there is a need for a space where creators can freely burn with artistic passion.’

The currently empty great castle was the most suitable place.

”…Okay. Let’s talk when we meet.”

“Good.”

“Is the time okay?”

“Well, no problem. I’m just at home.”

“Then let’s meet in front of Room Tower in one hour.”

After hanging up, I took a light wash. Naturally, I wore the suit bought by Sa-rang.

“Now it’s 50 minutes… Just write one more volume and then go down.”

I quickly wrote one volume while wearing the suit and descended to the first floor. However, at that moment…

“Han Hae-yeon.” Someone spoke out. When I turned around, I saw a sturdy man glaring at me. “What do you think?” He approached with long strides. His threatening tone and gestures were somewhat refreshing.

He strode towards me. The threatening tone and gestures were surprisingly refreshing.

‘Ah, it has been a long time since I saw this attitude.’

I experienced it ad nauseam in Ardenia but hadn’t seen it anywhere after becoming emperor. Then what about District 34?

‘It is even less prevalent here.’

There was no reason to be alarmed by such behaviour unless you were an ignorant youngster or a resident of a poverty-stricken area. Threats only had meaning when accompanied by potential harm. In a world where one couldn’t physically strike or disadvantage their opponent, threats became hollow posturing.

“Who are you?”

“You…! No, huh. Yes. So, you’re going to act like this now? You’ve abandoned your roots from District 98! Throwing away your bloodline and duty…”

“N-No thanks.” I turned and walked away. The man reached out his hand.

“You bastard!” He grabbed my shoulder and tried to pull me back with force. This action likely wouldn’t trigger an assault notification, knowing how lenient this world was.

‘Stupid guy.’

At that moment, I activated Land Breaker. My strength exceeded 800 points, meaning if there were enough support beneath me, I could potentially uproot entire buildings with this monstrous power. Moreover, Land Breaker enhances one’s connection to the earth, akin to a giant exerting their unique might across the universe, firmly anchoring like roots taking hold.

In other words, grabbing my moving shoulder is akin to trying to stop a running train by hand.

Crack!

“Yikes?!”

The giant man let out a stifled scream as he was dragged along miserably, like a kitten clinging to someone’s feet.

“Get your hands off me.”

I spoke politely while shaking off his hand with a thud.

Wooong!

A momentum burst forth.

‘Ah.’

It was a new and unfamiliar sensation for me.

‘This is murderous intent.’

Until now, I had never emitted or felt this tangible energy towards another person.

“It makes me uncomfortable.”

“My arm… My arm… W-What… power? You…”

Leaving behind the distraught man, I exited Room Tower. A large vehicle was waiting right outside. The window opened, revealing Sa-rang with her hair tied up.

“Get in.”

“You came personally…”

“Everyone else is busy these days.”

Sa-rang lowered her sunglasses slightly and glanced at the man sitting behind me, “If you don’t want to mix with inferior things, it is better to find a new home.”

I didn’t bother turning back as I laughed, “I will think about it slowly.”

The door opened automatically, and the background outside changed once we entered—it was space movement.

“Welcome.”

As soon as we got out of the car, staff dressed in traditional hanbok guided us.

‘Ah, it’s lunchtime.’

There was no sense of time since we had eaten meals in Ardenia.

“Do you have any dietary restrictions?”

“I can eat anything.”

We entered a room that was set aside for us. After taking a sip of water while seated, a staff member in hanbok brought in a yellow pumpkin porridge along with a salad sprinkled with refreshing dressing before leaving the room.

As I lightly emptied my bowl, Sa-rang spoke up, “The advertising fee for top stars is generally between 100 million won to 3 billion won.”

“That’s quite a wide range.”

“Even among top stars, there are various divisions. There are diverse conditions such as exclusive contracts.”

“Aha.” I nodded. However, there was an issue that needed addressing.

“I’m not sure if I am a top star…but I know there are more top stars than expected. On the other hand, officially, I am the only apostle of the game gods.”

Sa-rang didn’t seem perturbed by my response. It appeared she had merely thrown out a general statement.

“Yes, exactly. That’s why the terms will differ from typical cases.”

As she spoke, Sa-rang flipped through some pages. They appeared to be thick paper but were actually high-tech smart pads enchanted with various spells.

‘An advertising proposal.’

While I read the detailed contents, staff members entered and placed dishes containing assorted foods on the table one by one. There was thinly sliced boiled beef, steaming braised meat, grilled mushrooms, and a variety of seafood delicacies. The food was elegantly plated, offering just enough for a few bites each.

I nibbled casually on the dishes while pondering over the proposal.

‘Ah, when will Ardenian cuisine improve?’

In my thoughts, I considered securing drop points for better ingredients so that we could create more sophisticated and rare dishes. Meanwhile, Sa-rang began explaining:

“We’ve set our standard with Lucky Strike, the great mage.”

Oh. A Transcendent doing ads now?

It was an obvious choice to pay off her debt, despite being infamous for all the wrong reasons. Nevertheless, as a beautiful elf woman, she made for a suitable model.

“12 billion won…”

“It’s an astronomical fee, but it reflects the premium for hiring a Transcendent.”

Indeed, why would any self-respecting Transcendent resort to selling their face? It’s humiliating. Lucky Strike is quite exceptional in this regard.

What an incredible amount.

The possibilities with that much money boggled my mind. Not only could I fully furnish the mythical castle, but I could also produce gigas.

It was an extremely exceptional case. The Lucky Strike could be obtained again after being embedded in the magic sword Hyperion, and it was possible to use charging power to bring Revenge’s items into reality. Honestly, I wanted to sign right away but desperately restrained myself. It would obviously be beneficial if I could increase my profit further.

“The interest in me is currently at its peak. Not just domestically but worldwide. Maybe even aliens might be interested.”

Things were different from before. My current status couldn’t be compared with when I had just made one hit movie.

“Ah, you are making this story uneasy.” Sa-rang took off her sunglasses and started crying.

The glamorous beauty laughed heartily, emitting a surprising charm. I thought to myself,

‘Grandmother. Grandmother.’

There was a lot of money at stake here, and I couldn’t be swayed just by appearance alone.

‘Well, this is also due to Ardenian sentiment.’

My perception had been influenced by spending 20 years in Ardenia. In reality, people from District 34 didn’t have such strong beliefs about age. Humans were ultimately influenced by outward appearances. It didn’t matter if someone was 80 or 800 years old; as long as they looked attractive on the outside, it sufficed. Who cared if an idol appearing on TV was actually 60 years old? What mattered was their breathtaking beauty.

These days, young people don’t care about age. They grew up seeing elderly stars and powerful individuals on mass media platforms.

‘In fact… it’s only older folks with outdated mindsets who still fixate on age.’

This was why Kang Boram lost her composure when someone referred to her as a grandmother despite being a magical girl.

“Here is your next course.”

The staff entered carrying trays. At the center of each tray lay a brazier containing coal imbued with obvious magical effects, surrounded by various delicacies elegantly arranged for accompaniment. After setting down their loads, the employees left the room, allowing us to continue our meal.

As I filled my stomach, I organized my thoughts before speaking up, “22 billion won.”

“What…”

Sa-rang’s loving smile disappeared. This exceeded her perceived limit.

“Is it impossible?”

“N-no. It isn’t like increasing one thousand won to two thousand won… Increasing by another 10 billion won. This is…”

She was so flustered that she couldn’t control her expression.

“I will charge all advertising fees directly.”

”…”

There was a brief silence. As I watched without saying anything, Sa-rang stared into space for a moment before asking,

“So you won’t receive diamonds directly but…charge money instead? All of it?”

“Yes, the full amount.”

“In that case, things change…” The agitated Sa-rang became calm.

Then she looked me straight in the eye and said…

”…Let’s go for 30 billion won.”

“Wow.” I couldn’t help but whistle.

Sa-rang spoke up, “In return, please don’t endorse any other games for about six months. It doesn’t have to be exclusive.”

“That won’t be a problem.”

Actually, it would’ve been difficult due to my busy schedule. I had ongoing serialized novels to write and needed to register as a space mercenary. Once registered, I’d also have actual missions to undertake.

“Great. We’ll give you 10 billion upfront and the remaining 20 billion after the ad shoot. Everything will be charged directly, right?”

“Yes.”

I considered asking for some stocks, but it seems charging directly is the way to go.

‘I can buy stocks with royalties.’

Given my recent productivity, that shouldn’t be an issue. Sa-rang smiled brightly.

“Excellent! Thank you very much!”

“I look forward to it.”

The contract was concluded with one last handshake. We ate fruit and sweet plum tea for dessert before getting up from our seats. As we arrived at Room Tower by car,

“See you during filming.”

“Yes. See you then.”

I returned to my room. Then…

“Miaong!”

”…That’s fast.”

A smile automatically appeared on my face as I checked the deposit details.

[Nemesis Soft has deposited 10,000,000,000 won.]

“Kuwoo…”

There was a thrilling sensation down my spine. How many zeros were there?

“10 billion! Wow, insane! Really!”

This amount equaled all the prize money from the competitions combined—and yet, it was only a third of what I had just received!

“Really… The greatest grace of the Game Master is truly worth it.”

The transcendent weapon he gave me was great but couldn’t compare to the benefits conferred by his name. Now I could use my game abilities in reality without any problems. In the past, there might’ve been issues due to involvement with monster incidents, but now I could claim it as the power of the Game God. Of course, I couldn’t say this outright because of the priests of the God of Truth, but it wasn’t difficult to imply it subtly.

‘In the first place, who would question it?’

Yes, these weren’t just random rumours. Who would dare doubt the words of the apostle proclaimed at an official event by the Game God himself?

“A-Ah. What should I buy first? What to do?”

I needed to focus but my heart was pounding and my butt was shaking uncontrollably. It happened at that moment.

“Meow!”

“Huh? What now?” Surprised by Cheeda’s cry, I turned around.

“Did something else come in?” I quickly ran over to check.

[GreenDawn: Hello Jae-yeon-ssi! Can you please check this post?]

“It is Flower? Is there some problem?” I followed the link sent by Flower. A post on the Olymon reader board opened up:

[Contest] Kamish’s Spear (Divine Spear): Contest Level Ⓜ

“I received a huge shock while searching for writings from new authors.”

As dawn breaks…

I read it without much thought since it was a work from a newcomer with no experience… but unexpectedly, tears flowed freely. Had I ever seen a writing that wielded such emotional weight recently? Yet currently, its contest ranking is…

It’s too frustrating. Not only did this great novel fail to enter the top 100, but there are hardly any appreciative reviews. Regardless of how light genre fiction tends to be, unless someone has eyes at the back of their head…

“Oh.”

I roughly understand the sentiment now. After all, I was one of those deeply shocked by this very piece.

It wasn’t a classic masterpiece, but considering the current trends, it made me wonder how such a work could be written by someone still alive. As someone who copied others’ writing every day, I couldn’t reach this level—a piece truly reflecting life experiences.

“Isn’t there something inevitable about it? After all, it’s genre fiction.”

Indeed, I wasn’t alone in feeling this way. These sentiments were reflected directly in the post comments.

[Comments: 481]

Within them, a heated debate was unfolding.