Chapter 169

“Your energy…has stabilized?” She narrowed her eyes at me, and I shrugged with a smile.

“I can’t keep dragging it out.”

I looked around while speaking these words. It was always necessary to do this. For them, only one second had passed but for me, more than three months had gone by.

‘Ah, yes. I blew wind with my cough.’

And light would’ve been emanating from my eyes as well. In other words, from their perspective, it seemed like I regained control instantly… However, considering external observers might perceive it as mere enlightenment, they wouldn’t find anything unusual about it.

Woooom!

Just then, a black-gloved bus descended from the sky onto the ground.

“Oh, so this is the glove transport vehicle we’ve heard so much about.”

“That rare Transcendent… At age 25, he should be at this level.”

“As you mentioned earlier… Is it already confirmed?”

I hadn’t revealed my boundary yet. Of course, I had never properly demonstrated my power. The problem was the process by which I reached the Transcendent stage. It occurred on Earth, not Ardenia, and for quite some time, I was exposed without any defenses.

‘Fortunately, it happened in District 34.’

In another civilization, reaching Transcendence might’ve cost me my life rather than just its benefits. Established powers often feared new contenders and would either eliminate them or bring them under control.

“Yes, it’s confirmed. The information is already spreading bit by bit.”

“But didn’t they promise to protect your identity…?”

Currently, there are forty-two Transcendents stationed in District 34.

‘It’s truly insane.’

In fact, it was extremely rare for so many transcenders to gather together in the macrocosm. It could only happen at Ouroboros, the highest academic institution of the macrocosm or Dragonian, the homeland of dragons. However, among these 42 transcenders, only about 10 had revealed their names and identities. On Earth-34, personal information protection was very strong, so they wouldn’t be known unless they disclosed their identity themselves.

“You are an exception.”

“Why?”

Sohyang smiled at my aggrieved expression. “Why indeed? You caused an accident, remember? No matter how much it is personal information, you can’t hide it when victims ask about incidents related to them?”

“Accident… Wait a minute.” I finally realized that the whole world was gray.

‘Ah, damn. Why didn’t I realize this earlier?’

This wasn’t reality. It wasn’t some virtual world but rather a sort of two-dimensional hidden realm existing beneath the surface world, often referred to as the ‘other side’. Obviously, reaching this place across dimensions couldn’t be mere coincidence for me.

“Did you just realize it now? Despite making a lot of money, you didn’t live in a standalone house but in Room Tower… Luckily, there were no combat police nearby; otherwise, the entire tower would’ve collapsed. Do you know how many people reside there?”

”…”

It meant that a massive disaster could’ve occurred at any moment. And as always,

in District 34, even Transcendents committing crimes faced arrest by the police—a testament to its lawless nature.

‘I might’ve ended up imprisoned right after becoming Transcendent.’

Sohyang observed my nervousness before boarding the armored transport vehicle. Flower and I followed separately behind her.

“Are you going with us, Flower-ssi?”

In response to my words, Flower smiled softly. “Yes, Jae-yeon-ssi. Right now…I am also your guardian.”

Sohyang added further explanation at Flower’s words. “If it wasn’t for Flower-ssi, even without any casualties, Jae-yeon-ssi would’ve been moved to the isolation zone.”

“No, ah. Um. Thank you.” I bowed but didn’t understand the situation.

‘Why is she doing this much?’

Of course, there were various intertwined interests between Flower and me. She was the operator of Olymon, while I was a popular writer on Olymon with over 100 serialized works. Due to earning billions just from me, some level of care was expected… However, using her authority as a Transcendent for my sake?

Despite feeling bewildered, we continued our journey aboard the glove transport vehicle as Sohyang effortlessly ascended into the sky, demonstrating her mastery as a Transcendent.

“Heh-heh.” I turned back, perplexed, only to see her shy smile.

‘What? What does that expression mean?’

Amidst my confusion, the glove transport truck soared upwards. Sohyang explained within it about Transcendence, the process involved, the benefits received, and the mandatory obligations. If one didn’t like it, they had to leave District 34.

‘Obviously, I’m not leaving.’

Out of all the Transcendents residing in District 34, only two were born here:

The Heavenly Murdering Sword Ghost

Hidden Angel

‘In truth, there are ancient Transcenders as well, such as the renowned Great Mage.’

However, only these two were recognized as Transcendents of District 34. Most of the Transcendents currently in District 34 either immigrated from other civilizations or were temporarily staying there. About 10 people were captured by the Elders as ‘prisoners’, but regardless…

There was no reason for me to leave District 34 when even non-Earth Transcendents sought it out.

“Ah, and here is the room tower repair bill.” Sohyang handed over a single invoice.

I took it and read it. Above all else, the most important thing was at the very bottom:

Total: We charge you 872,110,000 won.

[Seoul City Hall.]

It felt like my heart had been stabbed with a knife. I felt suffocated, as if punched in the chest.

‘872 million… No, practically 9 billion.’

This amount could buy 90,000 class cards. Even if it was just Hero cards, I could Synthesize them and obtain at least ten Legendary classes, even with bad luck. A single Legendary pet caused a frenzy across the Empire, yet now this sum of money had flown away uselessly!

“Uh, Jae-yeon-ssi? Should I pay for you?” Flower’s words instantly intrigued me. They sounded too sweet.

However, I shook my head.

“No…I will pay.”

The suit she gave me might be considered a gift, but there was no way I could ask her to cover this bill. As a Transcendent, I couldn’t resort to such actions.

“If the building had collapsed, it wouldn’t have been resolved with 9 billion won but rather 90 billion won due to medical bills, lawsuits… Even if they lack abilities, Transcendents must compensate for everything, even if it means paying with their bodies.”

While District 34 didn’t prevent Transcendents from entering or leaving, it wasn’t a place where one could commit crimes and escape responsibility by fleeing. If that were possible, would the great mage Lucky Strike be working hard to repay 300 trillion won instead of just leaving District 34?

Ultimately, I accepted the invoice, shoved it into my pocket, and asked:

“More importantly, what happened to my smart pet?”

”…Is that your priority?” She looked incredulous.

She looked unimpressed by his skepticism. “Is there anything else?”

Haein gestured at her question, and one of the soldiers brought over a box emitting ominous dark energy.

Whooooosh!

“Oh, I almost forgot about this.”

It was Hyperion.

“It seems to be a magic sword. Is that okay with you?”

“Of course.”

With a grin, he retrieved Hyperion from the sealed box and tossed it into his inventory. Realizing how loudly Hyperion’s spiritual form was protesting inside, Jinwoo opened his inner world and absorbed him. The sword seemed quite disgruntled, but Jinwoo had more important matters to attend to.

“What about my smart pet?”

“Oh, never mind…the magic sword—never mind.” With a forced smile, she waved her hand, opening a door on one side of the room to reveal Cheeda.

“Cheeda!”

“Meow!”

“Cheeda!”

”…What is this? It isn’t even a real cat but a smart pet…”

Regardless of what she said, I quickly picked up Cheeda and turned on the screen. Then I opened Revenge.

“Ah! My character really died.”

Of course, it was obvious. After setting my character to automatically hunt, I had neglected it for several months—how could it still be alive? I sighed while organizing my inventory.

“Oh no, the losses are huge…”

Just thinking about attendance made my heart ache. There were four paid attendance records open, along with a battle pass application—all rendered useless now! And that wasn’t all. Missed Chuseok, Pepero Day, Christmas, and New Year’s events—it felt like a knife twisting in my chest.

It felt like her heart was being crushed.

“What?! You’re playing now? At this crucial moment? After reaching Transcendence!”

“Isn’t this what it takes to be the Apostle of Game Gods?”

“B-but Flower… Isn’t this excessive? Doesn’t it seem…addictive? Please don’t take this as belittling the game! I mean, we aren’t playing GotGame Bl&Ma but Revenge…”

Regardless of their chatter, she resumed auto-hunting and flooded Killian’s chat with messages.

Universe’s Hottest Man (whisper): Jae-yeon?! Are you okay? It looked like some kind of meltdown!

Supreme Mage (whisper): Hey, Killian logged on? What happened to you?

Ares (Guild Master) (Whisper): Jae-yeon, I’m not sure if this information is accurate…but it says you’ve reached some kind of transcendental state…

Apple Cat Phone (Whisper): Is the news about Killians true?!

Unable to respond individually to each whisper, he typed one line in the guild chat.

Killians: Sorry everyone. I am busy, so I will leave the company now.

He closed Cheeda’s screen. At that moment, the armored truck stopped moving.

“We have arrived.”

“Indeed, this is the place.”

The armored truck crossed dimensions and entered the Steel Realm.

Steel Realm - It was the name of the medium-sized dimension owned by Game Master Guan Dahua. Just as the spiritual gods possessed the Elemental Realm, Guan Dahua’s Steel Realm held greater significance than even the Holy Land on Earth 34.

‘Naturally, any matter related to Transcendents would occur here.’

Wooong!

A massive iron wall vanished like an illusion, revealing steel buildings.

“We will stay here.”

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

I left Sohyang and Flower at the building entrance while walking along the steel corridor. After approximately ten minutes, I spotted a woman standing ahead.

“Welcome, Han Jae-yeon-nim. I am Genie, serving as the Game Master’s assistant.”

Her attire was highly revealing, reminiscent of a desert courtesan. It was more suited to Ardenia than Earth, yet her beauty was undeniable.

“Of course, I know you, Genie.”

She wasn’t human but rather, the control personality of the Transcendental Battleship Albatross—the ultimate AI that even Legion couldn’t interfere with.

[Huhu. I heard about Han Jae-yeon-nim but didn’t expect her to reach the transcendent realm. There will be issues regarding boundary management so let’s finish quickly and send you on your way.]

Wooong!

With a low sound, a large metal plate approached me.

“This is…?”

[A nameplate. You can write Jae-yeon-nim’s name here.]

“What happens if I write it?”

[Jae-yeon-nim will become part of the infrastructure belonging only to the Game Master…and gain the strength to resist all interference from both within and outside District 34.]

I examined the nameplate.

There were exactly 61 names written but most of them couldn’t be read due to interference, like static noise. Only about ten could be read and some of them were familiar to me:

[Ultimate Follower Shining]

[Overcomer of Thousand Deaths Guan Yingmin]

[Fugitive of Apocalypse Heindel]

These were the names of Transcenders.

‘Maybe there are 61 Transcenders. Or perhaps it includes those who have stayed and left.’

I thought this while opening my mouth, “It seems only the revealed people can be seen.”

[Yes. It is also proof of qualification. Only those who have reached Transcendence can write their name here.]

At her words, I stretched out my hand. There was no need to delay time.

[Han Jae-yeon]

I wrote my name down. Then…

[Emperor Han Jae-yeon]

The title automatically appeared before my name.

[Oh, Emperor…]

Seeing the surprised genie, I asked, “What’s wrong with this?”

[It is a title. Words that attest to your achievements. Anyway, congratulations. Now you can return.]

As she spoke, a message emerged before my eyes:

[The honor gods are watching you.]