Chapter 31

Among countless civilizations within the macrocosm, Earth is quite unique. Originally, it was merely another planet located on the outskirts of the universe. However, due to an unexpected incident involving Asura, also known as the hidden aspect of the Creator, and cosmic beings…everything changed drastically.

The root cause of this incident was Synderoyah, the Seed of the World, who continually reincarnated to prepare for the destruction of the universe. To prevent such occurrences, Kain, the powerful God of Magic renowned even among the highest-ranking gods, devised an unimaginable solution: He replicated the entire solar system containing Earth and scattered them throughout the macrocosm! Not just once or twice, but he created a staggering hundred planetary systems!

This was how Earth-1 to Earth-100 came into existence within the macrocosm.

‘It’s mind-blowing. Despite being one of the highest-ranked gods, I never imagined such a feat was possible…’

Fortunately or unfortunately, it seemed that Kain’s replication process didn’t create identical copies of Earth. Some planets had surpassed three civilizations and were exploring space, while others remained stuck in ancient times. On some Earths, mythical races like elves and dwarves coexisted with humans, whereas on others, only humanity thrived.

On certain Earths, not even the concept of superhuman abilities existed, while on others…

‘Nearly every human possesses extraordinary powers.’

Our Earth-34 is considered the wealthiest, most powerful, and peaceful planet among the hundred Earths.

Fifty years ago, when numerous Elders resided on Earth-34, their influence extended throughout the cosmos. To give an example of how formidable Earth-34 was at that time, even the notorious space pirate Basara, who defied the Alliance—the most powerful force in the universe—was brought to his knees by mercenaries hailing from Earth-34, resulting in a significant decline in his power and influence.

Over time, many Elders either passed away, settled in other civilizations, or ventured into the Iron Realm governed by Game Masters. Despite this, the immense wealth and resources they had amassed remained concentrated on Earth-34.

But there’s more! Earth-34 is uniquely protected by the highest-ranked god in the entire universe: the Game Master. Additionally, there are gods representing justice, truth, and honor, watching over and safeguarding humanity.

It’s no wonder beings from other planets and civilizations want to migrate here.

Earth-34 was safe, peaceful, and fair. Despite being envied by outsiders as the “Paradise of the Game God,” darkness still lurked beneath its surface.

”…Haaah.”

I woke up wearing full mithril armor amidst the crevices of rocks. The biting wind typical of this northern region made my body shiver uncontrollably. Currently, it felt like autumn, but temperatures could plummet below minus thirty degrees Celsius during winter.

“Wow, I managed to sleep well despite these conditions.”

Despite the harsh environment where even basic verbs seemed out of place, apart from feeling slightly under the weather, I was mostly fine. In fact, the brief rest had refreshed me mentally. It truly showcased the benefits of my enhanced physical strength.

Crack! Pop!

After some light stretching to warm up, I began moving deeper into the dragon’s vein while pondering my thoughts.

Before entering Ardenia, Earth felt like hell to me. I was unwelcome everywhere. To society, I was merely useless human trash.

However, now I understand. Earth’s District 34 can be considered a paradise indeed.

A world devoid of extreme evil.

But there is one issue… This paradise has become completely stagnant.

“Why…me?”

District 34 is characterized by a rigid social structure with minimal mobility. The polarization between native families, who serve Elders, and immigrant families has reached a point beyond repair.

There was abundant welfare policy and near-perfect law enforcement, making it difficult to feel otherwise, but ultimately, I existed at the bottom of the pyramid in District 34. Despite being at the very bottom, one could still live decently, allowing District 34 to be considered a paradise. However, human value and happiness are inherently relative concepts. Simply having enough sustenance does not change my worth within District 34.

‘Yet despite all that…’

Ignoring physical laws and transcending even psionic principles, it felt akin to creating an entire world—a power so absurdly immense bestowed upon me?

“All I can think of is ‘Game Master.’”

If anyone heard my thoughts, they’d likely ridicule me for taking things too literally, but I couldn’t help but perceive it this way. After all, isn’t it reminiscent of a game? Regardless of how vast the macrocosm may be, few entities could orchestrate something on this scale.

‘But.’

Despite these reflections, doubts lingered persistently.

Why me? And why…such a package-like ability?

While pondering these unanswerable questions, I arrived at the center of the dragon’s vein. The effect of Stealth was excellent, and no goblin detected my presence. It wasn’t just ordinary goblins:

Red Horn Goblin Shaman (Advanced)

Red Horn Goblin Berserker (Advanced)

Red Horn Goblin Ranger (Advanced)

As I approached the dungeon, columns of light became visible amidst the advanced-ranked goblins emerging from it.

‘That is…the goblin dungeon.’

[Red Horned Goblin Fortress (Ordinary ~ Rare)]

Despite being quite far away, the shape of the dungeon was clearly visible. The entire dragon’s vein seemed flattened as if a giant roller had passed over it. The pillars of light standing in the middle of the flat terrain resembled chopsticks stuck upright on a tray.

Sssuk.

I climbed up a nearby old tree and hid my body. Thanks to Intermediate Stealth, neither the goblin shaman nor the goblin ranger could detect my presence.

‘This dungeon hasn’t been occupied yet.’

A neutral dungeon—it meant a dungeon that hadn’t been conquered or ‘dominated’ by anyone. In Revenge, which had already entered its tenth year of service, it was said there remained only one neutral dungeon left:

‘[Nest of the Phantom Dragon] located at Center Point’.

On the other hand, all dungeons in Ardenia were ownerless, operating on a first-come, first-served basis.

Grrrumble!

Suddenly, goblins poured out from the dungeon. I counted their numbers as they emerged in groups of hundreds while simultaneously checking the time.

January 24th, 0000 Year, 11:30 AM.

Approximately 1,200 goblins appeared.

In Ardenia, many features were locked even during the beta service period. There were no quests or events. Even time was marked from January 1st, 0000, when the system first descended upon Ardenia—what more could be said? Considering that Ardenia was now approaching autumn, this calendar system was questionable at best.

However, at least…

‘This clock is the most accurate tool for measuring time in medieval land.’

Although it didn’t align with real-world time, it flowed accurately. By comparing the time we killed goblins and their respawn times, I could determine the regeneration interval.

‘Six hours, huh? It takes exactly six hours for regular monsters to respawn.’

Although shorter than I expected, considering this dungeon is located within the dragon’s vein, it would take considerably longer to encounter goblins again if they were killed near its outskirts or other veins.

[Sungyoon Joon acquired Dark Guardian Ring(Rare) from the Tomb of the Dead!]

‘Oh. A dark ring. Based on his name, he seems like someone from Ming Dynasty… Where is the Tomb of the Dead?’

Guardian rings are rare equipment with very simple functions. For example, let’s look at the item acquired by Nangong Ilgyeon.

[Dark Guardian Ring (Rare)]

Dark Attribute Resistance +45%.

In Revenge, there exist monsters with specific attributes, and guardian rings are essential items when attacking such monsters.

If you strengthened the Guardian Ring to +9, the attribute resistance would become 90%, making it easier to attack monsters with that attribute. It wasn’t immediately important, so I was about to move on after roughly remembering it.

“Hic…hic…This is…big…ha…this…word…”

”?!”

I was startled by the faint voice coming from somewhere nearby and quickly looked around. Then I noticed a village at the end of the dragon’s vein. The village seemed safe because it was located far enough away from the dragon’s vein when the dungeons emerged, pushing against the land.

Pfft!

I lightly jumped over the fence and surveyed the village. Passing numerous goblins wandering around the village, I entered one of the houses where the owners of the voices were found.

“Sob…Sister, I’m scared…”

“Don’t cry, Windy. Dad will come to save us. Dad…”

I continued to hide my body while inspecting all the buildings in the village. Surprisingly, women were detained in every building. It seemed that these goblins had kidnapped and gathered them together.

They don’t seem to have any serious injuries. They are terrified but… at least they aren’t being targeted as prey.

Indeed, there would be no reason for the goblins to specifically target only women if they intended to eat them. But if not for food? Their ‘purpose’ was too obvious.

I need to hurry.

At a glance, there were hundreds of captives, making it impossible for me to rescue them alone. This problem couldn’t be solved merely by killing nearby goblins. Maintaining Stealth, I scanned the area around the dragon’s vein.

Normally, exploring such a vast expanse should’ve been challenging due to its enormity. However, with the formation of the dungeon, the terrain had become leveled, allowing me to survey the entire area from slightly elevated positions.

In return, it makes spotting enemies easier.

Without Stealth, scouting this dungeon would have been difficult. I slowly emerged from the dragon’s vein, thinking about how easy it was to observe enemy positions…

Okay, that should be enough information.

After putting some distance between myself and the goblins, I summoned Sting.

[Iron Armor Rhino Sting (Rare) has been summoned.]

“A human?! Huh? A human?”

“When did a human get here?”

“How did you appear behind us?”

Ignoring their cries, I leaped onto Sting’s back.

“Capture him! Capture him!”

“A steel monster with a steel rider on top! Seize them!”

“Attack! Why are you just standing there?”

I guess summoning a pet deactivates Stealth.

However, it didn’t matter at this point, so I patted Sting’s back vigorously. As if waiting for my signal, Sting charged forward immediately.

Thud-thud-thud!

Sting and I charged straight ahead, trampling over goblins blocking our path. They tried to form a siege but couldn’t due to their insufficient numbers.

‘There is a limit even with regeneration!’

My forces were engaged in war around the dragon’s vein while I personally slaughtered thousands of goblins. Although I took a brief nap for about three hours, it didn’t change much.

After running continuously for some time…

“Grunt!”

As Sting started slowing down from fatigue,

[The famous horse Napa-ram (Advanced) has been summoned!]

I switched to an advanced-level mount and continued riding. After enduring this pace for approximately three hours…

“Lordship!”

“You’ve arrived!”

“And what a magnificent horse…”

Approaching my welcoming subordinates, I dismounted from the horse.

“Any issues?”

“Everything is proceeding smoothly. We fought three more battles with no casualties.”

“Some squads have reached level 21. As you instructed beforehand, we ordered them to increase their stats accordingly.”

“The leveling speed varies greatly among individuals.”

I had a momentary doubt but realized it made sense. Even if they participated in the same battle, one person might kill three goblins while another could take down ten.

“Emphasize discipline even more. While leveling up and achieving great feats are important, we must not forget the essence of war.”

Fighting well is crucial, but squabbling over experience points within our ranks could lead us to lose battles we should win.

“Yes, Lordship.”

“Good. Keep up the good work.”

After emptying the items obtained from slaughtering goblins from my inventory, I moved to my personal carriage.

“Don’t wake me until dawn.”

I was extremely sleepy and exhausted.