Chapter 42: Reporting to Star Gate for Work

I reported to work at Star Gate. My body was in its best condition after getting enough sleep. Meanwhile, thanks to consistently eating Songpyeon, many of my scars had faded significantly.

“Ah! Boss-nim is here?” Changsik waved his hand happily, making me ask incredulously:

“No, why are you here today when it’s not your working day?”

Employees at Star Gate generally worked three or four days a week. It was abnormal to attend every day like I did.

“I came to play. There is nothing to do and I am bored, so I wanted to watch some women.”

“Coming to work on a day off just to play…”

Seriously, isn’t there anything else to do? Of course, it was good for me.

“If you have nothing to do, help me out a bit.”

“Hey boss, I won’t work even if I am bored out of my mind.”

“It really isn’t much. Just pick up items. Cheddar.”

“Mew!”

I waited for Cheddar to climb onto the table in the rest area before logging in as KillianSix. Level 1. This character had rushed straight into a high-level zone immediately after creation, so their inventory was empty except for basic weapons and not even one bottle of potion. The inventory had 100 slots by default, allowing it to hold 9,900 songpyeons.

“Do you see those Songpyeons? Don’t do anything else, just keep picking them up continuously. If your inventory becomes full, move on to KillianSeven, then KillianEight.” At my words, Changsik looked at the screen now moved from Cheddar’s belly to its side with a bewildered expression.

“Revenge? No way, boss. Are you playing this game? Our respected boss is Lipz…”

“I’m asking for your help until midnight. It’s 15,000 won per hour.”

Normally, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths, but with Chuseok ending in just four hours, he had no choice. Having experienced the Songpyeon Buff over these past few days, jae-yeon knew he would go crazy once it wore off.

He started his shift as usual. He welcomed customers and escorted out any unwanted guests. He saw drunk patrons safely home and calmed down any disturbances.

‘Actually, my pay isn’t bad.’

His monthly salary was ten million won plus bonuses, which amounted to an annual income of over one hundred million won. If he saved aggressively for several years, he could afford more than just a studio apartment; he’d earn enough to live comfortably like employees at reputable companies.

‘But it is insufficient.’

Yes, this income was far too low to live a comfortable life, let alone achieve my revenge!

‘Furthermore, I need much more bullets than ordinary Players.’

It wasn’t just about equipping myself and collecting items.

‘I have to increase my influence.’

I had to equip my soldiers with gear. If possible, they also needed to learn skills. Naturally, upgrading the castle and filling it with various contents were necessary as well.

Thus, there was a limit to what I could accomplish with my current earnings.

‘But how? How can I make money?’

Certainly, compared to before, I was now incredibly strong, but this strength held no value on Earth.

A soldier or police officer? It might be possible, but neither profession paid well. If I became a high-ranking officer, it would be different, but climbing that ladder starting now seemed unrealistic.

‘I need to think more.’

At midnight, Changsik appeared with Cheddar. There were few customers at this time, so I gave him the hourly wage as previously agreed upon.

“I’m receiving… Oh my. I am getting money while playing games.”

I waved goodbye to Changsik, who was grinning broadly.

“Thanks for today. Go home quickly.”

Despite my words, he waited two hours until my shift ended.

It was already closing time. I changed my clothes and came out when he spoke to me:

“Boss.”

“What?”

“Why does someone like you work here?”

Apparently, this guy had seen something majorly wrong after witnessing me subdue the drunk man. “What do you mean by ‘this place’? What’s wrong with it?”

“Well, it is just a club. Honestly, the quality isn’t that great either. In terms of companies, it would be considered small-medium sized? The advantage is that the age group is somewhat younger.” After saying this, Changsik lightly whistled, causing a woman passing by the club to glance at him as if he was strange. Then she whispered something to her friend nearby before bursting into laughter and moving away.

‘Truly a wastrel.’

Changsik was over six feet tall with fair skin and handsome features. However, these attributes were not natural but rather crafted by him.

It’s a body made from biological strength.

This ability was modeled after monsters’ extraordinary power that didn’t directly use mana. Biological strength revolved around absorbing mana into every cell to evolve oneself.

While it could progress towards becoming strong enough to throw tanks, dodge bullets, or survive bombings, it could also enhance one’s height or improve their complexion.

I’ve barely scratched the surface. I can’t feel any of the typical physical enhancements associated with biological strength.

In other words, cultivating psychic energy solely for beauty was a choice that made his future bleak. Biological strength didn’t work well with other psychic energies, so he might as well be half a non-ability user.

‘With this, it will be difficult to do anything.’

In Earth 34 where most of humanity were ability users, there would be limits if one didn’t possess any psychic powers. I knew this fact better than anyone else, having possessed a low-grade mana affinity.

‘Even in the entertainment industry, where appearance is half the battle, it applies.’

In the entertainment world, training biological strength was treated on par with full-body plastic surgery. It was certainly better than being unattractive, but there was no avoiding the stigma attached.

‘Come to think of it, is biological strength evolution possible in Ardenia?’

However, upon reflection, it seemed unlikely. Unlike martial arts or magic, which naturally emerged even in societies devoid of psychic abilities, biological strength required the presence of ‘bio-factors,’ substances created by those already trained in biological strength, for beginners to start their training.

“Boss! Are you listening to me?”

“I have another shift soon. Get to the point.”

“Oh, boss, I helped you, yet you’re being so cold.”

“But I paid you hourly.”

“For real?! Look, I’m not short on cash either, right? So, isn’t the purpose of working just for money?”

“What else could it be?”

“Well then, boss,” Changsik whispered conspiratorially. “Would you like to try a high-paying part-time job?”

After finishing work at the club, I went to the convenience store. After finishing work at the convenience store, I went to the factory. In Ardenia, I spent time working without any sleep for 24 hours straight. It is obvious but most of my time in Ardenia was spent sleeping. With my excellent physical abilities, I had enough stamina with half the amount of sleep as a normal person, but there was no rest on Earth so it couldn’t be helped.

“Big Hand.”

“Yes!”

“Handsome Man.”

“I will do it loyally!”

I rewarded the soldiers who risked their lives when fighting against Khan Slasher. The ordinary soldiers became elite soldiers while the elite soldiers received high-grade equipment and skill books.

‘They showed loyalty beyond expectations. Of course, they should be rewarded.’

In that battle where one sword strike could fell knights and dozens of soldiers simultaneously, it was remarkable that my troops didn’t run away despite their lack of aura mastery. After all, our opponent was a Sword Master emitting an overwhelming presence.

‘It’s true that I had strong control as a baron on the frontier, but it wasn’t enough to make them defy death.’

Apparently, the impression left by how I led, fed, clothed, and cared for them during our journey together was deeply ingrained.

Time passed. One day turned into two days. The villagers settled into their respective homes and unpacked their belongings.

A week, then two weeks went by. Whenever they had free time, elite soldiers entered dungeons to level up.

The villagers gradually adjusted to life inside the castle.

Before they knew it, November had arrived.

Payday came around.

Yes!

jae-yeon’s first order of business was obvious.

[Upgrading Excellent Fortress (Rare) to Perfect Fortress City (Hero)!]

Rrrrumble…

The castle walls rose to forty meters high—about as tall as thirteen stories of an apartment building. The thickness also increased significantly until the top of the wall could accommodate a two-lane road. Both the road and stairs leading up were so well maintained that horse-drawn carriages could easily navigate them!

But size isn’t everything.

A rare-rank fortress was impressive but still just a physical structure. However, a hero-rank castle was on another level.

There were defensive magic spells engraved on the castle walls, watchtowers and mana-powered turrets at regular intervals, along with automatic repair functions using stored resources!

“Wow. If this is Hero level, then Legend must be…”

However, upgrading to Legend was obviously impossible.

[Would you like to upgrade this castle?]

[Yes (300,000 dia), No.]

“Ah, this crazy…” It cost 30 million won. I couldn’t understand it. Of course, I would eventually upgrade it. Despite being a large sum of money, it offered a massive fortress city as compensation. Considering its legendary features, it could even be considered cheap.

But what about other people?

“Just this amount of money to upgrade a castle in the game?”

“A whale is scary… Even the castles seen in games were bigger than this. Wow…” Feeling amazed, I strengthened the watchtower and mana turrets. Then I installed six additional large fountains and set up a daily quest board. As a result…

I became poor.

“I earned it over one month but spent it in an instant…”

Feeling disillusioned, I exited the castle and saw villagers far away.

“Look at these castle walls! They are so magnificent!”

“The castle walls of Pestal aren’t this impressive.”

“Now now! Let’s make some farmland! Remove the tiles from the ground and stack them on one side!”

“The fountain just spurts out water! It’s amazing even after watching it again…”

“We won’t have to worry about water anymore!”

While marveling at their surroundings, the villagers continued with jae-yeon’s instructions. They removed the stone tiles covering every inch of the city and repurposed the land underneath for farming.

We need to grow crops as well.

Despite its seemingly perfect fortress design, there was actually a major flaw: There was no plumbing system.

As Revenge focused on the romance of battles and wars, realism wasn’t a priority. For example, full-body armor molded as one piece couldn’t be put on or taken off through normal means.

The Players didn’t need water or food, and there were no physiological phenomena such as urination or defecation. This was why there were no toilets in the buildings of castles, nor any fields for farming. Why would facilities be needed when people neither ate nor excreted? However, this place was now reality, and we were humans who needed to eat and defecate. Thus, if something wasn’t available, it had to be created.

“Let’s move!”

Trees standing all over the city were cut down for materials while the exposed soil was overturned. A large part of the park occupying much of the city was uprooted, and a hole was dug beneath the massive fountain to create a water channel. As villagers went about their tasks, the once picturesque city gradually deteriorated, becoming increasingly unsightly.

However, despite the damage, the city was becoming a place where people could live.

“Amazing.” From the highest point of the castle, I looked down at the city. People were working hard, training fiercely and entering dungeons with determination. Just looking quietly at this scene made my heart feel full. After several hours of gazing downward, I murmured softly:

“Log out.”

Suddenly, the castle and city disappeared, and I found myself standing in front of a multi-story building.

“Hey! Boss! Over here!” Changsik waved his hand from the entrance to the building. For a moment, I watched him before raising my head. The words on the building read: ‘Channel One - Leading the Way’.