Chapter 92

“I thought it was too cheap…”

It really made me feel uneasy. Despite grumbling, I had to do what needed to be done. In the castle management tab, I set access conditions and opened some of the city’s buildings.

‘It is impossible to use the castle for its original purpose. Is the answer just the inventory?’

Unlike other single-story basic buildings, there was a reason why the guild tower, more precisely, the feudal lord’s castle, was designed with 32 floors.

‘Primarily as housing for guild members.’

However, here, the guild tower couldn’t be used for residential purposes. These were game structures, not real-world ones.

“It would be fine if this place served as storage, but what about the regular buildings? Unlike before, it won’t be easy to excavate underground… With everything, including the ground, being metal, how can I create plumbing?”

While pondering this, I discovered a bathroom on the facility list.

“Bathroom… Is there such a thing?”

I logged out for a moment to check and found that bathrooms appeared from castles of legendary rank onwards.

‘At first glance, it seems like they were reluctantly added.’

Of course, it was understandable. While few people would bother creating toilets in their game housing, there might be players who wanted scenes of their character bathing. But what use did Revenge have for a bathroom when it was constantly running automated hunting around the clock? It seemed hastily thrown in at the last minute without much thought. Perhaps that’s why even something as basic as a bathroom had a legendary rating.

‘Wait a minute.’ Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

‘Does having bathrooms mean there is plumbing?’

I installed facilities.

Dudududu!

A wall appeared on one side of the highest floor where nothing existed before. The price was 30 diamonds. In other words, it cost 3,000 won.

”…The sound traveled quite far.”

In other words, this room wasn’t the only thing that changed!

Shaaah!

When I turned the handle, water poured from the showerhead. It meant that the water supply connected up to the 34th floor. This place lacked realism despite entire castles being created with just one purchase.

Gurggle gurggle gurggle.

The water drained through the outlet. It meant that the sewer system also existed now.

“It’s absurd in many ways. Still, we should use it if possible.”

Of course, it was impossible to connect all the city’s water supply with this. 3,000 won wasn’t much but if I had to install them thousands or tens of thousands of times, it would become unbearable. However, once the water supply system was established? Then there were various ways to utilize it. It might not look good, but holes could be drilled for use.

“Good. Install watchtowers and large fountains costing only 50,000 won.”

I installed facilities that were most needed and cost-effective. There was no need to pour insane amounts of money on defense like the big corporations in Revenge since there were no other Players in Ardenia. Nonetheless…

“Ah.” Eventually, my diamonds ran out.

“Ah, I can’t do anything because I have too little money…”

The castle lords of Revenge collected millions of diamonds through taxes, but despite having taken over more than 10 castles, I hadn’t earned anything yet. In Revenge, taxes were levied every time Players used the exchange or paid services, but there wasn’t a single paying user in Ardenia.

“Yes. Ultimately, I have to earn it all myself.”

I was sighing when…

Flower: Your Majesty. We will enter now.

Flower sent me a chat message.

Ding-

As soon as I replied, the elevator opened like it had been waiting for my response.

”…”

Flower was always calm, but even she seemed overwhelmed by the cityscape visible below and stood momentarily stunned. After a short while, Flower regained her composure, blushing slightly before starting her report.

“I’ve completed my preliminary assessment. Although they claim to have a million-strong army, their actual numbers appear closer to half that.”

Even so, five hundred thousand soldiers was still no small number. Before Revenge’s appearance, Ming’s total population had been around sixty million, meaning approximately 1% of its citizens had migrated here.

“Moreover, only one-fifth consist of trained soldiers and warriors. The rest merely wear uniforms from fallen troops. Their overall health is also poor due to prolonged marching and battles.”

“So attempting to annihilate us all at once was a desperate gamble on their part?”

“Yes, indeed. Despite Hundred confiscating a considerable amount of their supplies, it wouldn’t last more than ten days for such a large force.”

Of course, it wasn’t that the remnants of the Ming Empire couldn’t withstand hunger and were destroyed. Perhaps they used them as useless sacrifices or released them. Maybe this was already the result of such actions. Among the huge number of 500,000…there were almost no old people or children visible.

“Did you give them water?”

“There is no problem since a fountain appeared in the square where they were waiting. Of course, there was some confusion during the process.”

Naturally, the prisoners would be surprised when a large fountain emerged from the empty plaza floor.

“Yes…then we need to feed them something. What type of food do they have?”

“This is the list.” I received a paper document from Flower.

There was enough food to feed 500,000 people for ten days. It was a massive amount but mainly consisted of vegetables like radishes and cabbage along with unidentified root crops instead of sweet potatoes or potatoes. Meat was scarce, reserved only for nobles. Thankfully, there were plenty of grains available.

“It should be sufficient. Cook some stew with lots of meat. First, fill their bellies, then classify them as soldiers, technicians, or laborers. Spread mana ability users among elite soldiers. And…”

I gave instructions accordingly. Fortunately, Flower was quick-witted and efficient; she could handle tasks excellently once given a general direction.

‘The workload is overwhelming. I need to delegate more and create textbooks based on Earth’s administrative practices.’

Of course, this process wasn’t difficult yet. It wasn’t because the tasks were simple but rather due to the overwhelming power of the emperor’s authority within the guild—no, the Human Empire. No one dared defy his control.

‘A dictatorship. No, beyond a dictatorship.’

Currently, the finances, military strength, and territories of the Human Empire all rested in my hands as its emperor, with no opposing forces threatening my rule. Historically, few emperors have wielded such immense power.

‘Ah, military force.’

As I pondered this, something suddenly came to mind.

“By the way, Flower.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“How is Kasim doing?”

Flower’s expression turned somber at my question.

“He refuses any control whatsoever.”

“To be precise?”

“He doesn’t obey commands. If we forcefully issue orders, he even shows hostility.”

”…” Flower was puzzled by this unprecedented reaction. Many Players used pets, but nothing like this had occurred before.

‘Is there something different about these pets?’

I could think of two possibilities.

‘Firstly, it might be due to the difference in power.’

At best, the abilities of Flower and other executives were rare grade. It made sense since they hadn’t yet reached the level of Completed Beings. Could Kasim’s legendary rank create such a significant gap that he wouldn’t obey their commands? If so, synthesizing pets for Mythical rank might also prove risky.

However, this hypothesis had its flaws.

‘Haze, being a Sword Master, didn’t listen to them either. Moreover… if they don’t obey anyone, why specifically respond to my commands?’

When Kasim was summoned once in the dungeon, they ignored their owner’s words and responded to my command instead. This supported the second hypothesis:

‘Still, it might be happening because I am still the master.’

Kasim was slightly different from other pets. He wasn’t purchased with diamonds or honor coins but created through the ‘Recovery Application’ using the first pet that I owned. Thus, he may recognize me as his master.

”…Okay. Try not to summon him whenever possible. His unpredictable actions could be dangerous.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Flower courteously bowed before entering the elevator. Despite likely never having seen such a contraption before, her calm use of it was impressive.

“Well then…”

After sending away Flower, I opened the gatekeeper window. Golden text appeared with a fanfare sound:

[You have conquered the flower shop! Myth synthesis is unlocked!]

[From now on, you can obtain myth cards by synthesizing legendary cards (class, gatekeeper, pets)!]

If you lose the position of guild master for the flower shop, there may be restrictions on using or obtaining myth cards.

Synthesis—the content where four identical ranked cards registered in the collection were combined to obtain a higher card. In fact, I rarely performed synthesis. Unlike Revenge players who had low-grade cards already registered in their collections and could use them freely, Ardenia’s system allowed cards to be transferred between people, making them scarce.

“Mythical.”

However, Nemesis provided legendary gatekeepers and pets during the user meeting, allowing me to aim for higher realms. Additionally, I had three restoration requests per month.

Flash!

The colossus statue’s eyes widened with surprise. Normally, this scene would make my heart flutter when drawing but now it was causing anxiety.

“Wait… Do you still not know yet?”

The Summoning Stone was shining golden, but that alone wasn’t enough. The gold color started from hero rank onwards. Now if I lifted this Summoning Stone, its identity would be revealed. If the rank was hero, there would be bursts of purple within the golden light, while legendary would emit an even brighter golden glow. As for Mythical grade—

“Ah, right. It is a dud.” I recalled when I obtained the Sword God class. From the moment the card changed to a sword, it was already shining with multiple colors.

Grrr…

–Calm your mind. The greatest intensity starts from the quietest place.

–When you draw this sword, everything about you will become a single flash of light.

It sounded plausible. Then I checked my gatekeeper:

Gatekeeper: Cyclops Samurai

Yehatal (Legend)

“Dud. Well, still much better than Awakened Thunderbird.”

Despite being the same legendary rating, the awakened thunderbird was much more valuable than the cyclops samurai for users of Revenge. In the first place, the synthesis probability was different, so there was no need to say more.

However, I wasn’t a mage and hadn’t awakened my brain attribute chakra, so the power of lightning was less valuable than support for close combat attacks from the guardian spirit.

Collection completed!

One-Eyed Supreme Swordsman (Yehatal Awakened) Strength +2

Ancient Giants (Neverdie, Yehatal Awakened) Strength +5

Strange and Unusual (Ogre, Troll, Yehatal Awakened) Strength +3

“Wow.”

Just one card of the Cyclops Samurai increased strength by 10 points. At a glance, it was clear what this ‘Yehatal’ identity was.

The gatekeeper has changed!

Awakened Thunderbird(Legendary) -> Yehatal Awakened(Legendary)

I checked the description of the newly equipped gatekeeper.

[Yehatal Awakened(Legendary)]

Endless meditation and days of enlightenment…

Yehatal had fully mastered the excessive power and spirituality that I didn’t know how to handle before.

Level 5: Health +30.

Level 10: Mana +30. Strength +30.

Level 15: Strength +30.

Level 20: Stamina +30. Agility +30. Strength +30.

Level 25: Agility +30.

Level 30: Mana +30. Mana Recovery +30. Health +30. One Flash.

Level 35: Mana +30.

Level 40: Strength +40. Stamina +40. Agility +40. Extreme. One Flash.

“Wow. These stats are really good.”

Crack!

Suddenly, my body twisted.

“Ugh?”

I was startled and curled up. It felt like my entire body would burst at any moment.

Crack! Crack! Crackle!

My muscles swelled like balloons. They twisted, contracted and expanded repeatedly. I checked my stats and understood the reason for this chaos.

“My strength exceeded 700 points.”

The stat of 999 was commonly known as the limit. It wasn’t just the limit for a certain species but for all beings. To put it simply, even dragons or ancient giants rarely had more than 900 strength points. Strength over 900 required the power of ‘Transcend’ to break through while reaching over 1,000 needed assistance from ‘Authority’.

‘Of course, all this is based on the perspective of the game’s god, the Game Master.’

Anyway, what was important was the meaning of having 700 strength points. No matter how much strength was physical power, reaching this level meant entering the realm of mystery. In the game, it just increased physical damage but what about in reality?

“Sigh.”

After my muscles calmed down, I stood up from my seat.

Thud!

“Ah.” My head hit the ceiling. The contraction and expansion of my muscles threw my body upwards. If it were anyone else, they would be incredibly confused by the changed capabilities of their body. However, I possessed a skill that even the official evaluators didn’t properly understand: Unsolvable Body Control.

“This is killing me.”

It felt like my whole body would fly away. Right now, I could probably kill a sword master without using Inner Force. I regretted something.

“Ah, I should’ve focused on gatekeepers instead of pets.” Instead of applying for recovery through Thunderbird, I applied it to Kasim. In case of emergencies, I had accumulated many Kasims that could be immediately used by my subordinates. This decision was correct, as thousands more would’ve died during dungeon raids if not for ending them with just six Holy Roars. However, no matter how much I thought about it, bringing only pets was a mistake.

If I had a Mythical grade gatekeeper, then…

”…Nope. A Mythical pet is equally amazing.”

I shook my head and recalled the Shooting Star Dragon. Yes, a Mythical pet reached this level. They included fantastic species like dragons. The Mythical beings, referred to as nobles even in the macrocosm, became my pets.

So, let’s Synthesize!

Gugugu…!

-I can’t believe it is a living creature.

-The huge monster swimming underground!

[Great Earth Worm Black Mountain (Legend)]

Synthesize.

-A fiercely burning mane truly exudes majesty!

-Could we dare to communicate with such a being?

[Highest Grade Flame Elemental Seleneon (Legend)]

Synthesize.

And synthesize again.

The result was…

”…Yes, I knew this would happen.”

I decided not to get upset. It wasn’t surprising at all.

“I should’ve known.”

Just because Mythical Synthesis became possible didn’t mean every synthesis would yield a mythical creature. How could I expect anything different from Revenge?

“No, huh…” Quietly, I looked down at the city below me.

Over 20 legends had been lost.

“Damn.”

They were reduced to just a few legend cards.