V58C2P1 – Life of a dream

Lee Hyun sat on the front porch of his house with the sun s.h.i.+ning down, enjoying the peace for the first time in a long time. Beside him lay his dog, his fur glistening in the sun.

“Hey Hot-Pot.”

Woof-woof!

“Isn’t life great? A man needs to sit on plenty of cash in his bank account.”

Woof-woof!

The money was being deposited regularly from the broadcast station.

Incredible amounts of money streaming in from Royal Road every moment.

“Happiness begins with money. Well, some people might say otherwise, but that’s the whole truth.”

The rich on average live longer, eat more delectable food, live in good houses and wear fancy clothes.

The more money one has, the better life would be in this world!

“You can meet beautiful girls… Hmm. Scratch that.”

When he first met Seoyoon, he had little money in his pockets.

Now he was well off, but there was a reason why he pushed her away in the past.

‘Why does she like me?’

Lee Hyun could not be convinced no matter how hard he thought about it.

Money, education, appearance, personality, charm.

In any perspective, there was nothing about him that Seoyoon could like.

“Hot-Pot, I can’t get around this from an objective point of view. I guess there is a charming side to me.”

Woof-woof!

“Or maybe it’s because I’m handsome.”

Grrrr.

“Are you being fussy with me?”

There was a major change in the life of Lee Hyun’s pets as well.

The ducks that lived in a small puddle were now swimming freely in the swimming pool at Seoyoon’s house.

The dogs that liked wide s.p.a.ces ran around everywhere, but they always ate or slept at Seoyoon’s house.

“The idea that dogs are loyal animals is just an old stoy. The times have changed. Now they follow whoever feeds them well.”

What do dogs eat nowadays?

How come this bunch including Hot-Pot’s babies that were always hungry became so lenient?

He noticed bits of rib steak inside the dog bowls on the porch of Seoyoon’s house.

“Ah… They ate rib steak. But, I also had ribs.”

Seoyoon had cooked food for both Lee Hyun and the dogs.

***

Lee Hyun got dressed for his meeting at Unicorn Corp. It was a clean outfit that he purchased from the market.

He received many gift cards from the broadcast stations, but he decided to save them for later. If he were to have a child, he wanted to dress the baby in nice clothing.

He didn’t want his child to inherit the hards.h.i.+ps he went through from a young age.

“I heard Unicorn’s monthly revenue alone is outstanding…”

Lee Hyun couldn’t get a grasp.

The press estimated trillions, and only a select number of people owned that kind of money.

The owners of conglomerate corporations owned 10 ~ 20 trillion, unimaginable for a typical person.

“From now on, ignore all the calls from your relatives.”

“Okay, I will.”

Lee Hyun told Lee Hye Yun strictly.

When money finds you, so will your distant relatives.

“There may be robbers at bay. So, keep to the house at all times.”

“Okay. There are lots of friends coming.”

Choi Ji Hoon was scheduled to come over and help with the house ch.o.r.es.

Cameras from broadcast stations surrounded the house, so no robber in their right mind could think of entering the house.

As Lee Hyun exited through the front entrance, flashes of camera lights exploded in his face.

“What are your impressions after attaining the unity achievement as the emperor?”

“Please give us a short speech!”

“What are your plans in governing the continent?”

“Is the crisis with the demons completely gone? Could you tell the audience?”

The representative reporters from each station stood guard of the main entrance.

Lee Hyun felt like he had been elected as a politician. He wasn’t exactly envious of politicians now that he was the emperor of the unified Royal Road.

‘At times like this, I have to be pretentious.’

He spoke with a calm tone into the mic.

“It was all possible thanks to each and everyone of you. I will create a happy world.”

It would be best to leave as short of a comment as possible.

Lee Hyun didn’t want to be caught in the ankle by something he could say by mistake.

“Do you plan to increase the taxes in the future?”

“It will cost a lot of money to restore the continent, but I plan to keep the taxes as low as possible.”

It sounded like he was going to increase the taxes, but also seemed like he was not.

It was all up to interpretation!

“What about the plans to take down Cletta?”

“Royal Road is fun because there are always new challenges. The war with Cletta will take place in the future, though I hope that future is very far away.”

“Your compet.i.tor Bard Ray died during the Kaybern hunt. Do you have anything to say about that?”

“It was very brave of him. I am certain that many of us are grateful for his a.s.sistance.”

“There are some suspicions about his death.”

“I am unaware.”

“Are you going to retrieve all the treasures inside Kaybern’s lair?”

“Of course I… That is currently not in my agenda, but I will recover them and use them in the reconstruction of Morata and the ruined cities.”

Lee Hyun ended his short interview and went on his way.

He had to transfer between the subway and the bus multiple times to get to Unicorn’s main building, but it was an exciting path he would willingly traverse in the name of money collection!

He did consider taking the taxi, but he didn’t feel it was necessary.

“You know the bread shop over he…”

“I like cup food better.”

“I want black bean noodles!”

When he walked out of his neighborhood into the main streets, no one recognized him.

His appearance was plain that he could blend in anywhere.

‘In life it is best to be comfortable.”

Lee Hyun rode the bus filled with pa.s.sengers, and as soon as he sat down, he felt drowsy.

It was unbearable unlike usual.

***

The bus took sleeping Lee Hyun for a ride into a 5-story building near the neighborhood.

The interior of the building had been reconstructed for the superhuman project.

– We acquired the subject.

The latest android model laid Lee Hyun on the cold surgery table.

– Preparations for the superhuman project are complete.

Yoo Byung Joon too laid on a table.

The project was to enhance the body and brain of the subject.

Originally, he had planned to invest his own body for Lee Hyun’s complete form.

‘But for me to offer my life for such a petty brat?’

Staring at Lee Hyun, the more he felt at a loss. It was like sitting at a gambling table until the end and losing everything.

– Commencing the superhuman project.

A huge needle approached, controlled by a robotic arm.

“H-Hold on. Let’s cancel this.”

– Do you wish to cancel the superhuman project?

“Continue with that. But, I think we should cancel a portion of the biological tech procedure. The part where my body will be used for the physical reconstruction.”

– Abilities will suffer slightly.

“By how much?”

– Approximately 15%. For a perfect superhuman being, your body is required, professor.

“Let’s just take that part out.”

– This was your lifelong dream. Would you reconsider?

“Do you want to kill me? Cancel it.”

– Understood.

Yoo Byung Joon changed his mind at the last second.

From a transcendent being beyond human abilities reduced to a level of awakening one’s maximum potential.

It was true that he didn’t want to die for it; he now felt the preciousness of life to a degree that he had not in the past.

Paradoxically, he learned from the very world he created, Royal Road.

One could fail and face challenges, but with time they all are bound to pa.s.s.

How joyful life could be depended entirely on himself.

– The scale of the project along with the side effects are reduced, and safety will increase.

“Chances of not waking up?”

– The unstable components of the project are almost negligible. He will experience an extensive dream. Without the will to survive and wake up, that will be the end for him.

Yoo Byung Joon nodded.

“Begin.”

The robotic arm brought a pill to Lee Hyun’s mouth.

– Open your mouth.

Lee Hyun smelled a delicious scent during his sleep.

It was the scent of well-fried chicken, loved by most Koreans.

“Ah…”

Lee Hyun involuntarily followed the voice and gaped his mouth.

Gulp!

***

Lee Hyun began his long dream.

First was his difficult past after his parents pa.s.sed away.

“Your life? You wish. You will be sold when you’re old enough. Family? I will sell them along with you.”

His youth was horrible, as he was continually hara.s.sed by loan sharks.

At times, alluring dark deeds visited him.

“You just need to do a simple errand for me. If you deliver the item, I will cut 3 million won from your loan.”

“Do you need an easier job? Just take one guy out. It’s good if you don’t get caught, but even if you do, it’s a short time in jail and 2 billion in your pocket.”

Lee Hyun ran away desperately each time.

He was well aware that if he took on their offers of evil intentions, he would never be able to escape from them.

“Continent of Magic?”

Then he came across a game called Continent of Magic.

– Games are the evil within our society.

– Games are like drugs.

Lee Hyun recalled these sayings and neglected the Continent of Magic.

“I’m already busy trying to keep myself fed.”

Time pa.s.sed and he was now 20 years old.

“We have an urgent one. You have to take a guy out. Think about your family before you turn this down. This one is big, so I can’t guarantee the extent we will be able to protect you.”

Lee Hyun took the serious offer of the sharks.

The target was the middle of the opposing organization’s chain of command.

‘Do I really have to do this? If I commit to this, I can’t return.’

He didn’t want to harm someone else so that he could survive, but it was for his grandmother and younger sister…

‘I have to. I can’t afford to hesitate.’

It was something that he had never wished for, but he had to succeed.

If he were to be sent to jail, the loan sharks were definitely going to rip his family apart.

They were believers of money rather than the law.

‘The target is also a criminal. Let’s just think that I’m doing the world a favor.’

Lee Hyun tailed the target for days and spied on him.

‘Instead of taking him out at night, I think it would be better to do it near lunch time.’

The man patrolled the manufacturing sites late at night and was rarely alone.

Then he would wake up near lunchtime and get on his way to eat some beef hangover stew, that was the moment to strike.

Lee Hyun ate at a restaurant as he waited.

It was right when the middleman walked through the door. He acted naturally as if he was on his way out and stuck the knife in the man’s stomach.

“You…”

He could never forget that moment.

Lee Hyun looked into the man’s eyes.

‘All I can do is think about my family.’

He stabbed and stabbed again.

He heard screams, but he ignored them.

‘Live. I have to survive.’

His heart was painful from the sadness, rage and hatred towards himself.

No matter how miserable his life could get, he had to survive for the people who remained in his life.

(To be continued…)