V58C6P3 – Meanwhile…

The next day, Jung Deuk s...o...b..ought the old executives of the Hosung Corp into the office.

CEO Song of the Whiteflower Corp yelled with intimidation.

“CEO Jung, I don’t know your motive, but are you really thinking of confronting Whiteflower Corp directly? Forget about it. If you lose this fight, you won’t be able to live through your retirement in peace.”

The management and the board of executives from the Whiteflower Corp also shared the same kind of boldness in their faces and eyes.

The att.i.tude was befitting of the company that led the financial world.

Jung Deuk Soo was not discouraged in the slightest. It was because he had the backing of Lee Hyun, owner of Unicorn Corp, a dinosaur company that completely eclipsed all others.

“CEO Song.”

“Go ahead.”

“Apologize to me and return all the subsidiary companies that you took from me.”

“What did you say?”

“It will be in your best interest to forfeit it all before my son-in-law steps in.”

“The annual revenue has increased by 6.4% from the last year. There is a continual increase in sales for optical equipment…”

Choi Ji Hoon could not bear the boredom from the periodic business report.

‘Those were the days.’

After he succeeded the company, he walked the path of a real CEO. However, he kept thinking of all the fun he had following Weed in hunts and quests.

Weed exploited him skillfully as Choi Ji Hoon was a fisherman with high health points and stamina from consuming nutritious fish. He was useful for luring in monsters and was able to tank for long periods of time thanks to his high Perseverance stat. He realized the Fisherman cla.s.s was made for him.

‘A successor… Everyone envies them, but it just means that you have to do everything you are told. It’s comfortable but I’m not happy…’

Royal Road was his dream and paradise.

The heaven he once lived in had to be given up due to his responsibilities…

“Next is capsule manufacturing. Unicorn’s additional orders put us at 380% annual growth compared to last year.”

“Ho.”

“That much…”

The conference room, which only seated important personnel, stirred.

They were a supplier to Unicorn Corp that manufactured the advanced capsules that allowed the user to immerse into Royal Road.

Unicorn Corp being an elegant organization that outscaled all the other companies in the field, their order in itself became a highlight news.

Beyond the additional revenue, any company would have to accept the business to form any sort of relations.h.i.+p with Unicorn.

There was no knowing how envious the other companies would be as the business projection scale was growing by the day.

“Unicorn Motors requested the manufacturing of the engine control units for their new model. They are producing 7 million, said to be a source of revenue for the next 20 years.”

“Unicorn Chemicals is planning to construct a new factory near Yeosu and they set aside the shares for us. They asked for our involvement.”

“Unicorn Robot Control is going to release commercial androids. The reservations number over 70 million units, but they are giving us the first opportunity.”

“Unicorn s.h.i.+pbuilding…”

“Unicorn Finance…”

“Unicorn Construction…”

“Unicorn Bio-Engineering…”

“Unicorn s.p.a.cecraft…”

“Unicorn Hotel…”

Unicorn Corp flooded the company’s report!

So many contracts were piling up that it was almost drawing the ire of other companies.

The compet.i.tors taunted that the company was a subcontractor of Unicorn, but sales and revenue were climbing steeply every year.

Katalk!

A message arrived on Choi Ji Hoon’s phone.

– I made spicy chicken stew, so come home early.

It was Lee Hye Yun who had become his girlfriend after countless tries.

Katalk!

Another message arrived shortly after!

– I’m watching you. Be good to my sister.

It was from Lee Hyun.

***

The Blacklion Guild expanded greatly with Tulen as their base.

“No matter what, we will protect the continent from crisis.”

The demon king Cletta.

Though Weed defeated Kaybern, the entire continent could be on the brink of destruction again. Such a threat looming gave the guilds sufficient excuse to expand as far outwards as possible.

– We will be buying out Vanhole Village. Please confirm by tomorrow.

Ever since Weed had disappeared, the control of the Arpen Empire diminished.

The great lords were fearful that Weed may return at any time. But now that Oberon had taken over the reins, they were relieved.

“Oberon is indecisive. Moreover, he’s not scary.”

“The players will not follow Oberon. He’s a good man, but that’s also his limitation. He doesn’t possess the kind of charisma that Weed does.”

The great lords pushed Oberon as the public face of the empire and raised their forces in secrecy.

They devoured nearby villages and accepted powerful players into their guilds.

It was an era where the great divide between heroes was starkly apparent!

The heat of war from conflicting powers was growing quickly.

The players also thought differently compared to the past. Times of peace had lasted for far too long.

They were feeling sick of the peaceful and stable life.

– We must think of the peace and stability of the continent.

The Arpen Empire led by Oberon stressed the importance of unity among the great lords but it was ignored.

“At last… Is the time of war going to revisit us?”

The Hermes Guild that had bided its time in the Haven region began to stretch its muscles again.

With Lafaye gone, their forces had been reorganized after the war against the dragon.

They were maimed temporarily but replenished the number of guild members.

Dungeons were cleared consistently and boss monsters were crushed on their path to ama.s.s power!

The Hermes Guild as the best combat guild took their movements to the next level.

– The Roam Guild announced a military takeover of the Britton region.

– The Blacklion Guild is advancing through the gates. They have announced a clear goal for conquest.

– The Cloud guild is in search of lords that will join their cause. They asked for military protection and financial support.

The Arpen Empire was still in existence but it gradually lost its influence over the lords. A vicious time was arriving in Versailles.

***

Weed logged into Royal Road.

“Hmm. It’s time for us to go rampant soon. Right?”

– You’re right, master.

– I miss the taste of blood.

Death Knight Van Hawk! Vampire Lord Torido!

Weed returned from the lone island after Seoyoon’s pregnancy and hunted monsters from time to time.

“I’m quite bored. Should we go on a hunt?”

– Yes, master.

– I’m down for anywhere.

They hunted for a long period of time. Time pa.s.sed and he logged in once again.

“It’s happy hunting time.”

– Turn everything to soldiers of death!

– Blood is life.

Even the next day.

“Today’s a good day for a hunt.”

– The storm is here.

– I think we can rest for a bit…

Moments later…

– I’m going insane.

– We need to rest now.

In the real world, he had to lead Unicorn Corp and tend to his family.

He left most things to the AI but there were instances where human decisions were necessary.

Even so, he logged into Royal Road whenever he could, hunting and clearing all the quests.

And all the babysitting made him miss Royal Road that much more!

‘As I expected, Oberon-nim wasn’t able to manage them. He’s too kind to stay on top of all their scheming.’

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If Weed was there, the longevity of the Arpen Empire was not something impossible.

If he had tended to the Arpen Empire for at least a bit, the great lords would not have cut the leash, but it was on purpose that he left it in the hands of the players.

Royal Road was a world of dreams. Unlike reality, it was good for it to be chaotic and free.

If players wanted blood and war, he gave them the opportunity to make history.

‘If the Arpen Empire is divided, someone could reunite it again… Perhaps it will fall to ruins, war after war. Let them decide their own future.’

After Weed returned from the island, he did not appear in public.

Wherever he went, there was always a huge crowd and he could always become swooped in the middle of political affairs.

He eradicated monsters as a warrior whenever he logged into the Royal Road hunting grounds.

“Sword of Brilliance!”

He scattered rays of light in all directions and cut through the cl.u.s.ter of monsters.

Even when everyone was talking about the Earthly Shadow party’s S rank quest, he continued to hunt. Once he exceeded level 500 and 600, his strength and skills were improved and the Sword Technique of Brilliance s.h.i.+ned.

His movement was elegant but deadly.

When the light disappeared, the monsters fell like leaves.

His skills were as spectacular as Geihar Von Arpen the moonlight sculptor.

“Return to the land where you once lived. This is a dark place. A black and corrupted land. Engrave the everlasting law of darkness to all that lives in this world. Undead Rise!”

A horde of death knights followed him around and increased his hunting speed to a fierce rate. The level of Undead Rise reached Advanced level 6. The health points and attack power of the death knights was comparable to those of doom knights, with their weapons and armor enhanced. On occasion, highly difficult dungeons led to the summoning of doom knights with the corpses of advanced monsters. Each time, he was able to acc.u.mulate even more experience points.

“Push through until the end. Don’t stop.”

– Understood, master.

The penalty for Undead Summoning was paid off by the incredible amount of treasures obtained from Kaybern’s lair. Before inheriting Unicorn Corp, he focused solely on earning money but that was no longer necessary for him.

He offered the treasures to the Freya Cult and got rid of the penalties of the Necromancer cla.s.s with divine power and purification.

“Sculptural Destruction!”

It was essential for him to use his sculptor skills as well.

He summoned sculptural creatures and had them involved in the battles.

He did not lack anything as an all-around character.

He controlled the undead and cleared out dungeons at an unstoppable pace.

< You have wiped out Buietta Dungeon.

This deep and dark dungeon has been the grave of all who had intruded so far.

The grotesque monsters that should not be let out into the world have been waiting quietly for the day of the apocalypse.

All the monsters within the dungeon have perished.

The security of the region has increased by 7 points.

You have accomplished a combat achievement.

All stats are increased by 3 points. >

The level of his hunting grounds increased gradually.

His targets were the dungeons that threatened Versailles, dungeons crawling with monsters. Weed cleared them all out and also stopped the rumors of his hunting from spreading.

< The quiet movement of the Savior candidate.

The news of clearing this dungeon will not be released.

Your reputation will remain the same, which will lower the guard of the enemy. >

He also completed the advancement into the Savior candidate.

It was the step before becoming the Savior of the world.

It was almost like a probationary period.

Among the skills of the Savior, some were secretive and that enabled the player to hide the completion of certain dungeons and quests from the outside.

< Target a.s.sa.s.sination Intermediate level 3 (67%): You can silently kill evil beings that cause harm to the world. If you succeed in attacking while undiscovered by the enemy, 7x damage is applied with a critical strike. Caution. Can only be activated on evil beings. >

< Covert Steps Intermediate level 1 (87%): Walking on the tip of your toes will produce almost no sound. Becomes faster the higher the skill level. >

< Bow of Justice Advanced level 3 (41%): Exterminate the enemy from afar by using a bow. Magic and divinity are applied. Power is increased against the wicked. >

< You have reached level 700.

You are now able to actively commit to the duties required to save the world as a Savior candidate. You will be able to sense the crisis of the continent earlier and counteract those things that contradict your power >

< The effects of all combat skills are increased by 20% >

< When your hit points are depleted, you can survive by converting a portion of your Reputation. >

< The more combat achievements are accomplished, the more power of the Savior you will be able to harness. >

He reached level 700.

“I’ve done it at last.”

Past level 700, it required an insane amount of experience points to level up.

Although he had spent a long time at the island, he completed quests as a Sword Master and caught up to the other players viciously. If he had concentrated on Royal Road after uniting the continent, he would have easily reached level 800, but he was not disappointed in the least.

“For certain, I’m catching up to Bard Ray real fast.”

The news of Bard Ray the Ironblood Warrior was broadcasted on player footage or the broadcast network. He was becoming stronger as he roamed the hunting grounds, but Weed only felt pity for him.

“You have to use shortcuts and tricks. We’re long past the age of fighting fair and square.”

Weed’s job cla.s.ses and the skills he acquired painfully were reaching completion. All of them were acting as catalysts for his growth.

“What bothers me now is that Cletta still remains.”

The demon king Cletta!

Weed had stopped his duties as the emperor of the Arpen Empire, but he was thinking of returning the favor to the players.

“That is a being that could drive Versailles to its end. I have to take care of it.”

The war against Cletta. He thought that this time he would have to fight alone.

The Arpen Empire was falling apart and his popularity among the players would not be the same as it had been in the past.