31. Survive Until the End (1)
The Holy Empire had its emperor, imperial family, and nobility. They had no authority because of the Pope, and had long since become mindless puppets. Their will had been completely lost and couldn’t be restored. As the Pope and Cardinals and the priests who managed the empire disappeared, there was a power vacuum in the empire. It was only natural now since they were all doing rough work in the Sacred Ground.
However, Jin-woo didn’t have to worry about such things. He left everything to Dopplo. He even gave him the authority to bring in new talents from the Demon Realm since there might be a shortage of personnel. As a result, the Holy Empire, the Raskan Kingdom, and the surrounding city-states were united. It was the birth of a super-giant empire that engulfed half of the Middle World continent. It was unprecedented in the history of the realm.
[A+] Dark Empire
‘The Emperor does not walk. The space just folds, and it looks like he is walking. The Emperor does not sweat, because his sweat would drown all dimensions.’
A super-giant empire created by the Emperor of Gold through an evil conspiracy.
The Emperor descended to Middle World and brutally tortured and slaughtered the key nobles of the Raskan Kingdom. He made the demons occupy the place and take over the nobility. Not only that, he took over the Raskan Kingdom by using the Emperor of Disease that had been sleeping for centuries.
‘Obey me!’
As the Emperor of Gold stared at her, the Emperor of Disease bowed her head and swore allegiance. The Emperor of Gold cursed the Emperor of Disease to spit up blood every time she doesn’t kneel before him.
‘Be Corrupted.’
He humiliated and imprisoned the Goddess Luna; he tainted her with the world and corrupted the angels, causing the Holy Empire to suffer. He eventually kidnapped the Cardinals and made them his slaves, and even their leader, the Pope, suffered endlessly! What a wicked achievement this is!
According to the Emperor’s will, let’s develop the Dark Empire well and lay the foundation for dimensional conquest!
Long live the Emperor!
-The Journal of Middle-World Conquest, Volume 12, 232p, Author Dopplo-
With Dopplo taking an active role, it began to run in a much smoother manner than before. The rascals also played a great part. As the energy of the Sacred Ground flowed throughout Middle World, communication between the demons and the Middle World became smooth, and the same was true of Heaven.
Thanks to this, the Middle World was entering a golden new age.
‘How…’
How did it happen like this? It was an unintended result. Why would Jin-woo try to conquer the Middle World? Anyway, one thing or another happened, but the things that could cause damage to the Earth had been solved. He felt more at ease. Of course, he had more to deal with, but it was still a long way off. It looked like he could rest for the moment.
‘I have to go to G&P and a few other places…’
The reason for not going was simple: it was troublesome. He had entrusted the Middle World to others, so he could just rest.
He wanted to spend his time like before. Jin-woo thought so and turned on the computer. He raised the curtains and put on a plain sweatsuit. Several high-caffeine drinks were already on standby. He even showed the sincerity of installing computers into a small, darkroom. After completing all the settings, he felt a sense of security as if he had come to the hometown of his soul.
“…What on Earth do you want to do?”
“I just like it on its own.”
Yoo-na was also wearing a very ordinary sweatsuit. It was the concept of a close older sister from next door who came to play. As the occurred so far proved, Jin-woo was a person who made sure of what he did.
“From today onwards, I will not receive reports for a while.”
“Understood.”
Yoo-na sighed a little, but she didn’t refuse. She was going to play along. Although it was called a small room, there was no small room in Jin-woo’s house, even with most of it being taken up by computer consoles. First, Yoo-na sat down in front of the computer next to Jin-woo.
Jin-woo enjoyed playing games for the first time in a while. He started with a very popular game made by his company, known for boasting an extreme level of difficulty. The desire for a challenge ignited in his heart.
But it wasn’t fun. Although it was said to be extremely difficult, it was easy for Jin-woo. Critical hits just popped up, and the best items poured out of the item box. The enhancement items, which were expected to appear with a 0.1% chance, also dropped easily. It wasn’t as fun as using cheats. His excitement completely cooled off.
Yoo-na was watching a video. Jin-woo approached her side, and she quickly put on a serious look.
“What are you doing?”
“I am watching the live-streaming of Luna and Maze. It’s been a long time since I’ve given up on it, but I still have to take care of it.”
“Come to think of it….”
Jin-woo had never seen Maze and Luna’s live-streaming, though he heard that Elise often appeared as a guest. Yoo-na played the highlighted playlist. Luna was also called a Goddess in the live-streaming community.
[Gasp!]
She was playing a horror game. Her complexion looked pale, and she was even sweating. Yet, she passionately held onto the pad. Then, when a monster suddenly appeared, Luna screamed. So far, it had been common reactions.
[Kyaaaa! Holy Fist!]
She then smashed the monitor. Sparks flashed brilliantly, and The Maze, who was carrying in pizza, turned blank and dropped the food just like that. The chat window was, of course, a mess. It was said that she climbed to the top of the real-time search keyword.
“Umm…”
Luna was called the Goddess of Fist, which in short was referred to as GodFist. It could be said that she was promoted. Most of the viewers said that it was much more fun than an ordinary reality show because of her excellent chemistry with the Maze. That was certainly the case in the highlight videos, although she wasn’t much like a Goddess.
‘The angels must not see it.’
At least Heaven was barely maintained, but they might be corrupted as a group. Heaven was a dimension that influenced the Middle World, so it would prove difficult in many ways if they disappeared. There was a tendency for the number of fallen angels to increase because they had nothing to do. After all, peace had come to the Middle World.
‘Should I give them something to do?’
Giving them jobs was also difficult. There was a risk of corruption since they were so pure. Jin-woo stopped thinking. He had decided to rest for a while, so he wanted to stop thinking about those troublesome things.
“The head of Choi family, Choi Hee-yeon, is here.”
“Did I ever promise to meet her?”
“Yeah, you promised her the other day… it has been pretty behind schedule.”
“Umm… I’m sorry about that. Well, it will be fine.”
“I will bring her in.”
He hadn’t seen her in a while because he dealt with things in the Middle World and his delayed business. He completely forgot, so Jin-woo felt a little sorry.
Yoo-na brought Choi Hee-yeon with her. Choi Hee-yeon arrived in her Knight uniform, but she had been changed into a sweatsuit by Yoo-na’s request before coming in.
“Ah, hello?”
“Long time no see.”
From Choi Hee-yeon’s point of view, she came there with firm determination, but she was embarrassed as this situation unfolded. However, although the color was different, she wore the same sweatsuit as Jin-woo’s. Anyway, it was a couple’s outfit. When Yoo-na told her that she could take it, the corners of her lips went up.
The three of them sat in front of the computer side by side. Silence followed for a while.
“H-Have you eaten?”
Choi Hee-yeon finally spoke with courage. She even brought a lunch box. It was quite a large portion, so it was enough for three people to eat. Jin-woo sat on the floor with her and ate. Meanwhile, Choi Hee-yeon wore an awkward expression.
“What is going on?”
“…It’s Young Master’s deviation from his routine.
“I-I see. Deviation, huh…”
Choi Hee-yeon nodded and took notes in response to Yoo-na’s answer. She even produced a red pen and underlined it. She started to grow excited again when she wrote down the word deviation. Jin-woo was satisfied in his way.
‘It’s like a friend is coming to play…’
The difference was that she was a very famous Knight, but the atmosphere was the same. It was when Jin-woo was thinking about what to do to fool around that Yoo-na received a call. Normally he wouldn’t mind, but he heard something that he had to pay attention to.
“A gate anomaly has been detected.”
“Umm? Again?”
“Yeah, it’s much worse than before. An emergency alert has been issued.”
Jin-woo was puzzled. He told the Maze to be careful while relaxing, so there was no way it would worsen. Seeing that it happened on a global scale, it was clear that the Maze was involved. Soon after, she received a call from Luna through Arina.
“Maze fainted.”
What? Maze?”
“Yes, I think you should go.”
It wasn’t something that could be ignored. Jin-woo stood and immediately opened the portal to the Sanctuary. Choi Hee-yeon had experienced the Demon Realm, so he didn’t have to hide it. He immediately moved to the Sanctuary. Yoo-na also joined him, as to be expected, but so had Choi Hee-yeon.
It was said that Arina moved the Maze to its room. Heading inside, they could see the Maze was lying on the bed, and Luna was in tears.
“Lord Emperor…”
“What’s going on?”
“Maze fainted suddenly after saying that it had a stomachache…”
The Maze was in bad shape. It had a grimace on its face as if it was having a painful nightmare.
“M-my stomach hurts…”
It mumbled as it turned around. Of course, divine magic wouldn’t work. Surgery certainly was of no use. After all, it was a doll.
‘Probably…’
There seemed to be a problem with the Maze’s main body. When the Maze, who was always rolling on the floor or running around the Sanctuary, fell ill, the Sanctuary’s vitality suddenly faded. Jin-woo headed to where the Maze’s main body was. There was a booth for live-streaming in front of the main body and a set-up with a lot of the latest games. The broadcast was suspended indefinitely because they had fallen ill.
Jin-woo looked at the main body of the huge Maze. The gigantic glowing eye was also closed. He looked at the Maze’s condition with the Magic Eye of Information.
[S] Nightmare of Constipation
‘My stomach hurts!’
A phenomenon in which the huge Maze is filled with monsters. The Maze has created a certain number of monsters because it is regularly invaded. However, as the recovery of the Maze proceeds and the peace is maintained, the dungeon is filled as the number of monsters is still increasing.
The Maze needs to be reorganized by periodically destroying the dungeon core, but it has not been done in a long time, and the method has been forgotten. If the limit is reached, monsters may pour out from the Maze, so continuous cleaning is required.
*[S] Nightmare: The contents of the games it has experienced are implemented in the Maze.
*[S] Holding Any More Will Be a Great Deal: Monsters in the Maze may explode at any moment.
“…”
He didn’t expect that the Maze would get constipated. Jin-woo told the Maze to retrieve the dungeons. Most of the recovery was in progress except for the dungeons that had already been established. In the past, powerful beings had always invaded and cleaned them up, but not now. The Maze forgot how to clean it, so someone had to for them.
‘If I ask my subordinates…’
Jin-woo nodded. He approached the Maze’s main body and opened the entrance.
Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!
Wriggle-wriggle!
Splatter! Slimy!
Slurp!
He closed the door. It was a terrible and gross sight. Jin-woo sighed and opened the door again, this time heading inside. He cleared a few dungeon cores before leaving.
‘It’s a hell of a difficulty.’
The dungeon was so terrible that even Jin-woo was lost for a while. The puzzles were no joke either. The Maze had created it by unconsciously combining what it experienced while watching videos or playing games.
‘If I send my subordinates there…’
They would all be annihilated unless they were on the same level of existence as an Emperor. The Maze was so large that it took a lot of time, and it was hard to cover it all. The dimension could have been destroyed. It also didn’t seem like people could clear the dungeon with such a high level of difficulty.
‘I’ve cleared some for the emergency, but…’
The future was the problem.
* * *
Jin-woo’s plans to enjoy a vacation were in vain. The Maze problem had to be solved quickly. After Jin-woo cleaned the parts where the monsters were overflowing, the Maze regained its senses. However, it was still in pain as it touched its stomach.
“Can’t you solve it yourself?”
“I forgot.”
Once it started to overflow, it continued to increase. Even the Maze’s control didn’t seem to work. If the Maze were a human, it could just empty it. However, if it did that, the monsters would pour out.
If the monsters overflowed only in the Sanctuary, that could be solved somehow. Still, there was a very high possibility that they would pass to other dimensions through the connected dungeons and Gates. It wasn’t just monsters, but terrible creatures that had been upgraded to become stronger and more tenacious. Jin-woo couldn’t even work as he continued to stay inside the Maze. Thinking alone, he couldn’t come up with a way to deal with it going forward.
“Why don’t you gather your subordinates?”
“It would be better.”
Jin-woo agreed with Yoo-na’s idea. The summons was immediately issued to meet in the Middle World. It was done in the Imperial Palace of the Holy Empire. No, it was the Dark Empire now. Dopplo installed a portal stone so that he could come right away.
The people gathered were splendid. Sarah Vriac came as the representative of the Demon Realm, and the Golden Angel Ariel also showed up. The Chief Archangel, who was barely overcoming the fall, came as the representative of the angels. He was wearing an angel ring over his head, but it appeared like it might fall off at any moment.
Arcana also participated, even though she was still lurking in the corners. Heo-young, Arina, and Luna also showed up. General Manager appeared with Gallock. Yoo-na was there, too, but Choi Hee-yeon accompanied her with desperation in her eyes. And lastly, Ella and Lee Min-woo appeared.
Jin-woo said that she didn’t have to come, but she said that she wanted to fulfill her duty as a member of the Sanctuary. So Lee Min-woo followed her because he was worried. Lee Min-woo was very different from the last time they had met. Jin-woo looked at him with worried eyes.
“…Are you all right?”
“I’m… cough, I’m fine. So far….”
Jin-woo didn’t expect that he would worry about Lee Min-woo. He had lost a lot of weight, and dark circles marked his eyes. Lee Min-woo was moved when Jin-woo offered him a potion. He drank all of it on the spot. He immediately looked better.
Lee Min-woo hesitated for a while before speaking out.
“Perhaps….”
“Don’t worry. I will pack plenty for you.”
“Thank you.”
Their brotherhood grew stronger.
‘Elf….’
Could it be a vampire? It was a really scary race. He also greeted Ella, who looked exceptionally healthy, and sat down at the huge table.
‘It’s impressive.’
Everyone gathered here was great. Emperors, a Goddess, demons, angels, fallen angels, elves, orcs, and even humans. Who could bring so many different races together? There was none other than Jin-woo.
Yoo-na and General Manager sat down on either side of Jin-woo. Yoo-na stood from her seat and spoke up.
“Now, we’re going to start a countermeasure meeting. The current situation is….”
Yoo-na explained everything. Everyone nodded with serious looks on their face. After all, many sacrifices were expected. Sarah Vriac looked around and spoke up after she finished.
“It must be hard even for elite demons! Of course, it wouldn’t be a problem if I came forward!”
“We angels are not afraid. We are different from the cowardly demons.”
“Fufufu, do you want to be burned by the flames of the Demon Realm?”
Sarah Vriac and the Chief Archangel locked eyes. Gallock offered to sacrifice himself, and Ella also had the same thought. Lee Min-woo was flustered and panicked. Jin-woo shook his head.
“Let’s think in a way that doesn’t require any sacrifices.”
Everyone was moved as they looked at Jin-woo. Luna didn’t look well as she was worried about the Maze.
“I hoped… this was just a game.”
Luna muttered such words. She was surprised when Jin-woo turned his head to look at her.
“Game?”
“What? Ah… if it were a game, we could just save and load, right? And there’s no limit to the lives.”
Jin-woo nodded. Come to think of it; Luna wasn’t in her main body. It was an avatar.
That sounded pretty plausible.
“How did you make the avatar?”
“It isn’t difficult. Even the low-ranking angels can make one. But the problem is to make your will reside there… you need to be able to borrow dimensional power. I am the only one in Heaven who can.”
There were several other conditions. It had to be a being that had nothing to do with mana. The beings of Heaven, Demon Realm, and Middle-World had been affected by mana since birth. That’s why they couldn’t become a god like Luna.
‘Dimensional power…’
Those who could not feel mana and dimensional power were needed to instill their will in the avatar. Only then could they dwell in the avatar and move it freely.
“Ah!”
There was an object full of dimensional power: the Emperor of Corruption. It was full of the power of the dimensions it ate, and experience points. It was useless for Jin-woo, whose rank now only rose with achievements.
Jin-woo took out the golden bead from his subspace. A force powerful enough to shake dimensions exuded from it, surprising everyone gathered.
“Is this enough?”
“W-with this, I think we can make a lot! Oh, that’s amazing!”
Yoo-na, who was listening next to him, nodded.
“The people of Earth have nothing to do with mana, so how about bringing them in?”
“Come to think of it….”
That was a good idea. Jin-woo proceeded with the plan in detail.
The will would be separated using the dimensional power and transferred to Heaven. Then an avatar would be created there. After that, the avatar would be put in the Maze. The avatars could grow by gaining experience, so they could become strong enough by starting from a lower-level dungeon.
The Earth had a very large population, incomparable with Middle World or any other dimension.
“Is it quantity over quality?”
Lee Min-woo flinched at Jin-woo’s words. Ella quietly held his hand. Of course, some parts were different from a game.
‘It’s a matter of resetting once you die.”
That part couldn’t be helped. It was decided to provide basic education and support equipment and items in the Demon Realm before the angels put an ego inside the avatar in Heaven. The elves also agreed to help in the safe areas inside the Maze. It was the same as the virtual reality game that Jin-woo had vaguely imagined in the past.
‘If you pretend that it’s a virtual reality game released by G&P…’
Wouldn’t a lot of people try it?
‘Survive Until the End Project’
It was a hardcore virtual reality game where one would lose everything once you died! It was more than enough to stimulate the experts in Korea.
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