## C418
**"Raising My Precious Absolute God"**
The first virtual reality game of humanity, which achieved global success with hundreds of millions of users connected simultaneously.
A phenomenon that transcended the limits of a simple game to become a culture, another "reality".
**"A Great First Step"**
That was the chosen theme for the game’s big update.
Anyone could build their own kingdom in the New World.
**"Founding a Kingdom"**
Just the name made the hearts of hundreds of millions of players race.
Although the New World already offered countless activities...
**"But a full-scale war is different!"**
The excitement of the players being the protagonists, facing each other or against NPCs, was indescribable.
**<But, doesn’t it seem a bit boring?>**
However, perhaps the expectation had been too high.
===================
-There aren’t many visible changes, are there?
-It’s obvious. Hey, no matter how many players there are, we’re still a handful in the New World.
-A handful? Not really.
-Anyway, we’re not even united. How are we going to found kingdoms and fight against others like this?
-"The Great First Step" is content that will take time. Even if we advance quickly, we’ll have to wait until next year to see any consolidated territory.
===================
The expected change didn’t come to the New World.
Sure, many prominent players and alliances were secretly working to form factions, but…
===================
Apart from the number 1 ranking, who will become the Crown Prince of the Eastern Empire, what else is there?
-But there’s not even news about that. Suddenly, everything went silent.
-Exactly. There was supposed to be a coronation ceremony, but there’s no information.
===================
Even the most anticipated news, that of the number 1 player, remained silent.
It was expected.
Outside the New World.
On the top floor of the "Solar Building", in the capital of the Roan Kingdom, the third nation on Earth.
Choi Sun-hee, the CEO of Sun Corporation, calmly observed her tablet while monitoring the situation.
**"It's the president, after all"**
The number 1 player was none other than President Ahn Roh Man.
Her eyes turned towards the TV screen, where the volume was low.
**<Will the fight between President Ahn Roh Man and Transparent Corporation affect even the global economy?>**
The scandal revealed by Ahn Roh Man about Transparent Corporation.
The battle for truth between the president and Transparent had become fierce.
**"Actually, Transparent is just trying to bury everything"**
And Ahn Roh Man...
**"He’s acting like a madman"**
He was behaving as if he had nothing to lose.
**<President Ahn Roh Man: "Honorary President Han Taek-su must voluntarily present himself to the prosecutor’s office. Additionally, Transparent must make public all the research documents from their museum. Otherwise, we will reveal our information to the whole world">**
It was a war of attrition.
**"But Transparent isn’t sitting idly by"**
**<Transparent Corporation**: "President Ahn Roh Man’s grand plan for his re-election. Making our research documents public only devalues our company. All this is clearly pressure against Transparent">**
Transparent evaded the questions about the scandal, insisting that it was all blackmail by Ahn Roh Man.
**"...The problem is that that blackmail is working"**
**<Transparent Corporation**: "If this continues, it’s very likely that the normal operation of the RMPAG will be affected">**
That statement generated a huge reaction.
It was inevitable. The third Earth had suffered for a long time from the appearance of monsters that destroyed everything in their path, leaving scars of war both material and emotional.
Although they had now recovered greatly and had measures to face the monsters, in addition to training people with abilities...
"...A utopia"
Amidst it all, the New World presented by Transparent was literally a new world.
A place where to live a new life.
That was enough for people to immerse themselves in the New World.
'Culture, economy, even faith...'
The New World influenced countless aspects.
For many, this new world was a refuge.
But what if that disappeared?
"It can’t be"
Transparent dismissed President Ahn Roh Man’s claims as absurd and unfounded.
*Experimenting with human souls?'
'Worshiping the God of Chaos?'
'Does this make sense?'
They labeled the president’s statements as fiction, arguing that the pinnacle of advanced science was this virtual reality game.
"...Transparent is also incredible"
Even with evidence, they ignored it.
Instead, they accused the president of state terrorism for attacking the museum and demanded a fiscal investigation.
"...Transparent has more influence than I thought"
In the prosecutor’s office, the national assembly, the courts… Transparent had connections everywhere.
**"Ahn Roh Man has less support than expected"**
Many abandoned him, believing that his power was waning.
**"That’s why he’s acting with such desperation"**
President Ahn Roh Man and his allies fought harder than ever, as if they had nothing to lose.
With his mandate nearing its end, they wanted to resolve this before it ended.
But there was also another reason.
**"They need to draw attention"**
That was crucial.
*Ding!*
Choi Sun-hee checked a message on her phone.
**<CEO, we have set the meeting.>**
*Ding!*
**<CEO, are we still buying shares?>**
Sun Corporation.
It wasn’t a company known to the public.
It was famous among other companies.
For being a large shareholder with enormous cash reserves.
"President Ahn Roh Man has helped us a lot"
A smile appeared on her lips.
'Buy as many shares of Transparent as you can when they fall.'
'Organize meetings with shareholders and institutions to gain allies.'
Cale Henituse.
He had told her that, from the shadows, they should aim for control of Transparent.
'And since we have to move forward in the New World, if any unforeseen event arises, work together with President Ahn Roh Man and Vice President Lee Mi-jung.'
Currently, they had three key allies on the third Earth:
Sun Corporation, with its economic power.
President Ahn Roh Man, with his authority and legitimacy.
And, within Transparent, their ally, Vice President Lee Mi-jung.
**"¿Hmm?"**
Choi Sun-hee’s eyes hesitated as she looked at her tablet.
**"¿Eh?"**
===================
-What? What is this video that CrazyExhibitionist uploaded?
===================
From that post, the New World forum began to fill with posts.
**"A Great First Step"**
While the episode progressed slowly without significant changes...
And the players occasionally became interested in the martial arts tournament or new missions in the Western Empire...
**<Hey, did you see CrazyExhibitionist’s video?>**
CrazyExhibitionist.
The video he uploaded began to set the New World on fire.
Choi Sun-hee, by some intuition, checked the post immediately.
===================
**<Hey, did you see CrazyExhibitionist’s video?>**
No beating around the bush.
CrazyExhibitionist.
Go to his channel and watch the video now.
God, this is something you MUST see. Something is going on.
===================
She checked the comments.
===================
-...Wow, this is epic. Can you really have fights on this scale?
-How far has this exhibitionist gone?
-To the Demon Kingdom.
-That’s not the question, ¬¬
===================
"Demon Kingdom".
That word made her stop.
She had been aware of the progress through Alberu and Rosalyn.
She knew they were now in the Demon Kingdom.
"Hmm"
Choi Sun-hee took another tablet, searched for CrazyExhibitionist’s channel, and played the most recent video.
They were three fairly long videos, without clear titles.
"......"
She played the first one.
Without subtitles.
Without an introduction or explanation.
It was raw, unedited, uploaded as it was recorded.
But Choi Sun-hee didn’t have time to analyze it.
**"Ah"**
There Raon appeared.
*Thump. Thump.*
Her heart beat strongly.
While she played the video, she checked the forum. Also the video comments.
The views were increasing rapidly.
-Wow, the scale is incredible!
-Are there events like this in the Demon Kingdom?
-Was there something like this under the Cliff of Death? Wow! Should I go?
At first, the comments were light.
-A dragon! So cute!
-*Gasp*, the baby dragon. *Gasp*, I’m going to the Demon Kingdom to see the baby dragon.
-Oh. Who’s that swordsman? Incredible. My type.
But little by little, the comments changed.
-The Saint/Priestess of the Sun God Cult? The Saint? The Saint!?
-Knight Boltien also appears.
-Isn’t this exhibitionist afraid of dying? He peeks and looks down! But what’s there? What’s unfolding?
They really changed.
Especially when they saw the mission that appeared for CrazyExhibitionist and his friend.
-...Is he asking to save the game?
[Can you help us save this world, this game?]
The moment that mission window appeared...
The trolls arrived.
-Hey, isn’t it that crazy Ahn Roh Man wants to shut down the New World?
-Yeah, Ahn Roh Man should stop playing the hero of the past and face reality. That old man should retire.
-LOL, hey, Ahn Roh Man is young. And handsome.
-And for that reason, we’re going to support Ahn Rohman attacking Transparent? May Ahn Roh Man die!
But the atmosphere soon changed.
-Wow.
-The scale... is incredible.
-Really? Those guys, no, who is that man?
-Can you really have fights like that?
-Are there so many powerful people we didn’t know about?
An epic battle.
-...But it feels too real.
The images of the sacrifices reviving and the madness captured by CrazyExhibitionist at the bottom of the canyon.
Scenes of death and destruction.
The madness of the cult emerging amidst it all.
-Hey, didn’t they say it was Chaos?
And someone realized.
-Didn’t they say it was the arrival of the God of Chaos?
-Eh? Now that you mention it, didn’t they say that the Sun God Cult had something to do with the Chaos Cult?
-Hey, what if the God of Chaos is related to Transparent?
-...What? Is this a game?
-Is the game system really asking us to save it?
The atmosphere became more serious.
Besides, since the video was raw, the immersion was greater.
-Ah, I feel like crying. Who is that person? I mean, only him, ah—
-He saved everything. Is he an NPC?
-God, is he the Hero of the Sun God?
-...Isn’t he a player?
The sacrifices and the cult.
The outsiders who came to destroy the cult.
And that small group that solved everything.
-Why am I crying?
-Seriously, if the God of Chaos is real and the game system is asking for our help, aren’t those NPCs fighting against the God of Chaos to save the game?
-It’s not an exaggeration.
-This is something we should seriously consider.
-Someone posted an analysis on the forum. Let’s go see.
People took the matter seriously.
Detailed analyses began to appear on the forum, creating a peculiar atmosphere.
===================
<Isn’t this scenario possible?>*
What if Transparent went crazy and allied with the God of Chaos or something like that to experiment on living beings?
And that’s why they want to control the game?
And that’s why the game system is asking for help?
-Meh. The probability of the game system acting like that is extremely low.
-Yeah, I think so too. Probably some Transparent employees, seeing that the company is going to hell, are asking us for help to save the game.
===================
At that moment, Choi Sun-hee made a decision.
"This wasn’t intentional"
CrazyExhibitionist. Due to that strange player, the whole situation had been exposed.
This wasn’t what Cale wanted.
'We were supposed to stay hidden from the enemy as long as possible!'
But what’s done is done.
There was no turning back.
"We must use it to our advantage"
Yes, if they handled it well, they could collaborate with President Ahn Roh Man.
"...The Sun God Cult"
The appearance of the Sun God Cult in the game wasn’t a coincidence either.
"Oh, Sun God—"
Choi Sun-hee, at the head of Sun Corporation, had followed the will of the Sun God.
Now, her job was to support Cale and his group.
**"But we can’t let everything be revealed"**
They had to hide as much as possible.
**"We can’t expose our last resort"**
What was their last resort?
The forces of the God of Chaos.
The Demon World.
The Hunter Family.
What was it that they were completely ignoring?
The answer was obvious.
**"......"**
Choi Sun-hee immediately called someone.
That person was also about to call her, so she answered instantly.
-CEO.
"Vice President Lee"
Lee Mi-jung.
A legendary figure who started as a common employee at Transparent and rose to vice president.
Additionally, an ally of Choi Sun-hee and Rosalyn.
Still within Transparent, Choi Sun-hee told her:
"You know about the matter, right?"
*-Yes.*
Lee Mi-jung also understood the danger of the situation.
**"We must hide the game system"**
*-Correct.*
Lee Mi-jung replied:
*-I’ll take care of this publicly.*
Choi Sun-hee understood the meaning of her words.
**"Vice President, do you understand what’s involved?"**
*-Yes. Transparent is more vulnerable than ever.*
Transparent employees, aware or not, were aware of the rumors.
Although the executives were trying to control them, many were confused by the company’s terrible actions.
Most ordinary employees couldn’t even imagine it.
They only felt pride in working for the best company.
*-CEO Choi, I know you’ve been buying shares and convincing shareholders to call a meeting.*
Take control.
*-To secure my position, I must act now.*
Lee Mi-jung was someone who understood trends.
*-It’s perfect. We will hide the game system. We will say that the "save the game" mission was my doing, that of some loyal employees and the operations team, including Park Jung-gyu.*
Thus, the independent action of the game system—
That is, the World Tree of the New World, or something equivalent to a god, allied with Cale—
Would remain hidden.
**"That could make many employees support her"**
*-Yes. And I will also openly confront Honorary President Han Taek-su.*
She added:
*-Also, Han Taek-su won’t be able to easily approach the game system. Employees will suspect him and watch him.*
Lee Mi-jung decided to become a powerful figure to confront Han Taek-su.
**"Outside is President Ahn Roh Man, inside is you. How solid"**
*-In the shadows is you, CEO Choi.*
Lee Mi-jung paused and continued:
*-And behind us, are they.*
Her voice sounded confident.
Choi Sun-hee smiled.
**"Yes. They’re there"**
Cale Henituse and his companions.
As long as they were there, they only had to do their part.
"Whew"*
She hung up the phone and closed her eyes for a moment.
"......"
The video views surpassed ten million in an instant, approaching one hundred million.
The video itself was so intense that it made hands sweat and hearts race.
"......"
CEO Choi played the video again. She was worried and excited to know how Cale and his companions were doing now.
---
Cale closed his eyes tightly.
**'I fainted, right?'**
And every time he fainted, something happened.
He dreamed of past events.
He met with team leader Lee Soo-hyuk.
Or with the real Cale Henituse.
Or perhaps with the God of Balance or the God of Hope.
Maybe he would see the Flame of Purification or Super Rock turned into a god.
But this time it wasn’t any of that.
"Are you asleep?"
Damn!
Look at this.
"Are you really asleep?"
*Sigh.*
Cale opened his eyes with a sigh.
**"Haha"**
A laugh could be heard.
And in his field of vision appeared the smiling face of the God of Death.
Cale’s blood boiled.
He didn’t want to see him.
That guy was never much help.
"Hmm"
But he couldn’t say anything.
Without wanting to, he spoke.
**"Hey, are you alright?"**
**"Haha—"**
The God of Death continued laughing.
He was missing an arm, and the upper half of his body was dyed gray.
**"Why are you like this?"**
Cale was angrier for no reason.
**"Where did they hit you so much?"**
The God of Death smiled mockingly and replied:
**"Now you’re worried about me?"**
And at that tone, Cale couldn’t help but respond:
**"Idiot"**
Gods don’t die.
He knew that they couldn’t even disappear.
But seeing the God of Death, he couldn’t help but ask:
**"Are you going to die?"**
The God of Death smiled.
**"I won’t die with this. Although I will suffer for a few centuries. But hey"**
Losing an arm and having half of his body rendered useless wasn’t a big deal for a god.
In the end, he would recover.
The God of Death continued:
**"I could die"**
No.
Gods don’t know death.
**"I could disappear"**
*Tok.*
With his remaining arm, the God of Death handed Cale a document.
Among those destined to die in six months, was the name of the God of Death.
**"Am I on the list of those who will die?"**
Cale clearly understood the meaning.
**"...Did the enemies find a way to eliminate a god?"**
*Smile.*
The God of Death laughed.
"You’re the best after all".
This was too short 😭
ReplyDeleteSh-t. I know the god of death is kinda, y'know. But just like Clopeh, I don’t think Cale really hates him
ReplyDelete