CH 174

50. Empire is one. (4)

The Two-Handed Swordsman had a fishy smile.

He shifted his gaze and looked at Lear, Latica, and the soldiers behind Jin-woo.

If they could transport them safely, the Dark Empire would reward them for their achievements. In the case of important NPCs, the achievement rewards were much larger since they were really coveted.

The other Dark Empire players licked their lips as they glared at Lear, their disgusting gazes making her tremble. They made it seem like something terrible would happen to them if they were caught.

The Two-Handed Swordsman issued an order to the T1 Troops.

“Capture them and present them to His Majesty.”

“It’s time…”

“I will taste blood in a moment.”

They licked the blades of their weapons.

Although they overdid the villain concept, its effect was clear. Lear’s complexion grew pale blue, and the soldiers flinched.

Latica positioned herself in between Lear and the enemy, glaring straight at them.

Jikbaguri: Wow, they’re really disgusting.

The Man Next Door: They look like antagonists.

Hell Star: I’ve seen where this is going before.

Hate Elonti: All those bastards should be killed.

Ugh: Vile and disgusting idiots.

Ha Ha Ha: Lear is cute even when she’s scared.

They looked like villains even to Jin-woo.

The Dark Empire truly became dark.

The players in their faction were so absorbed in their roles that they became even more disgusting and dirty.

‘This excites me.”

It was fun playing the bad guy.

Jin-woo knew that best.

With so many viewers watching, he couldn’t back down now. Although it was a nuisance to come to another planet, most of the evacuation areas around the National Assembly had already been vacated, minimizing the casualties and damage they’d sustain.

‘It would be better to make a close draw.’

The conflict between the Holy Union and the Dark Empire had to continue, so he intended not to break either faction’s morale.

With Heo-young secretly joining the Dark Empire army, there was no need to worry about Swordmaster or Rundalf. She would deal with them herself.

“Get rid of them.”

At the Two-Handed Swordsman’s order, the T1 Troops and Dark Empire players rushed in. The players of the Holy Union who were around Jin-woo crashed against their ranks, engaging in an all-out clash.

They looked quite resolute.

Quang! Koo!

Their battle smashed the surrounding walls and floors as sparks and lights flashed. They even terraformed the surrounding terrain.

Sreung!

The Two-Handed Swordsman drew his sword slowly. Imbued with his mana, it produced a red glow.

The Two-Handed Swordsman and Kim Gun-joo had similar ranks, but the former was ahead in terms of physical specifications.

Kim Gun-joo also raised his sword, a blue aura rising from its guard, contrasting his rival’s perfectly.

If he used the Great Emperor’s power, it would be golden or black, but using his avatar’s pure ability alone, it emitted a vivid blue.

They seemed to exhibit the tendencies of the Holy Union and the Dark Empire.

Their vicinity was engulfed in chaos, but the two remained still and calm.

The Two-Handed Swordsman moved first. Quick and agile, Jin-woo easily dodged his slash, leaving an afterimage. Nevertheless, the gust it released felt very strong.

Jin-woo immediately counterattacked.

Their weapons collided, causing a shockwave to sweep through the battlefield.

“Damn!”

“Lear!”

Latica barely caught her before she was sent flying.

The T1s, not missing this gap, hastily attempted to kidnap them.

The moment Jin-woo turned his head and looked at them, his opponent swung his sword against him.

Kweeeng!

However, right before it could slice his head in half, he managed to raise his blade and block it. Nevertheless, the Two-Handed Swordsman continued putting weight on his attack.

“What made you think you have time to look away?”

“Well…”

His eyes were so filled with madness red streams of air were erupting from them. It was a scary sight, but it was just a skill that could be bought using the achievement rewards.

All it did was make his eyes glow red, but it was still quite popular.

It didn’t matter, though. Even without extra abilities, his power was already tremendous.

The floor below Jin-woo started breaking.

Evande: He looks like he’s gone crazy.

Testimony: This is bad.

So Hot Boy: Isn’t he being too faithful to his villain role?

Our Dream: No, that’s just his real personality.

Luna Please Broadcast: A player who kidnaps NPCs… He’s a cosmic nuance.

Virtue of Virtue: Go, Gun-joo!

Ching—!

Red and blue collided endlessly, causing sparks to fly and the ground to shake. Cracks tore through their vicinity, causing quakes strong enough to cause the buildings around them to collapse.

The moment the Two-Handed Swordsman staggered because of the ruined floor, Jin-woo landed a powerful kick against his chest and immediately followed through with a slash.

“Gasp!”

As his black sword passed an inch away from his target’s eyes, he slammed his shoulder against him, causing him to crash against a wall.

Struck with a force that slightly exceeded the limits of Kim Gun-joo, the Two-Handed Swordsman was rendered immobile for a while despite the blood flowing out of his body.

Still, Jin-woo found Kim Gun-joo unable to keep up with his movements, decreasing the power he could exude.

‘That man is quite troublesome as well.’

He was much stronger than he expected. He wasn’t called Kim Gun-joo’s rival without reason.

Jin-woo looked at Lear. The T1s, faithfully following orders, quickly overpowered Latica when she tried to defend Lear.

Her expression turned to fear.

Lanto: Hey, you disgusting bastards! Stop it!

Cold Medicine Taste: This is horrifying!

Noona is Pretty: Leave her alone, you sick scums!

One of the T1s grabbed Latica’s neck. She tried to escape but failed to withstand its power.

Jin-woo quickly narrowed the distance between them and cut the T1, allowing her to breathe again. Falling to the floor, she massaged her neck as she coughed.

Lear hurried to her side.

“Are you okay?”

“… I’m fine.”

The two looked pretty similar. Those who didn’t know the two might even mistake them for sisters.

In fact, there were quite a few viewers who thought they were siblings.

Latica tried to protect Lear at any cost, perhaps to atone for her sins or because she saw Serra in her.

If Jin-woo were the real villain, he would’ve raised Serra into a warrior and made her fight her older sister. Demons often came up with such demented ideas, after all.

As he decided to watch them for a few moments, Lear looked behind him, her eyes widening.

“B-behind you!”

“Hmm?”

The Two-Handed Swordsman slowly got up and tore off his cumbersome shirt, revealing his muscular tattoo-covered physique. He had various mechanical devices brutally attached to his body.

‘He paid to have his avatar remodeled.’

Additional customization was possible in the Dark Empire’s ships. Common products were available for purchase, but rare products were placed in random boxes.

The pipe coming out of his chest was auctioned for about 3.2 million won. It was opaque and had liquid flowing inside.

He installed a Dark-Empire-style water cooler to his heart!

The Two-Handed Swordsman filled up with mana. Nearby players rushed at him, but he grabbed the hand of one of them and ripped it away.

He then choked the man next to him, smashing his head against the wall.

“Aww!”

He seemed mad.

His muscles swelled, and water vapor gushed out of the holes in his body.

He underwent explosive growth in an instant.

His pants ripped open, revealing a green symbol and his remodeled lower body.

‘That’s terrible.’

The combination of the Elonti-exclusive technology and Dark Empire appearance alterations made him look malevolent.

Awkward: What kind of boss monster is that?

Hell Sauce: Wow… How many modifications did he undergo?

Steak: I did a rough calculation. He spent enough to buy a car.

Aspiring Demon King: It’s disgusting, but it also looks cool. I think I understand why they’re called the Dark Empire now.

Lear looked at Jin-woo worriedly.

Blood was flowing from his body.

His opponent charged straight at him, destroying all obstacles in his path.

Jin-woo lowered his stance, positioned his sword horizontally, and drew up any remaining mana in his avatar.

Hyde: Everything will be decided in one shot!

Super Special: Go! Blade Storm!!

Toggle: Finisher vs. Finisher! One mistake can cost them their lives!

Whik!

The two passed through each other.

It was a classic production, but the result was amazing.

The viewers gulped as they watched in silence.

Clink!

Jin-woo’s sword was smashed, and his blood dripped on the floor.

The Two-Handed Swordsman had a long blade embedded in his shoulder.

They turned their heads and looked at each other.

[The main quest has been completed!]

[The Machine Army has been destroyed!]

[Return to your fleet and claim your rewards! Please be warned that players who fail to claim it for a long time will be forced to return.]

[Combat is prohibited during the compensation settlement period.]

The quest ended.

The battle that was taking place in the sky also stopped.

The Two-Handed Swordsman put on the helmet a T1 unit brought.

“We’ll decide the winner next time, Kim Gun-joo. Return to base, everyone.”

Unemployed worker: Wearing only panties and a helmet. He’s filthy haha

Constitutional Monarchy: That’s his identity. There are even rumors that his green panties are his actual body. It’s a full-featured item.

Choco Banana: It stands out too much LOL

The Two-Handed Swordsman, the players, and the T1 Troops boarded the transports and headed to their battleship.

With all the Dark Empire forces gathered around it, they warped and disappeared.

“Kim Gun-joo, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“But that looks like it hurts!”

Lear was in tears.

Latica also looked at Jin-woo with worry and respect, unintentionally having a crush on him.

The fighters of the Holy Union landed nearby and began their operation to finish their rescue quest.

above them came a scream reminiscent of Bread Jam’s voice.

The players looking up soon found themselves scattering away from the fighters they had just exited.

Bang!

Bread Jam’s robot fell on top of the fighter jets, smashing and causing some of them to explode.

“Hey, you idiot!”

“How much do you think that all costs?!”

“Isn’t that Bread Jam?!”

“You just killed Laurie!”

Burrr!

Bread Jam trembled inside his robot as sparks flew from its engine along with black smoke. Soon enough, it began to light up.

“Get away from here, all of you! It’s about to explode!” He shouted, immediately jumping out of its cockpit and running away.

Jin-woo escaped through the cracks in the floor with Lear and Latica.

Boom!

The mecha soon exploded, destroying its surroundings.

That wasn’t all.

Pew!

It soared into the sky like firecrackers, heading directly to a ship.

It began to stretch towards a player-owned battleship that was just about to land. From what he had heard, an entire guild had invested their funds into it.

Startled, it tried to dodge by gaining more altitude again, but it was already too late.

BOOOM!

The two spacecraft collided, creating another explosion that caused both of them to fall.

It was like watching fireworks.

The battleship crashed on the National Assembly building that survived the war, demolishing it completely.

“…”

“…”

“The Lemon Kiss Guild Alliance… has been annihilated?”

“No way…”

They could do nothing but stare blankly at the scene.

Although some of the players died, there were, fortunately, no civilian casualties.

The culprit looked at the burning battleships and the collapsed buildings with empty eyes.

Two Chusik: I expected nothing less from Bread Jam!

Alcohol Warehouse: He ruined all the fighters and battleships beyond repair. How much is all that?

Sai: Does it matter? I doubt he’ll be able to pay for all of it.

Real Lawyer: I think he’ll need to sell his house.

Bread Jam became a living killing machine.

His kill score was impressive. The only problem with it was that his victims were all on the same team as him.

He was even selected as the Dark Empire’s MVP.

* * *

The Space Federation and the Lainez Kingdom officially expressed their gratitude and offered a meeting with them, but the Holy Union left nonchalantly as soon as they finished their rescue operation.

“May Mana be with you!”

With those words, everyone returned to their home planet.

Jin-woo ended the broadcast but remained on Ion until the very end to ensure nobody would be left behind.

As he went about his task, Lear approached him.

“How’re your wounds?”

“Nothing to worry about.”

Jin-woo turned his attention to the humanoid robot Latica piloted. Its first debut wasn’t in combat but a rescue mission.

Robots’ output was too strong for delicate work. However, Lear’s invention wasn’t anything like them.

“It’s a childish joke compared to the Holy Union’s inventions, but… It helps in times like these.”

Latica worked tirelessly, seemingly feeling more determined after having her sister stolen from her.

“Do you think we’ll meet each other again?”

“I’ll be sure to invite you to the Holy Union next time. To face the Dark Empire, we’ll need your help, Count Lear.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll be waiting! Please don’t hesitate to contact me!”

She handed over a communication device that would allow him to reach her directly.

Jin-woo pondered for a moment, then took out a magic crystal from his subspace and handed it to her.

“This is…”

She couldn’t take his eyes off its beauty.

“A mana-filled crystal.”

“Mana?”

“I’m sure you’ll be able to discern what it is on your own.”

Count Lear was a genius like Se-yeon. That was why he thought she’d be able to understand their technology with ease under the pretense of defeating the Dark Empire.

Lear held it with both hands.

“I’ll be going now.”

After returning to the fleet of the Holy Union, Jin-woo immediately left his avatar, causing him to return to his main body in the Dark Eye.

All around him, Se-yeon, Yoo-na, and his other subordinates busied themselves with checking the first main quest’s results.

“This is amazing! I think the players will work harder in the future!” Se-yeon exclaimed.

“This will surely intensify the competition,” Yoo-na replied enthusiastically.

“That being said, those machines also have great skills! I want to disassemble and reverse-engineer them quickly.”

Machines brought by players piled up around them.

‘I have to do my job.’

Jin-woo pondered about the Machine Emperor. Without intervention, Ion would’ve now fallen under it.

In the original story, it became a planet that wandered and ate life, increasing its power and size even more.

It desired to unify the universe under one will. If left alone, it might eat up not only a galaxy but the entire universe.

Being the largest Emperor, it was left with no choice but to continuously damage planet after planet to sustain itself.

He considered attacking it with the Dark Flame Emperor, but the risks were too high. He didn’t mind it personally, but it would put his men on his battleship in great danger.

He had to deal with it without putting his subordinates’ lives on the line.

‘I have no choice but to use it.’

Extraterrestrial organism operation.

The Machine Emperor’s machines were definitely Sci-Fi-like, but they weren’t enough to solve the disappointing lack of alien creatures.

Jin-woo walked over to Yoo-na and shared his thoughts with her.

“Yes? What is it… No way…”

“Do you think it’ll work?”

“I want to stop you, but…”

Bewildered by the thought of it, which wasn’t like her, she backed away hesitatingly and contemplated it.

Se-yeon’s reaction was the opposite of hers.

“I think it’ll be fun. I’ll catch them! Maze, would you like to go with me?”

“Oh, sure!”

Se-yeon and Maze expressed their strong interest in my proposal. Hee-yeon was also with them, but she too had gone paler, much like Yoo-na.

Jin-woo waited for the two at the Golden Sanctuary.

According to what he heard, Se-yeon went to her old home to get what they needed.

Nevertheless, they returned after a bit of time had passed.

“Look at this! So many!”

“We caught a lot! We also brought back quite a lot of eggs.”

The glass jars, imbued with powerful seals that prevented mana penetration, Se-yeon and Maze held out contained terrible life forms: cockroaches.

Jin-woo moved to Middle-World with them.

Arriving at its empty canyon, he slowly opened the glass jars, allowing them to escape. They first tried to run away but soon stopped.

[The Middle-World’s mana seeps into the cockroaches.]

[The cockroaches begin to grow rapidly!]

Jin-woo instilled the power of domination into them, making it difficult for them to run wild, especially now that they were growing even larger.

“Oh! Look at them go!”

“They’re turning into another extraterrestrial life that will infect the universe!”

In an instant, the cockroaches became as big as puppies. Now, however, after waiting for a while, it grew as big as a bull.

From then on, they began to change into various forms.

Their sharp jaws, prickly legs, and brownish shell aroused disgust.

“Keeeeeeek!”

Among them was one much larger than the others.

The Cockroach Queen.

Her stomach swelled up due to her immense fertility rate.

Jin-woo took out mana crystals from his subspace and fed them to the queen. The machines the power of domination changed were also given to her.

Munch!

As she ate them, she began to transform into more bizarre forms.

Normal animals were nothing compared to their kind, especially when it came to adaptability.

The Cockroach Queen looked at Jin-woo, immediately bowing her head and obeying him.

[The Cockroach clan has been established!]

[S] Horror Cockroach Queen

‘Eat and eat and multiply!’

‘The machines are so delicious!’

They now looked like a modified form of Earth’s cockroaches, having tremendous vitality, adaptability, and fertility. Their shells were hard enough to defend even against sword strikes, and they could eat everything and survive in any environment. In particular, they enjoyed eating machines and artificial objects.

That was quite clever of them.

*[S] Fertility

*[S] Vitality

*[S] Adaptability

*[S] Artifact Devourer

Nevertheless, they looked quite hideous.

As he continued to observe them, he realized it was worth doing so.

“This is fun!”

Maze climbed on the back of the giant cockroach and grabbed its antennae.

Sha sha sha sha shak!

In response, it began to move at great speed. It went to the end of the canyon and flew into the sky.

This excited Se-yeon as well.

However, when she beckoned at them, they quickly avoided her, sensing the danger of being dissected.

“Wow! Jin-woo! Look at this! I’m flying! Can we keep raising this one?”

“That’s not allowed.”

He was adamant.

They should never be allowed to grow that much.

His subspace sucked the entire cockroach clan into it.

It wasn’t the subspace that Jin-woo usually carried but a cheap one. High-end subspaces allowed instantaneous deposits, but cheap ones required items to undergo such processes.

Moreover, although they offered a much larger inventory, time passed inside it.

But he turned that into an advantage.

‘I think it would make for a pretty good present.’

The Machine Emperor’s planet.

The Cockroach clan would devour everything in it.