The Novel’s Villain

49. New World Universe (2)

The New World Universe wasn’t a completely different world from the existing The Maze: New World, but an extension of it. Hence, there was no need to create a new avatar.

Since its avatar capacity was already overflowing, making more was impossible in the first place. Moreover, since it took quite a while to create a new account in the current The Maze: New World, it had now reached a plateau while also starting to feel as if it had too many players.

That made it only appropriate to adjust the numbers.

The developers were shocked to see the file Se-yeon gave them.

“I-is this really possible?”

“An entire galaxy!”

Though unbelievable, she really did recreate one. The planets it encompassed even had differing environments and atmospheres.

It was literally an entire universe.

“The Maze: New World was huge, but this… This is unmatched.”

“Even its background setting is amazing!”

Jin-woo couldn’t help but agree with the developers. Hearing his idea, Se-yeon immediately set it up. Since just exploring the universe wasn’t a powerful motivator, the Holy Union was created.

It would be able to produce enough opposition to create fierce competition against the Dark Empire.

‘We have taxes and can now purchase resources with dimensional gold coins…’

The resources and products the players collected were taxed or bought by Jin-woo at a reasonable price.

They could earn money legally without much difficulty, and he could easily acquire resources and various products.

Not only that, but the Holy Union and the Dark Empire all belonged to Jin-woo, so everything both nations created naturally became his.

It was legitimate exploitation.

The developers tried their best to keep their composure. One of them wiped his glasses with trembling hands while others swallowed their saliva.

“What about its battle mechanics?”

“It’ll make combat using battleships possible. As players grow stronger and own more powerful spacecraft, they’ll unlock even better options.”

“Huh!”

Se-yeon’s answer stirred them up.

They entered a heated discussion with each other.

“Adding extraterrestrial races…”

“Oh!”

“How about designing it like this?”

“We need to ensure there’s a stark contrast between the different factions!”

Se-yeon provided them with a development kit. It couldn’t fully exert Maze’s power, but implementing it to some extent was possible.

They prolonged the meeting since she needed to take their opinions into consideration when creating its setting, but its level of perfection improved. She also expressed her thoughts without hiding her excitement.

Jin-woo and Yoo-na just sat next to each other, nodding and listening to them work. Their conversation had already gone far too deep for them to keep up. Their discourse regarding the New World Universe was far more intense than The Maze.

“It should be based on reality!”

“No, wouldn’t that make it too strange?”

“I still don’t think they should be able to unite or utilize special abilities.”

“That’s blasphemy!”

It was like watching a fight.

He felt alienated.

Yoo-na, in a state of peace and calmness, picked up the coffee cup placed in front of her. When their eyes met, she smiled softly.

“You should give up trying to understand them, just like how I gave up everything when I became a pilot.”

“… Right. Well, I think I managed to connect a few pieces of information together.”

“Coffee is good.”

“Isn’t that a coffee mix?”

“It suits my taste.”

“Well, I do like sweets.”

While the others had a heated conversation, Jin-woo had a leisurely talk with Yoo-na. Still, the meeting enlengthened so much that night had fallen before they could reach a conclusion.

Se-yeon looked a little tired, but her eyes were clear.

“Let us recruit testers.”

Jin-woo nodded. He had already made preparations for it.

They just needed to watch the test run and make detailed plans according to it.

Marketing was not necessary.

The Maze: New World itself was the most influential marketing venue in the world.

Now, however, they were preparing a bigger stage than what it could offer.

Jin-woo was going to show that very clearly.

* * *

The Maze: New World was the game most loved by everyone. Reaching far beyond the level of games, it had now become a culture that had encroached on Earth. Meeting in it after work had even long since become a part of everyday life.

One could eat as many delicious treats as they desired inside it without ever affecting their state in reality, thus making it effective for diets. It even became known as the Maze Diet.

Bread Jam was one such person that benefited from it. However, since most of his broadcasts were connected to the Maze anyway, he experienced no significant changes.

Regardless, he was famous.

The harbinger of bad luck!

He died in such a novel and diverse way that he was now nicknamed the Death Artist in many forums. Nevertheless, his game sense was amazing, so much so that he was always in among the high ranks. Taking pity on him, the Constellations also began to support him.

“I’m Bread Jam! Welcome to my broadcast! Let’s have fun today as well!”

He connected to The Maze and started streaming. Although his spot was constantly being contested by Kim Gun-ju, Luna, and Maze TV, he was still firmly in third place. He was also a world celebrity. He even appeared on a famous American TV variety show last week.

The Maze: New World made him different.

“Ugh! I almost died.”

However, Bread Jam would always be Bread Jam. As soon as he started broadcasting, he almost died.

Lansun: Hahaha! His head almost got blown off.

Not Bread Jam: He did that in the US too. It was embarrassing.

Deathman: Don’t do anything stupid today hahaha

Bread Jam vowed not to die today.

The time had come to gradually change his image. He wanted to become a broadcaster people admired like Kim Gun-ju. When he watched his stream on his day off, he saw everyone calling him the king as they knelt before him. He wanted to be honored in the same way.

Compared to Kim Gun-ju’s chat room, the people watching him were like grim reapers waiting for his death.

“Ha…”

Life: Stay strong.

I like Jinwoo: Bread Jam, now’s not the time to sigh.

Revival: I swear he’s become lazy lately.

They nitpicked on even the smallest of his actions. But he was a professional broadcaster!

He captured everyone’s attention again by raising the tension.

He planned to do a dungeon solo play today, perhaps only ending his broadcast until he cleared it alone, including defeating its boss while the broadcast was on. It did make him feel like it was cutting his lifespan, but it was the type of content that could draw the most support.

“Time to enter the dungeon!”

Just as he was about to approach its entrance, a message popped up.

[A new email has arrived.]

It was from the management team.

Bread Jam tilted his head and opened it.

“This is an email from the management team, everyone. Interestingly enough, there’s something inside it.”

Though there wasn’t much written in it, a gold admission ticket was attached to it.

[The Beginning of the New World Universe]

Congratulations! You, Bread Jam, have been selected as a tester. We invite you to a new world. Please enter the portal using your admission ticket!

There was still plenty of time left to decide, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to decline it.

“New World Universe? There were no updates…”

Shining: Oh, is it a new patch?

Gauguin: Check out his class! It now says tester!

Black Beef Restaurant: There’s a tester application section on the website, but it doesn’t say anything.

Bread Jam was the official broadcaster of The Maze: New World. He was immediately invited whenever there was an event, which was why he thought this time was no different. More importantly, his viewers were also very curious.

In the end, he decided to try using the ticket despite his busy schedule.

“I don’t know what the New World Universe is, but let’s jump right into this event!”

After releasing such a confident statement, he went to the indicated location.

When he arrived, there were already quite a few players who had received an invite like him. As he approached the portal, a light came out of the admission ticket in his hand, and a bracelet appeared on his left wrist.

“Where?”

As he exited the portal, he saw a very large space.

It felt like an airport. Everyone who had received an entrance ticket looked around with bewildered eyes.

“Proceed this way to the New World Universe!”

“You may pass once we’ve checked your orientation.”

NPCs dressed in outfits that seemed to have come straight out of a sci-fi movie shouted, guiding them around.

Let’s Eat: Hahaha it’s like they’re inside a spaceship.

Viewer Eo: Is it a theme park with a space concept?

Bypass: What part of this showcases the universe?

His viewers were also very curious. After checking his orientation, Bread Jam was given a plate number that said Gate B 233, where he found people from Middle-Earth, Earth, and Heaven.

Magical Dentist: Oh, at least normal people have gathered.

Dungmmelier: Look at Gate A.

Anon: Huh, disgusting foresters and dirty crows in one place…

Jean Valls: What kind of hell is that? Are those alien mages?

Gate A was no joke. Elonti warriors and demon realm players were glaring at each other and fighting for momentum. Where the hell was Gate A headed?

“We should protect our peace.”

“That’s right. Peace is the best.”

“Hahaha.”

Compared to Gate A, Gate B was a flower garden. At the very least, the members of Earth, Middle-earth, and Heaven were on good terms with each other.

Finally entering the gate, The NPC inside it provided them with clothes and various items.

“Welcome to the Holy Union.”

“Holy Union?”

“Save the universe from the threat of the Dark Empire.”

“The universe?”

The NPC said something they couldn’t quite comprehend.

Nevertheless, when a huge portal appeared, Bread Jam lined up with the players.

“Oh! It’s Bread Jam!”

“Where are we going?”

“Maybe the real universe? Hahaha!”

Much like the players conversing with each other, he and his viewers were also curious about it. Soon enough, they passed through the portal.

And it dawned upon them.

“Gasp…”

Breaking News: That’s crazy!

Give Me 100 Won: Woah…

Nick Kick: How is this possible?

The universe.

A giant planet could be seen right outside the window.

Dududududud!

A huge white battleship passed by as calming music played in the background, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint where it was coming from.

Its magnificence mesmerized him so much his jaw dropped.

“Space battleships…”

“That’s insane.”

“Wow…”

Even those with him were stunned.

Bread Jam could only stare blankly at it.

“Welcome, newcomers! Please follow me.”

After changing clothes according to the NPC’s instructions, they received simple training. The players here were able to perform various missions as mercenaries belonging to the Holy Union. The stage was, of course, the vast universe.

Hearing such an explanation, Bread Jam became dazed.

This wasn’t just a theme park.

Space Defense Force: Isn’t its scale too big?

Pink Red: Can they really go out of space?

Legendary Panties: Lmao look at his mission. Mining.

“If you gather resources, you can exchange them for dimensional gold coins. I think it’s great.”

When he applied for a mission, he was assigned to a mining team along with several players. All of them wore repair kits and spacesuits. Normally, they would have to pay to borrow it with resources or dimensional gold coins, but it was free during the test period.

The members of his team greeted each other.

“Looks like it’s time to move out!”

“I’ve never done anything like mining before. Will it be okay?”

“There’s a manual about it here… Oh, that’s pretty expensive, isn’t it? This is going to make us rich.”

The mining manual on the device on their wrists listed the resources they could harvest along with their prices.

Accidentally becoming the team leader since he was famous, Bread Jam led his team to the mining boat as per the guide, where they saw several NPCs moving hurriedly.

“Oh! You’re Mining Team 1, right? Is your team leader Bread Jam?”

“Ah… Yes!”

“Your name is unique. What planet are you from?”

“Uh… Earth.”

“Oh! That’s a great place!”

The NPC handed out a document to them, which they signed before boarding the vehicle. However, as soon as they did, the player assigned to drive it looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Hey, team leader. How do you drive this?”

“I’m not sure… Try pressing that button.”

Confused, their driver pressed the start button.

It automatically catapulted them away.

Paaaah!

“Aaghhh!”

“Oh god!”

“Woah!”

Ejected into space at high speed, the player holding the steering wheel looked outside with bewildered eyes. Several mining boats were around them.

[Mining Team 1! Mining Team 1! Respond!]

“Mining Team 1 here!”

[I’m glad you’ve been safely ejected. Now, head to the asteroid field and start mining resources.]

“Alright.”

After ending their communication, Bread Jam looked at the player sitting in the cockpit.

As their team leader, he was able to see his team members’ personal details.

“I see you have experience riding a Wyvern. And you also participated in the 3rd defense match.”

“Hmm? Ah, yes.”

“Try thinking of this ship as a Wyvern.”

The player thought about it for a moment before nodding.

“I’ll do my best.”

Summer Joa: Look how cool he’s acting.

League of Storm: Isn’t that Riderman, the Master Wyvern Pilot?

Riderman gave a refreshing smile.

As soon as he grabbed the steering wheel, he accelerated at a tremendous speed.

Spaghetti: Oh! That’s awesome!

SSS-class Person: They’re fast!

Jonye: They’re really in outer space!

“Team leader! This is easier than I thought!”

“Hey, slow down!”

“Here we go!”

They reached their target location in no time at all, though one of them vomited inside the helmet they were wearing. It delayed them a bit since it took a little while to fix, but what was important was that they had landed on a giant asteroid.

When the door of the mining boat opened, the universe, stretching far wider than their eyes could see, entered their vision. There was no gravity, but their avatars allowed them to adapt to it swiftly.

“Let’s go!”

Bread Jam left their vehicle and went down to the asteroid first, the suction device of his spacesuit immediately keeping him from floating away from its surface.

It was a fantastic experience.

His viewers were going crazy. It was as if they were witnessing a scene straight out of a movie. In particular, those watching on hologram TV grew speechless. The huge red planet that filled their eyes instilled fear, but they couldn’t look away from it.

There were already other mining teams working around them at insane speeds due to their avatars.

“Woah! I found platinum!”

“Huh?! Are you serious? Time to mine it!”

“Starting today, I’ll be no more than a mining machine.

Another team hit the jackpot. When they dug through the asteroid with a magic drill, they unearthed lumps of platinum. Since their communication lines were open, everyone could hear their words.

“Woo! Let’s get to it as well!”

Bread Jam pulled out a mining tool created jointly by Arcana and her researchers. It was quite radical, which matched the avatar’s physical abilities.

He looked around until he found a suitable place to start.

“Let’s begin.”

Taking the lead, he plunged his magic drill into the ground first.

Dudududud!

However, cracks soon formed all over the site he was digging in, starting from where he bore his hole.

Whoops!

Steam spurted out.

“Huh? Argh!”

“No!”

Mining Team 2, located a little further away from them, were swept away by it, flinging them into space.

Everyone looked at Bread Jam.

“Ah… They’ll be rescued, right?”

Mining Team 2’s players were sucked into the engine of their mining boat and disappeared.

A moment of silence fell on them.

True Story: Murderer!

Aunt Alien: Killer!

John Bergazza: Murderer! Somebody help!

“Hey, it was an accident.”

Bread Jam sweated coldly.

He had no choice but to silently focus on the task at hand. Since there were plenty of resources, he vigorously mined, which his viewers liked and enjoyed watching. Finding something valuable also gave him a sense of exhilaration.

Everyone immersed themselves in their mission.

“Hey, what’s that?” Riderman interrupted everyone, looking at a distance.

“Huh?”

He and his team members followed his gaze out of curiosity, finding space itself bending and twisting. It was as if they were watching the creation of a portal.

Tuoung!

A black ship soon popped out of it. Unlike the Holy Union’s slick white ships, its exteriors’ lines were thick and had many corners, giving it a much stronger mechanical appearance.

Paaah!

As soon as it appeared, it fired a huge beam at the white battleship, which blocked it using its forcefield, but the impact was still powerful enough to shake it.

Before the beam had even disappeared, fighter jets had already erupted from the black ship.

“Ah…”

Ranto: Ooh, spatial warfare!

Lunchbox: Crazy… Look at the scale of this!

Black Cow: Wow, this is awesome. Can I apply for a tester now?

Forage Spice Salt: Now’s not the time to mine!

The subordinate he put in charge of communications looked at him.

“Team Leader! We’re being ordered to return at once! The Dark Empire is attacking!”

“The Dark Empire?”

That battleship certainly was worthy of its name.

The fighter jets began bombarding indiscriminately.

“Everyone, to the mining boat!”

Right after Bread Jam and his team boarded their spacecraft as fast as they could, Riderman smiled as he looked at the swarm of enemy ships.

“This reminds me of when I was chased by Wyverns.”

Zoom!

Skillfully, he manipulated their vehicle’s gears and grabbed the steering wheel.

Their mining boat moved quickly.

The fighter jets followed and fired beams at them, but Riderman was a C-rank Wyvern Rider. He brilliantly dodged the incoming attacks while continuing to accelerate.

Dudududud!

Their vessel’s hull shook violently.

Choco Cookies: Beam incoming! Avoid it!

Universe Reader: That’s scary

Department of Liberal Arts: Scary? That’s awesome!

“Do we have any weapons?”

“Team Leader! I’m a wizard! Let me try to shoot them down!”

“Ah, go for it.”

Upon his order, his team member opened the door and hung on the railing. Aiming at the enemy craft trailing them, he stretched out one hand, releasing an energy bomb that collided with it.

Bang!

“Nice!”

When the enemy ship exploded, Bread Jam clenched his fist. Looking at the scene, the wizard quietly whispered, “May Mana be with you.”

Pineapple: That was spectacular!

Assassino: A Sci-Fi wizard trained in the Maze!

Paintbrush: Hahaha what genre is this?

Black Enterprise: May Mana be with you!

I Hate Overtime Work: Their team leader is the most incompetent of them all. What is he, a cheerleader?

Bread Jam had no time to even look at the chat window.

Their current situation was that dire.

Whooosh!

Their hull trembled once more. Checking the other side to survey the damage they sustained, he found one engine missing.

Vanity: Goodbye, engine.

Viewers: Hahaha no way! It just ran away!

Annon: They’re as good as dead.

“Team Leader! We have no choice but to crash-land!”

“Huh? But where?”

He knew right away where they were going to crash: the battleship rising from below them.

Riderman jerked the steering wheel forward violently, striking their vessel directly into it.

Narrowly entering one of its pods, their mining boat slammed against its walls until they skidded to a stop.

Rumor: I’m buying this. It looks so good.

Good Viewer: He better not die here.

Fuzz!

As thick smoke rose from their spacecraft, Bread Jam and his team staggered out of it. Ordinary people would have died, but they were veterans who had already gone through all the hardships brought forth by the Maze.

“We’ll be able to fight better in here!”

“I doubt the Dark Empire’s army can use magic.”

“They’re just random mobs, right? Let’s smash their skulls!”

He agreed with his team members, confident in their combat abilities.

At that moment, A band of soldiers wearing black cloaks and helmets appeared.

The Dark Empire’s army had come. Bread Jam and his team assumed battle formations.

Their wizard fired an energy bomb containing enough explosive power to blow up even a fighter.

Jiying!

The soldier in the front drew his sword, revealing a red, beam-like blade imbued with mana.

Swoosh!

“Did he just cut through your attack like paper?”

“They’re no ordinary bastards!”

Feeling the tension rising, Bread Jam and his team faltered.

Looking at them, the soldiers took off their helmets.

“What?!”

Much to their unpleasant surprise, their faces and necks were decorated with patterns and artifacts that symbolized either Elonti or the Demon Realm. Moreover, right in front of them all was the most famous of all the Elonti warriors.

Ben, the Two-Handed Swordsman.

Choco Cookie: Haha that’s insane

Nuna Follower: Disgusting forest bastards lol

Coin: Dirty crows lol

One-line Reviews: Those disgusting and dirty savages joined the Dark Empire Army!

The players who went to Gate B had become part of the Dark Empire.

“Weaklings! I’ll turn you into this universe’s manure.” Ben uttered with a sly smile.

“Hahaha! The Dark Emperor wants blood.”

“More blood! More power!”

A combination of Elonti and the Demon Realm.

They were facing the worst kind of opponents.