The Novel’s Villain

57. Dreams, Hopes, and Love (2)

Jin-woo first rescued people by sending in the jiangshis and vehement zombies. Then he used his fleet to destroy everything, leaving only the shopping center intact.

The power of the mana particle cannon was so great that it flattened the entire area, eradicating every single debris and ruin. Construction of the World Tree Land began right after that.

Ships came and went to deliver materials as the A-series focused on building this large project. He mobilized the dwarves and technicians as well.

“Heh, an extreme roller coaster?! Equip it with a mana engine, and it’ll be possible!”

Prof. Kim Dae-jin, his researchers, the Jiangshis, and the vehement zombies also participated, removing any shortage of workers. As a result, the World Tree Land’s construction progressed by leaps and bounds.

Now, he no longer had to worry about this.

Jin-woo assigned Se-yeon and the demons to the Black Hound Headquarters. The demons wandered around the building, perfectly grasping the underworld’s systems.

When he visited it, they had already completely demolished the temple. Still, Cerberus only rolled its eyes at them.

It tried to understand what was going on, but it was too stupid for that.

“This place is using an outdated system.”

“Can you gain control over it?”

“Yeah. It won’t be a problem if it’s just this place. If another dimension of the underworld is added, we have to move Darky here.”

Jin-woo nodded.

Dark Eye’s satellite, Darky, would be more than enough to calculate all the data in the underworld.

To be honest, he felt like he was playing too much right now. By analogy, it was like playing minesweeper with a computer worth tens of millions of won.

Se-yeon skillfully took control of District 1’s underworld system. As she said, it was old-fashioned.

Apparently, it used parchment not so long ago and only recently upgraded to an old computer from Earth. That truly seemed to be the case, considering it managed everything using a clunky excel file.

Looking at the sticker that said it was for District 1 only, he thought the other districts were still using feather pens and parchment paper.

Se-yeon concentrated on her work, and the demons wonderfully assisted her.

Yoo-na and Luna watched Cerberus along with Titan, who crossed its arms in front of the canine.

“Look at how big that dog is, Yoo-na!”

“That’s Cerberus. It’d be nice to tie it up in front of the JW gate.”

“Or put it in New World.”

It was a really peaceful atmosphere.

Se-yeon and her demons completed District 1’s system in half a day.

[The underworld system has been completed!]

[It can now be used in conjunction with the settings encyclopedia.]

[Moreover, by dominating this world, you’ll be able to add various options to it using dimensional gold coins and powers.]

The Black Hound Headquarters became even more organized.

“What about the souls from District 1? They’re replenished periodically, but if they’re sent here…”

“They’ll become a zombie or be forced to live a tough life.”

“I’ll stop it for now, but that’ll only be a short and temporary fix.”

Se-yeon made a waiting line through the screen.

Many ferry boats sailed on the Black River. People were lying in them, all of them seemingly in an ethereal state.

They were all flocking from the 1st district, but now that she had blocked their access, they could no longer proceed, forcing them to be on standby.

Jin-woo tried to link the underworld system with the encyclopedia.

[The underworld has been added to the setting encyclopedia.]

*[SS+] Underworld Page

You can build or control the system of the underworld.

‘This is great.’

The surface of the encyclopedia was stained black.

While Jin-woo was thinking about it, Luna approached him and looked at the screen. Her eyes twinkled.

“Wow, there are quite a few noble souls out there.”

“Really?”

“I think I’ll gain a lot of strength if I send them to Heaven or the Middle-World. Since we can’t create avatars due to lack of manpower and divine power in Heaven, we covet Earth’s souls even more. They just have so much potential and power.”

Looking back, the things on Earth were really great.

And the same could be said for the souls that made them. Wouldn’t it be better to send them to another dimension than to the underworld?

Jin-woo called Gallord. Although Sarah Vriac was the Demon Emperor, Gallord was a far more dominant force.

He also admired the spirits he had gathered.

“There are so many fallen souls in here. If we torture them or grind them into little pieces and sprinkle them on the Demon Realm, its deserts will become prosperous again.”

Jin-woo nodded.

Their usage value was limitless.

“Then we can send noble souls to Heaven and corrupt souls to the Demon Realm.”

“That sounds great! All the angels in Heaven will rejoice. If that happens, our dimension will expand even more.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Great Emperor.”

Since there were so many souls, they needed talented people to select and manage them.

Jin-woo summoned Faro. When she appeared, Cerberus became so frightened it began to whimper and pee.

She looked at it, savoring the view. As it turned out, she desired to eat its brains, all three of them.

When Jin-woo explained the situation, Faro listened intently.

“Just in time. All of my clan members have finished evolving and now have nothing to do.”

“Good. How many can you move right now?”

“About 500 billion.”

There were now countless excellent families of cockroaches in the universe.

They were only planning to manage Earth for now, so there was no need for that many.

“Souls that can neither be sent to Heaven nor the Demon World for being too ambiguous should be sent to the Middle-World instead.”

Luna agreed. “In that case, the Middle-World will also be richer. Those souls will shine brightly by dwelling there. The reason why many dimensions don’t develop… Perhaps it’s because they lack the power of souls.”

Middle-World had very few inhabitants for its size. The other dimensions were the same.

Hence, Jin-woo introduced the concept of reincarnation.

Depending on the state of a spirit, they’d be able to inhabit different lives. Upon rebirth, however, their memories would be naturally erased.

Once he had completely taken over the underworld, sending them to other dimensions such as the East World and the Sci-Fi World wouldn’t be a problem.

Yoo-na operated the computer next to Se-yeon. It displayed the souls’ information.

“There are, though very few, people with extraordinary spiritual power. I think they don’t have villainous natures either.”

They were neither noble nor turbid, but they were powerful. Hence, they belonged to neither Heaven nor the Demon World.

“Such souls won’t have their memories erased.”

According to Luna, they could forcibly erase them through the encyclopedia, but that would risk the soul being broken and destroyed for being unable to bear it.

Jin-woo thought about it for a moment.

“Then let’s send them to the Middle-World.”

“Are you sure?”

“That dimension might be a little hard to take in if they retain memories of their past lives.”

Luna and Yoo-na looked at Jin-woo for clarification.

“Give them special privileges that would allow them to prosper. It’s not my favorite genre, but some of the novels I’ve read were like that. On their way there, you can also ask them to solve various problems.”

“Well, there have been reports of various problems occurring in the Middle World. Typically, the number of heterogeneous races and monsters has decreased, and it is said that they are on the verge of extinction. They apparently seldom give birth to males now.” Yoo-na added, finally agreeing to his idea.

The Isekai genre!

High school students arriving and saving a world different from theirs was a common plot these days. Its trend had already passed, but that genre was still consistently loved. In fact, more and more novels, movies, anime, and books about it were being made in Japan.

Since he was managing multiple dimensions, he couldn’t pay attention to Middle World alone. According to reports, it was experiencing several problems, but it wouldn’t be beneficial for Jin-woo to intervene in it directly.

As soon as they had outlined a plan to some extent, he immediately built a system using the encyclopedia.

It was quite complicated, but with Se-yeon’s help, he was able to finish it smoothly.

He also created a separate waiting room for souls through it.

Jin-woo chose the Black Hound Headquarters for it since it was already quite large and had 44 floors. It would be able to accommodate a large number of people.

After being given a verdict here, they would be sent either to Heaven, the Demon Realm, or the Middle World. The cockroaches would be the ones guiding and handling the souls.

Faro, however, decided to stay.

‘I want to give her a plausible position.’

Jin-woo inserted a lot of dimensional gold coins and powers into the encyclopedia.

[Faro has acquired a new title.]

*[SS+] King of Souls

A title obtained by managing souls under the Great Emperor’s orders. It comes with the ability to modify the list of souls.

[The cockroaches staying in the Black Hound Headquarters have acquired a new title.]

*[S] Grim Reaper

Provides the power to devour rebellious souls.

The power of settings was beyond Se-yeon’s system, so Jin-woo implemented the parts she couldn’t. Their synergy was quite high.

After spending quite a bit of time setting it up, they finally completed the underworld system.

[A beta version of the underworld system has been created, proving itself much more efficient and indiscriminate than Hades’!]

[Heaven, the Demon Realm, and the Middle-World have begun developing further.]

[Hades’s power has been weakened.]

[The Great Emperor’s power greatly increases.]

Everyone was satisfied with the results, including Jin-woo.

* * *

Luna Nim Kak Pika could no longer connect to New World because his disease had worsened, blurring out his consciousness.

He had been spending all of his years in bed since childhood. Hence, New World, for him, was another shot at life.

He would never forget the feeling of stepping on the ground for the very first time.

His parents had difficulty paying for his hospital bills, but when he was transferred to a G&P hospital, they were relieved of that burden. Besides, he made a lot of money through New World, allowing him to give his final filial piety to his parents.

‘Guild members… I miss you.’

He wanted to have a drink with them in reality.

Everyone shed tears when he had to leave them for health reasons.

He managed to regain his consciousness, but he immediately felt extremely dizzy.

“Sniff… You said we were going to destroy the Holy Union together. Ugh…”

A voice entered his ears.

It sounded familiar, but he didn’t expect him to visit him in the hospital.

The One-Handed Swordsman sobbed.

“Han-son… Never stop being you, okay?”

Tears flowed from Luna Nim Kak Pika’s closed eyes as he squeezed out all that was left of his strength. Slowly raising his trembling hand, he gave him a thumbs up. The man could only stare at him blankly.

That was his final goodbye.

‘I’m going first. Be safe.’

His hand slipped and fell.

He lived a good life.

What he found regrettable was that he remained single until his death. If he were to be reborn in the next life, he would work hard to find a girlfriend.

His consciousness finally disappeared completely.

He felt himself die.

How much time had passed?

When he opened his eyes, he saw the sky.

“Wow…”

The stars and the Milky Way stretched out.

He got up involuntarily.

“Huh?”

His upper body rose with ease. He felt so light, much lighter than when he was in New World. Looking down, he found his hands in quite a healthy state.

“I… died.”

He instinctively felt it.

Looking around, he found himself on a ferry with a lantern attached to the end of it. Inside it was flowers, photos, and items he had used while he was alive.

There were also gifts.

‘This…’

They were probably buried or burned along with him.

‘Is this the underworld’s river?’

It was more like an ocean than a river, though, considering there was no end in sight. Countless boats floated along with his on the Black Sea, looking like a huge wave.

All of them were lying on their vessels with their hands together. He was the only one who had come to his senses.

After staying in that position for a while, a woman wearing a black robe flew from the sky and landed in front of him.

Her face was pale, but she was as beautiful as a doll.

“Welcome to the underworld, Luna Nim Kak Pika. I am Grim Reaper K24.”

“The grim reaper? So this is the underworld, after all. However, that’s not my real name…”

“Is that so? You’ve gained more achievements using that name than your real one. It would be better for you if you were to be judged as Luna Nim Kak Pika.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s time to go.”

K24 lifted the oars on the ferry. Paddling through the Black Sea with it, their vessel flew forward, reaching the end of it in an instant.

Upon entering the white whirlpool waiting for them, an unexpected sight unfolded before him.

They were transported into a building with an extremely long queue. People like K24 guided them.

Luna Nim Kak Pika listened to their conversations for a moment.

“What’s going to happen to me?”

“Go to the fourth floor. You’ll be getting your verdict there, but you’re probably going to the Demon Realm.”

“What?”

“Two murders, fourteen rapes, twenty-three thefts… There’s really nothing to argue about it. Come on, let’s go.”

“I-I’m going to go somewhere else!”

The man tried to run away. The grim reaper stretched out her hand, her nails turning into claws long enough to pierce through his limbs.

She then dragged him into the elevator.

Luna Nim Kak Pika gulped, looking at K24.

“What kind of place is the Demon Realm?”

“Think of it as hell. Souls sent there are finely ground and used as fertilizers.”

“Oh…”

“There’s no need to worry. You won’t go to the Demon Realm.”

K24’s words made him feel relieved. Perhaps due to the long queue, he was guided to a place with no people at all. They boarded a special elevator and reached the 43rd floor immediately.

Ting!

As the door opened, he was met with yet another different landscape. The floor was made of what looked like cumulus clouds floating in the blue sky. It was hard to believe they were still inside a building.

In there, he noticed a woman wearing a sacred-looking dress and sitting on a gigantic rainbow.

At first glance, she looked like a goddess.

“That’s all for me.” K24 bowed her head and withdrew.

Luna Nim Kak Pika gulped as he approached the goddess, who was enveloped in divine light. When it faded, her angelic face was finally revealed.

“Huh? Luna?”

‘Ah… She’s in the form of my favorite person!’ He rationalized.

Luna was surprised, but she didn’t show it.

“Luna Nim… Kak Pika. Welcome.”

“Oh, that’s…”

Hearing his gamer tag from Luna’s mouth itself felt a little strange.

“Why don’t you use your real name?”

“Well, K24 said using this one will be more advantageous for me…”

“… She’s quite the jester.” Luna sighed deeply and shook her head.

That name was already on his document, so there was no helping it now.

“What’s going to happen to me? Am I going to Heaven?”

“I’m sorry, but you’re not noble enough for that.”

“I’m not surprised.”

Just his nickname alone made him expect that answer.

“Luna Nim… The reason I brought Kak Pika here is to make a suggestion.”

“A suggestion?”

She looked quite melancholic.

“A place called Middle-World now needs your power, Luna Nim Kak Pika.

“Huh? Are they suffering from someone like the Demon King?”

Luna blinked at his remarks. Coughing to clear her mind, she nodded.

“… Well, there are indeed powerful monsters in there. You’ll be keeping your current body and memories. You’ll be able to enjoy a second life in another world! Isn’t that great?”

“Uh… What if I refuse?”

“In your current state, I think you’ll be reborn as an immortal beetle.”

He hated insects.

He reached a decision swiftly.

“I will accept the offer!”

“Okay! I’m glad you’re so enthusiastic!”

Kak Pika flinched, having shouted involuntarily. After a while, his vague expression returned.

Luna spread her hand, causing cards to appear in the air.

“This is a special reward for you.”

“Is it like a unique ability?”

“Yes. You just have to pick three cards.”

“Oh!”

Getting unfair abilities and entering another world!

This was a development he had seen a lot before.

He’d probably be a hero himself.

Luna Nim Kak Pika was already burning with a sense of duty.

He drew one at once.

[D+] Talent

Gives a decent level of talent and the ability to learn at a faster rate.

The first card he drew was a little vague.

He drew the second card.

[C] Power of Resilience

Grants superhuman level of energy.

“… What is this even supposed to mean?”

Luna gently avoided his gaze and held out the other cards.

He drew another card. This time, it glittered gold!

It had to be an unusual ability!

‘It’s definitely a rare card!’

Confident about this pick, he checked the contents of the card.

[A+] Foreign Affairs Master

Dangerous monsters, even of a highly vigilant heterogeneous race, are friendly towards the user. Grants the ability to use all languages to communicate with all extraterrestrial beings.

“Huh?”

“Wow. An A+ rank ability! Such skills are close to godly!”

Clap clap clap clap!

Luna applauded him exaggeratedly.

She looked very surprised, but he didn’t seem satisfied at all.

For a moment, silence enveloped them.

“… Now, it’s time to defeat powerful monsters and enjoy your new life in the Middle World, Luna Nim Kak Pika!”

“Huh? What did you just say?”

“You are the hope of Middle World!”

“No, wait—”

“Ah! We also added a game system to help you adapt! Adios!”

As Luna shook his hand, Luna Nim Kak Pika fell down to his new home dimension!

He arrived in a deep forest with a swarm of lights, feeling like he was deceived.

‘… This is better than being an insect, at least.’

Effortlessly, he comforted himself with such thoughts.

Almost as soon as he landed, an information window popped up in a similar way to New World.

‘I’m going to enjoy this to my heart’s content! After all, this world’s bound to grant me a harem!’

He trained the same way he would in New World, discovering skills and increasing his level.

Thanks to his D+ rank talent, he grew much faster than in the game. His physical abilities also rose sharply.

‘At this rate, I’m going to become the strongest in no time at all, am I?’

He could feel his pleasant harem life approaching.

As soon as he thought he was strong enough, he headed straight to the village.

“Oh my god!”

“Ugh!”

He heard screams and the sounds of battle echo.

‘A random event!’

Tracking down where it was coming from, Luna Nim Kak Pika immediately ran towards it, finding a huge monster attacking a carriage.

‘… A troll?’

A 3-meter beast swept through soldiers that looked like knights. Next to the wagon that had fallen over, a beautiful woman wept.

At first glance, she looked like a princess.

‘Can I defeat it?’

It would be his first time fighting against a troll.

Mustering up the courage to stand in front of it, he charged forward.

This was the standard harem route, after all.

“I’m here to help!”

“%$^$$%?”

The princess said something he couldn’t quite understand.

He wanted to tend to her, but his priority was to solve this predicament. With his fragile spear, he confronted the monster.

The troll stared blankly at him.

“… Handsome.”

“What?”

“Ah, we’ve finally met.”

He could communicate with the monster, most likely due to his A+ rank Foreign Affairs Master. As it looked at him in ecstasy, a huge number of monsters and heterogeneous races appeared from the forest.

The troll grabbed him and lifted him over his shoulder.

“Time to go home!”

“H-hey, wait…”

“Stop whining.”

The troll and monsters disappeared.

Natasha, the princess of the Eiron Kingdom, could only watch the scene in complete confusion. She had been summoned by the Holy Empire and was on her way to their capital to become a saintess.

‘He talked to that troll, and the other monsters followed him as well…’

Strange and unexpected events revolving around monsters and heterogeneous races had been occurring lately.

“D-Demon King!” Natasha exclaimed.

According to legend, the only being that could communicate with monsters was the Demon King. The knights also agreed with her, already fearing their fate.

“Let’s go, princess! We need to let the Holy Empire know!”

“The Demon King… Will humanity be able to survive?”

She looked at them with determination.

“I have now realized what my true mission is,” She said. “Make haste! To the Holy Empire!”

She was already acting like a saintess.

And Luna Nim Kak Pika was already acting like the Demon King.