The Novel’s Villain

6. The Case and the King (2)

“I will pluck out their eyes and tongue and display them in front of the castle so that they will never do such a thing again!”

“It’s not that bad. Just send them out.”

“How can you be so merciful?!”

Jin-woo saved the Snake Shield Guild Alliance. However, it wasn’t long after that it became difficult for them to survive on Korean land due to the strong pressure and various penalties applied to them for ridiculous reasons.

When Jin-woo asked for a general explanation, the General Manager told him about the JW Gate. Whether Jin-woo knew or not wasn’t important to him. He thought that it was only the duty of his existence to fulfill his orders. The JW Gate had the largest landmass ever discovered, and many powerful monsters were roaming within. It was an unknown world where many resources were still undiscovered.

The value couldn’t be expressed in numbers. Nevertheless, there was a different reason why development was so slow. It wasn’t just JW Gate’s problem.

“As you know, like all Gates, Earth’s materials decompose quickly. Because of that, it is difficult to get help with modern commodities, and there is a food shortage.”

Hearing what the General Manager said, he understood. The original story mentioned that people eat MREs (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) inside the Gate. Why would they have to eat MREs in a place full of animals and plants? All animals and plants inside the Gate were said to have poison that couldn’t be detoxified. It was the same for all Gates, not just the JW one. Fortunately, the water wasn’t poisonous, so there was no need to worry about the drink.

The clean water in the Gates was a popular item that was sold at a very high price for the rich. In any case, food had to be brought from Earth, and no matter how well the food was preserved, it would decompose rapidly over time. A research result said that the mana in the atmosphere caused it, but the researchers developed MREs through research to combat it.

It was the powdered food in the original story. The preservation date could be extended to about a week. The problem was that it was very expensive and had no taste. This technology was also owned by the Frontline Group, and it took quite a while to create, so it was expensive.

‘It’s 150,000 won for one meal…’

That was the cheapest salt-flavored package. It was said to taste like salt added to paper dissolved in water. Meat and ramen flavored packets cost more than 300,000 won. Food brought from the Earth disappeared in less than a day, so powdered food was essential if you went out on an expedition.

Of course, Earth food was continuously being served where Jin-woo stayed. It was because the food was brought in and cooked right away.

‘No one can even excavate or develop the Gates.’

Everything from Earth decomposed as soon as it entered the Gates. Even expensive devices with the latest technology couldn’t last long and had to be used as disposables, so developing the Gates cost an exorbitant amount of money. In the case of China, it was said that their government was pouring huge amounts of supplies and funds, but the limits were clear.

For this practical but unrealistic reason, even the JW Gate was still slow to develop. However, it was great that Lee Jin-woo came up with a city construction plan. It was the part that he didn’t have to worry about much.

The most important thing now was the Emperor of Greed.

“We will do everything we can to make sure there’s no disruption when you go out!”

The General Manager said so as he prostrated himself. There was an order to enter the hunting grounds, so everyone was forced to back off. Jin-woo was also very comfortable with it, but he wanted to compensate them for it. This was primarily because notoriety would probably affect the Honor Stack.

Let’s make it easy on them.

“It would be good for guilds whose turn has been pushed back to extend their stay by twice as much. Is it possible?”

“Just give me the orders!”

JW Golden Hunting Grounds. It was a place where all guilds in the world wanted to go, with more value than gold pouring out, and it was one of the reasons why JW was called El Dorado. It was so popular that all the guilds that entered the JW Gate flocked to it, but there was a joke that there were more people than monsters. Of course, the waiting time was quite long as the orders were full.

“Did you hear that?”

“Yes!”

“Make sure to completely clear the road where the Master is going out! And make them praise the master’s great mercy!”

The high-ranking judges withdrew with their heads down and began to run out of the hallway.

“Owoooooh!”

“Fulfill the orders!”

The high-ranking judges roared like fanatics, shouting and running away, following quickly behind by the lower-ranking judges. There were many judges because there were so many Mercenaries coming to JW Gate; it was like watching an army of heretics.

“…”

Having been within the Gate for many years, it was clear that their sense of reality had faded away. It was said that they swore to live in the Gate for the rest of their life because of go out without Jin-woo’s order.

‘Where did he get such experts?’

These high-ranking judges didn’t come from his networking. The General Manager had directly selected them, and it was decided solely based on skill and loyalty. It didn’t matter if they had a criminal record, a personality disorder, or were a psychopath. Because inside JW Gate, they became immune from obligation.

After receiving an education from the General Manager, no one could escape from Jin-woo. Everyone was praising him so much that his stomach felt sick. Yoo-na smiled slightly when she saw him.

“Fufufu, you are always great every time. It’s also the first time I’ve seen that expression, but it feels good.”

“Don’t make fun of me. It makes me sick.”

“You can hold on long enough. Haven’t you been doing well so far?”

“That’s true, but…”

He felt exhausted even though he didn’t do anything. JW Gate was the power and foundation of Lee Jin-woo. Lee Jin-woo’s main loyalists and key forces were mostly inside there. It was understandable that his power weakened the moment the Gate disappeared in the original story. Anyway, he managed to stop the General Manager from holding a festival for his return anniversary.

* * *

Rachel was experiencing a new world. Rather, it was right to say that she was dreaming. She was part of a well-known guild, but when her older sister, the previous guild master, died suddenly, it suffered a sharp decline. It was suspected that the Snake Shield Guild Alliance was behind it, but there was no evidence.

She had no choice but to cancel her quest to fill the vacancy of the guild master, and she was charged a huge penalty. She barely managed to operate the guild with a gate ticket with three years remaining in the renewal period as collateral. Still, it was only until yesterday that it reached its limit.

All the key members were scouted to the Snake Shield Guild Alliance, and now only those who were like family remained.

“That was true until yesterday! Uuh!”

Rachel couldn’t help but smile as she remembered the money in her guild account. Even after she paid off the debts, she had enough money to run the guild without any problems for a while. No, she even had enough money to bid for a Gate Ticket. She wondered if she was dreaming, but it was real no matter how many times she opened her eyes!

“Rachel, you seem to be in a good mood.”

“Is that bad? It’s all on a different level! Different level! Even Leader Moo-jin’s mouth is twitching.”

“It’s good, but…”

Unlike Rachel, Moo-jin looked cautious. Although the financial difficulties were immediately resolved, Moo-jin was still in deep thought. It wasn’t until he became a competent person that he realized the fear of money. A lot of money demanded a lot of sacrifice and responsibility. There was no such thing as a gift in the world.

It was even more so in the world of competent people.

“As you know, nothing is free in this world. Big money comes with great sacrifice. You have to weigh between money and life. Mercenaries are like that.”

“Isn’t that too negative? Mercenaries’ mortality rate has also decreased these days significantly…so sometimes mercenaries are safer. Even at international competitions. Yet people are dying to join the Knights.”

“But aren’t they still buried in the national cemetery? And the rewards are clear. But we often die like dogs. There are many times when even our bodies cannot be retrieved. Anyway, you seem so optimistic…”

“So far, there’s been a lot of bad things going on, so good things will happen! We already signed a contract, so we can’t go back. I’ll think about complicated things later.”

Moo-jin nodded. Rachel was right. He couldn’t go back as he had already signed the contract. He couldn’t afford the penalty even if he gave up not only his head but also those of his guild members. There was a saying like ‘Put your life on the line. You can’t go back to what you used to be.’

‘Yeah, I understand that, but…’

Moo-jin glanced at the greatsword next to him. It wasn’t something that could be obtained with money. He then turned his gaze to the guild members. Everyone was petting and stroking their equipment. They handled it very carefully, fearing that it might scratch.

‘What the hell is his intention?’

Moo-jin’s head was in throbbing pain. Could it be that he was driving the guild members he considered brothers to a very dangerous place? It was hard to say that it was simply entertainment for a conglomerate.

“Kugh. As expected from Mr. Jin-woo.”

“Wow, did you see the snakes’ faces? Huhu, it looked like they were going to pee themselves.”

“Kyaa! There’s food like this inside the Gate! Look at Mr. Jin-woo’s class.”

The guild members of the two guilds had been captivated by Lee Jin-woo. They were waiting very comfortably in front of the Golden Castle, the symbol of the current JW Gate. People dressed as maids carried high-quality wine around, filling their glasses. Rachel had already emptied her fourth glass, but Moo-jin just stared at her. She even hummed a song.

Moo-jin shook his head.

‘Those maids aren’t normal either.’

Moo-jin thought so while watching the maids. They each looked beautiful, but they were at least D+ ranked competent people. There was no sound at all as they moved. Considering that even their shadows were blurry, he was willing to bet they were assassins. The maid outfits also looked like they were made of high-quality materials. It was clear that it would easily block weapons without mana.

Moo-jin couldn’t relax at all. He wasn’t optimistic enough to drink in peace surrounded by competent people.

“Leader Moo-jin, if you don’t drink that, I will!”

“Well? I didn’t say I wouldn’t drink…”

“It’s already decomposing! What a waste.”

“Hmm…”

Moo-jin eventually handed the glass to Rachel. He had such a personality, but his calm when he went to work was amazing. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to survive. Rachel was a reliable Mercenary despite her young age. Moo-jin thought that talented people like Rachel were the real talents rather than those with strength.

“Get rid of your impressions. There’s no luxury like this. I can’t believe I am entering JW with a high pass! It’s a difficult place to visit even once in a lifetime.”

“Even if we had a ticket, we would have been rejected from the admission screening.”

“Right? The judges are famous for being bullies. In the past, there was a Mercenary who rebelled against being rejected and had his teeth smashed in. He’s still eating porridge.”

“It’s scary.”

“But, aren’t the judges incredibly nice to us? It’s the same to risk your life here and elsewhere. So let’s enjoy the moment.”

Rachel grinned. Moo-jin sighed slightly. It had been a long time since he had seen his guild members laughing and chatting brightly.

‘Maybe I was thinking too negatively as Rachel said…’

It was when Moo-jin thought so that he heard something moving vigorously in the distance. All the other guilds headed out were returning. Moo-jin wondered what happened, so he got up and approached. The same was true of Rachel, though she didn’t let go of the glass in her hand.

Moo-jin approached the person coming in from the outside. He was a warrior with the guild mark of a guild in the top ten domestic mercenary rankings. Even Moo-jin knew his face at a glance. Rachel spoke out first.

“Excuse me. What’s going on?”

“Hmm? About that…actually, it’s our guild’s turn to enter the hunting ground. The high-ranking judges came and canceled everything. They said there was an indefinite waiting time for entry.

“What?”

Rachel’s eyes widened at those words. All entries to the hunting grounds were postponed indefinitely.

“I don’t have any complaints since they guaranteed to double our current period of stay, though…what’s going on? That’s why the guild leaders are going to have a meeting with each other. Ah, it was nice to see a lot of people today…as you know, this week is the period for a large-scale regen, right?”

“Double, you say…? It’s still a big advantage.”

“Take care of yourself, too. The judges have been very violent these days.”

He nodded at Rachel’s words. The leadership meeting was clear about how to use the stay, which had doubled. Although there was some dissatisfaction, the atmosphere was generally understanding and welcoming. A large crowd went out and headed to the place where the tents were assembled. It was a large-scale residential facility built by guilds, large enough to accommodate thousands of people.

The square connected to the hunting ground was always crowded at any Gate, but now there wasn’t even a shadow to be found. The large JW Square was empty. The judges, dressed in white like priests, were running around, sweating profusely. They were moving so fast after images formed behind them.

“Empty the square!”

“Move quickly!”

“Who’s walking! Can’t you run?”

The famous lazy JW Gate judges ran around as if they were soldiers alongside the high-ranking judges. Moo-jin and Rachel stared blankly at the scene.

“What’s going on?”

“Well, it certainly doesn’t seem like a normal thing.”

“Can we stay here?”

“I guess so….”

Now, only Moo-jin and Rachel’s guilds remained. A maid quietly approached Moo-jin and Rachel. Unlike the others, she was wearing a white mask. She seemed to be on the same level as the high-ranking judges. Moo-jin felt her presence and stepped back as he was startled alongside Rachel. They wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t revealed her presence.

“You have to move soon, so tell them to get ready.”

The maid politely bowed her head and disappeared. The high-ranking judges and the maids stood in line and waited. The General Manager approached Moo-jin and Rachel.

“Hmm, you don’t seem very reliable at all. I don’t know why he’s picking up these low craps that aren’t even Knights…he must have great plans that I do not understand…”

The General Manager looked at Moo-jin and Rachel with cold eyes. Both of them trembled at the sensation of their whole body being frozen.

‘…The Knight Slayer.’

He was the general manager who didn’t even give a glance to the Mercenaries at the entrance. The look in his eyes made them realize that all the rumors about him were true. They didn’t know the details, but there was talk that he slaughtered several Knights in an informal confrontation. There was a retired Knight among the Japanese Knights, the man only had one arm, and the prevailing theory was that the General Manager had cut it off.

Even Moo-jin, with his strong determination, had no choice but to avoid eye contact. Rachel’s complexion had turned pale blue.

“Make sure you keep in mind who you dare serve.”

Moo-jin barely nodded, while Rachel nodded with a gulp. The General Manager frowned like he didn’t care for their look.

“Master is coming soon. Smile. Before I rip your lips off.”

Moo-jin and Rachel barely raised the corners of their lips. Their cheeks trembled as they tried to force a smile onto their hard faces. The two couldn’t untie their expression until Jin-woo came out.

The preparation time took longer than expected. It required time to get the clothes fit, and it felt they were doting on him more than outside the Gate.

‘Not bad.’

It was a D+ rank outfit. It was named the Black Emperor Set, which had great defense and durability and high elegance and charm. It was said to be a masterpiece made by braiding rare materials together. Jin-woo looked around the study for a while. It was packed with old books found at the Gate. Naturally, it was full of things that hadn’t yet been interpreted because it wasn’t of any language on Earth.

Although Daesun University was the best in Gate character interpretation, they weren’t as good as Jin-woo.

It was because he had the Magic Eye.

‘Hmm…’

It was all diaries and various books written by unknown people. Some books cursed the reader if interpreted carelessly, such as books that turned their tongue into stone, books that grew poisonous mushrooms on their skin, books that reversed gender, and the like.

To put it bluntly, if the main character wanted to make money, he could have made a lot to set up an appraisal company. This was why safe technical books with complete interpretation were of great value. There was even a famous anecdote that one of the famous Mercenaries grew old after mishandling a cursed book.

“Oh, this one seems okay?”

[C] Monster Cooking Encyclopedia

A book was written by a master of monster cuisine. Unusual energy was sleeping inside. C was a high rank rarely seen on Earth. It wasn’t even a cursed book, so he decided to learn it. It was too much to waste. He learned it quickly with the Magic Eye of information.

[C+] Enchanted Recipes

“The cooking process will be beautiful, and the result will be fascinating.”

A cooking skill that creates beautiful and fascinating dishes. It contains thousands of recipes left behind by a forgotten race.

This wasn’t just a recipe but almost alchemy. No matter what ingredients you used, you could get the best results. Plus, an enchanted recipe would have a special effect.

* Taste Increase (Enchanting Effect): Taste develops five times while eating.

* Charm Increase: Charm increases significantly while cooking.

* Writing Recipes: Write recipes for cooking. A special effect is given to dishes made based on the recipe. Stolen recipes do not affect.

It had turned into a pretty fun technique. Jin-woo barely cooked because he always ordered food while living alone. He thought it was a pretty practical technique, though, because sometimes he wanted to cook and eat something other than takeout.

Yoo-na entered the study.

“They’re ready. I stopped the General Manager from making a fuss.”

“Well done. They are nice people, but it’s a little noisy.”

“It’s said to be a simple farewell, but I couldn’t stop it. He said to regard it as their loyalty.”

He could stop it, but if he did, the General Manager would consider it a sign of his disloyalty and punish himself. He was such a person, after all. When Jin-woo went out, the high-ranking judges and maids sprinkled flower petals before him. As the General Manager clapped his hands with a big smile, the Mercenaries followed him awkwardly.

Everyone was smiling awkwardly. What kind of crazy sight was this?

Let’s get out of here quickly.

He purposely went out at a quick pace and finally headed for the hunting ground. He could barely shake off the burdensome gaze of the General Manager.

‘First, to a place with a low risk….’

The current destination was a place where the risk was low, but high-value things could be found. It was a bonanza among the hunting grounds of JW Gate that had been revealed only recently. It was such a popular place that there were more people than monsters, but now there wasn’t a single sign of civilization.

‘Controlling the hunting ground….’

He was controlling the hunting grounds! Difficult things were confined just to the games.