The Novel’s Villain

35. Constellation (1)

The Land of Healing event ended with only the players running wild in swimsuits. It wasn’t the Land of Healing, but the Land of Killing. It went in a completely different direction than originally intended, but fortunately, the profits were much higher than expected. It was mostly evaluated as a satisfactory event.

Jin-woo was ready to go back to being an unemployed man. He opened the drawer and searched deep into it. A sweatshirt came out, the same he had worn last time, but it was left in the corner of the drawer and was crumpled.

‘Perfect.’

It couldn’t have been more perfect. Jin-woo immediately changed. He closed the curtains and turned on the computer. His luck was so high that games felt boring, but he still wanted to play it after a long time. If it was a game like AOS, he thought it would be okay to have high luck. However, Jin-woo couldn’t access the games that he enjoyed in the past.

[End of Service] Thank you for using League of Storm.

[End of Service] Notice for service termination of DIABLE 4 PC and mobile.

All of them gave him notices of service termination. All were very popular internationally, known for even being in competitions, so it came as a bit of a surprise. Yet, Jin-woo could easily guess the cause.

‘It’s because of the New World.’

Sales had slumped after The Maze: New World came out. The fatal effect was that people’s interest completely evaporated. The Maze: New World was so powerful that there was no competition. Who could create a virtual reality like G&P? The Real’s unique game engine, which had been sold at a very high price not long ago, had already become a relic of the old era.

Jin-woo felt a little guilty as game companies showed signs of going bankrupt one after another.

“I can’t help it.”

He couldn’t help it. He had no choice but to buy everything. He contacted Yoo-na and gave her instructions. It was inevitable to be eliminated if you couldn’t keep up with the changes, but this wasn’t a change. It was more like Jin-woo finding a cheat key.

“I’ll have to find a win-win solution.”‘

It was done for world peace, but the ripple effect was enormous. Of course, Jin-woo didn’t have to think about finding a way. After all, he had many talented subordinates, including Yoo-na.

‘Let’s give the order first.’

Jin-woo gave the order and goofed around with nothing to do.

‘I have nothing to do, but it’s so good, isn’t it?’

He felt bored because he had nothing to do! It was just right. He felt like he was being healed by staying still. Jin-woo just wandered around the internet without any purpose. He found a free fortune-telling site and tried tarot divination. It was when Jin-woo was killing time like that.

Knock-knock!

When Jin-woo said to come in, Yoo-na opened the door and came in. It was less than half a day after the order was issued.

“We have implemented everything you ordered.”

“Really? That’s fast.”

“The head of the research team, Kim Se-yeon, has started researching the development kit. When the development kit is released, it seems that ordinary game developers will be able to participate in the New World.”

Jin-woo nodded. If that happened, The Maze: New World would be richer, and the burden on Luna would be reduced a lot. Although Luna was a game maniac, she was no better than active developers. She was covering it with her Goddess abilities.

“And….”

“Umm?”

Yoo-na blurred the end of the sentence. Jin-woo predicted an ominous response. Yoo-na nodded when Jin-woo raised his hand and made a gesture not to talk. However, Jin-woo soon had no choice but to soon sigh and look at her.

“What else is going on?”

“This happened after the Land of Healing test.”

There was a time when Jin-woo first made a space using Haruring and invited all his subordinates there. He went there to heal, but he had to watch the beach break in half and the cliffs collapsing. The heat was so high that it was hard to stop. So, Jin-woo just sneaked out.

“That event has intensified the competition between dimensions. Under your command, there will be no armed conflict, but the atmosphere is overheated, which will seem to interfere with the development and progress of the game.”

“Umm…”

When they first gathered, it wasn’t noticeable because they shared a serious topic. However, when they gathered for the second time, there was indeed something like that. They were from completely different dimensions. It was really difficult to see angels and demons work well because they belonged to the same affiliation. After all, they had spent countless years as enemies.

The NPCs in the Maze: New World had adapted and managed to get along well, but the leaders in each dimension were not. They wanted to compete and win, but thanks to Jin-woo, they couldn’t show it. However, it exploded during the last Land of Healing test. All of them had a great desire to be recognized by Jin-woo.

It was also the big reason why Jin-woo didn’t arrange their ranks.

“Right. They gathered from various dimensions, so that’s understandable.”

As for the dimensions they belonged to, Earth, the Middle World, Elonti, the Demon Realm, and Heaven. It was good to feel proud of one’s dimension. Competition couldn’t be considered bad unless there was a war.

‘If it can’t be stopped, can’t it be used beneficially?’

While satisfying the desire for competition, Jin-woo wanted to use it in a way that would have a positive impact on The Maze: New World. There must be a way, but he couldn’t think of anything.

“Sorry for interrupting your break.”

“No. I’m glad I found it out before it’s too late.”

Jin-woo stared blankly at the computer screen, feeling stuck at a crossroads. Yoo-na also changed into a sweatshirt and sat down next to Jin-woo.

“Have you been watching this?”

“It’s good to kill time.”

“Constellation compatibility… it reminds me of the old days.”

Yoo-na smiled and looked at the fortune-telling site that appeared on the monitor screen. Then, she put on a serious expression.

“Young Master is a Leo. I am a Sagittarius.”

“Is that so?”

Yoo-na seemed satisfied with the result.

‘Constellation?’

When he saw the constellations, Jin-woo suddenly thought of something. It was from a side story of the original novel. It was also a material that appeared countless times in other fantasy novels. It could prove beneficial to New World while inducing good competition.

Jin-woo nodded.

“I’m going to the central control room.”

“Yes, I understand.”

It seemed that he had to put off his break.

* * *

Jin-woo talked with Luna and Se-yeon in the central control room. They immediately started researching based on Jin-woo’s idea. After a while, the results came out. By making a large investment, they could come to the test stage without any major problems. Jin-woo summoned everyone right away.

Representatives of each dimension gathered in a spacious conference room in the Sanctuary. They were divided by dimension and sat down. The Earth representatives were the General Manager, his high-ranking judges, and Heo-young. Heo-young stuck to the Earth, appearing to like it.

The Heaven consisted of Luna, the Chief Archangel, and the angels, and the Demon Realm consisted of high-ranking demons such as Sarah Vriac, Gallord, and Lilith. Ella and Delu represented Elonti, but Gallock also joined them. The Middle World had Arcana, Ariel, and the Golden Angels. The other forces included Degurron, Arina, Maze, Se-yeon, and the Magical Girls.

Everyone was nervous when they saw Jin-woo. His vacation ended because of them, and everyone knew well what the consequences would be if Jin-woo got angry. Jin-woo glanced around at the people gathered.

“Let’s talk.”

Of course, he wasn’t angry. They were the subordinates who had made great efforts for him until now. Jin-woo listened to his subordinates. In summary, they wanted to sort out which dimension was superior. If each other’s great forces collide, a situation like the Land of Healing will occur, so they were currently only engaged in a war of nerves. It wasn’t resolved and was gradually accumulating.

“Then, let me make a suggestion.”

Everyone’s eyes were focused on Jin-woo. It came to his mind when he saw the constellations on the fortune-telling site.

“It’s the Constellation System.”

Constellation System, a dimensional competition system using players. High-ranking beings from each dimension selected players and supported them. Players could choose which dimension they belonged to and points accumulated as they broke through the Maze or made achievements. Then, the scores would be aggregated for every quarter, and the ranking was determined based on the results.

It was a fusion of Heaven’s revelation system. Luna also gave blessings and skills to the Middle World through the revelation system, which she brought to the central control room and copied. It was easy to understand if it was thought of as Internet broadcasting. The transcendent beings would watch over the players and provide support if they liked them.

“Fufufu! It’s a proxy war through authority! This is a stage for me!”

“We can convey the doctrine of Heaven.”

Sarah Vriac and the Chief Archangel nodded. Everyone was very interested. Establishing authority and agents to wage a proxy war! A war where faith and will collided! It was possible to test objectively by giving players abilities and feeling vicarious satisfaction through observation.

When Jin-woo looked at Yoo-na, she handed out the books she had prepared in advance. It was a guidebook titled ‘Basic Rules of the Constellation,’ which contained Jin-woo’s opinion. Everyone started reading the guidebook seriously, even Luna and the General Manager. It was something everyone had to participate in.

Lilith raised her hand while reading the guidebook.

“My Lord Emperor, are we choosing our nickname?”

“No, I will decide for you.”

When Jin-woo looked at Se-yeon, she took out bracelets from her bag. It was an artifact that could be connected to the player’s avatar. It made it possible to observe the players they selected in real-time, and there was also a function to send quests and rewards, but dimensional gold coins were consumed. When a name was registered on the bracelet, the nickname would be automatically determined by analyzing the information.

This part contained the Golden Power.

“It is still for testing, so there are things to improve. You will see the finished product soon.”

Kim Se-yeon handed out the bracelet to each one of them as she explained. Ella immediately put on the bracelet. When she pressed the button on the bracelet, a hologram appeared. Ella was the first to enter her name.

[Analyze the information of the new Constellation.]

[The analysis is complete.]

[A new constellation has appeared in the Maze: New World!]

[Master of the Spirit Absorbing Forest (Elonti, Ella)]

“I-I think the nickname is a little weird.”

Ella’s nickname appeared on everyone’s bracelet. Everyone turned their heads and looked at Ella, embarrassing her further, but she understood and nodded. After all, it was a nickname that really suited her.

Everyone registered their names. General Manager was the Shadow of Loyalty, and Lilith was the Demon of Fantasy and Regression. Ariel was the Golden Giant. Once the nickname was set, it couldn’t be changed, and the real name that appeared next to the nickname was hidden, so players couldn’t read it.

“Fufufu! I should pick the ones that I can use quickly. I will make invincible seeds that match me!”

“We angels have been selecting heroes for a long time. The ranking has already been decided.”

“Wow! I’ll pick tall guys no matter what.”

The response was very good. Everyone was burning with enthusiasm about the Constellation system. Many of them had already entered the operation planning stage. Jin-woo smiled and nodded. It was a rushed plan, but he thought it was plausible.

Se-yeon looked at Jin-woo.

“Sir, shall we proceed with the test?”

“Umm, since everyone has all gathered, let’s do it.”

“Yes!”

Although the system was built and Se-yeon checked it herself, it had never been actually tested. Jin-woo decided to test it with Kim Emperor. Jin-woo immediately came in as Kim Emperor. The avatar felt a bit awkward, but he soon grew used to it. Suddenly, he thought it would be fun to take it to Earth or another dimension.

‘Come to think of it, it feels like a game, but it is reality.’

As it was real, of course, he could bring the avatar to Earth. Jin-woo’s subordinates returned to their respective dimensions. Since the Maze had been placed on establishing communication, it was possible to connect in real-time without problems. The test was conducted in the central control room.

“Sir, then, I’ll connect you!”

When Se-yeon pressed the button, the words Constellation System appeared on the screen. After updating some fixes, it worked perfectly. It was in the test stage, but it was already excellent. It was now good enough to be applied to The Maze: New World.

“Heaven, Demon Realm, Middle World, Elonti, JW Gate, and the Golden Sanctuary are all connected!”

“Okay, then let’s see how it applies to the avatar.”

“Yes!”

After waiting for a while, Jin-woo felt like someone was watching him.

[The Demon of Fantasy and Regression (Lilith, Demon Realm) admires you. She gives you the power of fantasy and an item, ‘Whip of Pain.’]

[The Shadow of Loyalty (General Manager, Earth) bows his head to you. He grants you the skill ‘Limit Break.’]

[The Bloody Dragon (Arcana, Middle-World) is shy. She grants you the skill ‘Dance of Love.’ She gives you the item ‘Bouquet’ as a gift. She wants to whisper her love to you but has begun to spit up blood.]

[The Empress of Flaws (Sarah Vriac, Demon Realm) appears secretly. She grants you the skill ‘False Dark Magic.’ She calls it the best magic in the Demon Realm.]

[The Light of Balance (The Chief Archangel, Heaven) respects you. He grants you the skill ‘Holy Magic.’ He warns the Empress of Flaw. The Empress of Flaws lightly ignores it.]

[The Golden Giant (Ariel, Middle World) looks at you with sparkling eyes. She grants you the skill ‘Power of Growth’]

[The Actress of Vanity (Ahn Heo-young, Earth) greets you. She grants you the skill ‘Acting Power.’]

The letters that appeared were visible. They were all different colors, as if representing the characteristics of the Constellation, and the letters wriggled as if they were alive. Kim Emperor could see the nickname and affiliation, but he couldn’t see the real names. All the Constellations gave power to Jin-woo’s avatar. There were no restrictions on giving abilities or items like this. Once players decided on their affiliation, the restrictions could be put in through the contract, but until then, they were free.

Constellations could also cooperate or betray each other. That was the beauty of the Constellation System.

‘There is a good thing about the avatar.’

The Emperor of Gold was still working, but it didn’t transform the skill or anything. It didn’t seem to feel the value of interfering as it was only an avatar. Looking at the body, Kim Emperor saw tattoos representing the Constellation appearing on his skin. Many tattoos were engraved, but they didn’t look messy. Rather, they harmonized with each other.

Skills were expressed in tattoos and stigmas. Thanks to this, players could use it even if they didn’t understand the principle of the technique. Jin-woo decided to check whether the given skill was properly implemented. He used the power granted by the Master of the Spirit Absorbing Forest (Ella, Elonti). It was Light Spirit Magic.

Whoosh!

A summoning circle appeared in front of Jin-woo, and a small pool of light erupted.

“Oh….”

It was such a normal Spirit Magic! Jin-woo was touched. He could use ordinary Spirit Magic now without the Emperor of Gold interfering! His other skills also worked normally.

“Is this okay?”

“Fortunately, it’s working well. The connection with the avatar is also normal. You can continue to use it as long as the Constellations do not retrieve the stigmas.”

The Maze: New World lacked such fantasy-like skills. Players had to learn it physically to get a rank even though the instructors were teaching it. The Constellation system made the game richer. As there were many players, it was also considered to increase the number of Constellations a bit. In the case of low-ranked ones among high-ranking demons, it was planned to let them interfere as minions belonging to the Constellations.

“Are we going to hold an event like the Land of Nightmare and the Land of Killi…I mean, Land of Healing?”

“No, I think we can just proceed.”

The Constellations were secret beings. Their nature didn’t match a public event. Jin-woo thought it would be better to approach it as an element that already existed in The Maze: New World.

* * *

The Constellation System had been quietly updated. The Constellations opened their eyes and began to find the right talent for them. Immediately, those who were scouted by the Constellations began to appear. The community site went crazy as information about the Constellations spread.

Title: Wow, Amazing

Written by: Letz be Friends

Guys, I was chosen by the Wind’s Puppet. I don’t think it’s a Constellation, but the powers seem fine to me. I can summon low-ranked Wind Spirits. It’s really pretty.

[Low-Ranked Wind Spirit.jpg]

The power is fcking great.

F+ rank monsters just melt.

I belong to Elonti. It seems to have been named after Elonti Entertainment. The name is very pretty.

1,231 Comments

Shovelman: Country forest guy. It smells vulgar.

└Letz be Friends (Author): Why are you picking a fight?

└Shovelman: I will kill you according to Lord Gallord’s orders.

└Letz be Friends (Author): You’re crazy.

Archery: Long live Elonti! That Shovelman, I think that Shovelman belongs to the Demon Realm. Let’s bring justice when we see him!

└Shovelman: Why are you picking a fight?

Rollable Brain: Isn’t Middle World the best? That’s insignificant Spirit Magic.

└Let’s be Friends(Author): What village is it?

LadyLunaGasp: Don’t fight. Let’s keep the balance of the New World.

└Shovelman: This lewd smell… it smells like stupid pigeons. I will find and kill you.

The players immersed themselves in the role very well. The Maze: New World was dyed with chaos.