The Novel’s Villain

58. God-given task (2)

Jin-woo went back to the house supporting Hades, who had partly lost his mind. The psychological shock he sustained was severe enough to cause his bones to tremble.

“Ugh… It’s been a hundred years of hard work…”

He bet everything on this duel, using up all the money he had saved for training and empowering Radius. He even made him a specialized weapon.

With everything he had to offer already given, there would be no hope for him anymore if he lost this time.

In such a case, considering he was immortal, only eternal suffering awaited him.

Jin-woo felt sorry.

“Can’t Radius just recover and fight again in time?”

“Is that possible? He’s completely crumbled down…”

“Maybe… It’ll certainly be difficult.”

He couldn’t say anything hopeful.

Radius and his warriors laid like corpses in the World Tree Land hospital right now. They were in no shape to participate in the match tomorrow. Even if they regained consciousness, they wouldn’t be able to move, let alone compete.

Jin-woo thought about fighting on their behalf, but he was a god. He wasn’t allowed to.

Hades gave up.

“It’s okay. I’m already used to the pain… It’s been a while since I’ve had rest this good… It should be enough for me to somehow survive 300 years or so.”

But in truth, he would be in even deeper trouble if he lost. He was bound by a contract to retake the rights over the underworld, after all.

Jin-woo thought for a moment, then looked at him.

“Are there any conditions to becoming a god’s champion?”

“You have to be human.”

“Does the dimension they’re coming from matter?”

“It doesn’t, but… I shouldn’t recruit a live human being.”

Persephone would have a clear advantage against such an enemy since she had the operating rights to the underworld. All the souls in it were under her rule.

They’d never find heroes like Radius and his warriors again in time.

‘Well… .’

Jin-woo had numerous subordinates. Among the demons alone, there were already quite a few that were stronger than Radius. However, heterogeneous races such as demons couldn’t participate, and living humans were out of the question. The conditions were quite strict.

Finding a being that met all those requirements in a day was already impossible as it was, but they also had to be powerful to top it all off.

“Ah!”

There were such existences.

New World players.

They weren’t afraid of anything, including death, which they treated as nothing more than a joke.

They were true warriors who had accumulated a lot of experiences while traversing the Maze and the universe.

“Leave the combatants to me.”

“What?”

“You’re the god of the underworld, aren’t you? I’ll make sure you defeat Persephone.”

With a blank expression, Hades looked at Jin-woo as a halo of light seemingly appeared behind him. He felt infinitely grateful to him even though he was the reason they were in this position in the first place.

When Jin-woo returned to District 1’s underworld, Yoo-na immediately came to visit him.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Did I worry you?”

She looked quite concerned, which he thought was only natural. After all, he went into a portal to find the god of the underworld and didn’t contact her for several days. Considering how she was feeling, he thought he shouldn’t tell her he was busy playing games with Hades.

“The god of the underworld… Have you found him? He must be a dangerous being since he rules the afterlife of multiple dimensions.”

“Well… He’s certainly amazing.”

He was a great god, but not in a way Yoo-na would expect. When Jin-woo roughly filled her in about the situation, her expression became a little incomprehensible. She nodded nonetheless.

She didn’t need to understand. All that mattered for her was doing what he wanted.

“Alright. I’ll gather information about New World’s top players, then.”

“Can you finish it by today?”

“That wouldn’t be a problem.”

As always, Yoo-na was reliable.

She bowed slightly and immediately went to work. Afterward, Prof. Kim Dae-jin and his research team rushed towards Jin-woo.

“Your Majesty… No, Our God!”

Jin-woo’s title had changed.

The professor politely clasped his hands together while breathing raggedly. He clearly had something to ask of him.

“What’s going on?”

“Have you heard what happened to the testers you sent me?”

“Well, I heard they were involved in a terrible accident…”

“I don’t know why they did that. My team’s disassembling and examining the rides they tested as we speak. I’m guessing the mana engines caused an unidentified psychological effect on them.”

“Make sure word about it doesn’t spread.”

“Alright.”

Even Jin-woo didn’t know why they committed such an act. Hence, he decided to focus on covering it up for now.

“Their bodies, surprisingly enough, aren’t corporeal but something else entirely. We decided to call them ethereal bodies. Anyway, their physiques respond greatly to mana, and they change according to their hosts’ mental states.”

“Go on.”

“I think we can implement a groundbreaking alteration on them. Not even avatars will be a match to it.”

Jin-woo stared at Prof. Kim Dae-jin blankly.

Radius and his warriors had apparently fallen into a sense of loss after regaining consciousness. Remodeling them would also mean making up for what they had lost.

It would be easier for them to think of it as growth after overcoming their ordeals, which wouldn’t be entirely wrong anyway.

“If we leave them like this, they might fall into depression.”

“Let them know what you plan to do with them. If they agree, you have my permission to proceed.”

“We’ve already gotten their consent. We shall give them the power to become ever closer to godhood! Hahahaha!” Madness filled prof. Kim Dae-jin’s eyes as the researchers with him laughed quite maniacally with him.

‘Well… I’ll let them choose for themselves.’

It was their fault they got into an accident Jin-woo didn’t intend at all, anyway.

After waiting for a while, Yoo-na returned with the intel he requested. According to it, Kim Gun-joo was ranked first, while the One-Handed Swordsman had claimed second.

Bread Jam was also among the top placers.

‘It’ll be hard to deceive them.’

If Jin-woo had a little more time, he could’ve manipulated everyone into believing this was new content from New World. Unfortunately, since the duel was tomorrow, he thought it would be better to tell them the truth and ask for their cooperation directly instead. Of course, they’d be rewarded accordingly.

‘Kim Gun-joo’s also one of them.’

It would be a bit of a shameful tactic, but it seemed he could secretly participate. He needed insurance for their victory anyway, considering he didn’t know what Persephone, a malevolent and cunning goddess, had in mind.

“One-Handed Swordsman has become an overwhelming force.”

“Good.”

Having abandoned his two-handed sword style, he became stronger than before.

He was now truly Kim Gun-joo’s rival.

His growth was quite phenomenal.

New World players didn’t call him a boss monster for no reason. He was mentally powerful, and, above all else, his natural talent was outstanding.

One-Handed Swordsman was the best candidate for this job.

With time running out, Jin-woo thought it would be better to recruit him in person.

* * *

In the New World, the One-Handed Swordsman’s had great stature.

He made it his job to plunder battleships while destroying the weak Holy Union bastards. The looted vessels were then immediately taken to the Dark Eye and sold on the black market. That made earning dimensional gold coins a breeze.

He had essentially become a one-man army. Whenever his green spaceship appeared, even the huge battleships fled in fear.

But he was quite normal in reality.

“Delicious! I think jjajangmyeon is the best.”

Wendy’s eyes twinkled as she inhaled the scent of her food.

Kim Han-son smiled at her, the reason why he now went out often.

Recently, he even visited an amusement park. Much of his reluctance to leave his home had dissipated, which meant he could now go to pretty distant places.

“Han-son, what are you going to do today?”

“Well, I’m planning to kidnap some of the Holy Union bastards and sell them at the Dark Eye.”

“That’s a good plan.”

The two casually ate while talking about such bloody acts.

The vicious Pirate Guild manned the slave mining boats. They forced abducted players to mine, though they did release them upon reaching their quotas. Still, they were given no choice but to work since they held their beloved avatars hostage.

If they couldn’t meet their quotas, they would immediately be left floating aimlessly in space.

As soon as Han-son finished eating, he tried to return to New World, only to be stopped when Wendy stiffened, losing her proactive energy.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

When he shifted his gaze to where she was staring, he saw someone sitting on the sofa.

The One-Handed Swordsman couldn’t help but be surprised. They had already locked the front door and windows, and there was no one in their living room until now. It was as if they just suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

No, there was no sofa in his house in the first place.

“Great Emperor?”

Surprised, Wendy fell flat on the floor. It was the first time Han-son had seen her tremble.

“Kim Han-son, right?”

“Lee Jin-woo…?”

He didn’t find it hard to identify who he was.

No one on Earth didn’t know him, after all.

“Have a seat for now.”

Jin-woo’s subspace opened with a wave of his hand, releasing a luxury sofa right in front of him.

His actions momentarily stunned Han-son, finding everything unbelievable. After a while, he rubbed his eyes in hopes of confirming it was a dream, only to find out it was the exact opposite.

“How…”

“Oh, you know. Subspaces.”

“But isn’t that only accessible in New World?”

Jin-woo only smiled.

When Wendy reminded him of the Great Emperor’s instruction, he crawled over to the sofa. He sat down on it properly, allowing him to enjoy the great texture and amazing comfort it offered.

It didn’t take long for him to recognize what kind of leather it was.

“Ogre skin…?”

An item sold in New World.

“That’s right. Consider it my present to you.” Jin-woo chuckled.

From Han-son’s perspective, he sounded insane. Nevertheless, he still told him the summarized version of the truth, revealing that New World was real and was part of his territory and that he needed help conquering the underworld.

That just made him look even more shocked and dumbfounded, however. It was clear he couldn’t bring himself to believe his words.

“Let me show you.”

In times like this, it was better to demonstrate it to them in person.

Jin-woo took him to the moon, Middle-World, and several other dimensions. By the time they returned to his house, Han-son had already looked dejected.

“There really is life after death.”

“Yeah. I’ve already conquered Earth’s underworld.”

“A close friend I met in New World died of an illness… May I meet him?” He asked, his tone serious.

“What was his name in New World?”

“Luna Nim Kak Pika.”

Jin-woo was familiar with that gamer tag.

‘Isn’t that the name of the Middle-World’s new Demon King?’

“He’s been reincarnated and is currently working in one of the dimensions I rule. If you want, I’ll let you two meet.”

Only if he helped him, though.

“Of course, I’m not asking you to help me for free. You’ll be rewarded accordingly.”

“Rewarded?”

The One-Handed Swordsman was already making quite a lot of money, which meant anything that could be bought with it could no longer be used as compensation for his hard work. Hence, aside from promising him a comfortable afterlife, he made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Han-son’s physique always made him uncomfortable, but that alone was easy to fix with enough effort and resources. Jin-woo sweetened the reward by offering to transfer his avatar’s powers to his actual body as well.

He didn’t have to think about it for too long.

“I’ll do it.”

“I’m glad you didn’t have a hard time making the right decision.”

Jin-woo smiled as they shook hands.

[Kim Han-son (One-Handed Swordsman) has been recruited.]

[Kim Hanson has acquired a new title.]

*[A] The Great Emperor’s Mercenary

“Can I bring all my gear?”

Jin-woo nodded.

It wasn’t part of their agreement, but he thought it wouldn’t be a problem.

“Sure. Also, if you lack anything, let me know. I’m here to support you.”

“Thank you.”

Combining his ability to grow and learn faster with his innate talent, the One-Handed Swordsman reached A rank in no time at all, and he continued to rise rapidly.

Regardless, even if he stopped becoming stronger right now, it wouldn’t matter that much since he was already stronger than Radius. Radius had many experiences, but he would still be no match against someone who had already explored the universe.

‘Everything’s going according to plan.’

Jin-woo felt extremely reassured.

He connected Han-son to his avatar, the One-Handed Swordsman. Afterward, he brought him along to recruit New World players, thinking it would be more convenient to use him as an example to make them understand than to explain everything verbally.

The moment he merged with his avatar, however, his personality changed completely.

He now acted just like he did in New World.

They arrived in front of another New World player’s house.

“This is where the fourth-ranked lives,” Jin-woo said, checking the intel he received. He already felt a presence within its walls when they arrived, but there was no response when he rang the doorbell.

‘I should just go inside.’

The One-Handed Swordsman acted faster, however.

After staring at the locked front door for a moment, he simply kicked it with enough strength to force it open. Creaking slightly, it bounced inwards and hit the wall.

Cutting his shower short, the man hastily wore clothes and went outside the bathroom upon hearing the commotion, the sight that dawned upon him causing him to freeze.

The One-Handed Swordsman approached him.

“You live for battle and death, do you not?! That’s why only the blood that wets the earthen ground can comfort true warriors like you! This isn’t the time to hesitate! A great mission has fallen upon us, and a storm of red shall soon follow it!”

“O-One-Handed Swordsman?”

The man recognized him with ease. He didn’t expose himself as much since he was in the real world, but his outfit still looked terrible, only consisting of a green cloak and tight green shorts.

“Archmage Strawberry Underwear. Join the Underworld Conquerors.” Han-son said, grabbing his shoulder.

“Ah…”

He pushed him with so much force he nodded involuntarily.

[Strawberry Underwear has joined the Underworld Conquerors.]

Before Jin-woo knew it, they had already decided on their group’s name. He watched the scene unfold blankly, unable to even process what just happened. The recruitments proceeded quickly because of the One-Handed Swordsman.

Their last candidate was an old man enjoying New World during his retirement. Currently, he was tending to his garden joyfully under the clear weather.

The sky suddenly darkened, and a storm broke out.

Rumble!

Lightning struck one of the trees, causing it to burst into flames.

“Hear me!”

The old man stared blankly at the person coming down from the sky with open arms.

“You have made the skies howl by wasting your retirement on your flower garden! Can you not hear the melancholic woes of the darkness?!”

As Strawberry Underwear stretched out his hands, and ice fell all over him.

“Gasp!”

The old man was so startled he fell backward. But the commotion didn’t end there.

A large wall exploded, revealing the One-Handed Swordsman beyond the dust clouds. He looked at the field of floras, then to him.

“Flower garden after retirement?! That’s not who you are, Heartless Poison Slaughterer! I know your heart craves violence more than everyone out there! Do not suppress your killing instinct! Join the Underworld Conquerors!”

As the One-Handed Swordsman spread his arms, players in black robes appeared behind him, all posing quite oddly.

“Come! We shall feast in the underworld tonight!”

“Join!”

“The!”

“Invincible!”

“The Underworld Conquerors!”

Pillars of fire and ice rose from behind them as they roared.

It was a tremendous force.

The old man had no choice but to nod with a blank expression.

‘… Is this really a good thing?’

Jin-woo shook his head flutteringly.

Why did Han-son change so much after he merged with his avatar?

It truly was a mystery, but it was already too late to regret what he had done.

[Flower Garden Retiree has joined the Underworld Conquerors.]

‘I thought we wouldn’t have enough time, but…’

In less than a day, they were able to recruit them all.