Chapter 160

47. Cosmic Disaster (1)

As a slight understatement, the premiere was well-received. The beauty of the new director Lilith and the actors quickly grew into a hot topic, and the movie was so high quality and fun that it didn’t lag in conversation. No matter how much the media was bribed to write good articles, it would only be counterproductive if the movie was bad. However, as it was so good that it couldn’t be compared with existing Hollywood movies, those articles didn’t appear to be enough.

But the real results were shown in movie reviews. A Hero Story broke the box office record and continued to break new records every day. Since it was released simultaneously worldwide on two Earths, the amount of money earned was doubled.

Reporter and Critic’s Score

(9.5/10) A successful start to the trilogy!

(9.5/10) A saga of a hero who awakens again. The start of new wind in the film industry.

(9.5/10) Very satisfying for one’s eyes, ears, and even the mind.

Audience’s Score

(10/10) Park Myung-seok gave it 9.5 points. Run.

(10/10) It’s CG, right? I was surprised at how realistic it was. The actors are so cool, and the acting is no joke! Above all, it’s so much fun!

(10/10) Three hours feel like 1 minute. It’s my 6th time watching it, and I’m going to watch it again.

(10/10) My mind is full of A Hero Story! A novel was written by a Korean writer turning into a box office hit. LOL. Is this a parallel world?

Of course, the reviews from critics and audiences alike were positive. It was a successful beginning for the A Hero Story Trilogy, and the amount it earned was huge. A veritable hoard remained even after giving exceptional bonuses to his subordinates, Young-hoon, and the general staff.

Jin-woo expanded the moon base by exchanging the money for dimensional gold coins and set up a film studio with Lilith as the head. With this added investment, Lilith burned with a sense of duty. Jin-woo didn’t care whether she made a movie or threw a party with the money, but Lilith made a production plan and reported it to Jin-woo.

‘After A Hero Story…’

Even after the trilogy was concluded, the next production schedule was set. It was a collaborative work that all dimensions cooperated with, and the money earned was enormous, so everyone was motivated. The next project after A Hero Story was to be the Secret Martial Art.

‘Will it be okay?’

Both the succubae and the incubi would be deployed for that one. Besides, Nangong Hui would take the lead as the main character. Nangong Hui, having fallen in love with Lilith, naturally came directly under Jin-woo. He had received adaptation training and was ready to do anything for Lilith.

Anyway, at its core, it was still a martial arts movie, so Jin-woo thought it would be fine. Indeed, he wondered how it would be made into a movie.

‘I should go to meet Young-hoon.’

Jin-woo headed to the moon base. Having successfully entered Hollywood, all of Young-hoon’s wishes had come true. He found the author in his studio. After returning from Hollywood, Young-hoon went back to work right away.

The studio was burning with unusual heat, to the point it looked as if a fire was rising from Young-hoon’s studio. It was a very desirable sight for JW Books.

“Mr. Author, how’s your work going?”

“Good, Team Manager!”

Young-hoon hadn’t changed a bit. He didn’t become arrogant at all. Rather, he was burning with the will to write his next novel better. Zhuge Mi-xian’s whipping likely played a major role.

“The next project is coming to an end soon. Shouldn’t you consider taking a vacation?”

“It’s okay! I just went home yesterday!”

“Then you should have rested…”

“Ah… about that…”

Young-hoon laughed awkwardly.

“I was going to sleep, but… I can’t sleep if I’m not here. Should I say it’s quiet here? And since she is here…”

“I see.”

Jin-woo looked at Young-hoon’s status. He suffered from Whip Addiction.

“You made it to Hollywood, and your wish came true… what do you think?”

“That’s right. That was my wish…”

Young-hoon didn’t seem to realize that his wish had come true. Now he had a bigger goal and a bigger wish.

‘Is it a wish because it cannot come true?’

Jin-woo thought so and nodded. As soon as Young-hoon realized that his wish had come true, information immediately appeared in his mind.

[Young-hoon’s wish has come true. The laptop and the Fragment of Wish have been separated.]

[Experience increases.]

Everything else aside, Jin-woo was satisfied with the results.

“Ah! Have I ever told you about my wish?”

Jin-woo smiled at Young-hoon and left the base. There was no place like the moon to work quietly. The moon outside the shield was silent. It felt a little suffocating at first, but now Jin-woo sometimes came to take a nap out there. It was perfect when he wanted to think about something.

Jin-woo took out Young-hoon’s laptop from the subspace.

Crack!

Tugging at it, the fragment came out easily. The laptop completely turned to dust and disappeared.

‘A fragment of the Devil and Emperor, huh…?’

It looked like the fragments of the Devil and Emperor had become one. Jin-woo examined the fragment for a moment and then absorbed it. It had lost its energy completely, but the resistance it offered was still tough. Jin-woo’s hand trembled as mana erupted out in all directions.

Paaasssh!

The shield placed around the moon’s base shook under its power. Jin-woo moved to the far side of the moon, worried it might be destroyed if he continued. The ground trembled with Jin-woo at the center.

‘It’s resisting a lot.’

It was tough for a fragment without energy. Indeed, it was still in a state where the fragments of the Devil and an Emperor had been merged. Jin-woo grabbed it with both hands and evoked his mana. It soared over the moon with a flash of light, making it appear there was a second sun for a brief moment.

After the explosion, the space in front of Jin-woo had been torn apart, creating a huge crack. It stretched to outer space, centering on the moon’s surface. It was a dimensional rift. It didn’t disappear immediately, however, indicating it was at least partially stable. It must lead to a neighboring dimension.

Jin-woo checked the information that came from his Magic Eye.

[You have absorbed the Fragment of Wish.]

[You earned a lot of experience. The Great Emperor’s authority has risen.]

*[-SSS] Ruler of Evil

Dimensional ruler, moving despair, cosmic disaster.

All powers rise, and you can leap dimensions at any time without going through the Sanctuary. As long as there is an image in mind, you can move anywhere immediately.

You can use the power of domination by using dimensional gold coins. It is possible to control all objects. However, they are given a form and power resembling the Great Emperor’s origin.

It worked similarly to the powers he originally had but reinforced. It wasn’t limited to an Emperor or an item anymore; he could control even ordinary objects.

‘Should I try it?’

He was quite curious about how that would work. Jin-woo produced his smartphone from the subspace, thinking about testing it out. It was a G&P smartphone that was durable enough to withstand the moon’s harsh environment. Jin-woo used the power of domination on it, permeating it with his mana.

‘Oh…’

Jin-woo’s smartphone turned black. It was so completely dark that it felt like he was looking into outer space.

‘But there is no screen.’

It looked like a black brick. It projected an evil aura for some reason, but he thought it was just his imagination. Jin-woo fiddled with his cell phone and tapped it several times. Then, a list of calls was engraved on the black surface. It looked as if it were embossed in real-time on a black stone tablet.

‘This is disappointing…’

He thought domination would transform it into something grand, but its performance seemed to have degraded, if anything. It was disappointing for the power obtained by absorbing the fragment of the Devil and an Emperor.

Jin-woo was about to put the cell phone away, but he tried to dial Richard’s number once as a test. He was on the moon, so he was skeptical about whether he could make the call at all.

‘Umm?’

The cell phone vibrated. Then, the black surface cracked, and light spewed out. It split into several pieces and then tangled back up, creating a new form. It was round in shape, with a hole in the middle and images of horned monsters engraved on the surface. He couldn’t deny how sinister it appeared.

[Trying to connect.]

Those letters engraved themselves in the air, and purple smoke erupted from the strangely transformed cell phone. It formed a small sphere, then swirled and grew rapidly.

‘What is this?’

When Jin-woo peered closer, the vortex disappeared, and the space opened, illuminating a conference hall. Richard was inside, standing before a man who seemed to be from the Middle East. However, the Middle Eastern figure was seating in a fancy chair. He looked pretty arrogant.

Richard’s head turned sideways, and his eyes met with Jin-woo’s. The same was true for the man he was meeting.

“G-gasp!”

Richard couldn’t help but be surprised to see Jin-woo floating in the air. Surrounded by purple smoke, he looked so evil that it far exceeded the figure of the Great Demon he had imagined. He must have descended to Earth right from Hell!

The person sitting in front of Richard was the world-famous Crown Prince Altani. Shocked, the prince fell from his chair and pointed.

“D-d-demon?!”

He had lived without fear or concern in the world, but the moment he saw the purple demon’s figure, his body trembled, and he peed himself. What else did he need to say after seeing that demon?

[It’s connected. Have a great conversation.]

The purple smoke slowly disappeared. Jin-woo tried to reach out, wondering if it was a hologram. He felt warm air wafting around him.

“Umm?”

Clank-clank-clank!

When the purple smoke completely disappeared, the teacup in front of Altani shook violently. Then, it was pulled towards Jin-woo. The table swung over and flew behind Jin-woo. He turned his head and looked at the levitating objects for a moment.

‘It’s not…’

It wasn’t a hologram. Their spaces were connected by a real portal. Could this still be referred to as a phone call? The Great Emperor made calls as if they were real! Such a foolish thought came to mind.

But it was clear why things were being sucked in. Jin-woo was currently on the moon. Everything in the room was pulled toward him.

“Uh-uaaaargh!”

Altani screamed. His body passed Jin-woo and was exposed to the void of space. The last thing he saw before momentarily blacking out was the dark of outer space and the moon’s surface. Likewise, Richard was pulled toward Jin-woo’s. He quickly grabbed the senator’s legs and pulled him back in. Then, he hung up the call.

Richard was fine, but Altani was not in good shape. He still had his mind about him, but he needed treatment. Jin-woo took out a potion and fed it to Richard. As he was about to heal Altani, Richard carefully reached out a hand.

“I-I’ll feed him.”

Richard fed the potion to Altani, returning the prince’s condition to normal. Fortunately, there were no further damages. The bodyguards tried to come in to investigate the sudden commotion, but Altani sent them back with his voice trembling.

Jin-woo apologized to Altani.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“N-n-nevermind. I-I-I should h-have b-believed it.”

Jin-woo felt very sorry. He frowned, glancing at the smartphone he still held.

[C] Call of Evil

‘Behold the one who will rule over you.’

A G&P smartphone transformed by the power of domination. It connects between spaces, putting two people face-to-face for a conversation. It shows the majestic Grand Emperor’s figure during a phone call.

Jin-woo turned to regard Richard. It had changed horribly. In Altani’s eyes, it could only be seen as the key to opening hell.

“Sorry. Was this an important meeting?”

“No! It’s only something trivial! Nothing to worry about.”

If he was talking to Richard, a politician, it was probably not trivial. Jin-woo felt bad for the man. He took out a few more potions from the subspace for Richard and Altani as an apology gift. He was sorry, but he thought it would be better to ask Richard to take care of the follow-up, thinking that if he stayed here, the atmosphere would only grow weirder.

“I’m leaving. He seems so shocked… please explain it well to him.”

“I understand! Don’t worry!”

“Thanks.”

Jin-woo opened the portal and returned to the moon base. When Jin-woo disappeared, silence fell over the two men remaining. Everything else in the room had completely disappeared.

Altani looked at Richard with trembling eyes, sparkling with tears.

“A-about that… i-is that proposal still valid?”

“I should think about it for a moment.”

As he turned to leave, Altani knelt and grabbed him. Richard grinned as he looked down at the now obedient Altani. It was a moment of change in the Middle East.

* * *

Jin-woo headed back to the other side of the moon. The dimensional gap had grown even bigger, now viewable even from a distance. At this rate, it might swallow the moon altogether. When he examined it with the Magic Eye of Information, he could tell the two dimensions were completely connected.

‘I think it can be closed with the power of domination.’

The problem was that just controlling the dimensional rift on the moon wouldn’t completely close it. He had to close this side, go over there, and close it again to seal it. If it led to the dimension closest to the Earth, it had to do with the side stories. If anything jumped out of there, the lunar base would be fine, but the Earth might be destroyed.

He had to close it before anything happened. It was such a headache. If he fixed one pipe, another would burst, inevitably causing him another headache. Jin-woo didn’t need to prepare. He was already wearing comfortable clothes yet remained unbothered by the vacuum of space.

Jin-woo reached out and dominated the dimensional rift. The swaying tear was colored with red flames and took on an evil form, looking now like a demon’s eye.

‘This stands out so much more.’

Still, it seemed better than leaving it open and defenseless. It was on the other side of the moon, so it didn’t matter.

Jin-woo stepped through the dimensional rift.

‘It’s hot.’

The first thing he felt was a great heat compressing him. The passage wasn’t long, so he soon stepped out the other side.

[You conquered the dimensional rift.]

[The Dimensional Rift has changed to the Demon’s Eye.]

*[A] Demon’s Eye

‘Welcome to Hell.’

A crack that connects dimensions. It was newly transformed by the power of domination. The Great Emperor can open or close it at will.

The place where Jin-woo arrived was in outer space. So far, he always realized that he had entered a different dimension because the environment had changed. But this was outer space.

It was no different from being outside the moon or Earth. As he was about to return to the moon base-

‘Umm?’

Jin-woo noticed the shadow of a massive spaceship looming above him. Jin-woo changed his mind.

As expected, this was a different dimension.