Chapter 170

49. New World Universe (3)

Jin-woo sat still and watched the data updating in real-time along with various broadcasts. As soon as players arrived in the New World Universe, their resource production increased dramatically.

They were fearless, perhaps partly because their bodies were so strong that they could no longer be considered human beings. They didn’t really even care if they were to experience an accident. Even if they were to get lost and indefinitely drift around outer space, all they’d have to do was disconnect from their avatar.

They looked free, but that wasn’t the case at all.

Everyone was under Jin-woo’s control.

“Large amounts of Cellondite found in asteroid A21!”

“A24 has more platinum than we thought!”

“A27 has an unusual amount of minerals as well!”

Cellondite was Young-hoon’s original setting.

It was a metal that planets didn’t naturally have and could only be gathered in meteorites.

The universe seemed to share the same setting as well.

Without smelting it with mana first, it couldn’t even be touched directly. Still, it boasted the best compatibility with mana, and when masterfully treated, it could become the hardest metal to ever be discovered. Since the Sci-Fi World didn’t have the technology necessary to utilize it, it was treated like garbage, but it was actually a rare and invaluable mineral.

Prof. Kim Dae-jin and the researchers were amazed by it. Watching rare resources coming put them in a mood so festive they couldn’t even hide their excitement anymore.

Of course, accidents did happen. They were still players, after all. It wasn’t uncommon for one or two mining boats to explode once in a while, but since Jin-woo was earning so much, the factories in Dark Eye were able to replace them quickly since they could now operate nonstop.

“The subspaces of 14 mining boats are all full!”

“Dispatching additional mining boats!”

The screen showed a mining boat heading for a gigantic transport ship, which transported resources to the warehouse in front of their battleship en masse.

That was also where he bought them with dimensional gold coins. The moment they received their payments, the players began to work like crazy.

Money truly did make the world go round.

“You have to move now!” Se-yeon ordered. She was wearing a formal officer uniform, and her makeup was a little thicker, creating a completely different impression.

She usually didn’t dress up at all, but she was now full of energy.

Jin-woo nodded and changed into the clothes Se-yeon gave him. He had become so used to this now that he didn’t feel the need to reject the notion at all anymore.

‘I’ll think of it as her reward for exploiting her labor.’

He had to give her some sort of satisfaction, after all. Doing so would increase her productivity.

Jin-woo deliberately led many users into Gate A and brought the aggressive players to Gate B since they were more suitable for the Dark Empire.

Dressed in black and gold, a long cloak now hung behind him. A glamorous-looking mask also covered his face, modulating his voice to sound mechanical.

He truly did look like an emperor now.

“You just have to be domineering enough to make others incapable of even daring to touch you!”

Jin-woo nodded.

That was pretty easy to do.

When he came out of the Main Bridge, dozens of T0s, the commanders that led the T1s, followed him.

Perhaps because they stuck to the theme of being the Dark Emperor’s bodyguards, their outfits looked quite cool. They were just avatars controlled by Arorong, though.

Se-yeon walked next to him, keeping up with his pace.

Entering the place with the most viewers per broadcaster currently in the Dark Empire, he put the chat window next to him. He had done it before, so he was used to it now.

Jin-woo headed towards where the players were gathering. The T1 Troops were also standing among them.

When he appeared, all the T1s saluted. The players, wearing Dark Empire uniforms, took off their helmets.

Chats poured in.

Han Young-ki: That guy’s awesome haha

Yunjeong: Can you hear the background music too?

Deputy Driver: That’s cool.

The avatar standing in front of his army began his report. Naturally, though he seemed nervous, it was all Arorong’s doing.

Jin-woo looked at him, stretching out his hand and swinging it lightly against his face.

Swish!

“Agh!”

Bouncing sideways and crashing against the wall, his body embedded into it like clay before slipping and falling to the floor.

No blood splattered or innards spilled because of his thick clothing, but it was still a terrifying sight. At Se-yeon’s gesture, the T1s picked up the smashed avatar and dragged him away. She then picked up the golden epaulet that had fallen on the floor and handed it to the avatar in front, appointing him as the new commander.

Murder: His Majesty the Emperor!

Pear Massage: He’s scary…

Star-flavored Candy: I think he can smash through the Maze.

Pyororong: He’s probably the best villain character we’ve had since the first main story.

Himat: Wasn’t the kid who just died a very powerful character?

Tiktokka: Yeah. He was known as the Two-Handed Swordsman.

Emperor of the Dark Empire!

Just standing in his presence overwhelmed others.

Not even the players could resist his dominating aura. On the contrary, they were now having trouble breathing. Even the viewers in the chat window grew silent.

Se-eon opened her arms as she spoke.

“Welcome, Dark Empire’s chosen mercenaries.”

In space, she was invincible.

She was close to omnipotent. Her rank wasn’t that high, but in the Sci-Fi World, she was Emperor-level. Jin-woo couldn’t help but seriously think of her that way.

“I know you all have the gene for destruction in your body, seeking only strength and annihilating those who stand in your way along with their disgraceful beliefs.”

Anon: She’s beautiful.

DDT: I agree.

With You: Why did they choose utterly disgusting forest people and the despicable crows?

Her lines were cringe-worthy, but since she felt a little crazy, she still managed to deliver them. Above all, Se-yeon was attractive. That alone made them concentrate on her.

She felt like an evil woman.

“I will give you the opportunity to devote your allegiance to the Great Emperor! Take and destroy everything! You are all equal in the Dark Empire Army. You are justice! Make all the desires and primal instincts you have been suppressing within you explode!”

The warriors of Elonti and the players belonging to the Demon Realm clenched their fists. As the main scenario progressed, players began to unite. But they still missed the chaotic days in their hearts.

A time when there were no rules!

“Turning everything into manures of the universe… To create a dark, bloody universe…”

After Se-yeon’s speech, silence fell on them for a moment.

“Oooh!”

“Kukkuk!”

The T1 Troops soon clapped their hands, causing the players to cheer as well. It was a crooked but quite plausible speech.

Quite a lot of resources were currently stored in the Holy Union’s warehouse, resulting from the Gate A players’ hard work.

‘It’s perfect for creating conflict. I think we’ll get the outcome we want.’

It was meant to be looted.

The Best in the World: Long live the Dark Empire!

Strawberry Flavor: Hahaha, now this is a real empire.

Ha-ha-ha-ha: Hahaha they worked so hard only to get pillaged.

Puddingyo: The looting mission seems like a lot of fun.

FM Radio: It’s a space war!

Marketing and promotion of the New World Universe were going great.

Their audience count was much larger than usual and was getting closer to when the first main scenario came out. They were still in the early stages of testing, but it already seemed like a success.

When Jin-woo returned to the Main Bridge, the looting mission began in earnest. His fleets had already been prepared. Just the sight of them lined up was already majestic yet terrifying at the same time. Some of them were imbued with trickery by Haruring.

The battleships began to warp.

Life and Death: Warp?

Trash: Hahaha is that real?

Dabun: How did they implement this?

It was such a spectacular scene to behold, the entire fleet warping.

Naturally, those who saw it for the first time couldn’t stop themselves from admiring it.

Jin-woo checked the broadcasts with the most viewers.

If they found a flaw, he would make up for it from the Main Bridge immediately. He didn’t mind just letting the events flow naturally, but intervening could paint a better picture.

‘Well, it’ll be useful in many ways.’

There were many areas he could use to increase his power.

Even in this Sci-Fi World, there was an Emperor. Although its shape was a bit unusual, it was still quite intimidating. He didn’t just create the Dark Empire for fun. It was why it was much better to have power than not to.

Watching the broadcasts, Jin-woo surveyed the audience’s reactions. Naturally, when a battleship appeared, the Holy Union went into an uproar.

The Space War had begun.

Se-yeon sat next to Jin-woo, her ears a little red, perhaps finding her earlier speech a little embarrassing. It was already too late, though. She already felt shameful.

“Maybe it’s because of the avatar system, but the players are controlling the fighters better than I thought.”

“That’s great news for us. Let’s add more variety.”

“Yes, I plan to make it purchasable using resources and dimensional gold. We’re also looking into adding more faction ships as well!”

“Good.”

Players could purchase fighter jets and other things through resources. Upon depositing resources, they were given certificates, which could be exchanged for other items.

Of course, it wasn’t a fair exchange. The price presented to players for one unit was actually enough to create multiple jets.

Moreover, although it was called a purchase, it was more like a rental. After all, it still belonged to the Dark Empire or the Holy Union, and it was impossible to take it out of the Sci-Fi World.

[Guys! This is awesome! I’ll be picking 100 people to buy them chicken. This is giving even small broadcasters like us a livelihood! Long live CEO Lee Jin-woo!]

Halong: Wow, you made 2 million won?

Five Virtues: I can’t wait to join it as well!

Hazuni: Mining Jam! Now’s not the time to be mining!

A broadcaster who had been streaming his mining session, which had lasted for several hours now, waited excitedly in the warehouse in front of the battleship. Se-yeon laughed when she saw him.

“Whoa, whoa, I like that innocent look of his! He’s clearly unaware he’s being deceived!”

“I think your personality changed a bit…”

“Ah! That’s because we’re part of the Dark Empire…”

As Se-yeon said, 2 million won was a very small amount compared to what he had mined.

In severe cases, he was missing out on more than 99% of his actual profits.

[Ah! This one is 3 million won! Awesome! But I’ll take certificates instead of money so we can get our very first spaceship! Time to mine some more! Who cares about sleep? Hahaha!]

The broadcaster ran all over the place with joy.

He looked at the certificates he had gathered. He could’ve gotten millions of won, but he opted out of it.

All for the sake of buying his own spacecraft.

Soon enough, an explosion occurred, signaling the start of the Dark Empire’s invasion.

[W-what?!]

[Ugh!]

[What happened?]

The Dark Empire attacked indiscriminately. Taking out their weapons, the players tried to retaliate, but their resistance proved insufficient since their opponents were players, much like them, except they came from Elonti and the Demon Realm.

With his fall, his certificates came down with him.

He attempted to grab one of them, but an Elonti warrior stepped on it and tore it to pieces.

[Hey, stop it! Whoa, whoa!]

[Return to nature. To that distant universe.]

[No… You disgusting forest punk! You motherfucker! Give me my money back!]

The Dark Empire soldier loomed over the broadcaster.

Myungbok: That’s terrible! 7 million won gone just like that! His dream of buying a spaceship just all went to dust!

Ramen Flavor: Disgusting elves!

Truth Seeker: Can they steal all of it?

Golden Tears: Look at him depositing it all into his inventory! Considering they’re using subspaces, they must be from the Maze as well.

Grilled Lamb: They’re acting like pirates. How much did they loot…

[Look out for these disgusting bastards!]

[Die!]

Although they tried to resist fiercely, they were no match against the fully armed Dark Empire. Witnessing the slaughter, Se-yeon felt satisfied.

“Free food tastes the best, after all!”

“That’s true.” Jin-woo agreed, at least to some extent.

Lanto: Poor Bread Jam lol

Goddess: He collected as much funds as he could, but it was all in vain.

Luna Fan: That’s only natural. The weak are bound to suffer.

The atmosphere on both camps heated up.

This had always been the plan. The New World Universe was successfully marketed, and Jin-woo secured a lot of resources in the process.

Still, it felt disappointing to let it end like this.

“This is a little lackluster.”

“It’s early, but how about revealing the magic equipment?”

“Hmm? You didn’t deploy a robot on the side of the Holy Union.”

“Whew! You even know that!’” Se-yeon laughed.

“One must be stolen first, then.”

That was the condition, at least.

Jin-woo thought about it for a moment as he stared at the broadcast screen, which showed Bread Jam in prison. He didn’t know how he got there, but what mattered was that it all worked out in the end.

He was currently on top in terms of viewer count. Perhaps that was only because Luna, Maze TV, and Kim Gun-joo weren’t live.

“I’m going a whim here, but… Let’s use that guy.”

“Okay, then I’ll establish a communication line with him.”

After Se-yeon changed her voice, she started to guide Bread Jam.

It was quite believable.

He was alone in prison, and the status of his team members was unknown.

“I’m sorry about what happened to your colleagues, but… You’re our only hope now!”

[Ah, I see!]

Anyang: Support Bread Jam, the hope of the Holy Union!

Rockmania: Hahaha what?

Allied Forces: No thanks. LOL

Bread Jam ran. Se-yeon’s guidance told him of his opponents’ locations, allowing him to approach a helmeted soldier from behind and smash their head against the wall, causing them to pass out. He then took their helmet off.

[He’s one of the dirty crows.]

Intruder: Hey, did he just do a James Bond move?

Blade of Darkness: After so long, he finally looked cool for once.

Am I Scary: He does look like a special agent.

Bread Jam was flattered, but he tried his best not to show it.

He was finally playing a huge role. He didn’t want to ruin it.

Now wearing a Dark Empire uniform, he moved further deeper into the battleship under Se-yeon’s guidance.

He came across a couple of dangerous moments, but he at least managed to get to his destination, albeit barely.

Hacking the door’s lock according to her instructions, it soon opened.

[This is…]

Strongman: A robot!

Nuclear Bomb Delivery: Woah

Famine: What even is that?

Great Horror: Isn’t it obvious?

Before him was a huge robot.

It was just one of the mass-produced versions, not the Dark Emperor, but it still had a nice design that seemed to mix the strengths of all the mechas that appeared in animations and movies so far.

The robot enthusiasts watching him grew excited.

“That’s… Ah, it looks like a new weapon from the Dark Empire!”

[Oh, it looks great!]

“I thought there would be a spaceship. I didn’t know we’d find something like that instead.”

[Uh, what should I do?]

“… The Dark Empire has always plundered what’s rightfully ours. This time… This time, we’ll be the one doing the stealing!”

Han Seok: Hmmmm

Assassino: That’s hilarious lmao

D-Market: Lezzgoooo!

Gauguin: That’s karma right there hahaha!

Bread Jam looked determined.

In line with the situation, the T1 Troops arrived.

Without second thoughts, he entered the open cockpit, which seemed to have triggered a prompt to appear on the screen, asking to verify the user’s identity. Se-yeon pretended to hack it, dragging time until the very last minute.

-Confirmed.-

The robot had been activated!

Since it had a similar system to avatars, Bread Jam could control it without any problems. As they came out into space, the fighter jets rushed in. However, the fighter’s armament could not penetrate the magician’s shield.

[I’m Bread Jam! Remember my name, you disgusting forest dwellers and dirty ravens!]

Hyman: Whoa! Cool!

Shark Rice: Look at its Beam Sword!

Hello: Oh! It’s got high mobility!

Assassin’s Right: Is that available for purchase as well? Please say yes!

The robot became such a huge topic of discussion that even the other broadcasters were now watching his stream. Jin-woo sent out Vanity against Jamsik.

With Heo-young’s abilities, they created a pretty decent fight scene.

[You’re a monster at this, Dark Empire pilot.]

[You’re pretty good yourself. Did you say your name was Bread Jam?]

The viewers liked even their conversation amid the battle that made them sweat and nervous.

“This is interesting. We’ll be able to produce a lot of robots this way. I think we’re now fully capable of progressing our defense systems and city construction.”

“I see.”

Jin-woo just obtained very useful slaves.

The New World Universe’s beginning was truly brilliant.

***

The Maze’s new reach caused quite a shock. Not only players but astronomers showed great interest in it as well. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration even visited G&P themselves.

After the test period ended, the players became restless, most likely because quite a few players made millions won in such a short period of time. Inside The Maze: New World, guilds independently creating mining equipment and spacesuits had even emerged.

More importantly, the New World Universe was garnering a lot of interest.

Among the hundreds of millions of players, only those who passed a certain ability threshold could receive tickets.

And, like visas, tickets had to be renewed at regular intervals.

[Title: I’ve officially become a miner.

Written by: Coal

I’ve only been mining for a month.

I’m part of the Holy Union’s 3rd Fleet. I mainly focus on asteroids, but I recently entered a planet, and I almost fell behind. There was nothing in it. Do not enter planets unless you’re planning on building a mining base.

[My mining boat.jpg]

After getting ten certificates worth 3 million won, I bought my own mining boat.

Right now, the Holy Union is building a city, so the prices of resources are rising. That’s why I suggest keeping what you’ve collected for now instead of selling them.

Billion-dollar spaceships are capable of long-distance warping. You’ll have to provide coordinates, but they can go great distances. I advise guilds to buy one.

It would take you a week to start mining with short spatial jumps alone. That’s why long-distance warping is essential.

I think robots will be released soon as well, but it’ll probably be worth at least one battleship. Don’t even dream about it. I can’t believe Bread Jam, that bastard, is flying around with such an expensive machine… In cash alone, his ride’s probably worth tens of billions of dollars.

[Cellondite.jpg]

This is the hottest resource these days.

Thanks to it, my life has improved. It allows me to earn enough money to feed my children.

May mana be with you.

Ah! If you see the Dark Empire bastards, just kill yourself. That’s better than the fate you’ll suffer in their hands. Those savages are crazy and are all over space.]

Halong: Space Goose Dad

Don’t Do It: Like the Demon Realm players, Elonti warriors are really insane. They hang from moving mining boats until they get the chance to crawl in. I even mistook them for aliens.

Mining Zombie: How much is 1 ton of Cellondite?

Space Guard: Always keep an eye out for those Dark Empire idiots. Be sure to run away as soon as they see your mining boat. Otherwise, they’ll loot everything and give all of it to their Emperor almost entirely for free. Freaking lunatics!

└The Emperor’s Knights: It is only natural for the weak to become nutrients of the strong. For blaspheming the Great Emperor… You will pay for this.

└Space Defense Force: Give me the coordinates of his planetary system.

SSS-class Escort: Providing escort service for 30% of the resources you gather. Inclusions: 1 battleship and 3 fighters! We’ll make sure you reach your destination and finish your mission. Contact the ‘SSS-class Space Escort Team’ for more information!

Trade Ship: We provide mysterious The Maze items! Certificates, too!

A new era had begun.

One where Jin-woo had enslaved everyone.