Chapter 91
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: The Administrator's Contract
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When the scope of one's activities expands, it's only natural for people to act in pursuit of greater gains.
With the Chapter #2 update, Korea was integrated into the larger Asia server instead of remaining a single server. Having concluded his battles in China and now North Korea, Seong-hyeok had acquired a haul of spoils that was incomparable to what he got from hunting monsters.
Some might see him as a homicidal maniac, slaughtering people to satisfy his own greed, but ironically, in the cases of both China and North Korea...
Seong-hyeok hadn't been the aggressor. His actions were purely in self-defense.
“Haaa…”
In China's case, it was the Emperor's provocation of war. In North Korea's, it was the threat of nuclear missiles.
Had they not taken such actions, there would have been no reason for Seong-hyeok to step up and dismantle their forces, would there?
In any case, the blood of tens of thousands was on his hands.
Even if the world had descended into a state of survival of the fittest, the act of killing fellow humans left Seong-hyeok with the same unsettling feeling as always.
*Bzzzzzz~*
*Buzzzzzzz-*
“Thanks, my little ones.”
As if sensing his mood, the bees flew over to comfort him.
They were just wiggling their bottoms and performing acrobatic flights, but that alone felt incredibly healing to Seong-hyeok.
“…Right. The most important thing is the safety of my bees.”
The Emperor of China and the dictator of North Korea.
If he had left those two forces unchecked, they would have claimed far more lives in the future.
Protecting his family was more important than how others might see him.
In a world like this, one on the verge of apocalypse, one’s mindset in facing the consequences was bound to change depending on the choices made.
“Anyway, I’ll make good use of these spoils.”
Perhaps because he had gained a significant amount of experience and coins from dropping the nuclear warhead on the Japanese server, the dictator dropped loot of a completely different class than the Emperor had.
The 6.5 million coins were nice, but for Seong-hyeok, who could make money anytime by selling honey, the most satisfying rewards were the items that were difficult to obtain.
A wide variety of spoils, starting with the 5-star+ grade Greed-laced Basilisk Scale.
But among them, the one that stood out the most was, of course, the Ring of Greed.
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[Ring of Greed (★★★★★+) - Treasure]
※ Becomes bound upon equipping and cannot be unequipped. To obtain ownership, the bound target must be killed.
* Type: Accessory
* Defense, Magic Resistance +300
* Health, Mana +2,000, All Stats +30
※ Covetous: Gain an additional 50% experience and coins when hunting.
※ Greed-fueled Adaptation: Gain additional stat points equal to Level x 5.
* Durability: ∞ / ∞
※ Warning! Treasure items announce their presence to all players. They also increase the respawn rate of nearby monsters and attract them.
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The drawback of a Treasure item was that it was like telling every player in the world to come and get him.
But the options on the Ring of Greed were so astounding they made one’s jaw drop, more than making up for any disadvantage.
“Now that I have it, I’ll have to do my best to get stronger.”
The options were so powerful they would cause an uproar if they were ever leaked.
Covetous, which increased experience and coins from hunting by 50%, was incredible, but the real prize was Greed-fueled Adaptation.
[Greed-fueled Adaptation has been applied.]
[You have acquired 220 stat points.]
An insane effect that multiplied his level by five.
Sure, Seong-hyeok could gain stats more easily than others through his class-specific trait, Honeybee Product Aficionado, but even so, 220 points was by no means a small number.
Besides, didn't this bonus have the advantage of letting him allocate the stats however he wished?
“How should I use these 220 points to make them count?”
Due to the Authority of the Honeybee Guardian, the stats he invested affected not only him but also his bees in various ways.
For balance, it would be best to distribute them evenly among the five stats, but Seong-hyeok had already made up his mind.
[The Peridot Azure-Venom Legion Commander Bee (★★★★) grows larger, and the total amount of bee venom in its poison sac increases accordingly.]
[The Diamond Megalith Legion Commander Bee (★★★★) grows larger.]
[The wings of the Ruby Gem Speed-Chito Legion Commander Bee (★★★★) grow slightly larger.]
[The Imperial Topaz Architect Legion Commander Bee (★★★★) learns the skill, Beeswax Wall Construction (Lv.1).]
[The Imperial Topaz Architect Legion Commander Bee (★★★★) learns the skill, Beeswax Totem Construction (Lv.1).]
…….
He went all-in on Control with the 220 stat points.
As a result, a massive barrage of notifications flooded Seong-hyeok.
“Whew. At this rate, I might actually end up with a beeswax castle.”
Seong-hyeok wore a satisfied smile at the resulting changes in his elite bees.
* * * * *
Blanqui’s Dimensional Tunnel, first installed in North Korea.
Capable of transporting 81,000 entities at once, the large-scale object was quite massive, but there was one key difference from the one installed at the apiary.
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[Blanqui's Large-Scale Dimensional Tunnel Exit (Divine)] - Incarnation-Exclusive Object
※ This item is infused with a large quantity of a Transcendent Being's divine fragments.
※ Will be destroyed if the Incarnation's soul permanently perishes.
※ No more than two exits can exist within the same server.
※ The Incarnation can destroy the exit regardless of distance.
* Type: Special Object
* Applicable To: Players granted permission to use
* Health: 150,000
* Defense: 500, Magic Resistance: 500
…….
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It wasn't invincible.
In other words, if its health was depleted and it was destroyed, it would have to be installed all over again. This meant that to maintain a proper passage, he would have to either leave a force behind to guard the exit or build defensive structures.
“Hmm. Is there any merit in defending it?”
The value of the North Korean server.
Seong-hyeok had already gotten a rough idea by sending out his scout bees.
“It was devastating…”
In this chaotic world where order and discipline had already crumbled, things were even worse there.
From his scouting, Seong-hyeok had learned that the state of North Korea was惨惨.
The majority of the people couldn't even secure a proper meal due to the dictator's exploitation.
Furthermore, due to various nuclear tests, several regions were contaminated with radiation, and nature itself was bizarrely corrupted in many areas.
“I’m sorry, but it can’t be helped.”
It was worth remembering that Seong-hyeok was by no means a philanthropist.
In a situation where he was busy enough just protecting himself and his bees, working for the sake of complete strangers was not just altruistic, but foolish.
Just as he was thinking this and waiting for the cooldown to return to the Korean server...
Seong-hyeok suddenly recalled a notification.
[Due to the death of the player contracted with the Server Administrator (Pegle), the territory of the North Korean server will be incorporated into the Korean server.]
It was a piece of information he’d gotten after killing the dictator, but it had been buried under the flood of loot notifications.
Recalling its contents, it meant the dictator hadn't made a contract with a Transcendent Being, but with the administrator of that server.
“A contract with the server administrator…”
He didn't know the specifics, but since it came with the risk of losing one's entire territory upon death, there must have been advantages as well.
[The administrator of the Korean server, Riggle, approaches and asks if you are perhaps interested in a contract.]
“...!”
Was it because his thoughts had ventured down an unexpected path?
Or was it just a coincidence? He couldn't be sure, but Riggle, the server administrator, had approached him.
“What’s in it for me if I do?”
He didn't have a particularly good impression of the guy, so he could have just ignored him, but Seong-hyeok knew how to separate business from personal feelings.
The fact that the dictator, who could wield nuclear power, chose a server administrator over a Transcendent Being suggested that the benefits were substantial. A little thought made that clear.
And just as he expected...
[The administrator of the Korean server, Riggle, says that looking is free and sends you a Soul Contract.]
A Soul Contract arrived for Seong-hyeok, sent by the apparently impatient administrator.
There seemed to be no restrictions on just reading it, so Seong-hyeok began to read the faintly materialized contract.
[Riggle's Soul Contract]
* Type: Special
* Contractor: Yu Seong-hyeok
* Effect: The parties are unable to inflict any harm upon each other, directly or indirectly, nor can they lie to each other.
* Effect - Information Trade: By fulfilling conditions set by the 'World', you can purchase various pieces of information through the server administrator.
* Effect - Interference Restriction: You can refuse interference from server administrators or Transcendent Beings.
* Effect - ???
* Description: This is the Soul Contract of the Korean server's administrator, Riggle. It can only be made with a single player. Additional powers will be unlocked as subsequent chapters progress.
※ Warning! If the server administrator's contractor dies, all territory under their management will be transferred to the killer.
“This is…”
Information Trade and Interference Restriction.
At first glance, the terms seemed surprisingly unremarkable.
But one must not forget that the current world was a space where 'game' systems applied.
It went without saying that if the party you were trading information with was a server administrator—essentially a GM—the story changed completely.
Although it was conditional on fulfilling requirements from the 'World', if this function worked properly, he could learn the locations of Hidden Pieces or veiled Treasure items.
He might even learn of future threats.
On top of that, there was the subtle but useful 'refusal' aspect of Interference Restriction, and the potential for further growth indicated by '???'.
Seong-hyeok intuitively felt that this was more valuable than the World Tree or the Large-Scale Dimensional Tunnel.
[You have expressed your approval of Riggle's Soul Contract.]
Seong-hyeok signed the contract with the administrator of the Korean server.
The GM-like entity, Riggle.
* * * * *
Just moments ago, the territory of North Korea had seemed to hold no merit worth defending.
But the moment the contract with Riggle was finalized, that perception was turned completely on its head.
[You have met the conditions for quest bestowal. -> Contractor of the Server Administrator]
[The World's will grants you a role befitting your innate karma.]
[The permanent quest, Restoration of Ruined Nature, has been bestowed.]
[The permanent quest, Subjugation of Disaster-Class Enemies, has been bestowed.]
[The permanent quest, Bountiful Bee Swarm, has been bestowed.]
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[Permanent Quest: Restoration of Ruined Nature]
- Following the World's will, restore nature on all servers. -
※ Special bonuses are currently available for the North Korean and Japanese servers, which are severely corrupted due to nuclear tests and missile strikes.
※ This is a permanent quest. A certain amount of rewards will be given each time a specific objective is met.
* Forfeiture Condition: Termination of the contract with the server administrator
* Reward: Favor from Transcendent Beings related to the world and nature, acquisition of points for Information Trade
[Permanent Quest: Subjugation of Disaster-Class Enemies]
- Subjugate the Disaster-class monsters and dungeons that have appeared on all servers. -
[Permanent Quest: Bountiful Bee Swarm]
- Maintain a large and thriving population of bees. -
…….