Chapter 113
Chapter 113
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Hardworking Pay-to-Win Knight
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Iron Castle's southeastern district had all its buildings demolished to create a vast open space.
The mythic castle itself was enormous, overflowing with housing, and since every castle and building in the Human Empire was state property, demolition posed no issues.
A newly cleared plaza measuring 500 meters by 500 meters.
And right in the center of it.
Rumble...
Creak...
"Oh, it's coming!"
"Hold onto something so you don't fall over!"
Crunch!
A massive head emerged.
"Whoa, it's huge. Really huge!"
"How can a creature like this..."
The landworm's head burst through the ground. Even just the head alone towered over the surrounding buildings, exuding overwhelming size.
"How deep did you dig?"
At my question, the landworm lowered its head.
The motion alone stirred up gusts of wind.
"Uh, um... from my head to my chest?"
"Where does the chest start?"
"Hmm. About four and a half heads?"
"Good. Then keep going straight down from there and dig about twice that depth more. Coil once every head-length. Hey! Move slower! If you crack the floor, we start over from scratch!"
"Sigh... I ate a little, and now you're working me like this... It's bedtime for me."
"No nonsense... Faster, faster! Faster, faster!"
With the landworm—our living drill—we bored a 100-meter vertical tunnel.
Needless to say, it wasn't for passage but ventilation.
'I'll need to enchant the tunnels later to force air from above downward... Sigh. Ardenia won't have those spells, obviously. Guess I'll swing by Earth.'
Right beside it, a diagonal tunnel was dug.
The incline was about 20 degrees.
"Perfect. That's walkable."
I wanted stairs, but even with the landworm's earth affinity, such fine work was impossible. Human stride lengths were thinner than a single hair to it.
"Whoa... wow. This is insane."
Fully recovered, Hayes stood before the vertical pit—or shaft, as one might call it—letting out a groan.
Rumble!
Roooar!
In the distance, rocks crumbled.
The landworm was carving out the third underground level.
"Fast, right?"
"Fast? This is beyond fast. It would've taken human labor over ten years."
While Hayes marveled, Flower pushed through the workers from afar and appeared.
Her form-fitting H-line skirt suit stood out starkly amid the medieval laborers.
'Maid outfit for a while, now suits, huh.'
Cloth drops from dungeons were more varied and modern compared to plate or leather armor.
Revenge lacked costume avatars unlike modern games, so everyone crammed into whatever cloth gear fit.
'Avatar system might drop soon, though.'
Avatars hadn't mattered before. Auto-hunt the whole game—who cares what your character looks like?
But Revenge was now a full-dive VR at depth one.
Avatars were inevitable.
'Assuming the game doesn't tank first.'
Flower reached me and reported.
"Report from Wild Boar Castle. All work at the site is complete."
"Perfect timing. Follow me."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
I led Flower and Hayes down the sloped tunnel. Unlike Flower's poised gait beside me, Hayes bounded like a foal, marveling at the steel-hard walls.
"You're digging tunnels underground?"
"Yeah. Even flat paths will make travel way easier."
Ley lines—like go board lines—were straight.
From above, anyway.
They mostly followed mountains or rivers, and mountains were ridges.
Not true straights.
Traveling 100 km meant constant ups and downs.
"No ambushes either."
Small monster packs ambushing ley line caravans? Underground at 100 meters—good luck.
Rumble!
At the incline's end, a massive head poked out.
"All done."
"Good. Time for a stroll?"
"Stroll, my ass."
Grumbling, it still lowered its head.
"Hold on."
"Huh?"
I scooped up the startled Flower, then kicked off the ground. Hayes followed.
Creak.
The largest scale on the landworm's forehead parted. We entered, and it sealed shut.
Inside, Hayes gawked.
"What... the hell? Why's it so spacious?"
Flower scanned around in confusion.
"Your Majesty. This looks just like..."
"Yeah. A bus, right?"
Buses already ran in Iron Castle, so both women nodded at the analogy.
Exactly.
The landworm's forehead housed a spacious cabin for 100 riders.
Ceiling organs glowed like lights.
Forty plush seats lined the floor for reclining.
And best of all.
Whirr.
As the landworm moved, a 3m-by-7m scale in the center turned transparent.
We sat and watched the outside clearly.
"This is... what?"
"Impossible. Why would a living creature have body parts like this? What's the point?"
Unbelievable, but the landworm shrugged it off.
[No idea. Always been there since I was little.]
"No way."
"Impossible."
I ignored the women's shock and claimed the fanciest seat.
'Why such anatomy?'
Obvious.
'Why? 'Cause it's a mount pet.'
Unlike the mythic pet Meteor Dragon I'd seen, it offered no 500 Luck buff.
But instead.
The landworm boasted the highest rider capacity of any Revenge pet—plus over 100 [Subsidiary Inventory] slots.
"Which way?"
"Left. Yeah, more, more... good. Straight now."
I guided via minimap.
Destination: northern Wild Boar Castle.
Boom!
Unbelievable speed for burrowing 100m deep real-time.
Over 100 kph.
Flower, rigid beside me, paled and clutched my shoulder. I chuckled, seating her left.
The front seat was huge and ornate—no crowding.
"Yoink."
"Why're you here?"
"Spacious, innit."
"Lady Hayes, to His Majesty..."
"It's fine. She minds etiquette when it counts."
"...Yes, Your Majesty."
Flanked by two beauties, I faced forward.
Vast soil, rock, sand parted like curtains, never touching the landworm, sliding left and right.
'Over 100 kph...'
Lethal earth affinity.
Maybe its true weapon wasn't size, but power.
"Amazing..."
"Yes..."
The women stared, entranced, at the parting earth. Groundwater occasionally appeared, but knowing I'd repurpose its path, the landworm sealed it with raw power.
[Marked groundwater spots white on walls. Use if needed. Punch holes for water.]
Stunned by the thoughtfulness.
"Whoa... you."
[What?]
"That's touching."
It sped up without reply.
Hayes, on my right, grinned.
"World's changing again. How many more shocks before I'm numb?"
"Nah, you've seen it all now."
Pay-to-win had hit mythic. Done the deeds.
Just repetition ahead.
"Heh. Sure, Savior."
Hayes smirked, hugging my right arm.
Overwhelming mass buried it.
"Ah! It's shaking!"
Flower blurted, grabbing my left.
No turbulence hit.
"..."
Her heart was shaking.
* * *
The Human Empire held 16 bases.
'Blue Whale Earldom... no, Chrome Kingdom now? Not truly ours, so 15.'
But they lived atop them, and I ruled the castles. No players or guild masters—they just occupied my builds.
My completed [houses] spanned 1/36th of the board.
In go-format Revenge, four-plus bases formed a [house], recognized as guild territory.
'Normally, tax hunts inside, event perks, special raids—huge gains.'
But not for me.
No field monsters in Ardenia.
No events, quests, special raids.
Useless bases weren't worth holding.
Yet I acted.
"Perfect."
In my inner world, I nodded at the board.
Post-monster assault, I'd cleared two board-spaces—20 bases—abutting our border.
Attribute monsters, high-levels blocked me—insufficient.
Monsters now needed 300+ km to strike.
'Even with respawns, that's no joke.'
Hard to sneak, time sink.
'And if slain far off, main base learns nothing.'
Best counter: small spec-ops terror.
But then... landworm linked all Human Empire castles underground.
'Thought it'd half-ass major cities.'
Expected whining for food, but it complied. Maybe easier than Jump—[Grand Destruction].
'Duh, just travel.'
Two-space buffer plus tunnels: zero casualties.
Occasional fools claimed normal-grade bases in the gap—I smashed their dungeons instantly.
'Defense solid now.'
Empire safe without me.
What did that mean?
"Time to monopolize eyes."
More bases better. Each stored elements like external drives.
Handling absurd [Martial Arts] elements? Thanks to them.
But flying solo clearing? Pointless busywork.
'Attacking easy. Solo viable. But... can't defend.'
Problem. Claim a castle, then what? Can't hold it. Unsecured drives unreliable.
Monsters claiming element-stuffed castles shattered them, rebounding chakra access.
Pop!
Eyes open. Back to reality.
"Earth run needed."
No plans, but need more return scrolls. Raiding eyes might find isolated humans.
Empire had unlimited food, clothes, housing—humans vital collectibles.
Restock teleport scrolls via dailies too.
"Logout."
No hesitation. Revenge shutdown risk, but...
'No way it folds in a day.'
Then.
Thud.
"Huh?"
Rose from bed—collapsed.
"Huh...?"
Body failed. Strength drained like deflating balloon.
'What the?'
Eyes darted—no assailants, no arrays, no machines.
Studio unchanged from pre-login.
But one thing.
(-)
"What?"
Blood-red symbol hovered.
"Urk!"
Pain surged—I pinpointed the source.
[Strength decreased by 50 points for unknown reason!]
[Vitality decreased by 50 points for unknown reason!]
[Life Force decreased by 50 points for unknown reason!]
[Vitality decreased by 50 points for unknown reason!]
[Agility decreased by 50 points for unknown reason!]
[And...]
"What, what!? What is this?"
All stats plummeting real-time. Guardians/collections depleted first, then base stats. Slower, but nonstop.
(-68)
"Minus 68? Meaning?"
Panting. Dread hit.
'Strength to 0? Agility to 0? Life Force to 0...'
Thoughts raced—grasp situation. Stared at red number.
(-6872772300)
"Minus 6.872 billion... what?"
Limp. Vision blackened—life force drain.
Then.
Final text.
(-6,872,772,300원)
"Won?"
Won? As in currency?
"Guh!"
Breath caught. Stats critically low! Tense abs, roared.
Should've shattered building—mere wheeze.
"Login..."
Back to Ardenia.
Body ballooned.
[Strength increased by 50 points for unknown reason!]
[Vitality increased by 50 points for unknown reason!]
[Life Force increased by 50 points for unknown reason!]
[Vitality increased by 50 points for unknown reason!]
[Agility increased by 50 points for unknown reason!]
[And...]
"Hah... hah... huff..."
"Your Majesty!? Are you alright!?"
Flower rushed from her work in the master room corner. I waved her off, checked self.
Stats recovered fast. Building-tossing strength, coursing vitality. Bulletproof life force pulsed.
"Phew..."
Fully restored. But mind raced.
"Minus... 6.8 billion... won?"