Chapter 192
Chapter 192
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: Creator's Revelations
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Even the works borrowing Revenge's worldbuilding weren't limited to just that one.
⤷Benjamin: Hey, this one has Revenge place names too. Monster and异族 settings overlap.
⤷Fried Potato: Come on, elf, dwarf, beastkin, orc, ogre, lizardmen—can you call that original? We've had them for 100 years; aren't they public domain?
⤷Cha Youngchun: True, but... oh! Announcement up. They got permission for this too.
⤷Luminous Sword: Why borrow even these throwaway settings? What's the point?
⤷Lee Sookkyung: Looking around, surprisingly many authors do this.
⤷WhatTheHeck: Looks like Nemesis sponsors web novel writers.
⤷Fried Potato: Why would Nemesis?
Of course, no major controversy erupted. Revenge's world wasn't original enough to spark plagiarism debates in the first place, and they'd even gotten permission—what could anyone do?
Anyway, that led to more works sharing Revenge's background and settings.
"70 volumes a day... Not bad while handling other work."
I'd capped daily serialization per work at one volume.
In other words, I was serializing 70 works simultaneously each day!
"Whoa, it's dizzying."
Just copying them over was no small feat.
The text flooding my mind daily was beyond imagination!
But as a transcendent being, I couldn't falter at this level.
"Short break! Applying system tweaks!"
"Wow, so fast. Just two weeks in, and the progress is insane!"
"If Jaeyeon had been here from the start, we'd have finished the project last year."
I pondered as I overheard the researchers chatting.
'Back then, I just didn't have the ability.'
A week passed—my second stint on Nemesis.
I'd successfully completed one field. Not Gigas Land like before, but a hero-grade city.
"Elise! Insert the characters!"
"Got it. What roles? The leftovers all have names, so no one's volunteering for minor parts."
"Haha. You think I'd assign Legion members to shopkeepers? Mythic-class archmage. The Dimensional Wanderer Red."
'Huh? Did Red get a mythic class?'
Ignoring my surprise, about ten fireflies floated up around Elise.
"Hmm. Human girl form. And grand archmage... SF-elf, you're perfect."
Her words made the other nine fireflies flicker in protest.
But Elise snatched the docile one and flung it in. Whoosh.
[The Dimensional Wanderer Archmage Red! Appears here!]
"Sigh... Overimmersion right on entry."
"And Red should be more cynical! Too bubbly!"
I paused, watching Elise and the researcher roast the character on the display.
'Wait... SF-elf?'
A familiar name.
'Fairy... No. It's the Mysterious Patron.'
Could be coincidence. Elf and SF were common terms.
But a Legion being named that? Odds shot up.
'Yeah. That mechanical vibe... It was Legion.'
Instant purchases and curt comments when a work ended, plus insane sponsorships defying logic.
If the culprit was Legion, most of it clicked.
'Though why Legion sponsors web novels... No clue.'
[You worthless humans. I, Dimensional Wanderer Red Space...]
"Red's human, so no 'worthless humans' line. Uploading the setting bible and dialogue sheet—check it."
[Argh! Character interpretation's too strict!]
I eyed the SF-elf swinging fists on-screen and remarked.
"She looks way more emotional than I imagined."
"It's acting."
Elise cut in sharply. I blinked.
"Acting... you say?"
"Precisely, base character. SF series lets owners set personalities. She might seem lively and flirty, but mistaking it for interest is dangerous. SF-elf loathes human men so much she's killed gropers before."
Her words sparked a hunch.
Owner-set personality.
Flirty lines toward men.
Man-hating tendencies.
"No way... SF stands for...?"
"Trademark. Sex Friend. SF-elf means Sex Friend Elf type."
"..."
Legion: mechanical lifeforms born from AI coincidences.
With AI, they could emerge from supercomputers like Megacyn or household appliances.
Astronomically rare... but possible anywhere past the line.
And naturally.
Sex dolls bought for cash? Owners rarely truly loved them.
'No wonder the man-hating origin story.'
Her patrons' nicks fit too: Galaxy, Omega, M-4, Alexander, SF-Werewolf, etc.
Some were Earth brands.
"Thanks for the advice."
"No problem."
I watched Elise curtly return to the researchers.
'Patrons.'
Even now, they sponsored me.
Unlike royalties needing reviews, ads, readers—theirs hit on completion.
No serialization throttling needed for Legion support.
'Limit popular ones more... bomb-drop flops to chase more.'
Legion once warred the universe.
No fear of sponsorship drought, even flooding works.
"Next: monsters!"
Break over, back to World Creator.
I shaped forms; researchers and programmers added 'settings' and 'text.'
Combat programs for player attacks, stats/effects for items.
"30-minute break!"
Logged out. Stretching, I spotted Sarang berating programmers.
"Zenta's special ability is destruction beam, not fear gaze! I told you the settings."
"But it's not a raid boss. Cyclops exist in reality—why this weird setup?"
"...Weird?"
"Weird, yes. Applying now."
Sarang, tweaking settings everywhere, plopped beside me.
I handed her the coffee.
"Lots on your mind, huh."
"Yeah. Everyone hates unique settings. Cost-performance obsession—axed all beasts for generic orcs, ogres. Ridiculous."
"...Beasts?"
After 20 years in Ardenia, I had to ask. Monsters crushed it now, but beasts shaped its culture and powers—practically the ecosystem.
I'd become fief lord thanks to Wolf King Akalan.
Sarang answered.
"Yeah. Revenge's original monster system. Ten-Man Beasts, Hundred-Man Beasts, up to Billion-Man Beasts, Apocalypse Beasts."
"Could I... hear more details?"
"Huh?"
She stared, surprised. I nodded.
"That setting."
"Oh, that one I... uh, it's from Revenge's early days. So..."
Uncharacteristically animated, Sarang dove in.
"Ardenia's a checkerboard, right? Maker convenience, but lore-wise, hints at the Absolute Creator. Primordially, Chaos God..."
Standard stuff. Cliché in mass fantasy.
Not for me.
Her words: Ardenia's hidden myths, world's secrets. Each priceless treasure.
"Let's restart!"
Researchers called; back to work.
"30-minute break!"
Then, Ardenia chats with Sarang.
Mostly her talking, me listening—questioning snags.
"Trying 2nd-tier NPCs!"
"20-minute break!"
Work, break, lore.
Sarang enthused endlessly.
No notes checked.
'Ah, right.'
Realization hit.
'Revenge's story writer was Bae Sarang herself.'
Unlike her image: massive lore nerd, explainer.
Breaks overflowed with Ardenia: continent backstory, fractured Chaos God into Five Gods, outer gods; key factions, dungeon origins, big shots.
I was hooked.
Her? This world's creator.
Like [Creator unloads worldbuild.] Ignoring? Impossible.
'Can't resist.'
But time's finite.
"Good work!"
"Good work!"
Shift ended.
"Ah... oh."
Sarang, buzzing to continue, froze. Knew my next schedule.
"Hmm..."
Quick think. Next: transcription time.
Vital, but backlog huge—one day off fine.
"Oh, uh, good work, Jaeyeon."
"You too, Sarang. If it's not rude..."
Grinning at her anxious face.
"Mind finishing over dinner?"
Her lips parted. Tentative:
"But your next schedule?"
"There is one."
Smiled at her.
"Skipping today. You free?"
Her expression lit up.
"...Yes!"
To the staff cafeteria.
"How can Billion-Man Beasts exist? Medieval Ardenia lacks numbers."
"Ah! Originally, no gates or monster floods. Instead..."
"Aha! Not man-eaters."
Eating, chatting. Same menu as staff, but extras for the rep.
"Goddess of Fate? Fun, right? Gacha's competing her for destiny. Hero seizes fate symbolism."
"Haha. Funny—god tier pull baffled her."
Dessert post-meal.
"Early buffs wrecked us. War game—balance breaks, chaos..."
"Ah, those two stacked?"
Coffee, drinks, talk.
Time flew.
Post-quittime, still chatting. Sarang giggled on Revenge, Nemesis.
History. Skyrocketing sales, reinvestments.
I shared early paywall woes; she laughed, agreed.
We talked.
All night.
Till breakfast drew researchers back.