Chapter 208
Chapter 208
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 207
Chapter Title: Intergalactic Scandal
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And the next day.
All entertainment broadcasts on the 34th Earth exploded.
[Han Jaeyeon and All of F·D in a Suspicious Relationship?]
[The Charismatic Man, Han Jaeyeon.]
[Game God's Authority Manipulates Favorability?]
"It's blowing up...."
I had always enjoyed high recognition and buzz.
Apostle of the great and mighty Game Master.
A transcendent in his early twenties from the immigrant world.
A popular actor whose acting skills were acknowledged.
A superstar who dominated every CF and variety show, so searching my name online was never hard.
But this was on another level entirely.
If you checked an entertainment site.
[If I reach the transcendent realm, can I date a dragon too?]
⤷CenturyTraining: With that mindset, good luck reaching transcendent.
⤷MeTooElder: You think transcendent realm is a joke?
[Where'd all those guys go who said Han Jaeyeon was an inflated low-rank transcendent?]
⤷DragonLover: Yeah, no way a dragon would stick with that level.
⤷MintFlavor: Low-rank's bottom half... you don't mean level 25, right? That'd be ridiculous.
⤷GoYounghee: Nah, it means level 20.5 or mid-tier among all low-rank transcendents. Average low-rank is around level 22, I think.
⤷GreenSlime: Level 25 is insane. That's ancient dragon tier.
⤷Training8282: And in his twenties? Totally over the line.
On entertainment sites.
[Whoa, seeing something straight out of genre fiction in real life. Is Han Jaeyeon a god?]
⤷GreenMagnifier: Pfft, you believe broadcasts? It's obviously a concept.
⤷MoonRising: What does a dragon lack that she'd play along with a broadcast concept?
⤷ChocoBar: No way, F·D sisters ㅜㅜ what's going on....
[Tears of blood, but if you're happy, OK.]
⤷ThunderChild: Still, 5:1 is too much, no?
⤷ConfusedMind: Slutty, so slutty.
Even on general community sites.
[He's the Game God's apostle using cheats! His authority is entertainment sim-style favorability manipulation! There's even an article!]
⤷ConfusedMind: Dumbass, it's just rumors.
[I'm a guy too... but isn't this kinda dirty? 1,000 years old and 25?]
⤷DragonDoom: Dirty how?
⤷KimJinHoMuscleFan: Just adult and just-adult dragon, perfect ages.
⤷MadMax: Ages don't match at all. Incel, go kill yourself.
"Aigoo...."
But that wasn't the only problem.
[Among 34th Earth variety scenes.]
⤷GigasRich: Heard 34th Earth takes transcendents lightly, but this broadcast concept is overkill...
⤷GoldenRoseBouquet: A dragon—no, Space Star F·D—with a low-rank?
⤷CherryRing: Is this real? We need verification.
I was undoubtedly famous, but only within the 34th Earth. On a cosmic scale, transcendents weren't that rare, and "Game God's Apostle" was just a calling card respected on the 34th Earth.
But with the F·D dating scandal breaking, my name was spreading across the greater universe.
"I never planned to spread my name across the universe like this...."
I patted Cheda's belly, closed the community app, and stood up. I'd sensed a commotion from afar.
Dragon Star rooms were perfectly soundproofed, but not enough to block a transcendent's senses.
"Are you all insane? What are you trying to do?"
"Eoduk oppa is seriously pissed."
"Look at that foul mouth."
"I can get fouler! Are you all crazy!?"
I opened the door and entered. In the lounge were the Five Dragons and their manager, Eodukserni.
"You."
Eodukserni's expression chilled upon seeing me.
Whoosh.
Darkness spread. Behind Eodukserni's long hair, a vast darkness twinkled with stars.
Shadow Dragon.
One of the strongest breeds among the renowned dragon transcendents.
Among the imperial Dragon tribe—commonly just called "dragons"—it was practically royal blood.
'Strong.'
Having overcome flawed mana affinity to reach transcendent realm, I could roughly gauge the gap between us.
Impossible normally, but his agitation made it possible.
'I'd hold out a bit... but I'd lose.'
Not zero win rate. Maybe 5% if I crunched numbers.
But this "aura" gauge didn't factor logins or logouts, sparking a question.
'Even in a real fight... would I lose?'
Back when I was barely expert-level, I'd wandered death's door to kill a sword master, and slain a transcendent without reaching the realm myself.
The game system, login, logout—powers so overwhelming I'd optimized martial arts and chakra combat for short bursts.
In other words, if I went all out for real.
'Curious.'
It meant I could beat someone one, maybe two stages above.
'Really curious.'
Crack!
A fissure split the floor between us.
"Ha... damn it."
Eodukserni reined in his aura. He ruffled his darkness-like hair in irritation.
"Ah! Whatever. You're both transcendents, so force isn't the answer. But remember: publicly, you're minors... the elders won't stay quiet."
With that, Eodukserni left the lounge.
Silence fell.
I walked to the center chair and sat.
Then spoke.
"Alright, explain."
"Ay, Jaeyeon. Why so serious?"
Snow grinned slyly, attempting skinship.
I pinched the back of her hand.
A bio-stamina transcendent's pinch!
"Ow!"
"Not joking. Sit down."
I even dropped the honorifics.
"Ah...."
"Uh...."
"Huh....?"
Stunned by my seriousness, the Five Dragons sat hesitantly. Faces like 'wait, this isn't right?' But I wasn't one to get swept up in vibes after a one-two day emperor stint.
"Wha... why are we the ones getting scolded?"
"You deserve it. You started the dating rumor on broadcast."
Ruby protested my firm words.
"Nooo~ I just spoke my honest feelings as usual."
"Yeah, yeah. Isn't it an observation show? We just acted normal."
"You gloss over skinship and flirting normally."
"Yeah, yeah."
Seeing them deflate so quickly, I sighed.
"You think I'm low-rank, so easy to toy with? Figured if it blows up too big, you could swing me around?"
"......!"
The Five Dragons jumped.
"What? No! What kinda thinking is that!?"
"Jaeyeon, misunderstanding."
"Damn, Ruby rushed ahead!"
"Hey, don't blame me here?"
Watching them panic, I thought.
'Yeah. I knew. They see me as a man.'
But this setup wasn't normal no matter how you sliced it.
'Too impulsive.'
Human-dragon pairings happened, but mostly spiritual love. Kids were about wanting fruit with a beloved partner, not hormonal mishaps.
But the Five Dragons?
Skinship anytime, seduction like daily routine.
Like high schoolers with raging hormones.
"Uh, um. Sorry. Wasn't thinking that... we expressed plenty, but no reaction, so we got anxious."
Black Yao apologized politely.
I pondered.
'Ardenia? Eight fire points? Mythic class? No, supreme vessel body?'
Full brainpower yielded nothing. My quirks were too many; no hypothesis stuck.
"Ah, s-sorry!"
"...Sorry."
"I threw a little tantrum."
"Sorry."
As I stayed silent, the fidgeting Five Dragons apologized.
Their innocence—like kids lost in emotions—so pure and lovable, I couldn't help chuckling.
"Don't do it again. It's awkward for me too. No reaction? One person, maybe, but five? It'd spark fights among close sisters."
"......!?"
"Eh!?"
"Th-that...."
"Ah....!"
"My god!?"
I left, ignoring their fresh shock.
And thought.
'What now?'
If ordinary dragons, scandal or not, date away. Dragons were individuals; who could stop willing parties?
'But they're not ordinary.'
Space Stars F·D: chromatic dragons, elders who'd led dragonkind for hundreds of thousands of years.
Even manager Eodukserni didn't know... but surely not everyone was clueless.
'Worst case, Dragonia intervenes.'
But nothing I could do now.
And even Dragonia couldn't force me on the 34th Earth with Game Master watching.
"Whatever! Back to work."
Stocks to buy piled like mountains—what's romance compared?
"The man of the hour lately? Han Jaeyeon!"
I dove into variety shows more aggressively.
"Recite lines then jump! Rumor says you run at light speed?"
Acted.
"You juggle broadcasts yet nail missions on time. Next one's right after this."
Ran missions.
Add steady royalties, earnings were beyond imagination.
Unlike transcendents detached past a threshold, I did everything for cash. Even debt-famous Archmage Lucky Strike couldn't match my grind.
One day, two, three, four.
One week, two, three, four.
One month, two...
World buzzed without me; I repeated the grind. Work became revenue, filling my accounts.
Finally, the moment arrived.
Nemesis – 3,888,120 won (+12,310 won)↑
If I held Nemesis stock, it tanked. My Revenge [shares] pulled Nemesis from prophecy range.
Stock whales referenced prophecies, even if not gospel.
No investments, even withdrawals? Crash inevitable. Retail's retail; big capital ruled.
'But limits exist.'
Prophecy blind or not, it wouldn't hit zero. Nemesis was solid, steady profits.
Panic sells last days; viable stocks rise eventually.
"And so... this is the true bottom."
Hoarded cash for this full buy-in.
But as I reached for the stock app, Cheda meowed.
"Meow! Meow!"
"What, crashing again?"
No, call alert. I absentmindedly tapped Cheda's nose.
[Hello. Han Jaeyeon?]
"Yes. Speaking. Who's this?"
Calls via Cheda from unknowns were rare. I'd blocked all but key contacts.
If bypassing? Crime syndicate or....
State agency.
[National Tax Service. Calling about taxes.]
"......"
Words sinking heart more than "wife and daughter hostage."
"Tax... issue, what...."
[Overdue taxes, obviously. Earnings huge, can't do this. No auto-transfer, no responses. Forced execution hurts even transcendents.]
"Ah, s-sorry. How much overdue?"
Terror trembled my voice. I knew.
'Right... been buying stocks.'
No taxes paid. Thanks to 34th Earth's generous game tax credits.
But credits, generous or not.
Didn't cover game company stocks.
[Let me see, total overdue...]
Cold, cruel, icy voice.
[2,187,443,2321 won.]