Chapter 243
Chapter 243
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 242
Chapter Title: The Emperor Arrives
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I finally raised my hands to cover my mouth and stopped talking.
"......Oh my."
Emotion came crashing over me like a tsunami. The thought of faking it had long since flown out the window; now I was struggling not to overdo it.
"No, uh, how......"
Even my voice trembled. Seeing me at a loss, the Five Dragons' faces lit up with broad smiles.
"Phew! Good thing we got it right."
"Do you like it?"
"This is...... way beyond just liking it."
It was literally a gift beyond imagination. It wasn't just about the price. They'd given me exactly what I'd most desperately wanted!
But as the shock faded, reason returned.
"No...... but still, is it really okay to just hand this over like that?"
I couldn't even begin to guess how much these shares were worth in money right now. Revenge, which had started as a one-trick pony on the 34th Earth, had become a universe-scale game, so its stock must have skyrocketed.
"It's a big sum, sure, but nothing we can't handle!"
"It's not that much of a stretch, so don't worry too much."
"For you, we'd do anything...... Hehe."
The Five Dragons striking smug poses was utterly adorable.
"By the way, when did you start buying?"
"We've been picking them up little by little for a while. We really started scooping them up when Jaeyeon sold off that 1.3 trillion won batch before."
"So you were the ones who took it off my hands......"
It had seemed a bit off at the time. I'd priced my shares over 100,000 won above market value, and they'd sold out in one massive lump sum almost instantly.
"After that, we mostly did block deals. Some major shareholders had connections, and there were folks tied to Dragonians."
Block Deal.
It refers to off-hours bulk trading. Instead of breaking up shares for sale, you offload them all at once, so they don't hit the open market and don't affect the stock price.
"I kept meeting buyers even while running my schedule! Honestly, I thought just giving you cash might be better, but who knew? The stock went absolutely nuts!"
"It's risen almost three times what it was when Jaeyeon sold."
"......Haha."
Their astonishing words drew a laugh out of me.
What kind of penny stock jumps three times in value overnight? Nemesis was a premium blue-chip at 20 million won a share.
"Oh, and we've already handled the gift tax. Being an alien force means they don't mind stuff coming in, even if they tax the hell out of stuff going out."
"You can just take it as is."
"Oh......"
I bowed my head to check the stock certificate again. Then I looked up at the Five Dragons.
And I said it.
"Log in."
I shifted to Ardenia and thought.
*The shares needed for All Master update were 25%, right?*
That equated to 120 trillion won, a insane figure I'd confirmed, so I'd tossed in my shares without hesitation. Even as a Transcendent, gathering 120 trillion in a short time without committing crimes was impossible.
Sure, my income as a Transcendent dwarfed a normal person's, no question.
Work hard, and I could make 100 billion. Go insane with work, and 1 trillion was possible.
But trillions were another league.
Treat a 10,000-won meal to someone, and you could feed 100 million people. Even if a high earner making 100 million a year saved every penny since the Gojoseon era, they'd barely hit half.
Trillions sound simple...... but you can't earn that scale just by working.
*Honestly, even my 1 trillion came from stock gains.*
Someone might say overcharging the game pushes it higher, but what about taxes? Without overcharging, I'd owe even more in taxes.
With top-tier income and no startup capital needed, I could lose nearly half to taxes in the worst case.
Ownership: 15.3%.
Usable: 5,715,001.
I checked ownership again. Far short of 25%.
But ownership was just a ratio. If everything hinged on percentages, Merlin with 100% would've updated whenever he wanted.
*It was 25%, but the points were 3.45 million.*
And now it was 5.71 million points. With Revenge's massive update and space expansion, its draw had exploded.
In other words.
"All Master."
I could do it right now.
"Update."
Snap.
The world went dark in an instant.
*......?*
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.
I'd been in my office, but suddenly I stood alone in pitch blackness.
Thud!
A heavy sound rang out, and light poured down over my head.
*......Spotlight?*
Puzzled, I spotted people buried in the darkness.
*That's Flower Group. Edward, Harmony. Steelstone, Hundred......*
About 100 meters away, my Mythic-class close aides milled about in confusion. I whipped my head around—they encircled me completely.
And that wasn't all.
*Behind them, Legendaries.*
Rozarian, Intelligence, Running Man, Red Fang, Hellime......
Naturally, more than the Mythics. But nothing compared to those behind them.
Murmur, murmur.
Whisper, whisper.
Figures numbering in the tens of thousands muttered in barely audible voices. Most faces unknown, but some familiar.
*Hero-grade players...... behind them Rare, then Advanced......*
Only then did I grasp who filled the darkness.
*Players.*
Every player in Ardenia. Millions strong, and I alone bathed in the spotlight at the center.
Thud.
A long greatsword plunged from the sky. Peering in, it had a broad blade—a great sword.
That kicked it off.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Daggers, longswords, greatswords, short spears, long spears, shields, claws, hammers.
Grimoires, staves, orbs, wands, crossbows, longbows, shortbows, guns, cannons......
Weapons rained down around me, stabbing into the ground.
Dozens surrounded me now, no room to step.
[An endless struggle. Pure enlightenment. Crossing countless histories......]
A soft, song-like voice echoed. I looked up—a woman in a white dress stood before me.
*The Goddess of Fate.*
She appeared most often among Ardenia's Five Gods (Celestial God, Demon God, God of Civilization, God of Nature, Goddess of Fate) whenever I drew cards.
[He who transcends history and existence, ruler of the universe, has come. The ultimate one surpassing even mythic beings has come. He who rules, receives worship, leads all—beyond myth itself—has come.]
No trace of her usual playfulness.
[All, take heed.]
The Goddess of Fate declared solemnly.
[Here, the Emperor has arrived.]
Flash!
The spotlight intensified, filling the world with light in an instant.
In that moment, I was back in my office.
[Bless him, all! The one and only great Emperor has appeared!]
[Bless him, all! The one and only great Emperor has appeared!]
[From this moment, for 24 hours, all hunting grounds grant 1,000% EXP buffs.]
[From this moment, for 24 hours, all hunting grounds grant 200% drop rate buffs.]
Separate from the server-wide notices scrolling above my view.
A new window popped up before me.
★☆Job Change Complete☆★
Sword God => All Master
[Entering Mid-Tier Divinity.]
[Emperor trait, All Master, activates.]
[Bonus points reset.]
[Collection stats readjusted to Collection Points.]
"Completely readjusting stat allocation......?"
Curious, I checked my stat screen.
ID: Han Jaeyeon
Class: All Master (Emperor)
Title: New Adventurer (Common)
Level: 92
Strength: 999 Stamina: 999
Vitality: 999 Agility: 999
Mana: 999 Mana Power: 999 Magic Resistance: 999
Recovery: 999 Mana Recovery: 999 Luck: 999
"As expected."
The All Master trait's effect. All passive skills from owned jobs activate simultaneously!
Many job passives boost stats like +50 Stamina, +50 Agility, etc., and stacking them all yields these insane stats!
Even Luck, capped by unique class passives (Fate Priest, Star Gambler, Lethal Warrior, etc.) known to block growth, hit the limit.
*But job passives alone can't reach 1,000 stats, it seems.*
Revenge has how many classes? How many job skills? Unlimited stat gains from passives would make bonus points pointless. All 1,099 stats would be possible.
*Probably other ways to hit 1,000.*
All 999 didn't mean 1,000 was impossible.
Divine stats symbolize the Emperor class.
The [Emperor] trait unlocks the stat cap (999) to enter divine stats (1,000).
Bonus Points: 720 points
Collection Points: 1,412 points
The points below the stat screen.
*The numbers shake out like this......*
1 point = 1 stat would overflow stats, but obviously not. My stats and Collection Points are top-tier among Revenge players, but anyone achieving All Master would hit this naturally.
"......Strength."
I put 1 point into Strength.
[Max stat!]
[Acquire Authority (Divine Power), Giant's Might?]
[Requires 1,000 points.]
"Unlocking takes massive points...... They won't let you stack multiple 1,000 stats easily."
Half my points just to unlock one divine stat. Makes sense—Authorities are essential for divine stats.
I recalled a Revenge notice.
-Emperor class still allows stat reset potions.
If the notice mentioned it, resets weren't impossible.
"Acquire."
[Acquire Authority (Divine Power), Giant's Might!]
[Strength reaches divine stat!]
The moment the text appeared.
Crack.
Fissures radiated from my body. Space around shoulders, back, waist, hips, arms, legs warped as if torn.
The floor beneath me too.
[Alert-! Alert-! Guild Tower under attack!]
[Guild Tower damaged!]
Whoosh!
Amid the blaring alarms, I leaped outside, stepping on space itself.
Crunch!
My body twisted. Muscles swelled massively, then receded, repeating.
And it wasn't just my flesh.
Crack! Crackle!
Boom!
Dimensions warped around me.
Excessive, concentrated power—immense [Strength]—suppressed the dimension.
"Whoa, what the......"
Hovering in midair, I shuddered at the overwhelming power surging through me.
In that instant, I knew my [Strength] could interfere with time and space.
[Divine Stat Unlock: Strength]
[Target: Han Jaeyeon]
Server notice up, I looked skyward.
Crack.
Space behind my back warped. No need to bend or crouch anymore. My [Strength] had entered the divine realm, bypassing such steps.
Like lightning, dimensions crumpled behind me. The rift extended into vast wings—
Crash!
In one go, I shattered Ardenia's [ceiling] and burst out.
"Urk......!"
Pain stabbed my chest. Damage to my inner Ardenia rebounded on me.
"Oof, overdid it......"
Standing in my inner world, I glanced back.
Whoooosh——!
The tear in Ardenia slowly sealed. Chakra and mental strain from the damage, but my 10-layer chakra capacity recovered it swiftly.
"......Whoa."
Watching, I let out an involuntary chuckle.
"Insane."
I couldn't help laughing. Hard to believe just +1 Strength point caused such a gulf.
"Log out."
Back to reality.
"Hehe. That moved? Well, we are...... Huh?"
"Hehe, what was that...... Hm?"
"Jaeyeon......?"
"No, what's with the sudden...... Jaeyeon?"
"Ah......"
The chattering Five Dragons froze in unison. I spread my arms toward them.
Ruuuumble————!
Obviously, reality didn't pop up game messages like "Divine stat unlocked."
But right now.
My [Strength] impacted the world. Emperor-class senses or higher could detect this info wave from across the universe.
And naturally.
No one felt it more than the Five Dragons right before me.
"Whoa! Whoa. Whoa? Whoooaaa!?"
"No way, this can't be......"
"How, in one go?"
"We figured major shares would change something...... but this? Real? Possible?"
"Lies."
The Five Dragons gawked at me, dumbfounded. I stretched out my arms and hugged them.
"Ah......"
"Jaeyeon......? What's with the sudden......"
Crack!
Regardless of their fluster, we soared. In a blink, hundreds of kilometers to the palace.
Holding all Five Dragons, I strode inside.
"Um, Jaeyeon? Jaeyeon? Jaeyeon?"
"Why so scary? Say something."
"Jaeyeon, what's wrong? Problem......?"
Ignoring their panic and flailing, I entered the bedroom. I tossed them onto the massive bed, soccer-field sized.
"Eek-!?"
"Eep!"
"Eek, huh? Huhhh? This, this?"
The Five Dragons yelped in confusion. Big eyes stared at me, baffled.
But despite their expressions...... their breaths grew ragged, faces flushed red.
Boom!
Just flexing my muscles burst their clothes clean off. They frantically covered their faces, but it hid neither their crimson blushes nor their sparkling eyes.
"You girls."
Gazing at them, I growled.
"You're all dead today."
Right here today...... the Dragon Slayer would be born.