Chapter 58
Chapter 58
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Nemesis Invitation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Mid-December had arrived.
The *Shine Light Heroic Tale* concluded at a total of 400 chapters, or 16 volumes. It had been four volumes in Ardenia, but transcribing it expanded it to this length.
"The results are... pretty underwhelming."
Purchases, which had peaked at 317 early on, dwindled to single digits by the finale. Precisely seven.
The silver lining was that a few dedicated fans had started using the [Sponsor] feature.
⤷TangerineIsCrunchy: Great read! I was worried about the low popularity, but thank you for seeing it through to the endㅜ_ㅜ
⤷HeavenlyDemonConquersCosmos: It doesn't quite match current trends, but the writing is solid and the narrative is tight. Very satisfying.
⤷AuthenticMania: Ah, in the end, Shine Light couldn't overcome fate. Even as emperor, personal power has its limits... If he'd been a level 17 internal energy user, he could've at least aimed for poison immunity...
⤷Sleepyhead: Enjoyed it! Seems like this was a pre-written story that you serialized straight through. It's a shame it's not more popularㅜㅜ Sending a sponsor tip! Keep it up!
⤷Bodl: Maybe trim the side stories next time? It'd boost immersion and pacing.
⤷Kyukyu2020: Wow, that was long.
In total, 310,000 won ended up in my pocket.
Not a bad amount, but hardly worth the effort of transcribing 16 volumes. Considering I make nearly a million per weekend stunt gig, it felt even more lacking.
"Well, whatever... Let's call it an investment."
It had only been a month. Unshaken, I moved on to the next work.
*The Black Knight and the Rose Princess*, a massive hit in Ardenia.
The response was, predictably, lukewarm.
⤷Kyukyu2020: Is this... romance...?
⤷ThumbPrincess: Sweet potato angst sweet potato angst sweet potato angst sweet potato
⤷Chaebol17: Can't stand how retarded the protagonist is.
⤷7Class: Is the protagonist actually a knight? Or a slave? Does he have to obey the king no matter what?
"...No, as a royal guard knight, of course he has to obey the king. What, is he supposed to rebel?"
Even the sparse comments were all complaints!
I'd carefully selected this one, but it was expected.
"I hope it at least builds a niche fanbase."
I serialized four volumes every weekend. More would have been impossible—my schedule was packed.
Then came the call.
"Want to try working on a movie?"
"A movie?"
"Yeah. They need one more stunt performer. It's a massive battle scene... The gear and magic tools have heavy recoil, so they're short on volunteers."
"Recoil, huh..."
"Word is, Jaeyeon handles that kind of thing well."
It felt like an opportunity, but that wasn't what mattered to me.
"How much?"
"Not great pay. 200,000 to 300,000 won a day."
My interest vanished at the broadcast writer's words.
'What? That's half of what I make now?'
Probably the hazard pay difference. My current stunts were glorified punching bags for protective gear.
"But it's great for networking in the film industry. You might even debut as an actor?"
"Nah, that's for dreamers. I just chase the money."
I brushed off the writer's attempt to lure me into unpaid passion work and returned to my one-room to resume.
"Log in."
Whooooosh-----!
A fierce wind greeted me upon login. I casually picked up a book, only to see its pages fluttering in the gust. I grabbed the open volume.
Thud thud!
Beyond the blocked window, Ice Elementals marched in orderly ranks. Mixed among them were elite monsters.
"Ice Golem, High Elemental. Yeti and Snow Woman, huh..."
Ice Golem and High Elemental were rare-grade, but Yeti and Snow Woman were heroic-grade elites.
And there were a lot of them. Way more elites than the normal monster ratio would suggest—[unreasonably] so.
"Looks like I need to check this out."
I closed my eyes and entered my inner world to inspect the Go board.
"Ah, as expected."
The board was a mess.
"A cauldron of chaos..."
In the short time I'd been away, massive shifts had rocked the monster factions. Countless monsters I'd never even seen had been wiped out, their territories claimed by others.
"Arachne's done for. She dropped most of the high-grade silk clothes... And the Spore Forest even had a legendary boss—felt so strong, how'd she get wiped?"
By the mere heroic-grade [Bright Rebels], no less. Something fierce must be brewing in the central continent beyond my imagination.
But the central continent wasn't the immediate issue.
"The star points..."
Ardenia's monsters grow stronger toward the central continent. The pinnacle is the mythic-grade Wraith Dragon Replie at the tengen.
That rule has an exception: the star points.
'Nearly legendary heroic-grade. Elemental affinities give them matchup advantages. Elites and bosses outnumber those in other points by miles. And above all... special raid bosses exist.'
So, what happens in this scenario?
'Monsters from the star points... unilaterally dominate surrounding points.'
In the game, it didn't matter. Neighbors being weaker meant nothing if they never invaded.
But now that Ardenia was real? No reason to leave easy prey next door alone.
The result: star point monsters expanding relentlessly.
Upper-left star: Seven-Colored Centipede.
Upper-right star: Thunderbird.
Upper-left star: Ice Queen.
No, wait—standard Go star points:
좌상화점: upper-left - Seven-Colored Centipede (칠색오공)
상변화점: upper edge? 텍스트: 상변화점의 썬더버드 (Thunderbird) – perhaps upper-right.
Standard nine star points in Go:
좌상: upper-left
우상: upper-right: Ice Queen? 텍스트:
좌상화점의 칠색오공(七色蜈蚣). // left-upper: Seven-Colored Centipede
상변화점의 썬더버드(Thunderbird). // upper-edge?
우상화점의 얼음 여왕. // right-upper: Ice Queen
좌변화점의 랜드웜(Land Worm). // left-edge: Landworm
천원의 망령룡(亡靈龍). // center: Wraith Dragon
우변화점의 광신자(狂信者). // right-edge: Fanatics
좌하화점의 염마왕(炎魔王). // left-lower: Flame Demon King
하변화점의 폭풍범. // lower-edge: Storm Leopard
우하화점의 세계수(世界樹). // right-lower: World Tree
Yes.
All have claimed at least five points each... and they're gobbling more.
The Ice Elementals assaulting the Orc Fortress for the same reason. Having eaten all four directions, now aiming for all eight.
'At least the central Wraith Dragon Replie is staying put.'
Revenge's sole mythic monster—if she rampages, no one could stop her. And if [Wraith Dragon's Nest] monsters poured out from claimed points?
No joke—Ardenia would become a continent of darkness and death.
"If this continues, we could see Thunderbirds from the west and Ice Queen from the south in a worst-case pincer attack."
Dizzying just to think about.
'In the worst case... I might log out, grind a decade or two in reality for 10 billion won—maybe 100 billion—and return.'
Grabbing the book with that thought.
My body ached from the uncomfortable bed, but not enough to halt work. The dire situation worried me, but all the more reason to earn fast.
I opened the book and read a page.
"Log out."
I typed up the memorized content.
"Log in."
Read another page.
"Log out..."
My pace was swift. Not creating or even translating—just copying.
Volume piled up steadily.
Slowly, my pen name and works began spreading online.
Compared to Ardenian literature, these were closest to medieval tragedies or comedies.
'Not Shakespeare-level masterpieces, but that's the direction.'
Ardenia was a barbaric world. No fertile ground for literature.
Even so.
These works were born from authors' deep anguish and lifelong dedication. In a paper-scarce world, writing was no trivial feat.
⤷HeavenlyDemonConquersCosmos: A rare authentic fantasy these days. Thanks to it, I found a work perfectly suited to my tastes. Might not appeal to trend-chasers, but for those who remember rental shops, waiting months or even a year for physical books—this'll evoke nostalgia and pure reading joy. It follows paperback pacing to a T: story rhythm, superb prose, and expression. Savoring every line. Never dreamed of seeing this caliber in webnovels. Regret not finding it sooner. So good I'd start a publisher to contract and print it physically. My exact taste. Author, please see it to the end. I know there's much left untold. Cheers.
⤷OnlyCommentsOnFlops: Yeah right ^^ Boring as hell.
⤷1000Cash: It's super fun, don't say that... Why discourage the author.
⤷AuthenticMania: Way better prose and quality than the trash flooding the site. If you don't like it, leave—why the hate comments? Views are already tanking; what if the author drops it...
⤷OnlyCommentsOnFlops: Prose my ass ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Just throws bait everywhere and pads with fluff—is that good prose? Prose means readability, expression, logic, realism, pacing control, etc. combined. Unreadable garbage like this ain't it.
⤷WannaBeGigastar: Feels like the author crawled out of a mountain or time-traveled.
Comments waged war daily, but I let them be.
"Actually... this is good?"
Reader battles sparked buzz, slowly boosting views.
Latest chapters, nearing finale, hit 30+ purchases!
Good or bad long-term? No clue.
'Doesn't matter. As long as the money rolls in.'
I clocked into the factory to assist enchanters, manned the club entrance, covered convenience store counters.
Weekends: copied novels.
Christmas crept up before I knew it.
"Wow, time flies."
Busy in both worlds, days blurred. I wrapped *The Black Knight and the Rose Princess* and pondered.
'Stunt gigs are drying up... Such great hourly efficiency.'
Premium protective gear wasn't infinite, and competitors existed. Work wasn't gone, but down to maybe one per week.
Decision time.
"Apply to other broadcasts? There was that movie offer... Or write more?"
As I mulled, Cheda suddenly spoke.
"An invitation from Nemesis Soft has been issued."
"Nemesis? From Revenge?"
I pressed Cheda's nose to accept.
Pop!
A function in my smart pet activated. The magic store hummed, and a paper invitation slipped from a spatial rift into my hand.
"Hello, Killians. The end of 2089 approaches..."
Elegant handwritten script—I read it in one go.
Long text, simple gist.
"User conference invite? I'm swamped, no th—"
I froze at the attached footnote, hesitating to toss it.
Reading the attachments calmly:
"Participants in the user conference will receive the following gifts."
1. Nemesis-exclusive shuttle summon code or full teleport gate fees.
2. 1-night suite voucher at 6-Star Hotel Metallic.
3. Grade-2 energy shield. Smartwatch with permanent Blink spell engraving, [Revenge].
Insane perks for a mere game event, but they weren't what caught my eye.
"Wow, this."
4. Pet. Roaring Drake Kasim (Legendary) summon card x1.
5. Guardian Spirit. Awakened Thunderbird (Legendary) summon card x1.
There they were.
Legendary-grade pet and guardian spirit.