Coronation Ceremony (2)
'Damn, he does look cool... Even if his real personality is a total asshole, that appearance has swagger that even another guy can't help but envy. But from now on, I won't just live envying you.'
Normally, he'd have to swallow his bitter jealousy, but things were different now. Darius's confident figure was essentially the embodiment of the ultimate goal he had to achieve.
The Kang Jihwan who would give up without even trying a challenge no longer existed in this world.
Thud, thud.
He slowly walked through hundreds of guild members kneeling in long rows on either side, heading to the throne at the deepest part of the hall.
Soon, he approached the NPC standing beside the empty throne—Cardinal Roberta—and opened his mouth.
"Faithful servant of the Light God Luilton, Darius, greets Cardinal Roberta of the Church."
"Lord Darius. At your request, I have come here to proclaim the founding of a new nation under the holy blessing of Luilton. Have you fulfilled all the conditions for establishing the nation?"
"Yes, all conditions have been met, Cardinal."
There were two main known ways for users to found a nation. One was obtaining approval from the empire's emperor NPC—the only one in Tayen. The other was gaining recognition from the gods worshipped through the churches.
Darius seemed to have chosen the church route, likely because he'd publicly declared his goal of toppling the empire and becoming emperor.
The cardinal was an AI NPC, so the dialogue felt a bit stiff, but Darius didn't show it, performing the demeanor befitting a king flawlessly.
"Confirmed. The Light God Luilton is pleased with your request and has decided to bestow blessings upon your future. Now, please tell me the name of the nation you wish to found."
"Yes. The name of the new nation shall be 'Taesung Electronics', Cardinal."
"Understood. The nation's name is Tae—"
Sleep!
It was that moment. Just as the nation name was being set, Operator Theosis suddenly appeared between them and forcibly put the cardinal to sleep.
'Whoa! Sleep on her? How high a level does she have to be to knock out a cardinal-level NPC in one shot?'
It was a moment that truly drove home how operators were beings beyond the heavens.
Anyway, the reason the operator put the cardinal to sleep was none other than this.
"Lord Darius, didn't we at Illusion already inform you in advance? Unlike guild names, nation names have incomparable influence and binding power on general users, so using brand names for advertising or promotion is absolutely prohibited. The nation name you just chose cannot be permitted under game policy. As per the terms you agreed to, I politely request your cooperation once more."
"Ah! That's right. My apologies, Theosis. I was so excited and tense that I accidentally said the nation name I most wanted. Could you give me a moment?"
"Of course, Lord Darius. As the first user to decide a nation name, please choose carefully."
It was a minor hiccup, so most people brushed it off as trivial, but it looked different to me.
If the operator had warned them in advance, it couldn't have been a mistake. He must have tried pretending not to know—if it went through, great; if not, no loss.
'No matter how you look at it, he's a guy hypersensitive to gains and losses, thorough to a fault. Makes sense—that personality kept him at the top of the unified rankings all this time...'
"Also, to all viewers watching the coronation broadcast, please keep what I just mentioned in mind while playing. Thank you. Lord Darius, have you decided now?"
"Yes, I have."
Darius nodded after a brief chat with his guild executives, and the operator cast a recovery skill on the cardinal before vanishing.
"The nation's name is Tae—"
"One moment, Cardinal! If I may, I'd like to correct the nation name."
"Understood. Please tell me the name of the nation you wish to found."
"Under the blessing of the Light God Luilton, the name of the nation I found shall be 'Tiese'."
"Understood. The nation's name is set as 'Tiese' and shall be dedicated to Luilton."
This nation name seemed fine—no operator intervention. Taesung Electronics was out, but its English initials sailed through. Felt like a spineless standard, assuming users weren't idiots.
Anyway, the cardinal immediately knelt and began praying, soon emitting pure white light that illuminated the entire hall.
After a few seconds, a rare server-wide announcement popped up in front of me—one not often seen in Tayen.
A new nation, Tiese, has been founded in Titan Chronicles.
The inaugural king of Tiese is Darius of the Taesung Guild.
"May the infinite glory and blessings of Luilton be with the newborn Tiese Nation."
"Thank you, Cardinal. Then..."
Darius rose and ascended to the throne step by step, then turned dramatically, cape billowing, and sat upon it.
The moment he sat, decorations throughout the castle—from the hall's walls and interior, to the inner courtyard visible outside the screen, even this room where he was hiding—changed in an instant.
Tiese's national flags, identical to Taesung Electronics' logo, were newly hung everywhere. The Taesung Guild emblems on roofs, walls, and buildings were overwritten with Tiese's emblem in a flash.
A sight only possible in a game, yet utterly mystical, beyond any magic.
'It pisses me off, but damn, it's impressive. Even if it's just in-game, founding a nation... is this cool.'
A mere short event in a game, yet who could dismiss this founding moment as "just a game"?
It notified every user via server-wide alert, ensuring no one could ignore Darius's feat. It influenced surrounding environments, in-game NPCs, and millions of users directly and indirectly.
Right here, tens of thousands of users had shown up in person to witness the coronation, and dozens of times more were watching live on broadcast.
The influence achieved and led by one person was staggeringly grand.
'What does it feel like to live like that? I've resolved myself, but... can I really become like that?'
For the first time, he felt something beyond mere jealousy—an indescribable emotion.
Even amid this, Darius continued the ceremony in his signature deep baritone from the screen.
"First, I extend my deepest thanks to all users who attended to celebrate Tiese Nation's founding, and to viewers watching the broadcast. To repay your immense interest and love, Tiese has prepared some modest events."
With the founding declared, a party was inevitable. He'd expected a grander scale of the usual user magic barrages or potion showers, but what followed exceeded all predictions.
"Shortly, Taesung Guild's massive fireworks and a drop show of 100,000 potions will commence. But that alone would be too tame, wouldn't it? So, as the finale highlight, Taesung Guild will use all achievement points accumulated over three years to challenge Tayen's first God's Gift random draw. Please keep cheering till the end."
Rooooar!!
The moment Darius dropped that bombshell, tens of thousands watching via screen erupted in cheers that shook the plaza.
He hadn't expected God's Gift either, so he was just as shocked.
A top-tier random draw requiring national achievement points as cost, demanding the "king" qualification. He was saying he'd attempt it publicly right after founding, before the masses.
The plaza was a cauldron of excitement matching the anchors' hype.
Though PC Titan Age shut down with VR's launch, it inherited nearly all world lore, geography, and settings—save the 100-year time skip.
Diehard fans of the early VR version eagerly awaited implementations of old content. Suddenly announcing one of the most famous, dramatic features—God's Gift—was bound to thrill.
In online games, story and gameplay mattered, but sustainable content was key. Unlike package games, these "endless" titles needed daily logins for decades.
Companies added massive updates and new elements, but from their view, nothing beat "upgrade rushes" and "random draws" for ease and effect. Most users logged in daily just for quests and grinding tied to those two systems.
Titan Age excelled at them, earning god-game status—and in current Tayen, they remained core content.
Among them, God's Gift—drawable only by player kings for divine-grade items—was the pinnacle draw.
Kim Seok Yong cautioned the young female anchor, excited by the surprise event.
Taitonic regulars knew Anchor Yang Min Ah was a diehard Taesung fan.
'Old man Seok Yong, still so strict. She didn't say anything wrong, though... Hate to admit it, but Taesung's unchallenged top spot is real.'
Like baseball or soccer clubs with massive fanbases, Tayen's top guilds were brands with huge fandoms.
Fans analyzed wars, sieges, raids, cheered broadcasts.
But evaluations of Taesung Guild and Darius's raid team were unanimous: another class!
Darius, not content with founding a nation, challenged for first divine item acquisition—intent on unmatched supremacy.