Chapter 60
**CHAPTER TITLE: Monopoly of the Hunting Grounds (3)**
It wasn’t a bad way at all.
Even if a game company was as skilled as it could be, if most of its players were commoners, there was a high probability it would be undervalued.
**World Games / Market Cap 102 Trillion**
“Uh… hmm…”
It seemed it wasn’t undervalued after all.
After all, it was earning over ten trillion in annual net profit from just Chronicle Online alone.
Maybe that was only natural.
Besides, while investigating the share structure, I saw the largest shareholder was the Elysia Union Bank and gave up on the acquisition.
Because the cash coming in through that bank was the cash earned from Arsia via the late Duke Lucas’s legacy.
All accounts at the Elysia Union Bank were encrypted and managed so that even the administrators couldn’t peek into a member’s account.
That was why nobles used it as a tax-avoidance shelter… but still.
There was no point in accidentally drawing their attention.
“So what now?”
I’d been thinking for a while when an unpleasant plan came to mind.
“Buy slaves and set up a workshop?”
Game avatars could be bought by anyone, and if I controlled slaves I couldn’t betray, I’d be safe.
The problem was that most countries in Rondel were feudal, yet slavery was illegal there too.
In the end, I’d be breaking the law.
For growth, sure, but it still felt… off.
“Ah, but even in a democratic country, you don’t just make people slaves, right?”
Then what?
Use up the last remaining Wish Card?
The Wish Card here meant exercising administrative authority through Chester, the game avatar manager.
Money laundering, creating Arsia’s account book, granting me the status of Blake Russell’s disciple, even creating fake Chronicle Online avatars for the Prius Republic—all of it had been done with administrative rights.
Seven Circles had granted me five cards, but now only one remained.
I hadn’t wanted to use it unless it was a huge emergency.
“Ah!”
Then a good idea suddenly popped into my head.
“Exclusive hunting grounds!”
The over-monopolization of hunting grounds by large guilds, a chronic illness of online games.
Chronicle Online was no exception.
For specific items, or to earn faster than others, powerful guilds took hunting grounds without hesitation.
Of course, regular users who weren’t in those guilds found it disgusting, but right now it sounded perfect for me.
I could fight without worrying about eyes on me and grow even faster in high-efficiency grounds.
‘All I have left is money, and I’m lacking time.’
I thought it wouldn’t be hard to secure one or two exclusive hunting grounds.
“The only worry is I’ll have to interact with other users.”
“I’m already facing quite a few users.”
“Yeah, true.”
Arsia’s blunt remark sealed the deal.
I immediately logged into the Chronicle Online community and searched which hunting grounds suited my taste were being monopolized by whom.
* * *
Thinking about Chronicle Online’s scale—forty million simultaneous users—there should be many servers, but strangely, the game only operated on a single server and single channel.
Instead, it used a method of expanding the world size and creating dozens of countries and continents, managing them like separate servers.
Thanks to that, Chronicle Online was so vast it could be called a second world.
Because of the realness created by virtual reality and a gigantic world, many users felt Chronicle Online weighed more in their lives than reality itself.
It was only natural; the game felt like a perfect paradise where everyone was equal, unlike the harsh real world.
Users who lived off the game were the top players.
They sustained reality by making money from ads, item trading, or any means possible.
Some earned massive sums like successful businessmen, while others barely scraped by.
But the number of people living entirely off the game was tiny compared to the total, and by user count it was actually the opposite—many earners.
“This time they’re doubling the game play-time suggestion in our country.”
“Really? That’s insane.”
“Recently cash item trading got blocked, so now I might have to do manual labor.”
“What about selling in countries where cash item trading is legal?”
“Those madmen will fine ten times if they get caught.”
“Ha, you’re suffering too. It’s getting harder and harder to play.”
“Damn it! If only I’d been born in the Elysia Union, but they make these stupid regulations.”
“Nobles are so easy on the rules, saying they don’t even play games.”
There was even a country that imposed unimaginable regulations and penalties for supposedly reducing national productivity.
In Earth, users would fight back against any freedom violation, but in feudal Rondel it was structurally impossible.
On the surface they looked dazzling and stylish, but the inside was often filled with poor commoners.
“Guild master, who’s here?”
“Who?”
“A level 200 mage. Says he wants to trade and requested a meeting with the guild master.”
Chronicle Online had ten continents and thirty-five countries.
Meaning top ten guilds represented continents, and top hundred guilds were the three major guilds of nations.
The Black Dragon Guild, ranked ninety-eight overall and third in its country, was a massive guild of three thousand members.
Yet they were a typical gaming addict group; living only for the game was no exaggeration.
Like large guilds, they had plenty of ad sponsors and steady income, but because their size was enormous, members couldn’t focus freely and earn enough.
Moreover, as the game became stagnant, popularity and profitability were dropping, and national regulations were tightening around the throat.
The guild leadership had to worry about the future every single day.
In that situation, the request looked like pure sabotage to the guild master and executives.
“Just kick him out. It’s obvious they’re trying to force us into a guild.”
Large guilds attracted all kinds of opportunistic people.
So the guild master dismissed it casually.
But the member who usually shrugged and left now stubbornly persisted.
“I think meeting him would be good.”
“Why? What is it?”
At that point the guild master looked puzzled too.
And the next words changed his expression.
“He brought ten Decatron Hearts as a gift. On top of that, he’s wearing the best pay-to-win equipment that fits level 200. Just the stats of the gear alone would probably be better than some half-maxed out items, don’t you think?”
“Really?”
Decatron Heart was an expensive enhancement material worth half a million roots each.
Handing over ten of them as a gift, plus paying for gear that was clearly overpriced… that was enough to pique interest.
“Noble?”
“Could be. Or just rich.”
Nobles tended to undervalue virtual reality.
They could enjoy plenty in reality, so they didn’t need to chase VR.
But not all nobles ignored VR games.
There were always weirdos everywhere, and not every noble lived a satisfying life.
The guild master, hesitating, finally decided to meet the low-level mage anyway.
“Alright. I’ll bring him right over.”
And a moment later the guild master saw a man with a modest avatar in flashy gear.
He was clearly a user who gave off an annoying vibe.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Min Gi.”
“Nicknames are unusual. Hello. Penny.”
The low-level mage was actually Adrian.
Min Gi was the name Adrian had used in his previous life.
The guild master Penny greeted him politely.
“You said there was a trade. May I ask why you’re here?”
“I want to rent the hunting grounds monopolized by Black Dragon Guild.”
“Rent?”
“Yes. Same as now—block other users from accessing the hunting ground and let only me use it.”
It was a method I’d never heard of.
Plus I’d have to manage the hunting ground for them, yet I wasn’t allowed to use it myself. It sounded absurd.
Naturally, Penny’s brows furrowed and his executives looked displeased too.
Why monopolize hunting grounds if not for high efficiency and to control specific items?
There was no reason to share the gains I’d obtained by sacrificing my conscience.
“If you rent, you’ll obviously pay rent.”
“How much do you want to pay?”
But the guild master’s office fell silent.
“You’ll give us five times the total profit we can make from that hunting ground. Of course in cash.”
“…”
Everyone was speechless.
Adrian tilted his head, as if asking if they were serious.
“Which hunting ground do you want?”
“Kalten’s Chimera Dungeon.”
That was a level 200 five-man party’s difficulty—plenty to hunt.
It also dropped the Life Elixir item that provided good income, and experience was generous.
Top-level users went there for the money.
“Here, wait a second. Kalten’s Chimera Dungeon is used by over two hundred people a day. Top-level users go there because that’s where the money is. If each person earns fifty thousand roots there, daily total profit exceeds ten million roots.”
Ten million roots a day was five times—fifty million roots per day in rent.
Adrian shrugged.
“No problem. But you must strictly block other users.”
The Black Dragon guild master and executives looked confused at Adrian’s casual reply.
“Does something special drop there? Or is there a hidden quest involved?”
“Just for leveling up.”
Everyone showed suspicion.
Without a real goal, they wouldn’t waste fifty million roots a day.
It didn’t make sense.
“I’m solo leveling. I just want to enjoy the game without any interference.”
“So you’re on a challenge?”
“Yeah. And all good hunting grounds are already monopolized by large guilds.”
There were users who played hard—normal characters grinding to max level, or playing in just panties with no armor.
The guild master thought Adrian seemed like one of those.
And money was pouring out…
“If you wish, I can advance the payment. Online currency trading is fine too.”
The guild master swallowed hard.
“How long do you want the rental period?”
“First, just one month. If I level well I’ll extend, and if it slows down I’ll rent another.”
“What does that mean?”
“Yes. I’ll keep renting the exclusive hunting ground until I max level.”
Adrian’s annoying tone made the request feel even more genuine.
And from their side, there was no reason to refuse.
It was like winning the lottery.
“Everyone! Get in the car!”
The guild master and executives busily welcomed Adrian.
“You’re accepting the rental request, right?”
“Of course. No reason to reject such a good contract.”
Adrian looked satisfied.
“Alright. I’ll calculate it now.”
“We don’t have exact data, so we can only estimate. You’re okay with that?”
“Then let’s just do fifty million roots per day.”
The casual decision left smiles on the guild master and executives.
“We’re good with it.”
“Got it. Send the account details. Since daily payments would be annoying, I’ll pre-pay weekly.”
“Eh? Then thirty-five million roots right away?”
“Fifty million roots base—thirty-five million roots.”
The guild master gave the business account for receiving ad revenue, and soon the deposit was confirmed.
Thirty-five million roots per week.
How many people in the game could earn that much in a week?
The person in front of me was clearly a noble.
Not some minor noble—a real, true noble.
“As long as you pay a large sum, you’ll handle the matter properly. If you try to run away or get greedy and the guild goes bankrupt, you’ll regret it…”
“Of course. What’s the chance of that?”
In games level is king, but here the boss was set.
Adrian registered as friends with the guild master and left a single line: “I want to use the dungeon right away, so process it quickly.”
He left the Black Dragon Guild’s headquarters.
“I feel like I’ve been ghosted.”
“Open the account. Was it really deposited properly? Did you count the digits right?”
The guild master showed the account status at the urging of his colleagues.
The executives all looked dazed.
“Jealous. He just threw away billions to play comfortably.”
“Different class.”
The unexpected windfall and the fact that Black Dragon Guild executives could now earn it steadily made them sit down to discuss how to use the money.
“Ah! Teacher Min Gi said he wants to use the hunting ground quickly! Send a message to the members to clear the Chimera Dungeon!”
“Yeah, right.”
Adrian’s character title had changed from “Min Gi-nim” to “Teacher Min Gi.”
**System Notification**
**Caution: You are approaching a level 200 dungeon.** **Recommended party size: 1–5 players.** **Difficulty: Moderate. Rewards include Life Elixir and experience.** **Exclusive hunting ground rental activated for 7 days.** **Profit guarantee: 35,000,000 roots per day. Strict blocking enforced.** **Warning: Other users will be blocked. Growth rate will accelerate.** **Duration: 7 days remaining.**