The Golden Rain of Vengeance
Why had a sudden golden rain begun to fall?
Through [World Observation], the reason became clear.
“The time has finally come!”
Dave’s voice rang out across the plains.
Once, when the sunset painted the horizon, this field before the royal castle had merged into a single sea of golden wheat. It had been the breadbasket of the Adel Kingdom.
Now Dave and his knights stood in formation upon that same land.
Each knight carried swords, spears, gongs, cymbals, drums, and horns.
“Behold our trampled and scorched land. Look upon the cursed monsters that roam it!”
Dave spurred his horse forward to stand before the soldiers.
“You have heard them too, haven’t you? Every night I heard them—the sound of monsters sifting through the ashes of burned homes, gnawing on the bones of our people!”
But that was yesterday.
From today onward, a new day would begin.
“Look at those vile beasts. They lie sprawled across the land they stole from us, bellies exposed, pounding their chests.”
Dave pointed to the countless bonfires scattered across the plain. They burned like careless night-watch cigarettes, completely unguarded.
Orcs had settled around each fire.
“Now it is our turn to suck the marrow from their bones.”
A wind swept across the plain and brushed past the knights. It sounded almost like weeping.
The knights gripped their swords tighter.
Dave clenched his own blade. In this moment alone—while holding a sword—his hands did not tremble and the phantom sounds did not reach him.
Gemini, meeting his gaze, tightened her grip on her staff as well.
At last Dave drew his sword.
“Thanks to our archmage Gemini, we have confined the cursed rifts to a single location. Now we can rebuild the front lines that once collapsed because of them.”
The stronger the evil, the more it wore away at mind and body. Yet the moment had finally arrived.
“Today we reclaim our homeland. Today we liberate our people! The front is restored—knights, draw your blades!”
“Uwooo! Uwooo! Uwooo!”
The thunder of spears striking the earth rolled across the field.
Dave raised his sword high.
“Follow me!”
Pwooooooo—!
The horn blared with fierce power.
Dave’s horse leapt forward. The knights thundered after him, the great banner of the kingdom snapping in the wind.
They crashed into the monsters occupying the villages, steel-shod warhorses smashing through the enemy lines.
Fear and shock rippled across the plain.
“Do not pursue too far!” Dave shouted. “Drive them into the killing zones!”
Dave’s army advanced with deliberate clamor, gongs and drums beating while armored boots marched in perfect formation. The monsters scattered in panic at the noise.
“Kyaaak! Humans! The humans have gone mad!”
“There are so many of them!”
“Run to the burrows! The wind—pass through the wind!”
Monsters fled toward their underground tunnels—only to find Choi Jong-hyun and the hunters already waiting in ambush. Wearing ghillie suits, the hunters lay prone and fed long pipes into the tunnel entrances.
“Commence sleeping-gas deployment,” Choi Jong-hyun ordered. “Those that die can’t be helped. Capture the survivors alive and turn them into laborers, as ordered.”
Every monster that perished in the process turned into gold, silver, and copper coins.
It was living alchemy.
All stats rising! 999+
Standing beneath the golden rain, Kim Hwang-je felt a shiver run through him.
He understood Dave’s heart.
Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes.
These coins were the gold of Dave’s vengeance.
Seo Jun-seo approached, shielding his eyes from the blinding light.
“Sir… over here…”
“Ugh, too bright.”
Glittering gold had piled up around the towering oil tank like a mountain of sand. The slightest touch would send coins cascading down in an avalanche.
“Deputy Director.”
Kim Hwang-je called to the deputy director cowering beneath the tank.
“Y-yes, sir!”
The man was still in shock. Oil poured from their president’s hands while gold rained from above. Was their leader some kind of mine spirit?
“I’ll say this in advance—keep everyone out of here. It’s dangerous.”
“Understood!”
Gold. And crude oil. A warning that anyone who entered carelessly would regret it.
Half-true, at least.
Kim Hwang-je intended to turn this ship into his Stronghold—the main base of his forces. He had already raised it onto land and transformed it into a colossal steel fortress.
Recently, after accepting the Gaya Kingdom, he had seen the message: [Stronghold has not yet been set.]
That meant he could set one.
When he opened the status window, the option was waiting.
Please designate a Stronghold to manage your vassal states.
[Stronghold Setting]
Designate the FPSO oil storage tank as your Stronghold?
[Y/N]
[Stronghold has been set!]
[Please name your Stronghold.]
What should he call this place?
“Our House.”
Stronghold: Our House
Chief Administrator: Kim Hwang-je
Deputy Administrator: —
Entry Permission: ‘Servant’, ‘Reformed’, ‘Contractor’. Add any additional individuals?
[Y/N]
Kim Hwang-je pressed N.
In housing systems, carelessly assigning a deputy was the fastest way to get the guild warehouse robbed. He wasn’t about to make that mistake.
Anyway, everything here was his.
Conquest Complete!
Congratulations, Your Majesty.
You have achieved Earth’s first conquest!
This ship now belongs to the Emperor, and the area it occupies is your [Territory].
This Stronghold is a ship. Should it enter another nation’s waters, the act may be automatically treated as a [Declaration of War]. Exercise caution!
Kim Hwang-je tilted his head. The land he had received from the Korean government was already his. Since the ship was now on solid ground, he had no intention of returning it to the sea.
All [Tribute] and [Life-Linked] loot can now be routed directly to the Stronghold.
Where would you like to designate the [Imperial Vault]?
“Finally!”
No more wrestling with bluefin tuna every morning.
Kim Hwang-je selected the area around the oil tank.
Congratulations. [Imperial Vault] has been set within [Stronghold: Our House].
You may now summon a portion of your [Reformed] subjects to defend the Stronghold.
“Does that mean I can summon Bahu and his subordinates too?”
Kim Hwang-je casually summoned the skeleton.
“Come forth, Bahu!”
Thud!
Bahu dropped from the sky like a frog, landing face-down. Gold coins rolled in every direction around him. When he looked up and saw Kim Hwang-je wrapped in blinding golden light, he gasped in terror.
“G-Great Emperor!”
Then his gaze fell on the rolling gold and his breath caught.
“Huff… huff… Gold! Gold!”
“Hey, wait a second!”
Bahu snatched up a coin.
“Kyaahhh!”
He leapt as though struck by lightning, then collapsed face-first into the pile of anti-magic gold.
A notification appeared.
[Labor-Reformed] ‘Bahu’ touched the Emperor’s gold and received a lethal curse.
TIP: Do not touch your master’s gold carelessly!
Stronghold curse damage: 85%
Anti-magic damage from anti-magic gold: 15%
Bahu’s vitality has exceeded its limit.
“What?”
Was he serious? Bahu had actually died.
Kim Hwang-je stared at the skeleton buried in the gold pile.
“Uh… should I drag him out?” the fisherman asked.
Kim Hwang-je nodded. The fisherman carefully grabbed Bahu’s leg and pulled.
“Hehe, Your Majesty, this undead guy really kicked the bucket.”
“Tsk. Watch your language.”
Of course, language was the least of their problems right now.
From behind Kim Hwang-je rose the mortician’s terrifying voice.
“Death shall not claim you!!!”
The deputy director and every employee fled at the sight of the black fog pouring from the mortician.
“Run! Aaaagh!”
“It’s an undead monster!”
“Our president summoned a monster!”
“Deputy Director! What do we do? Should we jump?”
“Get a grip! We’re on land now—jumping will kill you!”
While everyone panicked, the fisherman spoke up.
“Your Majesty, shall I catch the employees too?”
“No needles!”
“Yes sir. Hong-hap! Grab them!”
Fwoooosh!
Giant mussels the size of SUVs leapt from the hull and shot their byssal threads, binding the screaming employees. The mortician bellowed while radiating crimson aura, and the workers shrieked like panicked pigs.
“Rise! There is still tax left to pay!”
“Aaaagh! I’m a mussel now!”
Even the undead resurrection ritual was performed with full solemnity.
Seo Jun-seo quietly moved away from the gold and sat on the railing, wiping sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.
“Hoo…”
“Uh… sorry about that,” Kim Hwang-je apologized at once.
“N-no, sir. I was just a little surprised.”
Meanwhile, Bahu had revived as an undead within blue flames. He let out a horrific wail, lamenting his return to life.
“Waaah… waaah!”
The bound employees screamed again at the sight.
Kim Hwang-je felt as though he were sitting in the middle of the final siege of the golden empire of El Dorado.
In the end, he paid 3.2 million won to the royal castle mage for a [Silence] spell.
“Whew. Finally quiet.”
He looked at the still-twitching employees and Bahu, then addressed the skeleton first.
The spell allowed the target to answer when spoken to.
“Bahu. Go back for now.”
“Krrrr…”
Bahu dropped to his knees in despair.
“Ah… it was such a beautiful dream…”
Once he vanished, Kim Hwang-je raised his hands to calm the staff.
“Everyone, please relax! The FPSO is safe!”
“Aaaagh!”
“Why are they still screaming when I said it’s safe?”
‘Well, at least I refined the oil and secured the Stronghold. That’s what matters.’
Kim Hwang-je decided to look on the bright side and pulled out the contract documents.
It took over an hour to settle the employees. Kim Hwang-je offered every one of them a 10% annual raise along with a [Loyalty Contract]. They signed without hesitation after seeing the generous vacation policy and base salary of 15 million won per month.
Probably.
After ordering the staff to refine the oil, Kim Hwang-je began exploring the Stronghold settings.
[Stronghold Vassal Management]
[Vassal Main Quests]
[Vassal Map]
Surprisingly, quests and maps could be projected throughout the command room.
Kim Hwang-je designated the oil tank as the [Imperial Vault] and the large room in front of it as the [Imperial Command Center].
He then hung several maps and charts on one cleanly finished wall:
Adel Royal Castle Complete Map
Adel Kingdom Complete Map
Brikia Continent Map
Adel Royal Castle Retainer Organization Chart
Adel Royal Castle Facility Organization Chart
Adel Royal Castle War Council Report
As the First Vassal State, Adel naturally had the most documents. Beside them hung the Second Vassal State’s reports—Gaya Kingdom Rebel Mission Reports and Organization Charts—along with materials they had provided, including the Gaya Group family tree and the Howling organization chart.
“Wow, this looks just like a scene from a drama, doesn’t it, Jun-seo?”
“Yes, sir. It resembles an FBI operations room.”
Of course, the Lost secretary’s office where Seo Jun-seo worked was far more complex, but he focused on boosting Kim Hwang-je’s pride.
“Ahem~”
Kim Hwang-je’s greatest concern right now was the safety of the kingdom. He approached the large bulletin board and examined the progress of Dave’s Territory Purification Operation.
“There are still an enormous number of stragglers left. Where are they all coming from?”
Baekju and Sirius knelt before him. Kim Hwang-je couldn’t bring himself to summon Bahu for a report.
“Your Majesty, I shall report what I learned from Professor Labanus,” Baekju said.
Baekju wore glasses and had neatly combed hair. While Sirius was a muscle-bound bald man, Baekju was an elite who had studied diligently. The whip and the female overseer had reformed him, but his natural intelligence remained high. He was far better suited to intelligence work than thievery or fishing—once he got used to wearing tights instead of a suit.
“Go ahead.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. These monsters have migrated southward, much like the Germanic tribes.”
“Ugh… that’s a terrifying thought. You’re saying there are even worse monsters up north?”
“Correct. While the Demon Kings fought among themselves in the north, refugee orcs fled south and nearly destroyed the Adel Kingdom.”
So they had fallen to refugees. Still, holding out as long as they had against a Germanic-style migration was impressive.
“Then we need to drive every last one of them out so they can’t build a monster nation here.”
“Yes. But the real problem lies to the south. While the northern monsters are busy fighting each other, the southern demons must pass through Adel territory if they wish to expand.”
“Demon King Izkaya, was it? What’s his goal?”
“The royal castle believes he seeks world conquest.”
Kim Hwang-je was genuinely impressed that an evil organization actually dreamed of world domination.
“And soon he will join the [Dark Rift Wave] in retaliation for Professor Labanus’s rescue!”
Two against one.
Kim Hwang-je frowned.