Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Dragon (2)
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"Ah."
Right after leaving Lartania territory, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness walked in a daze before letting out a low exclamation as if she'd suddenly realized something, murmuring to herself.
"I didn't bring... any of the weapons."
The darkness she controlled had habitually gathered the weapons, but she now realized a few key ones had been left behind.
Yet even after this realization, Lin's expression didn't change.
Because she already knew.
That even collecting all the gifts would mean nothing in the end.
Thinking of this, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness unwittingly formed a wistful smile and gazed up at the sky.
She stared blankly at the pitch-black darkness lit only by the moonlight, tears streaming down her cheeks without her noticing.
"..."
In a way, today could be called a good day for her.
No, perhaps an incredibly good day.
After all, she'd finally reunited after ten years with the one she'd longed for so desperately, and at the same time, she'd gained a crucial realization.
The firm certainty that she could return to his side.
That was what mattered.
For over a decade, she'd collected gifts, but always trembled with anxiety.
Even if she gathered them all, would he—the one who'd been disappointed and left her—accept her back? It was uncertain.
But today, she'd received confirmation.
From him.
From the one she'd waited for endlessly, the one she adored beyond measure.
Confirmation that she could return.
It was the happiest thing imaginable, exactly what she'd wanted.
Her goal had always been to return to him, after all.
Yet despite this realization, Lin shed silent tears.
No matter the confirmation, the fact that he'd rejected her crushed her heart.
So the Absolute Ruler of Darkness bit her lip and wept for a while before suddenly wiping her tears away at some point.
Then, with resolute eyes swollen red, she gazed back at the Lartania territory she'd left behind.
Not the vast domain she remembered from ten years ago, but a small one just beginning to develop.
'No matter what, I'll return.'
Lin recalled Kim Hyunwoo's words.
More precisely, the reason he wouldn't accept her.
'Infamy.'
If she could just erase that, the Absolute Ruler of Darkness could return.
She could go back.
She could get another chance.
Another chance to build affection with him.
"..."
A torrent of thoughts raced through her mind.
How to quickly eliminate her infamy? Countless strategies formed, were discarded, and reformed in her head.
At the same time.
As these thoughts swirled, Lin prayed to return to Lartania as soon as possible.
'First off, I get that you've been through a lot. I don't know the details, but you must've had your reasons. At least from what I know, you're not the type to carelessly take lives.'
His words echoed as she cherished the fragments of affection he'd shared.
She prayed.
The next day.
The chaos from Lin's sudden visit was short-lived, and Kim Hyunwoo soon received a report from Loriell on membership card sales trends.
"...7,500 gold?"
Kim Hyunwoo blinked in surprise at Loriell's follow-up.
"So that means 1,500 people bought membership cards?"
Kim Hyunwoo stared blankly, thinking.
'I figured it'd sell well, but not this well.'
He'd expected strong sales thanks to the system he'd devised.
From the mercenaries' perspective, 5 gold was recoverable by diligently selling magic stones.
Plus, the tax reduction based on Contribution Points—a medieval impossibility—would surely ignite their buying frenzy. But this exceeded even his expectations, leaving him stunned.
Soon after, Elena arrived with the morning sales report, her face equally shocked as she spoke.
"...A total of 982 cards sold by this morning."
"So today..."
"It'll probably far surpass yesterday. We're closed for lunch right now."
Elena double-checked her own report in disbelief.
Watching her, Kim Hyunwoo smiled broadly. Everything was proceeding perfectly.
Just from membership sales, he'd already recouped the gold exchanged for magic stones from the mercenaries.
'Of course, sales will taper off over time, but that's fine.'
Memberships were merely the first method to recover gold. Even if mercenaries started mining magic stones in earnest, Kim Hyunwoo wouldn't lose out.
It was pure profit.
Mercenaries mining at the labyrinth's depths meant he'd claim 50% of their haul as "tax."
In other words, free magic stones without spending any territory resources.
And that was just the start.
Mercenaries settling into the labyrinth city would stimulate the local economy, turning into taxes from residents.
'The Contribution system will reduce taxes by buying stones cheaply, though.'
Still, it was fine.
His Contribution system appeared flawless and mercenary-friendly on the surface—a positive incentive.
But he hadn't designed it carelessly.
He'd baked in a trick.
Not the cheap "point inflation" from third-rate games.
Tampering with upgrade points would be effective but obvious, risking backlash.
So he left Contribution alone—generous, reasonable, if a bit high for early levels.
His real ploy? Introducing rankings.
Contributions accumulate indefinitely.
But their value diminishes over time.
Why? Because others accumulating points lowers your card rank.
'Ranks start at Bronze, of course.'
He aimed to pit mercenaries against each other, confident it'd work.
This endless competition loop was lifted straight from a once-huge mobile game.
Tax dips wouldn't hurt much.
Amateurs aside, skilled mercenaries would dump most stones into the territory for points.
Just like grinding hundreds of retries for one pull in that old game.
...Truth be told, even without all that, he was profiting now.
Labyrinth monsters respawn endlessly during package sales.
So Kim Hyunwoo smiled.
"Hm?"
He confirmed the alert window.
"Hello."
A short while later, as usual, Kim Hyunwoo met Adria—
"Y-Yes—hic!?"
"??"
He blinked in confusion at Adria's wide-eyed shock, but she couldn't relax her expression.
And for good reason. Adria, currently sharing senses with the Tiinus Merchant Group's guardian red-eyed dragon, heard in her mind:
A chilling, incessant echo of her own voice.