Chapter 75
Chapter 75: Hero (3)
"Butler Kim, why do you look so anxious and worried?"
Butler Kim, who had just returned from the imperial treasury on the Emperor's orders, was staring at the Emperor intently, like a dog wanting to defecate.
To this, the Emperor graciously permitted him to ask a question.
"Sire, isn't the reward too excessive?"
The rewards the Emperor had given to Erik were not ordinary, each one of them.
'Such an enormous sum...'
Butler Kim had just been to the imperial treasury following the Emperor's instructions to retrieve the final reward.
So he could make a decision.
He thought he must stop the Emperor before giving the final reward.
"What do you mean by excessive?"
However, the Emperor coldly ignored Butler Kim's concern.
'How dare I offer counsel to His Majesty...'
Butler Kim was the Emperor's loyal subject.
A loyal subject was one who could speak necessary words.
"No matter how much he has done for the Empire..."
The Emperor is the sole owner of the Imperial Capital.
However, the Emperor took a portion and bestowed it upon Erik.
Moreover, an entire section of District 5.
"And he even gave the fragments of the Moon..."
And that wasn't the end.
The Emperor had even distributed fragments of the Great Moon, a symbol of immense power in the Empire.
This alone was an excessive reward.
Yet the Emperor did not stop here.
'The imperial treasury is an excessive reward.'
Anything excessive becomes poison.
Moreover, Erik, despite his appearance, was still quite young.
'Success achieved at such a young age tends to corrupt one's character.'
How many young nobles and noble daughters had been corrupted this way?
There was still a chance to correct it.
So Butler Kim, after a long time, spoke words that went against the Emperor's will.
"In my humble opinion... since you have already given a portion of the Imperial Capital and fragments of the Moon, it seems you have already given an excessive reward. Please! I beseech you to reconsider the final reward!"
Butler Kim had brought an enormous sum of money from the imperial treasury.
According to the Emperor, this money was also a reward to be given to Erik.
"Giving such a large sum before a war seems too excessive, in my view!"
It was an astronomical amount equivalent to the annual budget of a major estate.
Of course, from the perspective of a vast empire, it wasn't a major loss, but the timing was critical.
'Such a large sum before a conquest war...'
Considering the military funds needed for the upcoming war, a very large expenditure was expected.
Butler Kim's concern was not light.
War was something that continued to consume resources until it ended.
"Haha! Butler Kim, do you really think this is excessive?"
Yet the Emperor merely laughed as if it were nothing.
Butler Kim's insides burned with anxiety.
The Emperor's workload had increased significantly compared to usual.
Could it be that he made this excessive judgment because of that?
'His Majesty has so much to worry about.'
Butler Kim was the Emperor's butler.
Though the title was merely "butler," the duties he handled were numerous.
Creating documents to convey imperial orders, organizing and summarizing various matters of importance.
Or delivering the rewards the Emperor bestowed was also Butler Kim's duty.
Moreover, the protocols for various ceremonies were basic, and managing the Emperor's clothing and meals were also duties of Butler Kim.
'Because of Erik the Director, His Majesty's duties have increased so much...'
As such a butler, he understood well.
That the Emperor could very well be overloaded.
Normally, the Emperor entrusted state affairs to the Prime Minister and enjoyed guarding the throne and watching over the Empire's peace.
Yet this Emperor had to personally handle numerous tasks, so his judgment could certainly become clouded.
"Your Majesty."
Butler Kim tried to advise the Emperor to postpone the national council meeting that would resume shortly and take rest.
But the Emperor's calm words cut him off.
"Butler Kim, do I seem excessive to you?"
Butler Kim, who had served the Emperor his whole life, could tell from his voice alone.
'A supreme will...'
All his previous concerns disappeared without a trace.
The dignified and majestic voice proclaimed the Emperor's will.
What exactly was the Emperor's intention in lavishing such excessive rewards upon Erik?
Butler Kim perked up his ears and waited for the Emperor's words.
"Erik is a saint. He is a figure of the Astia Religious Order. Everyone was blinded by this."
The Emperor looked down at Butler Kim with steady eyes.
"He merely wields divine power, but his true nature is entirely different from a clergyman."
When the Emperor had told Erik the hidden history of the Empire's founding,
'The power he wields is merely divine.'
Erik had said he had never heard God's voice.
"Moreover, he even views God as a realm humans can reach."
A man without reverence for the divine possessed incomprehensible divine power.
Certainly, it was strange for something that had never appeared in the world before to exist, but the Emperor understood such matters well.
"The first Emperor wielded the power of the Moon."
The ancestor of the imperial family, who first moved the Moon.
"The three gods of the continent first created the power called divine sanctity."
Three gods who created a new power called divine sanctity—capable of healing others while dealing fatal wounds to black mages and monsters.
"The first black mage was called the Demon King, and he created non-existent demons."
Originally, the very concept of "the first" in this world.
Made no sense.
"So the world called those who achieved such firsts heroes or demon kings. Ah, sometimes they were called gods as well."
Hero or Demon King.
Great titles came with deeds befitting them.
Having finished his explanation, the Emperor asked Butler Kim,
"Butler Kim, in your view, which do you think Erik the Director will be?"
"It is certain that he is a savior."
"Yes, the path he has walked is the path of a hero."
The Emperor knows well how to nurture a hero.
A hero is a being who far transcends the common sense of ordinary people.
The way to handle such people was simple.
"A great achievement must be followed by appropriate compensation."
To give generously without reservation.
That was the Emperor's method of nurturing heroes.
***
Standing on the wall of District 4, looking down at District 5, Erik asked Kang Seo-hyun a question.
"So where should we construct the buildings first?"
"That... In my view, building attached to the outer wall connected to District 4 would be the most stable."
Kang Seo-hyun trembled as if feeling chills.
'How did he discover my unique trait?'
She possessed the [Unique Trait: Surveying].
In the game, it was a trait used occasionally when constructing a guild home or establishing defensive formations in territory wars outside the labyrinth.
It wasn't particularly well-regarded.
'Normally, I would just exchange it through the trait selection...'
Unlike the game, resetting traits was difficult in reality.
There was no way to buy cash items, and opportunities were given only once or twice during higher class promotions.
'I was discovered as a possessor for the first time, and yet...'
In fact, the fear came less from being discovered as a possessor and more from having her trait analyzed.
This was the first time Kang Seo-hyun had been discovered as a possessor.
Moreover, she had never posted her information on the community.
How could he possibly have known?
Chills ran through her entire body.
"There are quite a few buildings jutting out into the western section. Is the boundary line accurate?"
Erik continued with his question toward the frightened Kang Seo-hyun.
Her trait was a passive type with no magical power or aura consumption.
Unlike in the game, in reality, 3D graphics automatically appeared in her mind whenever she thought about it—land area, building sketches, and such.
"That row of shacks is in the northern section."
Since she couldn't show it to others, explaining it was entirely her responsibility.
"This level of sectioning should be sufficient. Once the residents evacuate, we'll begin redevelopment immediately."
Erik nodded with a satisfied expression.
'In the game, traits that weren't useful have turned out to be quite useful in reality.'
Such as Park Chang-ho's sixth sense.
Or Nishida Ryo's death sense.
This [Surveying] he discovered was equally efficient.
Now the last thing he needed to understand was what kind of abilities the possessor Kang Seo-hyun possessed.
Given how well she had managed her territory without being caught, there was a high probability she had been engaged in related work.
"Kang Seo-hyun, what kind of work did you do on Earth?"
"...Well..."
Kang Seo-hyun paused for a moment.
She had no intention of lying to a being who could read status windows.
She was merely troubled by how to explain her profession to suit this savage world.
'How do I explain management consulting?'
A kind of advisory service.
She had provided professional consulting to companies and government offices, analyzing problems in management systems and conveying improvements.
She had been quite capable at it.
After all, she had belonged to a renowned overseas company before coming to Korea and even establishing her own independent company.
'...Territory consultant? No, consulting itself... Territory advisor?'
However, such a profession as management consultant did not exist in this world.
The basic way of thinking among nobles and influential people was to have capable people do what they couldn't.
If a commoner showed capability, they would generally recruit and employ them.
As she pondered this,
"Please speak comfortably. Erik the Director has researched possessors more than anyone else."
Park Chang-ho offered such words.
It was a somewhat strange comment, but Kang Seo-hyun trusted him and informed Erik of her profession.
"I was a management consultant. I would analyze businesses or territories and identify problems—"
"Oh, that's perfect timing."
Erik cut off Kang Seo-hyun's words.
He could now understand the secret to her survival without being discovered as a noble.
'She wasn't just undetected. Her territory showed growth.'
She had already proven her skills from Earth in this place.
"Kang Seo-hyun, I will entrust you with the administrative position of the newly constructed Earthtown."
City management?
Erik had no time to spare on such trivial matters.
For him, Earthtown, the city of possessors, was nothing more than a GP production factory and a place to protect and allow Earthlings to live.
'Koreans will definitely adapt as long as they have land and a house.'
If we even build apartments, that would be perfect.
Erik wanted to create a place for possessors to call home.
'My home is not here, though...'
He planned to quickly demolish District 5 and begin redevelopment, then immediately handle the next matters.
So he summoned the workforce.
A group of possessors comprised entirely of necromancers.
"We... You really..."
The necromancer possessors, upon seeing Erik, bowed their heads, seemingly deeply moved.
Erik reiterated his intention.
"You are chosen beings."
Necromancer.
In the game, it was an unremarkable class until completing the third promotion.
Even after third promotion, it barely pulled its own weight.
The situation was similar in the real world.
Necromancers were treated as pseudo-black mages and faced strong rejection.
Such a stigmatized class was prevalent, but Erik had seen potential in them.
'They're like construction equipment.'
Watching the skeletons summoned by a dozen or so necromancer classes, Erik felt such sentiment.
This was infinite power, wasn't it?
"We... We really have a use...?"
The necromancer class, unable even to join the Adventurer's Guild due to prejudice.
Even other possessors dismissed them as useless necros in this situation.
"We'll begin demolition soon. As you construct the new city, feel the potential within yourselves."
To these people, the massive man alone asserted their usefulness.
Erik became the hope of the necromancer possessors.
***
"Um, Chang-ho."
Kang Seo-hyun carefully called out to Park Chang-ho.
"Yes?"
"When you say we're starting redevelopment right away..."
The western section of District 5, visible below, was complete chaos.
Imperial Security Forces were summoning residents from the slums and driving them into other sections.
The displaced residents filled the streets.
'It'll take at least half a day just to drive out the residents...'
Soldiers guarding the great wall of District 5, the last wall of the capital, had even been mobilized to record the personal information of displaced residents.
"He said since he's clearing out the residents, he'll quickly build new homes for them."
Park Chang-ho said so, but from Kang Seo-hyun's perspective, seeing Erik for the first time, it made no sense.
She understood the plan to redevelop a section as large as most districts in Seoul.
But still...
"But how does he—"
Erik's statement to immediately demolish such vast land.
And immediately after demolition, to construct new buildings—she couldn't comprehend it at all.
"Look at Erik the Director."
Park Chang-ho pointed upward into the sky with his hand.
Erik, with wings unfurled, was floating in the air, waving his hands about.
Seeing this only deepened Kang Seo-hyun's questions.
'Is he in his right mind?'
Even if a high mage used meteor, it would be questionable at such a scale.
Moreover, using meteor would be a major problem.
The next section over continued with densely packed slums, so doing such a thing would cause great damage.
And there were still residents here, weren't there?
As Kang Seo-hyun contemplated this,
"If Erik the Director says it's possible, then it's possible."
Park Chang-ho uttered strange words.
His eyes had a slightly manic gleam, appearing somewhat fanatical.
From this, Kang Seo-hyun gained one certainty.
'So Park Chang-ho is that person from the community talking about the protagonist.'
Meanwhile, Park Chang-ho was also finding Kang Seo-hyun strange.
His head throbbed.
From her irreverent expression, she seemed to have far more problems than her first impression suggested.
'Perhaps because she lived as a noble, she has many strange aspects.'
Having already seen all manner of sights, to show such an attitude toward Erik...
She would come to understand when she visited the temple.
'My original self is dead...'
He had seen it all at the temple.
His own funeral held on Earth.
The certainty of obtaining a new life.
Had he not experienced great deeds encompassing death and life?
Moreover,
'Ah, this refreshing sensation. This peace of mind!'
The divine power flowing smoothly proved it.
As Park Chang-ho savored the lingering scent of sanctity drifting from the sky,
"Kyaaaah!"
Kang Seo-hyun screamed.
Looking to the side, other possessors were also rushing behind the walls, seemingly in pain.
'Ah, those people can't feel this.'
Ssssssssss.
Between District 4 and District 5 of the capital.
Golden wings pierced the blue sky as Erik's wings fluttered.
The aftereffect drifted all the way to the top of the walls.
'This is truly the world's only drug—'
Park Chang-ho spread both arms wide, gazing at the sky.
Beside him, lush brown hair swept past.
"Ah, there are still citizens!"
Kang Seo-hyun urgently looked at Park Chang-ho.
Sizzle. Smoke rose from her body.
"What is that person doing!"
Yet she remained concerned for the citizens.
That Erik wouldn't hurt ordinary people, but from the perspective of those who didn't know him...
'It looks like he's about to rain meteor.'
Park Chang-ho offered her reassuring words.
"Erik the Director is a saint. There's no way he would harm ordinary citizens—"
However, his words could not continue.
Boom!
A massive golden sphere appeared, piercing the sky.
'What?'
A giant round shadow cast over the walls.
That massive meteor shower that had swept away monsters in the labyrinth.
"Isn't that a meteor?"
Had appeared above the capital's sky.
'Like a small sun...'
For some reason, it seemed larger than when he'd seen it in the labyrinth.
"Huh, huh?"
But the problem was that it kept getting larger.
"It's... it's falling—"