The Novel’s Villain

9. The Emperor of Gold (2)

The Dimensional Store was outside the Tower of Trials. Jin-woo was able to acquire items from it available through the blue window, perusing through a selection ranging from small fruit seeds to high-ranked items.

“Oh…”

books were also well divided by type. It was easy to recognize because he could see the information listed at a glance. Above all, there was something that surprised Jin-woo.

‘Isn’t it cheap?’

It was much cheaper than the price on Earth. On Earth, one F-rank item was worth hundreds of millions. Even if that’s because some artifacts and relics hadn’t been released yet, they would still sell for tens of millions later. However, in the Dimensional Store, the same Rank was about one million won. It was so cheap that it felt like the Waste stack he had built up was about to disappear.

It turned out the conversion rate was roughly 10,000 won per gold coin.

[D+] Advanced Potion

A potion can heal all external injuries quickly, even amputated limbs, and past wounds can be neatly recovered. However, very few people use it because of its high price.

For Sale: 106 Units

Price: 5000G (including commission and transfer fee)

One Rank D+ only cost about 50 million won. It was just like it was being given away for free. Jin-woo purchased all of the listed quantities in a lump sum. There were over a hundred, but it wasn’t too much of a burden. As soon as he bought them, a magic circle was drawn in the air, and a pile of boxes landed in front of him.

“So that’s how it works. It’s amazing. As expected from a fantasy world.”

“Y-you brought a-a hundred advanced potions?!”

When the well-packaged box was opened, the beautiful potions were revealed. Beautiful golden patterns were painted in a clear glass bottle. The color of the potion was like looking at the finest wine as it shone a gentle light. Arina gulp as she stared at the potions. She became increasingly restless when Jin-woo lightly held the potion and shook it. When he tapped the glass to measure the hardness of the bottle, she couldn’t hide her astonishment.

“Y-you’re going to break it! Kyaaah! P-please don’t! Please put it down!”

“Who cares? There’s a lot of them.”

“This is a rare potion that can only be produced in ports or provinces in the Demon Realm! Only about ten are made per month! Y-you can live happily for several years with only one of those!”

“Then we can wait and buy again. The more potions, the better, after all.”

“Aah…you are indeed the true Emperor. Sob…”

Arina was once again moved by Jin-woo’s wealth to the point of tears. Jin-woo didn’t know what would happen in the future, so he thought it would be good to buy many potions. After all, the more potions, the more reassured he was. Jin-woo started shopping in earnest. There were quite a few things that he was interested in.

“Oh, I have to buy this.”

[C] Subspace (Inventory)

It’s a subspace that boasts a very large storage capacity. Time remains still in the subspace. It can store up to 100 tons in weight.

Price: 16,000G

For Sale: 10 Unit

Jin-woo bought ten of them. It came in the form of a blue gem, but it recognized Jin-woo as its owner when he hefted it. With all of them combined, it could accommodate a thousand tons, so there seemed to be no need to worry about his capacity. Besides, it was very useful that time was stopped inside. He couldn’t even try to buy something like this on Earth, even if he had the money.

“What else can I buy? Umm…let’s just buy them all.”

“G-gasp…ah…master. You are a truly great king.”

Jin-woo collected all the equipment that stood out, starting with the sword. Arina couldn’t help but be amazed each time a new piece of equipment was delivered. She felt so dizzy that she flopped down after pacing around. Expensive equipment was piled up randomly to her side. The gold coin hill was decorated with valuable-looking equipment, so it began to look like a dragon’s hoard.

It was a good use of the money just to see that scene.

[B] The Technique Book of Velon and Elbrath

The great dwarf Velon and the noble elf Elbrath have created an art comparable to heaven and earth at their fingertips. A book containing the technique of the great dwarf Velon and the noble elf Elbrath. From blacksmithing and alchemy to strengthening, remodeling, and building, it covers all the techniques they’ve been working on all their lives. Beginners who have not trained for more than a hundred years should refrain from learning.

(Auction in progress)

Bid Amount: 730,000G

Time Remaining: 1 Minute

“There is also an auction feature, huh?”

It was just like the auction in Luna 5. Rank B or higher items would be subject to auction. Looking at the progress, the bid was being raised by 1,000 G at a time. The first time he saw a Rank B item, his desire to buy it soared.

“Oh, that’s a lot of money.”

He looked at it still and raised the bid by 30,000G. Arina, who was watching, just stiffened and collapsed once more. He was going to raise it the same amount again if someone else bid for a higher price. But that didn’t happen.

‘The Waste stacks went up.’

It was sold to Jin-woo right away, and he immediately learned the technique. Although it was difficult to learn, it didn’t matter at all with his Magic Eye.

[B+] Golden Maker

A technique established by Lee Jin-woo’s interpretation of Velon’s technique. Whatever he makes should be beautiful and elegant. It is reborn as exquisite by the correcting of Charm and Luck values.

* Alchemy

* Crafting

* Enhanced

There seemed to be nothing wrong with learning it as a hobby. The level-up efficiency of the crafting was also quite good. Jin-woo nodded, satisfied. Even after learning the technique, he still had the book, so it was perfect for exhibition.

‘Is it lame to have only one…?’

At this point, he swept up the good ones to replenish his library. He also purchased the expensive enhancement stones in bulk.

“Hmm, that’s it for now.”

It seemed he was overdoing it a bit because it felt like he was spending money on a mobile game. Jin-woo had never expected that he would shop inside the Gate, moreover when he came there to handle the Emperor of Greed originally. Some time passed while he was immersed in shopping. He could see Arina exhaling violently as she trembled. She even showed signs of drooling.

“Can we make a storage place in the Sanctuary of Gold?”

“J-just leave it to me! I will manage your assets, and I can also turn them into something you’ll love! I am an expert on that!”

“I see.”

Arina was full of motivation. However, she seemed to hesitate a little while looking at Jin-woo’s face. Come to think of it; he remembered that she had worked like a slave for no income for hundreds of years. It was Calverto’s evil deed. Wasn’t it all karma to die like that, then?

“How much is the pay? I don’t know about it.”

“About that…if you give me about a hundred gold for thirty days…”

Arina responded with an uncertain expression on her face. If it was 100G, it was enough money to live in abundance for a month in the Demon Realm. Arina read Jin-woo’s expression. Her soul that belonged to Calverto was transferred to Jin-woo, so she had to accept his commands even if it was without pay.

‘I don’t think it’s even the minimum wage.’

Jin-woo nodded after thinking for a while.

“Well…is it okay if you write in on the contract?”

“Sure…it’s better to be sure.”

“Thank you very much.”

Arina pulled the contract out. She hadn’t taken a second glance at it until now. The contract was written by Calverto, and the word ‘paid randomly’ was written in part mentioning wage. Arina handed a mana-filled pen to Jin-woo. Jin-woo changed it to 500G every thirty days, signed the contract, and then handed it to Arina. Arina’s consent wasn’t needed because Jin-woo was her owner.

Her eyes went wide after receiving the contract. The edges of her eyes turned red, and large drops of tears began to fall.

“Sob, sob…”

Jin-woo patted her on the shoulder as if he knew everything. Jin-woo also experienced the sadness of being unpaid before. The memory of spending months like that was so painful thinking of living like that for hundreds of years would have been unimaginable.

Let’s raise it a little later.

“Sob, I-I will do my best.”

“You don’t have to try too hard.”

“Master…”

Loyalty: 300% [Limit Break (Absolute Loyalty)]

When he looked at the loyalty, it had changed from Excess to Absolute.

“Cough…t-then, let’s get to work right now.”

“I don’t care how much money you spend, so take care of it.”

“I understand! I will do my best! I will give my life and my soul.”

“Take it easy.”

Jin-woo packed away most of the potions and useful things in his subspace and opened the portal. Since the case of the Emperor of Geed had been solved more or less, he would be able to sleep with his feet stretched out for the time being. It was a miraculous solution. Although it was confirmed that the other Emperor would awaken, there was still quite a bit of time left until it happened.

‘It’s good that things are going well…’

Was it an illusion to feel like a stack of misfortune is building up? Jin-woo smiled and shook his head. He was seen off by Arina and entered the portal. His hair was in a mess, and his clothes were dirty as he had been rolling around the floor with the gold coins. He thought he’d take a shower before going to sleep as he reached beyond the portal. Of course, Jin-woo’s room was spread out, and looking at the time; it was early in the morning.

He completely forgot about time because of the many things that happened as he confronted the Emperor of Greed. Moreover, there was no way to know the time there.

“Still, I didn’t get caught, did I?

As he was about to take off his clothes, he noticed someone outside. They knocked urgently and barged in. It was Yoo-na, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw Jin-woo.

He got caught. Jin-woo kept up an awkward smile. In this situation, he had to act as casually as possible.

“Good morning.”

“Where have you been? I was searching around because I didn’t feel your presence. I’m glad it was dealt with on my shift.”

“How did you know?”

“I came two hours before you woke up and checked…but have you forgotten?”

Honestly, he didn’t even have time to think about it when he opened the portal. The matters with the Emperor of Greed had taken precedence over all else. If Yoo-na had informed someone else, several helicopters and a large number of troops would have been mobilized. There was no sign of intrusion from the outside, nor any sign of the use of abilities, so it seemed that hadn’t happened.

Besides, Jin-woo’s room was also fully secured. That was why she decided to watch the situation first. After all, Jin-woo wasn’t ordinary. Fortunately, Jin-woo appeared while she was waiting nervously, and now she could breathe a sigh of relief.

“I went out for a while.”

“Looking at how you’re armed, you must have gone to the Gate.

Yoo-na could finally understand why Jin-woo was familiar with the Gate. It was clear that he could enter the Gate on his own. She didn’t even know how much effort he’d put in alone since he was young. Yoo-na became a little emotional but was careful not to reveal it. Her right arm and back hurt as if they were breaking from moving violently while searching for him. That pain had been getting worse these days.

She was barely keeping her body in balance with her abilities. Jin-woo could see a large scar on Yoo-na’s collar and remembered the report he saw when she came here.

‘Come to think of it…’

He didn’t feel it because she always showed her healthy appearance, but Yoo-na was a candidate for the Knight that retired due to injury. In the original story, the main character used his ability to heal her. Since then, her appearances have decreased in frequency and quality. After all, another heroine appeared soon enough after that.

‘Ah! The potion!’

He remembered the potion he had bought in preparation for the Tower of Trials. He didn’t know if it would work, but he thought it would be good to try it first. Yoo-na, who felt Jin-woo’s eyes, organized her loose collar while a bitter smile rested on her lips. Jin-woo put his hand into space and opened his inventory, producing a potion. Yoo-na couldn’t help but be surprised to see it, as any type of spatial manipulation was considered an expert technique.

“Drink this.”

“This is…”

“I picked it up at the Gate. I went for a walk, and it was there.”

Jin-woo roughly covered himself because he couldn’t think of any other excuse. Yoo-na carefully received the advanced potion. It was a great treasure to her eyes. The sparkling red liquid was unusual, and even with the lid closed, a great air current was flowing around it.

“It will be good for your body.”

Jin-woo headed to the dressing room to change his clothes. As expected, pretending to be calm was the right answer. He was really glad that she didn’t ask in detail. After all, Yoo-na could sniff out lies like a master detective. It was best to leave it vaguely. He believed in Yoo-na, but no one knew what would happen the moment it came out of his mouth. Furthermore, it was a world full of crazy trolls, according to the original rubbish setting.

Jin-woo breathed a sigh of relief.

‘That’s a relief.’

It was very fortunate in many ways.

‘Come to think of it…’

Wouldn’t it be possible that Yoo-na would go out to become a Knight candidate after she recovered from her wounds? When he thought of such an idea, his mind became a little more complicated. He had grown attached to her. Still, if it was for Yoo-na’s happiness, it was right to let her go.

‘She’ll go to the main character anyway…’

But that was okay if she were happy! Not that it stopped him from feeling down. Yoo-na looked silently at the luxurious bottle in her hand. The design was so beautiful that even she was mesmerized. The flowing liquid gave the illusion that it contained cosmic nebulae. For a moment, she lost all her senses to the glass bottle.

‘This, what on earth…’

She came to her senses and breathed out a long sigh. Jin-woo said that it was good for her body and told her to drink it. It couldn’t be something ordinary. Yoo-na carefully opened the lid, which was also beautifully sculpted. A fragrant smell lingered on the tip of her nose. Even the finest perfume wouldn’t smell half as appealing.

She carefully brought the mouth of the bottle to her mouth. As she was about to take a sip, the liquid was sucked straight into her body. It was light enough to feel like a gas rather than a liquid. She looked at the glass bottle in bewilderment, but it was entirely clean.

“Ah…!”

An ecstatic sensation spread from her heart. It felt like her whole body was being colored in a golden aura. Yoo-na stumbled, unable to control herself with the thrill that was rushing through her like waves. As she tried to fall sideways, she barely reached out and grabbed the wall. She clenched her teeth, expecting pain, but she felt nothing.

Yoo-na looked at her arm. She clenched her fist and unfolded it, feeling every sensation vividly. Yoo-na hurriedly stood in front of the full-length mirror. She took off her shirt and examined herself. She should have seen a long scar from the middle of her chest to her shoulder and her blackish right arm. It was a hideous scar she took pains to hide.

“What…?!”

But only flawless white skin was visible. The numerous other scars on her body also disappeared cleanly. There wasn’t even the pitted scar on her stomach, and there were no wounds on her back either. It felt as if she had been reborn.

‘What the hell…’

Her body felt light, as if she could fly. There was no creaking at all. She stared blankly at her own body, then turned her gaze to the glass bottle next to her. It was enough to heal even her old scars. She dared not even imagine how valuable it would be, but it was Jin-woo who casually gave away such a thing as if it were health food.

He said he picked it up on the way and handed it over so lightly. She barely managed to catch her breath as she recalled Jin-woo, who had just left. It was him who greeted her calmly as if he knew she would be here. No, he must have known.

“Ah…”

Jin-woo’s messy hair and dirty clothes came to her mind. She realized that he had struggled to obtain an artifact of this value. He must have faced a danger she didn’t know herself.

“…”

Her eyes reddened. An intense emotion rose, and her body trembled on its own. Although he always disguised himself as a light talker and bothered by others’ consideration, it was Jin-woo whose heart was deeper than anyone else. She was glad that she was more confident about Jin-woo’s big plan rather than recovering her body.

“Young Master…”

She bowed her head without a word. A few teardrops fell to the floor. She was back to her usual self when she looked up again because that was what he wanted.

It was Jin-woo who made many people cry today without realizing it.