The Novel’s Villain

36. I’m Born a Villain! (1)

Jin-woo didn’t expect the Bread Jam incident to roll like this while he was in Middle World. At first, it seemed like everybody was just going with the concept and beating each other for fun. Even if it grew to something else, he thought it would only be a small battle between guilds. However, Jin-woo regarded the Earth people’s immersion too easily.

The desire to escape from daily life! A wish to live a different, new life! When they combined into one, a tremendous over-immersion was born. Starting with the case where the Demon Realm followers got rid of an Elonti warrior’s hair, the snowball gradually rolled and turned into an avalanche. The number of participants now reached hundreds of thousands. It was said that the scale continued to increase even now.

‘If there was a war of that size…’

He didn’t know if there would be a setback in the Maze attack. Although the Maze was currently stable, something could happen if the cleaning were delayed. The dungeon had to be cleaned continuously until the Maze found a way to control itself.

Knock-knock!

Yoo-na knocked and came in. It was vacation time now, so her coming to Jin-woo meant that she was worried about this situation. Jin-woo let out a small sigh. For Yoo-na, this appearance from Jin-woo was very familiar.

“You have already seen it. That’s how it happened.”

“Um, how is the situation?”

“As a result of the prediction, this war, called the First Forest-Demon Great War, is within the acceptable range. It does affect clearing the Maze, but it’s not something to be concerned about.”

“That’s a relief.”

“However….”

Yoo-na looked at Jin-woo.

“War doesn’t happen only once. The Bread Jam incident has come this far. The second and third rounds may be larger. If so, that would be a big problem. We need to put the brakes on it.”

“I see. What about the Constellations?”

“They’re reflecting on themselves. Shall I call them up?”

The names of the transcendent beings belonging to Jin-woo would continue to be called Constellations. Jin-woo shook his head. He had no intention of blaming them. Although they encouraged competition, it was said that they didn’t expect it to go this far. It was a difficult situation for the Constellations to step up and stop it now.

‘But I can’t just leave it alone.’

He couldn’t let the players engage in war recklessly. It was something that could harm the direction of The Maze: New World. Moreover, it had already become an event that couldn’t be canceled. Not only Korea but also overseas news channels and even prominent scholars were paying attention to this event. It seemed worthy of research.

‘Umm….”

Jin-woo was agonizing over what to do. Was there some natural way to stop it? Yoo-na looked at Jin-woo as he worried.

“The Chairman said that he is with Elonti, and the Sword Master is with the Demon Realm.”

“Really.”

“Yes, it seems that Ella paid special attention to Chairman Lee Hee-jin.”

Ella gave generous support to Grandfather. The Sword Master, who saw that, was aware of the gaze of Constellations passing by and immediately threatened them to receive power. Jin-woo grinned and shook his head, and Yoo-na also smiled slightly.

“How about getting help from experts?”

“Experts?”

“Yes, all the famous game developers are now working under you. I think their opinions would be helpful.”

Jin-woo took over all of the giant game companies. Officially, they were included in the development team of The Maze: New World, but after Se-yeon delivered the development kit, they were working hard on new ideas and development. Currently, Se-yeon has come to the stage of reviewing what they developed and applying it to the Maze.

It was said that the companies had been merged into one and moved to the JW jurisdiction. Only the key developers came, and the other employees were still working overseas, but they were all planning to be relocated. It was much freer to be in the jurisdictional area. After all, it was a place the power of the state couldn’t reach.

“That sounds good. Get them ready.”

“Understood. Are you going right away?”

“Of course.”

It didn’t seem like he was destined for rest.

“Yeah, what’s the point of resting? I have to work.”

Giving up was easy, although, It was a little sad.

* * *

Jin-woo headed to the jurisdictional area. The JW jurisdiction was also experiencing a heated atmosphere with the news of the war. A large-scale game room was set up near the Cultural Center, already known as a sacred place for game enthusiasts.

Since the business continued with only Login Devices without any computers or monitors, there were already several franchise stores across the country, which was true overseas. PC cafes were becoming a relic of the old days. However, they didn’t disappear completely.

The main customer base was now young people. Existing game companies found a way out to continue by creating young people-oriented games. After all, The Maze: New World was an adult game.

G&P New World Game Company. Officially, it was a game company that developed and operated The Maze: New World. Everyone believed that it was operated from here, but there was only a plausible-looking shell in place. Despite that, it was currently the world’s largest game company.

When Jin-woo went through the entrance, noting the various items from the game on display. They were real products, not models. There were also photos of broadcasters who formed partnerships with them. Kim Emperor’s figure was also found there, in the middle of the pictures.

The staff came to meet him. Several developers were waiting for Jin-woo with anxious looks, and the G&P Vice President was also seen standing to the side. Jin-woo greeted the developers. Everyone looked very nervous. It was only natural since the person standing in front of them was Lee Jin-woo. G&P directly managed the company, so it was well-organized.

Jin-woo decided to look around the company first. He purposely went together with the recently joined developers, not those from G&P. A game fan would know them by name. They were so proud that they would rather retire than go under other people, but The Maze: New World was a great shock to them. It was enough to make them join voluntarily.

“Well, is there anything you need regarding the work?

“N-no, there isn’t any! Rather, the problem is that you treat us so well. We’re still learning, though…”

Steve, one of the developers, said so. G&P brought in all of his employees as well. They even provided a great level of welfare. Not only that, but G&P also took care of their families, which inevitably increased their loyalty to the company. As the atmosphere began to ease, the developers began to talk a lot.

“The AH engine is truly a revolution!”

“Yes! Anything you can imagine is possible with it! How is this level of technology available in this era? I-It felt like I was traveling to the future in a time machine!”

The praise continued sincerely. The AH Engine was named after the initials of Arorong and Haruring. When information was entered, it was implemented through Arorong and Haruring. It was linked to the development kit and could be used in real-time. Luna and Se-yeon were referencing the information and applying it to the Maze. There was a more complicated process, but in short, it was like this.

The most impressive thing was the art team. He could see the original matched the ambiance of The Maze: New World. The Emperor of Gold was about to react to it.

‘They’re doing better than I thought.’

Jin-woo, after looking around the company, entered the conference room. Developers from all fields were present. Jin-woo decided to listen to everyone’s ideas about the war.

“New World doesn’t have a main scenario. Although each dungeon has great production value, it is only a one-time event. When you look at the Land of Healing, the Land of Nightmares, it feels like the two are not well harmonized. Of course, it is good enough for now, but I think it would be better to create a big stem called the main scenario and focus on development.”

Jeff, who planned and developed many masterpieces, gave his opinion.

“As it is a virtual reality, complete immersion is possible so that it will motivate the players even more. It would be nice to mix in a little tragedy that would touch the hearts of the players.”

“How about using the war? There’s also a way to debut a public enemy…”

“What if I showed a preview of an enemy that can’t be stopped?”

“There are boss designs that our team made. And…”

“How about something like this? When war breaks out…”

The enthusiasm of the meeting was blazing hot. Jin-woo nodded and ideas. Until now, it had been just about conquering the dungeon without any direction. It could be said that the world would collapse if the angels didn’t clear the Maze when the avatars were created. The story of the fake returnees was reflected in the dungeon, but it hadn’t yet been properly mixed.

Although the competition was induced through the Constellations, there should be more interest in things other than dungeon attacks. It needed the main scenario that would affect the players. There was a limit to the quests.

“That sounds good.”

The Maze: New World players were more immersed than anyone else. What if a formidable public enemy appeared and showed the tragedy of not clearing the dungeons?

“All right. Please summarize all the ideas suggested today and send them to me.”

The developers’ faces brightened up. They finally joined the development of The Maze: New World in earnest.

* * *

It was said that the war would take place in the E-ranked open field. It was a vast open field between the F and E floors. The owner of the level was already defeated, so it hadn’t respawned for a month. There was a very high probability that the war would break out before they were resurrected. It was a situation where Elonti and the followers of the Demon Realm had already advanced and settled down there themselves.

There was a battle of nerves every day. When the data organized by the developers arrived at the central control room, Jin-woo immediately went there.

“My Lord Emperor, you are here.”

“Sir! How do you do?”

Luna and Se-yeon were looking at the data. The Constellations were told to create an uneasy atmosphere in advance. Although they didn’t openly talk about it, they needed to hint at what might happen if a war broke out. The village NPCs were also told to create a similar atmosphere. Players with some sense had already figured out the situation and posted it on Maze Net.

Title: This War, I Have a Bad Feeling about It

Written By: Peaceful Dove

Even the Constellations are quiet these days. It feels like they’re watching something. The villagers are also concerned. It seems like yesterday that we cleared the lowest floor dungeon together. Is it okay to fight each other?

I think something is about to happen. I feel anxious about it.

Can’t we think about this war again?

1,321 Comments

Bean Sprouts: What bullshit. Stupid.

WallpaperCEO: LOL. That’s a conspiracy theory.

Razor Blade: I’m sucking in the honey while selling items, so don’t say shit like this.

Of course, it didn’t receive much in the way of a positive response. Everyone seemed to openly ignore it.

“How is it?”

“I think that’s a good idea. I thought something was missing, but this is it! Main Scenario! A forceful villain who will color the world with evil!”

Luna looked at Jin-woo with mounting excitement. The same was true of Se-yeon.

“The design is also very nice. It goes well with the Maze vibes and is full of personality! The war between the two factions! And the great evil awakened by it! I’m already excited!”

The reaction of the two was much better than expected. Se-yeon displayed the monsters modeled by developers on the screen. It could be implemented immediately through the AH Engine. However, in the case of monsters with high ranks, it needed many-dimensional gold coins and materials to implement.

“What do you think about this?”

“I think that would be good, too.”

Luna and Se-yeon picked the design they liked the most. Jin-woo thought it looked pretty cool too. It was a knight wearing black full-body armor. The surface of the armor looked like flowing magma, and the helmet had huge horns. Behind the armor, the cloak was made of fire, and he held a sword with a vicious curve. It was full-body armor, but it didn’t feel dull. It was sharp and stylishly well-designed.

It looked evil, but it was pretty cool, and it gave off final boss-like vibes.

“That’s nice. Well, this giant monster is nice, too.”

It would be better to leave the monsters to Arorong and Haruring and ask Degurron to make the armor. Even with the AH Engine, there was a limit to implementing high-ranked items. Luna looked at Jin-woo with sparkling eyes next to Se-yeon.

“I think it would be better if the Great Emperor played the role of the villain himself. You’re the only one who fits this direction”.

“The scenario is very important, but sir, if you do the first appearance… I can add it to my collections…”

Jin-woo nodded without thinking. After all, it was an opportunity to legally destroy those who ruined his vacation.

‘Villain is my specialty.’

Jin-woo was more suitable to play the villain than anyone else in the world. At this point, he thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to release the stress he had accumulated over the years. Very wickedly.

* * *

As time passed, the war arrived. NMC, a channel that reported only on The Maze: New World, conveyed the atmosphere of each group. They even prepared invitation seats and aired the mental warfare of the representatives of both sides, Rundalf and Crazy Demon.

The appearance of the two, who turned completely into enemies while fighting in the same party, created many stories. NMC was broadcasting the scene live. They even supported hologram TV broadcasting and boasted a fairly high viewer rating. The broadcast screen was cut off for a while, and the MC appeared.

[It looks like there is going to be a war soon. Did you see the situation here? I’m going to be straightforward and ask the two of you. Which group do you think will win?]

The MC asked the self-proclaimed Maze: New World experts.

[Demon Realm has more numbers, but Elonti has much better equipment. The supply of materials is also smooth. It is expected to be very tight.]

[I have a slightly different opinion. Wasn’t Earth also joining Elonti? If that’s so…]

Jin-woo turned off the TV.

“I’ll have to get ready.”

Jin-woo opened the portal and went to the central control room. NPCs from the villages were gathered in a large space next to them. Everyone was seriously taking acting lessons from Heo-young.

“Sa, save…cough, ugh…save-m…”

“You’re a little too emotional. You have to capture a little bit of that emptiness.”

“I got it. It’s a little difficult.”

“No, you are talented.”

“Really?”

An elf shopkeeper wiped the fake blood running down her lips and was absorbed in her acting again. She was an NPC that was quite popular with players. The angels cloned the NPC’s appearance through the avatar system and created a fake dead body. Jin-woo admired the body. Not only the wounds but also the facial expression was so vivid.

‘It feels very real.’

The Angels had created numerous avatars until now. They had already reached the level of master craftsmen.

“Great Emperor!”

Degurron approached Jin-woo.

“Did you finish it?”

“Yes! It’s perfectly done!”

Jin-woo followed Degurron to the place where the equipment was stored. It was a piece of equipment made of very expensive materials and a huge pile of dimensional gold coins. As a result of the hard work of Degurron and the Dwarves, they were able to meet the deadline. Jin-woo looked over the equipment.

[A] Chaos Incarnation Set

‘He is the flame of despair and the incarnation of destruction. He’s chaos.’

Armor worn by the incarnation of chaos, said to have existed since the beginning of time. It is known to have the power to call chaos. If he awakens, the world will once again be enveloped in the flames of destruction.

(Main Scenario)

The function of the armor was also quite good. Jin-woo tried it on. He was about 3m tall when wearing it, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable to move at all. The armor was connected to him through his mana. As he generated mana, flames fluttered on the surface of the armor. A huge cloak made of fire erupted behind him.

[Great job.]

Clank-clank!

Jin-woo immediately moved to the open field surrounded by the clouds of war. He looked down from a high cliff. The two groups stood in stark contrast to each other. It was very crowded.

‘The scale is incredible, huh?’

It was a scale that no other game could capture. It wasn’t just that people were enthusiastic about it, either.

‘Then I’ll have to do it right.’

A smile formed around Jin-woo’s mouth.

Whoosh!

The Emperor of Gold nestled in the armor. The Incarnation of Evil, which suited the villain role so well, also looked up. The majesty of the Great Emperor, who ruled over half of the Emperors, took its place. It was when the perfect villain to decorate the ‘Main Scenario Chapter 1: Awakening Chaos’ came down.