The Novel’s Villain

[The new arc starts in a couple of chapters!]

37. Kim Emperor and the Warriors (3)

Jin-woo arrived at the reserved bar. It was a cozy bar with an ordinary look he liked. It was normal except for the sticker advertising ‘Equipped with Hologram TV’ that used materials from JW Gate.

‘I’m a little nervous.’

Jin-woo couldn’t even remember the last time he felt nervous since becoming an Emperor. Pushing it aside, he grinned and went inside. It was a bit early, so there weren’t many people around. When the staff saw Jin-woo, they were surprised.

“A-are you Mr. Kim Emperor?”

“Yes, I heard they had made a reservation…”

“I-I’m your fan.”

The character Kim Emperor was famous, so quite a few people recognized him. He had appeared steadily since the early days of The Maze: New World and his popularity reached its peak thanks to the battle in the Village of Peace. However, no people approached him actively because the situation was very different from in the game.

It was posted on Maze Net, some saying they witnessed the real Kim Emperor. However, there were no photos, so it was being dismissed as attention-seekers. Jin-woo even was asked to sign autographs for the staff.

“Ah! You can go to the second floor.”

The staff pointed him towards the stairs leading to the second floor. Jin-woo heard that the entire second floor was booked, but it was already noisy up there. Jin-woo went up to the second floor. When he started to climb up the stairs, the noisy atmosphere quickly grew quiet. Everyone looked at him with their mouths dropped open.

“As expected, it’s different from games.”‘

The scenery that came from the gap between the characters in the game and reality! It was also one of the charms of meetups. There were college students and some others in their 30s or 40s. The ages were very diverse. They were all handsome and beautiful in the game, but in reality, most were rather normal-looking. That was also a reason people fell in love with New World.

“Hello? Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Emperor.”

“Uaargh!”

“Wow! You are really Kim Emperor!”

“You’re the same.”

The reaction was expected, but it was very explosive. There were still quite a few people with blank expressions on their faces. The Emperor of Gold wasn’t working, after all.

[Empress of Flaws (Sarah Vriac, Demon Realm) says that first impressions are important. She grants Kim Emperor the Power of Bluff. Everything about him starts to look very plausible.]

[Fallen Goddess of Light (Luna, Heaven) grants you a Glowing Skin Effect.]

[Dark Shadow (Delu, Elonti) gives you the Seductive Scent of Nature.]

A halo formed behind Jin-woo’s back, and his skin seemed to glow with holy light. From the moment he showed up, everyone could smell a pleasantly fragrant scent wafting off him. No one could take their eyes off him, even though he just climbed up the stairs. Jin-woo sat down like that, the gazes following him.

Everyone thought that Kim Emperor’s avatar looked so good because he poured many-dimensional gold coins into customizing it, but it wasn’t the case. Kim Emperor was the same as in the game. No, he seemed to shine more in reality.

“H-hello? I’m Hammer Given By Mom.”

“I’m Pink Fairy.”

Everyone introduced themselves. About twenty people attended the meetup. It was originally fewer, but some people joined during the restoration work, which increased a bit. Everyone talked quite a lot with Jin-woo, so there was no awkwardness. Rather, they felt closer because he looked just like Kim Emperor.

“Kim Emperor, can I take a picture with you?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“Let’s take a picture together!”

[Demon of Fantasy and Regression (Lilith, Demon Realm) adds charm to Kim Emperor’s photos. Everyone will not be able to take their eyes off of it!]

Jin-woo took the picture as if he was holding a celebrity fan meeting. Pink Fairy made a cute expression next to Jin-woo. Then, Sincere Soccer Kick frowned.

“Pink Fairy, don’t act as you did in the game. Ugh, I’m going to throw up.”

“Ahaha! My habit in-game came out when I saw Kim Emperor.”

Since it was a virtual reality game, the habit of logging in as game characters formed easily. For them, The Maze: New World was like another reality. It was time for the alcohol and snacks to come out in earnest.

“I have prepared a present for all of you.”

Hammom handed everyone the gifts she had been carrying around. They were stuffed dolls and handmade cookies shaped like each’s own character, and there was even a handwritten letter. Sincere Soccer Kick’s eyes reddened with emotion. Jin-woo also wore a happy smile.

‘It is worthwhile to protect the world.’

A lot had happened, but it was fortunate that there was no major damage to the Earth.

‘I hear everything usually goes wrong after the meetup…’

Several guilds have been destroyed because of meetups. There were many cases of people attending meetups with impure intentions of disappearing due to events in their real relationships. However, there was no such thing in The Maze: New World, perhaps because it was virtual reality.

“I am grateful to Lee Jin-woo every day!”

“If you can’t find a girlfriend, make one yourself! I entered engineering school when I heard that. But I’ve come to realize it. The final stage is for me to become the girlfriend myself!

“Oh! That’s right! I am no longer lonely these days.”

[Woman of Five Virtues (Kim Se-yeon, Other Force) agrees to some extent. Love is all noble things!]

[Fallen Goddess of Light (Luna, Heaven) feels sorry about it. She feels some responsibility and gives him blessings. His charm level may increase for a week.]

These were very profound and dangerous things to say. The atmosphere had heightened, and with the help of alcohol, everyone talked a lot. Jin-woo didn’t talk much, so he silently listened to everyone’s worries and other stories.

‘Everyone has a lot of worries.’

Wasn’t that what life was all about? Jin-woo nodded.

“I also have something to tell you guys.”

Sincere Soccer Kick staggered, standing from his seat and bowing his head with a serious look.

“I am sorry. I don’t think I’ll be able to log in from next week on. I came here to show my face at least once this time.”

“What? Why?”

Hammom was surprised and looked at the Sincere Soccer Kick. Jin-woo also lowered his drink and shifted his gaze to him.

“There was a fire in my father’s restaurant… I think I need to find a part-time job to help out.”

“Ah… is your father okay? You said he was in bed…”

“He is. The arsonist hasn’t been caught yet, though… there seems to be no progress in the investigation.”

The atmosphere dropped as everyone felt sorry for Sincere Soccer Kick.

“I’ll help you for a while.”

“That’s right. Would you like to come to my store?”

“No, I won’t be of any help. Thank you for your concern.”

Sincere Soccer Kick wasn’t feeling well. He looked thin and weak, but normally he was a very bright person. He often went to volunteer work and participated in the restoration work with the most enthusiasm. Although he didn’t donate dimensional gold coins due to financial difficulties, he was an avid fan of The Maze: New World, who participated in Karen’s memorial service and even handed out flyers.

He was also the first player to create the job of Necromancer, and his fighting sense was also excellent for an ordinary person. He was one of the players Jin-woo was looking forward to their future performance.

‘Umm…’

Jin-woo fell into thought for a moment. He finally came out to a meetup for the first time in a while, and he didn’t like that someone was being forced out. That, too, wasn’t his own will. He finally decided to text Yoo-na. He spoke up as he looked at Sincere Soccer Kick.

“Why don’t you apply for JW Gate? They keep hiring people there.”

“What? How come someone like me… I barely finished high school, and my body is weak.”

“I hear that they take care of employees’ health there….”

“Emperor, do you think they will choose me? I don’t have any of the specifications.”

Sincere Soccer Kick shook his head and laughed at Jin-woo’s words. Entering a company related to G&P was harder than winning the lottery. It was a place where the world’s best talents struggled to get a job and put their resumes in. G&P JW Gate didn’t hire openly. The door was always open, and anyone could put their resume in, though. There were no restrictions as it moved by its own rules outside of Korean law. From the beginning, that place was Lee Jin-woo’s kingdom.

Networking and bribes were all possible, but Jin-woo was the final decision-maker. It was once popular to send in resumes for fun. It was a trend that disappeared quickly because JW Gate often didn’t respond.

“Just apply for it. I think it will be fun.”

“That’s right! Who knows, right? Maybe you’ll be hired! Now that we’re talking about it, just do it now!”

As Pink Fairy and Hammom said so, Sincere Soccer Kick nodded after thinking about it for a while. All the attention was focused on him now. Hammom took out the laptop she had brought and lent it to Sincere Soccer Kick. He went to G&P JW Gate website and clicked ‘Apply.’ After entering some simple personal information, a page with a self-introduction appeared.

“Write in your history of participating in the Village of Peace defense and restoration.”

“Tell them that you’re a super cool Necromancer.”

“Trust me, Bro. Something unusual like this always works.”

“Impact is important.”

The people around him helped out half-jokingly to lighten the mood. Was it because he was drinking? Sincere Soccer Kick shook his head, smiled, and wrote it just like that. Pink Fairy and the others even wrote their own self-introductions. Sincere Soccer Kick, of course, didn’t look forward to it at all. His heart was pounding because he thought that he was making a prank call.

Name: Sincere Soccer Kick

Age: 25

Career Experience:

1. Participated in the defensive battle in the Village of Peace of The Maze: New World.

2. Participated in the Village of Peace Restoration activities.

3. Part of the group Kim Emperor and the Warriors.

Hello! Let’s do everything sincerely!

I’m Sincere Soccer Kick!

My body is weak, but my mental strength is twice as strong to compensate. I greet everyone with a bow three times. It’s because three times is more polite! If you hire me, I’ll work with all my heart!

The person I admire the most is His Majesty Lee Jin-woo, the pride of the Republic of Korea, the great Knight, and the creator of this great culture!

Thank you.

When he finished writing it, Sincere Soccer Kick pressed the send button.

[Shadow of Loyalty (General Manager, Earth) reviews the resume. He says he likes the spirit. He admires the part that three times is more polite. He really thinks the Great Emperor’s eyes are great.]

Everyone burst into laughter once the send button was pressed. Pink Fairy patted him on the shoulder, but Sincere Soccer Kick refused his hand as if he was disgusted by him and laughed.

“Let’s drink for Sincere Soccer Kick!”

“Koff, let’s run to the last train!”

“Uwaa! Kim Emperor, please say something!”

Jin-woo stood, holding his glass.

“Everything we do will be fine. I guarantee it. If not, you can come to see me complain.”

“Kuugh, you’re so determined!”

“I will follow you for the rest of my life!”

The atmosphere heated up with Jin-woo’s words. As everyone started to chug, Sincere Soccer Kick’s cell phone rang.

“Huh?”

It was an unknown number. He had no particular call he was waiting for, so he just ignored it and grabbed a drink, but it kept coming. When Jin-woo told him to take it, Sincere Soccer Kick moved away to answer.

“Hello?”

When he was about to go downstairs so that he wouldn’t disturb the others, his back straightened out, and he stopped in his tracks.

“Yes? W-what did you say? JW Gate? Yes, yes!”

The noisy atmosphere became quiet again. Sincere Soccer Kick’s expression was too real to be a joke. He looked as if he had seen a ghost.

“W-what did you say? Starting work the day after tomorrow…? Is there a hidden camera here? Yes? I-I’ll check it out.”

Sincere Soccer Kick looked blank even after the call concluded. Then he came to his senses and ran toward the laptop. He checked the results.

[Congratulations. You have passed and been accepted to G&P JW Gate General Manager’s Secretariat. There will be a brief physical examination and aptitude test, so please visit JW Gate on the day you are notified. All tests take about two days.]

A passing message appeared.

“Gasp!”

“I heard the annual salary there is really high…”

“Really?”

Sincere Soccer Kick couldn’t believe his eyes. He blinked several times as he looked at the screen, as did those around him. It happened in less than 20 minutes. Sincere Soccer Kick looked as if his spirit had fled his body.

“As expected, New World is amazing.”

When Jin-woo said so, everyone nodded with bewildered expressions.

“T-the answer is definitely New World!”

“Ooh!”

“Awesome!”

Everyone made a fuss about it. Sincere Soccer Kick checked on the official website, so it was unlikely that there would be a hidden camera somewhere here. Another call came in before his puzzled expression disappeared. He answered his phone on the spot.

“Yes? T-the arsonist was caught?”

Serious Soccer Kick mechanically responded to the voice over the phone with a blank expression. It was a case involving the police and a conglomerate family. The youngest son of the conglomerate family started the fire as a joke, and they to prevent him from being caught. The country began to turn upside down as a simple arson case was solved by a single text from Jin-woo.

‘Come to think of it….’

Jin-woo remembered something. The warning to keep quiet during the New World announcement hadn’t yet been lifted. Jin-woo sent a message to make sure it was dealt with, and while doing it, he decided to solve the other people’s problems as well.

[Shadow of Loyalty (General Manager, Earth) is commanded. The sin of ruining the Great Emperor’s glorious first meetup is too heavy. The high-ranking judges and the maids begin to move.]

It was just one word, but the effect was powerful. Breaking news had already started coming out.

“Sob! I’m so glad! I’m going to play games forever! I’m not going to leave! Everyone, I love you!”

Sincere Soccer Kick stood beside Jin-woo with tears in his eyes.

“Huh?! I got my deposit back!”

Hammom checked her smartphone and shouted so. Hammom suffered a lot because her landlady wouldn’t return the deposit. The landlady was blacklisted in the real estate industry, but she secretly deposited all the money.

“Huh? Has my loan been approved?”

“Umm? The transfer has been canceled?”

“Gasp! Suddenly there’s a mass order…?”

“The compensation for damages will be paid?”

“Our son who left home changed his mind?! He’s suddenly crying and saying he’ll be a good son?

Small happiness came to the warriors who stayed with Kim Emperor. He couldn’t solve all their worries, but he could do this much. It was a reward for the joy they brought him. Jin-woo quietly picked up his drink.

“It’s a good day. Cheers.”

[The Empress of Flaws (Sarah Vriac, Demon Realm) has offered the Shining, Healthy Tooth Effect. It’s the magic she uses often!]

Jin-woo’s smile looked exceptionally dazzling. It was natural because it was shining. There couldn’t be a better atmosphere than this. Eventually, the drinking party continued until dawn. It wasn’t until everyone else returned home by the first train that Jin-woo returned to the mansion.

“A-are you back?”

“Umm? You didn’t go home yet?”

Yoo-na was drenched in sweat. She was holding her sword, and her hand was trembling a little. Was she training by herself?

“What happened?”

“Nothing…There wasn’t anything that happened. How was it?”

“It was fun.”

Yoo-na stayed in the mansion for a while longer before heading home. Jin-woo didn’t know what happened, but Yoo-na’s training began to increase sharply from that day on. Anyway, the meetup was fun.

* * *

After the meetup was over, a review of it was posted on Maze Net. The news that Kim Emperor and the Warriors had a meetup drew a lot of attention. A lot of proof photos were posted on Maze Net, and as soon as it went up, it became the top post.

Title: Kim Emperor and the Warriors Meetup Review

Written by: Pink Fairy

Hello!

I’m Pink Fairy! Many people showed interest when last time I said that we were going to have an offline meetup. So I’m leaving a review of the meetup this time. I got permission from everyone to upload photos here!

After all, I’m Kim Emperor, the Warriors, and everyone’s fairy! Then let’s go!

[Diver emoticon with thumbs up]

The first person who arrived was our youngest.

[Hammom Photo.jpg]

He was the most reliable junior, but this has changed. She’s cute, right? We reserved the entire second floor!

Serious Soccer Kick, Hulahop Man, and The Best Weakling were the same as in the game. LOL, of course, I am also the same. Don’t get me wrong.

I thought Kim Emperor wouldn’t come, but he contacted me a while ago that he could! We were finally able to see the real Kim Emperor in person!

[Heart pounding! Emoticon]

And it turns out? Kim Emperor looks just like his avatar! As I was writing this article, I saw the top post. There were many eyewitness accounts of Kim Emperor. It was so sad that they were treated as attention-seekers.

I will put an end to this today.

[Kim Emperor holding his drink.jpg]

[Kim Emperor and the others.jpg]

Our Emperor is no joke, right? It looks like he just logged in without customizing his avatar. The real thing shines more than in the game. He’s my style.

Everyone drank well, so we drank a lot. For the second round, we took taxis to the Cultural Center and had another drink. It has a very popular Demon Realm restaurant these days. We didn’t even make a reservation, but we could try it because Kim Emperor won an event! I heard it takes three months to make a reservation normally, so we were very lucky.

[Group Photo.jpg]

[Hammom who fell in love with Kim Emperor.jpg]

It ran until morning. This is just small talk, but actually, I was thinking of going home after the first round. It’s because of that child who ran away from home… it’s already the fourth time. He gets into a lot of trouble each time… gosh…

But my son, who left the house, called me crying. He said he was wrong. When I came back in the morning, he had completely changed. I think he has finally come to his senses.

Seeing that other people have also heard their own share of good news, isn’t it like the Constellations have blessed reality?

That’s all from Pink Fairy!

23,123 Comments

I Like It: Huh, he’s the same as Kim Emperor in the game.

Hot Star: His visuals are crazy. I thought he was a model, LOL.

└Gunman: IKR. He can be a model for New World. He actually appeared in the trailer.

└Hot Star: If he turns on the broadcast, the server will explode, LOL.

Loyalty: There was a rumor that the Pink Fairy was a 190 cm tall and muscular man. Is it true? Aren’t you the uncle in the group shot over there?

└Pink Fairy (Author): No. I also look like me in the game. I wasn’t in there because I was the one who took the pictures.

└The Legendary Advent: You’re famous for spending 5 million won to create an avatar. Haha, you have a son, too. The article smells like an old man.

└Pink Fairy (Author): I am a high school girl who just finished civil defense!

Kim Emperor’s popularity began to explode even more.