The Novel’s Villain

58. Dreams, Hopes, and Love (1)

Jin-woo returned to the Sanctuary after quite a long time.

It was quite far away, but distance wasn’t much of an issue for him. It just meant he’d take a little longer to get through the portal.

Unlike the underworld, the Sanctuary was peaceful. It was a bit noisy, but it was overall quite harmonious.

And a fragrant aroma always did envelop it. Considering Jin-woo was coming back from a dimension that smelled of rotting corpses, this place felt like heaven.

‘Time to handle Bread Jam’s work.’

Bread Jam was worried about his broadcast. Many of his viewers were beginning to grow concerned as his hiatus continued.

Jin-woo decided to send the Dopplo clan to get rid of his predicament.

Unfortunately, Bread Jam still had a lot of work to do in the underworld. Even if there weren’t, he wasn’t actively trying to go back in the first place because of Rachel. It was quite honest of him.

Whether it would be forbidden or pure love was a matter only he could decide for himself.

Yoo-na was the first to approach Jin-woo when he appeared in the Sanctuary.

“Did you have a safe trip?”

“Well, my trip’s not really done yet.”

When she asked where he had been, he roughly explained what had happened the past few days.

“The underworld, huh… I see. If you put it under your rule, master…” Yoo-na nodded.

Upon becoming an Emperor-level being, she no longer aged, allowing her to preserve her youth. However, her lifespan was limited.

Moreover, her life was short compared to the other Emperors. She was human, after all.

“Even if I were to be sent to the afterlife, I’d still be able to serve you.”

If Jin-woo could conquer the underworld, lifespans would no longer matter.

Yoo-na became more active than ever, and Luna and Se-yeon joined her as well. Hee-yeon was obviously in the Sanctuary, but she was nowhere to be found.

Luna was quite serious about this.

“In heaven, the souls circulate on their own, but sometimes they disappear,” She said. ” They must’ve fallen to the underworld the Great Emperor visited.”

“I’ve always been curious about the afterlife. This is so exciting! Do you think Satan lives in there? Oh, wait… He was in the Demon Realm.” Se-yeon sounded like she wanted to take him with them.

Yoo-na suggested going on an expedition first to come up with a plan to take over the underworld. Jin-woo readily accepted her proposal since that was what he came here for in the first place.

He installed a portal in the building next to the shopping center, allowing them to move through the Sanctuary at any time.

“Wait!”

Se-yeon stuffed a lot of items in her subspace.

The Heavenly Demon Supreme soon appeared and looked at Jin-woo and the others. In his hands was a gigantic lunch box. Opening its lid slightly, they saw Japanese, Western, Chinese, and Korean cuisine in different layers.

His cooking skill was already high-ranked. It was the fruits of the time and passion he devoted to it.

It was also the proof of his struggle to gain the Great Emperor’s recognition.

Overhearing their conversation just before, he had a gut feeling.

If the Great Emperor took over even the underworld, there would no longer be any way for him to escape his grasp. Making his relationship with him even a little better was the only way he’d be able to live the rest of his life in comfort.

“From now on, I, The Heavenly Demon Supreme, will be responsible for all cleaning, laundry, and other household chores in the Sanctuary! Please call me the Emperor of Chores from here on out!”

“Take it easy.”

“No! What’s the point of resting? I’d rather work hard!”

Arcana began to clean up the place upon hearing The Heavenly Demon Supreme’s cry, possibly feeling a sense of crisis. A rivalry between the two was formed.

Jin-woo opened the portal and moved to the underworld with Yoo-na, Se-yeon, and Luna following him as the advance party. As soon as Luna arrived, she covered her nose.

“Ugh, the stench of death is so strong here. That god named Hades must have bad breath.”

Befitting a goddess, she seemed capable of sensing and feeling the dark energy of the underworld.

Inside the ruined building, someone wearing a black cloak stood.

All eyes turned to them. Removing their cloak, they revealed their identity.

“Ah, hello! I am Bread Jam of Bread JamTV, where broadcasts are always fun!”

Yoo-na, Se-yeon, and Luna stared at him.

Luna could see the essence of his soul.

“Oh! Are you really Bread Jam? This is actually my first time seeing you in person.”

The two were often competing in terms of viewer number.

She warmly shook his hand.

“Nice to meet you. You’ve gotten prettier.”

“Ah, well, there’s a story behind it…”

Se-yeon and Yoo-na knew what was going on, so they weren’t too surprised.

His breathing became heavy, and his face flushed. Se-yeon’s fingers wiggled as they approached him.

“I’m a male heroine… I don’t look like it, but my destructive power is huge! Hahaha!”

Bread Jam freaked out and stepped away when Se-yeon’s fingers touched him. They felt like tentacles.

“Boo, don’t be shy. I’ll dress you up nicely.”

His complexion turned bright blue.

Jin-woo stopped her, which made her only barely regain her composure.

“Calm down. Take a deep breath…”

“Haaaa… Whew… Can you lend me your encyclopedia? I want to try something!” Her breathing only became rougher. It was clear what she was imagining.

He shook his head, knowing full well handing it over to her would be a disaster.

They all began looking around afterward. Se-yeon released a drone to film the underworld from above. It was quite wide and, of course, filled with zombies. After all, most of the souls sent here turned into them, losing their ego in the process.

Luna understood the situation the fastest, being a deity as well.

“It seems this god’s power creates avatar-like bodies by squeezing the souls dry. Hades probably collects the powers they’ve gained for himself in the process.”

“That’s quite vicious.”

Still, that meant taking over the underworld would weaken Hades. Thinking of their situation from that perspective motivated Jin-woo. He held a meeting immediately.

Se-yeon was the first to speak.

“Do you think it would be alright for us to bring avatars in here like we did in the Sci-Fi World?”

“Avatars will be useless since they’re technically not really living beings,” Luna said, shaking her head.

The avatars that had always been quite useful for them were rendered unneeded and worthless in this world. They were essentially just dolls combined with the consciousness of players, after all.

Because of that, seeing them as living creatures was difficult.

Yoo-na nodded in agreement.

“We need to bring in actual people constantly, not just once…”

“Isn’t it a bit odd to bring others to a place like this?” Luna asked in reply.

As Jin-woo thought deeply about what to do, information windows popped up.

[Hades has begun observing District 1 and District 2, his treasures.]

[He has become aware of the Great Emperor’s presence in his territory.]

[Hades has been temporarily blinded after looking at the Great Emperor’s source. It reminded him of Ragnarok that happened to a neighboring world.]

Hades was apparently watching them now. It seemed like he cherished this place, which only made taking this away from him more enjoyable.

Jin-woo decided to do just that in a creative and explosive manner.

‘It’s going to be fun.’

He came up with a way to bring in the living in large quantities, all for the sake of turning this place designed according to Hades’ taste into something completely different.

There was absolutely nothing for him to be concerned about. Due to the Sci-Fi World, they already had sufficient manpower and equipment.

“Yoo-na.”

“Yes?”

Yoo-na turned her attention to Jin-woo, cutting her conversation with Luna.

“Didn’t you say you were going to build a World Tree Land on Another Earth?”

“Yes, we plan to build it in the United States after consulting President Richard.”

“What is its theme?”

“We’re thinking of making it seem full of dreams, hopes, and love. Would you like to see the blueprint?”

When Jin-woo nodded, Yoo-na took out her tablet PC and handed it over to him. With a tap on its screen, a hologram figure of the World Tree Land appeared.

Bread Jam gazed upon it in admiration.

“Woah. This is amazing! It brings so many original works to life quite well.”

World Tree Land was a theme park with lots of rides based on the novels, comics, and movies on the World Tree app, which was now much more popular in District 2 since New World didn’t exist there.

Jin-woo reached out to the hologram blueprint and enlarged it to the size of a city. Considering he had the ability to remodel an entire planet, constructing it was a piece of cake.

Luna was impressed.

“Such a huge theme park filled with love, hopes, and dreams will purify even the energy of death itself to some extent!”

They roughly laid out a plan, which made Jin-woo notice one problem.

“How are we going to make the people from this world understand?”

It wouldn’t matter if they just proceeded with the work, but it seemed right to seek cooperation first.

Jin-woo looked at Bread Jam, who desperately shook his head.

“Me? Why me?”

“You’ve done well so far. If you accomplish this, I’ll have all your debts paid.”

“… I understand.”

He had no choice but to follow his orders.

Jin-woo didn’t know how to explain it to him since he didn’t know what was going to happen himself. Every now and then, he was left with no option but to adapt and improvise, just like now.

‘After this is over, I’ll confess to Rachel.’ Bread Jam steeled his determination.

* * *

Time passed by quickly.

After Jin-woo went around the city to gather survivors, more than seven thousand people now stayed in the shopping center. They all naturally became followers of the Great Emperor.

Soon enough, he told Bread Jam that the World Tree Land’s construction preparations were complete. He entrusted this task to him, knowing his debt was too huge for him to go crazy right now.

‘It’ll be fine.’

He had been successful so far somehow, making Jin-woo think this trend would continue throughout the future.

Bread Jam decided to trust his improvisation and luck.

When the time for the meeting came, he took everyone to the shopping center’s rooftop, which was large enough to accommodate all 7,000 of them.

At the far end of it was a podium Jerry painstakingly made while going around saying, ‘The saint is planning something incredible!’ As a result, people’s expectations increased a lot.

What greater miracle could there be than raining down holy weapons?

The devotees looked at Bread Jam with anticipation as he walked up to the stage anxiously.

“You got this.”

Rachel looked at him determinedly, boosting his confidence.

Her words almost made him cry. She was the only one who truly cared for him.

Goddess Luna was not at all concerned about him. All she thought about was ensuring he did his job properly. Meanwhile, Se-yeon acted all freaky around him, and Yoo-na scared him.

He once asked her, ‘Well, what if I make a mistake?’

To which Yoo-na coldheartedly replied, ‘Your precious jewel might never come back.’

‘Gasp!’

‘It’s a joke.’

Needless to say, Luna, Se-yeon, Yoo-na, and the Great Emperor were all insane. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for himself for being involved with such crazy people.

As Bread Jam stood in front of the podium, Judith, who was at the forefront, bowed her head and said, “Glory be onto the Great Emperor.”

“Glory be onto the Great Emperor.” All of Jin-woo’s devotees chanted in reply.

Bread Jam lowered his head as well. “The Great Emperor’s glory is eternal.”

That marked the beginning of his sermon.

Bread Jam entered broadcaster mode.

[Hades watches the scene anxiously.]

A god was watching him, and he didn’t even know.

“Hello. Today is a pleasant day filled with the Great Emperor’s blessings.”

The moment he spoke, his nervousness disappeared.

“As Chapter 1, Verse 2 of the Great Emperor Advent says, our god is indifferent, indiscriminate. Through him, the meaning of invincibility is realized, eliminating beginnings and ends. Hence, those born according to his will are eternal in spirit. Such is his mercy for lowly mortals like us.”

Bread Jam didn’t write the Great Emperor Advent. Se-yeon only gave it to him. Its true author was the General Manager.

‘I don’t know who you are, but thank you.’

If it weren’t for them, he wouldn’t know what to say now. The book served as his guide in formulating all the right and believable phrases he needed to say.

[The sermon surprises Hades, who has been listening intently since it started.]

After finishing his preaching, Bread Jam looked at his watch.

The time had come.

‘I heard something will appear in the sky.’

Bread Jam already heard the gist of their plan. When the Great Emperor looked at him with an annoyed expression, he felt sorry for himself again.

Sighing internally, he spread his arms gracefully.

He was as accustomed to assuming such a pose now. It had even become as easy as breathing.

“I received a revelation from the Great Emperor a week ago!”

“Oh!”

The believers were amazed.

“And today, that revelation shall come true! Let the Great Emperor’s Apocalypse begin!”

When Judith took out her writing tools, the others did as well, hoping to record the events that would transpire from here on out.

Bread Jam raised his hand up.

“As the prophecy dictates, the sky today shall open!” He stood still for a while after saying that, but nothing happened. The sounds of writing subsided.

“I can see it… The heavens are unlocking their gates…” He continued desperately, looking around for a solution.

‘Please stop delaying, Great Emperor! I’ll be in trouble at this rate!’

His arms started to tremble.

“Behold! We are ready, o’ lord! Let the huge sky come undone according to your will!” As soon as he cried out with everything he had, a dark and ominous eye appeared above them. It was much bigger than several buildings put together.

He already knew what it was.

The Dark Eye.

‘Oh no. That can’t be…’

It surprised him, but he didn’t show it.

“The eye of the Great Emperor now watches over our world!”

“Oh my God!”

“It’s a miracle!”

The devotees wept, which was only natural. They just witnessed a holy miracle firsthand, after all.

Noticing the situation, Bread Jam tried to keep it going.

“Bear witness upon the infinite known as our god’s glory!”

Another surprise appeared in the sky, making him forget his lines. All he could do was stare blankly at it in a daze, much like the believers who were in the middle of praying just now.

Dozens of space battleships now hovered above them.

‘No, that’s way too crazy! How am I supposed to explain that?!’

He thought something magical would just fall from the sky, like before. However, he never expected, not even in his wildest dreams, that an entire armada of spaceships would appear. They were so huge they completely obscured the skies.

“The whales, some of the Great Emperor’s most loyal servants, has descended upon us!”

“Ahhh…”

“I can’t believe I’m seeing flying whales right now…”

Fortunately, their white color and shape made it possible to depict them as whales despite being a little farfetched since the believers blindly accepted every word Bread Jam uttered.

[‘What? A whale in the sky?!’]

[Hades is terrified by the great energy he can sense from the sky whales.]

The bows of the battleships opened, causing Bread Jam’s complexion to pale.

‘What?! Why are they aiming at us?!’ He thought, barely clinging to his wits, as the vessels hovering above them fired particle beams towards them.

Quaggagagagaga! Quang!

When the bombardment hit the ruined city, everything but the shopping center was erased from existence. The mountains disappeared, the wastelands exploded, and lavas and magmas evaporated.

They had flattened a huge portion of the United States with ease.

Bread Jam realized it at that moment.

‘The reason we searched for the survivors…’

It was so they could wipe out the abandoned buildings.

The believers were blown away.

He knew he had to say something.

“The whales in the sky have breathed the Great Emperor’s wrath upon the undying wicked heathens through fire, wind, and lightning! With but a lift of his finger, he created a world-sundering disaster!”

Bread Jam continued making up stories.

[‘Oh my…’ Hades’s jaw fell to the floor.]

The devotees dropped their writing materials, and Hades dropped his chin.