The Novel’s Villain

44. Original and Side Stories (1)

The East World without the Demon Sect was peaceful. Since Duan Yu-tian, who became an Emperor, left, even if something else happened, the martial artists would be able to solve it on their own. Jin-woo informed Zhuge Mi-xian that the Demon Sect had disappeared. Centering on the Martial Arts League, they were doing their best to counter the Demon Sect, but it was necessary to be self-conscious about it since they were now gone.

As Jin-woo intended, Zhuge Mi-xian responded wisely. She diluted the Great War atmosphere sweeping the White Path. She announced that the vampires were the main force of the Demon Sect, and the Demon Sect, losing their main force, could not afford to attack the White Path again for the time being. Up to that point, it went as Jin-woo wanted. But that only lasted a moment as the East World began to change in a strange direction.

Kim Young-hoon returned from Japan. Jin-woo didn’t care about that, but the General Manager called Kim Young-hoon and the others in because of his lack of staff. Of course, he asked for Jin-woo’s permission in advance. Jin-hu grew from a village to an always busy city thanks to the influx of new crowds.

Kim Young-hoon and the 2nd Generation, who had received a proper education from the General Manager, would be a great help in managing it now. It had been a long time since Jin-woo forgave Kim Young-hoon. Kim Se-yeon’s contribution was also great, and the profit Kim Young-hoon earned in Japan was nothing to sniff at. To pay for his crimes, he took almost the whole of Japan in an offering to Jin-woo.

Jin-woo decided to hold a light welcome party at the Sanctuary for his return.

“I greet you, My Lord.”

As soon as Kim Young-hoon saw Jin-woo, he knelt, as did the others in the 2nd Generation. Uniquely, they called Jin-woo Lord, not Master or Emperor. As soon as the 2nd Generation saw Jin-woo, they began to weep. They were all dressed in neat black clothing, not their usual modern attire, giving them a religious feeling.

‘…It will be fine, right?’

Jin-woo decided not to worry and think lightly about it. Either way, Emperor, Master, and Lord were all functionally the same.

Jin-woo looked at Kim Young-hoon, noticing him tremble under his gaze. To him, to be seen by Jin-woo was akin to a blessing. His body and mind were full of grace, so he was full even though he hadn’t eaten all day.

“The Lord looked at Leader for 3.14159 seconds.”

“Oh, ooh, it’s a perfect circle! A grace that will never end! The Lord has given us the real answer.”

The 2nd Generation member even made a fuss about it. There’s a saying that blue comes from indigo but is bluer than indigo. That was perfectly captured in how the General Manager was looking at them with satisfaction plain in his expression. It was as if he was watching his son, who left home, grow up and return to be a well-rounded member of society.

In Jin-woo’s eyes, however, the 2nd Generation seemed more dangerous than the high-ranking judges or maids.

‘He has grown stronger.’

Lv.85

[A+] Kim Young-hoon

Title: [A+] Believer of the Great Emperor, [A+] Leader of Great Emperor Sect, [C] Master of Cancer, [D+] Cider Breaker

The founder of the Great Emperor Sect. The Great Emperor Sect has such an enormous influence that it unifies all religious circles in Japan. His passionate belief in the Great Emperor completed him, and his devotion has replaced all unknown corrections.

Possessed Technique: [A] JW Gate-Style Combat Technique

Special Technique:

[S] Burning Faith

Live a life solely for the sake of faith. He is not swayed by any temptation, and the strange corrections surrounding him make him stronger. He considers it all the grace of the Great Emperor and is deeply moved by his grace.

*[S] Limit Break

*[S] Divine Magic

[S] Gospel Dissemination

If you listen for 5 minutes, you will join, and you become a prisoner if you listen for 10. And if you listen to him for an hour, you’ll become a fanatic. Realizing the truth, he has mastered the dimensional language and can create religious texts, religious paintings, and sacred materials.

*[S] Bible Writing

*[A] Hymn Composition

*[A] Ritual Progression

*[A] Crafting of Holy Relics

His techniques were also amazing. Who would have thought that the protagonist would become like this? Jin-woo told Kim Young-hoon to stand and sent him to Se-yeon. Jin-woo, having read the information, felt sorry for Se-yeon. She might feel uncomfortable because her only younger brother changed in such an extreme way.

Kim Young-hoon hugged Se-yeon as soon as they met. Anyway, at least it looked like a touching family reunion.

“Sister, take this…”

“This is?”

“It’s the Great Emperor Edition.”

“I’m so proud of you.”

They were made by Kim Young-hoon himself. and even statues; each of the holy relics that reached Rank C. Se-yeon handed Kim Young-hoon the latest collection of Jin-woo’s photographs. It was an exchange that left both feeling satisfied. Both of them wore large smiles, the very image of a happy family. Meanwhile, however, Jin-woo was worrying about meaningless things.

‘I don’t need to give them a vacation, do I?’

Jin-woo sent Kim Young-hoon and the 2nd Generation cadets to work under the General Manager. The General Manager was in Jin-hu, so they naturally went to Jin-hu to join him. What Jin-woo did not expect was the meeting between Kim Young-hoon and Zhuge Mi-xian. They met for the first time at the Golden Spot, and when their eyes met, they naturally shared a table.

An encounter of a fanatic and a pervert. It was fate, not coincidence.

“I’m here to preach the good things. Do you know the truth, Young Lady Zhuge?”

“The truth… happiness is within pain. That is the truth.”

“It’s similar, but it’s not enough. Something crucial is missing.”

Zhuge Mi-xian frowned, feeling her pride hurt, but Kim Young-hoon continued to smile softly.

“Then, do you know what the truth is?”

“Everything is written in here.”

Saying so, he produced a book and handed it to Zhuge Mi-xian.

“This is…?”

Zhuge Mi-xian ran her hand over the smooth and shiny cover. To Zhuge Mi-xian, it was immediately obvious that it was no ordinary book.

‘The Great Emperor Sect.’

It was engraved with letters that felt sacred. Zhuge Mi-xian glanced at Kim Young-hoon once then opened it. At first, she wore an apathetic expression, but her eyes grew wider and wider as she read. She found there was an amazing truth within those covers.

“I think I know why I was chosen.”

“It is the gospel of truth.”

Zhuge Mi-xian was finally able to see why she was chosen. She admitted that she lacked the idea, and she came to perfectly understand Master’s intentions. The reason he got rid of the Demon Sect was to establish the Great Emperor Sect in their place. And he sent one who preached the gospel to make her realize her foolishness.

“Young Lady Zhuge, I hope everyone in the world attains happiness.”

“I agree. I will arrange a meeting with the Martial Arts League Leader.”

“That’s great.”

Zhuge Mi-xian looked at Kim Young-hoon, a soft smile hanging on her lips. Kim Young-hoon raised a bottle.

“Sister, today is a holy day. Come, have a drink.”

“Thank you, Sect Leader.”

The Leader of the Martial Arts League was originally controlled by Zhuge Mi-xian, but after meeting with Kim Young-hoon, she became a perfect servant.

Zhuge Mi-xian with the M-Dragon Association and Kim Young-hoon with the 2nd Generation found the place where the Demon Sect was located and established the Great Emperor Sect in its place. It was a new religious group that completely deviated from the White Path’s teachings and pursued only the new truth.

Since the Heavenly Demon Supreme was also called the Sect Leader, in a way, it fits well with the East World. Thus, the East World started to careen off in a direction other than Jin-woo’s intention. Of course, Jin-woo didn’t know this was happening.

* * *

The East World was completely entrusted to the General Manager, and Jin-woo returned to his mansion. The East World was good, but home was the best of all. The comfort afforded by modern civilization hadn’t been imitated in any other dimension he had been to thus far, so Jin-woo enjoyed his leisurely time and relaxation in comfort.

He binge-watched dramas and cartoons recommended by Se-yeon, who proved a great expert in this field. She even provided him with a list of masterpieces according to his tastes.

‘It’s nice.’

This was happiness. It was when he enjoyed that comfortable life for a little while that Yoo-na appeared, as always. Jin-woo watched her closely.

“What’s the matter, Young Master?”

“Umm…”

It was a relief. Seeing Yoo-na’s expression, it appeared nothing big had happened. Jin-woo was nervous whenever Yoo-na came to report as some incident occurred every time she did. The scale was always large enough that Jin-woo had to step up in person.

‘Right, it’s about time everything went okay.’

It was unlikely that an incident would occur every day. Jin-woo thought so and looked at Yoo-na.

“How about Duan Yu-tian?”

“Yes, he fainted about three times, but now he is working as a manager without any problems. Those brought by Duan Yu-tian were also sent to the manager’s team after training. They have the right skills to take care of the paparazzi.”

“Well done.”

Duan Yu-tian and the Demon Sect people appeared to have found their aptitudes in coming to Earth. The Demon Sect was also good at intimidation and torture, thanks to which Heo-young’s stress index dropped significantly. It was said that famous PDs, broadcasting company presidents, and broadcasters who dominated the field disappeared and reappeared, becoming completely new people. Anyway, they were worth bringing here.

Yoo-na started reporting in earnest.

“The Maze: New World’s eastern fantasy theme has received a better response than we expected. They say that the realism is great because we took the image of the East World as it is.”

“Good.”

“The martial arts technique textbooks are very effective, and the Maze raids are proceeding smoothly. Now we don’t have to worry about Maze’s health.”

She said that there was no need to worry about Maze getting constipated again. Kim Emperor was also active and appeared on TV with some regularity. It was all good news. Jin-woo naturally let go of his mind, growing calm. Yoo-na also wore a relaxed expression to match his own.

‘Today is passing peacefully.’

Jin-woo grabbed his cup of coffee and brought it to his lips.

“And the G&P Robotics Engineering Lab exploded.”

“Humph!?”

Jin-woo almost spat out the coffee.

“Fortunately, there were no casualties. The lab is broken, but we’re working on recovering what we can, so we’ll be able to start researching again soon.”

“Robotics Engineering Lab? Was there any place like that?”

“Young Master, aren’t you interested in it?”

Jin-woo fell in thought for a moment. It appeared to have been set up on his instructions, but he couldn’t remember. Then, the list recommended by Se-yeon caught his eye. Specifically, the No. 1 masterpiece known as the Space Warrior Z. Since Se-yeon put it in 1st place, it must indeed be a very interesting masterpiece. The art was great, but more than anything, the directing that made one’s blood boil was amazing.

It was to the extent that Jin-woo was completely absorbed in it for a while.

“Ah, I guess so.”

Jin-woo suddenly remembered how he mentioned something about making it off-handedly. He thought Yoo-na took it as a joke, but she set up the lab right after discussing it with G&P. However, he thought it was impossible to create even for G&P. That was Jin-woo’s dream, the humanoid robot that flew through space.

How could that come out in a few months?

“It was somewhat successful, but it exploded during the engine test. Researchers from other countries, as well as NASA, are very interested. They said they wanted to participate in the study.”

“Really?”

It was even published in a famous scientific magazine, with ‘G&P Leading the Future Technology’ on the title page. There were no problems or worries since they still had plenty of funding remaining.

“Isn’t that the research and development you ordered to prepare for other Emperors?”

“It’s not.”

“I thought it was because you seemed to be making great weapons. Your expression was also very serious…”

“I think it was because the story was twisted at that time.”

“I see.”

“Well, there’s nothing bad about it. Give them a lot of support.”

“Understood.”

Yoo-na’s report ended there. Fortunately, nothing special happened. Jin-woo fell into thought while watching TV again.

‘Come to think of it…’

He had dealt with 8 out of 12 Emperors. Since the original story became so long, he couldn’t read about all 12 of the Emperors. Just the East World saga had as many as six volumes, after all. Anyway, some Emperors didn’t really appear in the original novel, such as Parasite and Nightmare, which now belonged to him. They likely appeared in the side stories.

Usually, people write side stories after they finish the main one, but the original author serialized the side stories while writing the main stories. And when the paid views ran out, he created free ones.

“At the end of the East World story, the number of paid views was only two.’

Jin-woo was one of them. There were no comments except for his, though all Jin-woo wrote, ‘I’m cheering for your writing.’ When Jin-woo made such a comment, the author would immediately respond in less than a minute.

Jin: I’m cheering for your writing.

└ Life-or-Death Twist (Author): Jin, thank you for leaving a comment. I’m always grateful. This episode was planned while looking up at the sky. I’m looking up at the sky today…

Jin-woo’s nickname was Jin, and the writer’s pen name was Life-or-Death Twist. The reply from the author was always long. Jin-woo had a foreboding feeling that something terrible would happen if he didn’t pay, so he paid and read the whole thing. Still, after reading it, he became attached enough to it to call himself a fan in his way.

There were times when he was even happy to see that the writing had improved a little.

‘But the side stories…’

When he uploaded the free side stories, it still received about 100 views. As the comments started running, the side story became quite long again until they were about half the original length. There was no need to see it as loyalty, so there were a lot of parts that Jin-woo didn’t read.

“Umm…”

Were the free side stories also embodied in this world alongside the original? The author wrote that they were extra episodes that had nothing to do with the original story. However, seeing that Jin-woo now had the quest to absorb or dominate all 12 Emperors, he couldn’t be sure.

“It doesn’t matter if the Earth is safe…”‘

It was also the reason why Jin-woo was relaxed. Still, he felt the need to find out about it.

Just a little bit.

* * *

Jin-woo headed to the central control room after lazing around. Se-yeon had created a device to detect the position of other dimensions after the East World incident, and it seemed that it would also be possible to grasp the position of distant Emperors. Jin-woo intended to enjoy an unemployed life in peace if he couldn’t find the location of any other Emperors.

His long and long journey was coming to an end!

Jin-woo was eagerly hoping for it.

“It might be a little difficult, but I think it’s possible.”

Se-yeon always replied that it was possible. She created the artifact after devoting herself to research for several long months. She tried to run it several times, but it seemed as if a wall were blocking it. Jin-woo was delighted and tried to quit entirely at that point, thinking it was enough since she tried her best.

“What if we break through with an enormous energy source?”

When Se-yeon gave that opinion, Jin-woo thought about it for a while before deciding to help her personally. Jin-woo attached various sensors and diodes to his body and began to generate mana. Steadily the gauge on the screen began to rise.

It was when the gauge lightly surpassed 100% and turned red-

“It’s a success!”

Se-yeon shouted and hurriedly operated the buttons. A screen with multiple wavelengths intertwining appeared. It was clear that the wavelengths were emitted from a dimension close to an Emperor.

Yoo-na, Choi Hee-yeon, Maze, Luna, and the others were waiting in the standby central control room, all now watching the screen with curiosity. Se-yeon analyzed the wavelengths before turning to glance at Jin-woo.

“I’ll convert the wavelengths into an image!”

Se-yeon began to convert them, though it took a little while to load. After waiting for a while, an image flickered on the screen. Jin-woo watched attentively, curious what dimension would come out.

“Hmm? That’s…”

What appeared on the screen was unexpected. It was a place that not only Jin-woo but everyone there knew and could recognize at a glance.

“Earth?”

The image was of Earth.