NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19
Episode 19
User Chris is online, and we’re asking him to approve.
If too many users were whispering, it would be too much of a hassle to play Middle-earth. That’s where the approval system comes in.
If the other person says no, you can’t whisper. Conversely, you can only whisper to someone if they approve. This is very convenient for popular people and rankers.
The other person has approved.
You can’t see it, but you can hear it. A low, low voice.
“I’m Karen.”
“Yes. I killed him by accident.”
So that’s the same as saying I can rule over the entire vampire population?
“That’s awesome.
“I’m Breval now; where is everyone else?”
“I see.”
I went to the waypoint. The waypoint must have stored the location of the Blood Emperor’s castle.
The waypoint was in the centre of Breval, and it wasn’t too hard to find. I saved the coordinates for Breval and teleported to the vampire castle.
“Phew, there it is.”
I deliberately scheduled the appointment during daylight hours. No users are allowed inside, only authorised leaders.
The vampire castle is so cool. It’s a new feeling to own one.
“Is that my bed?
The coffin of the former Blood Emperor. The very spot where I killed him. I approached the coffin and opened it.
‘Surely it’s empty, right?
“…Huh!”
The coffin, which should be empty, contains its contents.
The same one I’d seen before. A yellow-haired nobleman. The former Blood Emperor.
He was surprised to see me and quickly rose from the coffin and knelt.
“I apologise, sir. I didn’t realise the Emperor had returned. Normally, when the Emperor is not present, the vampire with the highest level takes his place.”
“…Is that…what?”
“Don’t talk; now that you’re the Blood Emperor, you’ll be treated accordingly.”
Blood Emperor treatment. You only lose your leadership position when you kill a monster.
You cannot become a leader by killing users. Squadron Blood Emperors are now permanent monsters.
It will regenerate upon death, of course, but it will only obey me. Even if it’s 200 levels higher than me, I’m still the boss.
“That feels good, doesn’t it?
“It is. Any moment now, the other clan leaders will be here, so let’s wait.”
* * *
“Chief. Was that an event you designed?”
“Yes, with instructions from the boss.”
“I see.”
The event was organised by the chief, but the idea was his. He tried to bully the director over this, but it was his fault.
“But what’s the advantage of being the head?”
“One percent of the experience the vampires have is transferred to the leader. If you adjust it, it can be up to 5%, and items can also be transferred to you, giving you 10% of the items the vampires eat when they kill you.”
“What’s the hottest hunting ground these days?”
“The vampire’s castle.”
“Why?”
“It’s difficult, but the chance of dropping a good item has increased dramatically.”
“Why did it increase?”
“In the early days of the Vampire Castle patch, a lot of players would come in and hunt it down, and the vampires would eat the items they dropped, so naturally you’d end up with a lot of items, which is why it’s still a popular hunting spot. Of course, a lot of people die, so the number of vampires with a lot of items is increasing.”
“If Karen knows this, how many levels can he level up in a week, and how many items can he rip off?”
“At least 20 levels in a week of play. At least seven unique items a week, because there are so many vampires. That’s one per day.”
“Is that the maximum?”
“No. If you get 100% obedience and authentication from the vampires, you’ll likely get a 50% experience transfer rate and they’ll bring you all their items. So 100 up a week. And that’s just the beginning, of course. The items would be uncountable.”
“But it’s a good thing Karen’s personality isn’t normal, because it would be impossible to get her to obey.”
“Right.”
There are a few common traits that people who gain submission have in common.
They’re smart (unlike the boss).
cool (surprisingly).
charismatic (very unlike the boss).
None of these three apply to Karen, including the boss.
The boss is relieved. The worst that can happen can happen.
‘But there are users who level up just by logging on..’
As with all bosses, the vampires went a little too far. They’ve created a big monster faction, and now they’re pushing them around, which is a shame.
‘What about the balance of the other bosses?
Orcs are outnumbered, but it doesn’t matter because the players you’re facing are low-level and don’t have many items. In that case, those who become Orc Lords shouldn’t have to worry too much.
After vampires, orcs are the next largest group, and the next largest group of monsters is probably…
“Golem Lord!
Golem Lords. Perhaps as fraudulent as the seat of the Blood Emperor. Golems come from the Book of Stone Golems, Sprite Golems, and Balrog, the leader of the Golems, whose highest level is 250. Though he is not a golem, Balrog rules over them. Of course, he hasn’t been captured yet, so we don’t have to worry about him right now, but what if someone like Karen comes along?
“Phew, I’m worried.
I glance at Karen in the vampire castle.
“I still hate you!”
‘After Mr. Park…’
* * *
I was getting tired of standing uncomfortably, so I turned to Biddy (short for Blood in Blood Emperor) next to me.
“Hey, Viddy, don’t you have a chair here?”
How could there be no chairs in such a large space? It’s a real mystery.
“Your Majesty (the Emperor is given the title of Emperor), you look at the coffin and say, ‘Be a chair!’ and it becomes a chair.”
“…….”
Cursing the operator’s naming sense, I looked at the coffin and shouted.
“Be a chair!”
Seeing the coffin become a truly elegant chair, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You childish operator.”
* * *
This feeling of knowing that you’re being insulted but not being able to retaliate. The president must be feeling it right now. Even if you think about it, it’s a childish starter.
* * *
I’m relaxing in my chair when I hear a loud noise.
I realise it’s coming from the waypoint, and the whole group has arrived. I stood up from my chair and greeted the group.
They were all high-level players (you can tell by their items). They saw me and got down on their knees. I was very embarrassed.
“Why on earth are you kneeling like this?”
I guess it’s because NPCs are set up to do so, but it was puzzling to me that players would kneel on sight when they didn’t have to.
“We don’t feel like doing it ourselves, but the clan leader always kneels to greet the players. It’s on the job page, and if you disrespect them three times, you’re forced to step down as leader. I guess it’s because the Demon World has a strict hierarchy, and it’s set up to be polite.”
“A good system.”
At my words, the clan leaders’ faces crumpled.
“Did I say that badly?
“Just kidding.”
“Hahaha, that’s funny.”
I tried to lighten the mood, and luckily, one of the players chimed in.
“So, how would you like to be introduced?”
Once you’re “family,” it’s polite to have a full name. A family of vampires, that is.
The user with the most items spoke up.
“I’ll start with me. Everyone else has already introduced themselves, and I only need to introduce myself to the Emperor. We’ve been together for a week already. My name is Chris. I’m level 210, ranked 51st. I mastered Inspector, then Knight, and now I’m doing Treasure Hunter.”
Swordsman is the basic level. After mastering it, there are many secondary classes to choose from. You can choose a knight, warrior, etc. as a companion class to the swordsman, but you can also become a wizard, the primary class of the magic family. I can’t say which one is better.
If you’re really into swordsmen, you’ll probably go the Chris route, or if you’re more of a magical swordsman, you’ll go swordsman and wizard.
“Let me introduce you all. This is the only female captain so far, and her name is Shu. I hear you’ve been in alpha testing. You’re a two-master mage and elementalist, and now you’re on your way to becoming a summoner. She’s at level 230, the highest level of our leaders. She’s the leader of the Third Clan. Ranked 29th.”
She was dressed in typical mage clothes, but the natural aura she exuded suggested that her artefacts were on the elemental side. She was also very beautiful and very likeable (what girl wouldn’t be likeable?).
“Next to you is the next highest level, Jeron. He’s a mage, a Wizard Two-Master. He’s level 226. I hear he’s the leader of the Fifth Clan and is ranked 46th.”
The clothes he wore looked identical to the items I had in my stash. It was a set item, and Ren told me that the total value of the set item was a billion. The hat looked identical to the wizard’s hat, but with a blue tint, and so did the robe. I think I remembered it as giving a total of 12 skills.
“Next up is Balkan. You’re level 201, recently mastered Warrior, and are currently training Dragon Slayer. He’s also an amazing person, having become a two-master in the shortest amount of time. You’re ranked 79th. He is the leader of Clan Six.”
Balkan was wearing light armour, but it looked well-defended, and the sword he carried was familiar to the eye: it was a Dragon Slayer. It was a good sword.
“I am pleased to meet you.”
He was the only Balkan to greet me verbally. I smiled and bowed.
“Balkan, I like him.
“Next, Mr. Volpid. He’s level 196. You’re looking at Two-Master, who has worked his way up to become the leader of Clan Nine. You’ve mastered the treasure hunter, and now you’ve almost mastered the tamer. Your ranking is 89.”
Treasure Hunter and Tamer. A unique combination. An unlikely pairing. He was one to watch.
“The last one. He’s the last one, for a reason. He has the best items, and we’ve played PKs against him, and he’s the lowest level, and we lost.”
Hmm? Who?