[Because of the title <Idol of the Elves>, the Elves’ favorability has increased.]
[The Elves’ trust toward the Regent of Spirits is absolute. Favorability has increased greatly.]
The favorability between Jaeho and the Elves he had bonded with rose vertically in an instant.
The warm smiles already lingering on their lips were exactly the same as the expressions of the Elves in Luxi Forest.
“This… feels like it’s too easy.”
Even Jaeho had that thought.
“Everyone… how did you come all the way here?”
Though he already knew, it was a question asked out of courtesy.
“We came after hearing the voice of the Shinmok.”
“The place where Mother resides is where we belong.”
“Haha.”
Judging by their expressions, it seemed they had no particular objections to planting the Shinmok in the desert.
On the contrary, they showed a reaction eerily similar to the Elves of Luxi Forest.
“This is truly worthy of the Regent of Spirits.”
“I’m sure Tin Light will be pleased later. He wasn’t an ordinary eccentric, after all.”
“Haha! I don’t even know how many times I got tricked into eating bug soup by him. I vowed to take revenge once I became an adult, but I never expected him to leave so swiftly.”
“What about that time you got drunk and urinated on the Shinmok?”
Listening to that kind of conversation, Jaeho could set a somewhat strange boundary in how to treat the Elves.
After all, their favorability toward the Regent of Spirits and toward Jaeho was so high they wouldn’t dream of doing anything reckless…
“So it’s even possible to pee on the Shinmok, huh.”
But Jaeho couldn’t possibly think of anything more disrespectful than that.
***
The entire world’s attention focused on the Terras Continent.
A sudden Elf Great Migration.
Many experts speculated on the reason why the Elves, who had been extremely averse to appearing before humans, had suddenly swarmed out.
“I believe there is a possibility of a Demonic Pact invasion. The Elves nearly faced extinction because of the demons. Because of that experience, they might possess some detection abilities or technologies. If the demons reappear on the continent, Seo Donghyuk’s ‘Storm Before the Wind’ theory would make sense.”
“I’m opposed. Looking at precedents, Seo Donghyuk’s speculations have very low credibility. Why focus on the Terras Continent? There is the notorious Luxi Forest among the players. Besides the group called Jerluck Association, there’s not much noteworthy there. But recently, a suspicious presence appeared. Perhaps some of you remember. They called it ‘Luxi Royalty’…”
“Wait, wait a minute! Are you trying to claim that this situation was caused by a single Player?”
“I’m only talking about possibilities. Nothing’s confirmed.”
“Ha ha! Interesting. I know about that Luxi Royalty too. But even back then, there was a lot of debate about whether it was fabricated or not. So discussing another uncertain matter on top of an uncertain situation is pointless.”
“No, there’s nothing certain here in the first place. How can you call this a discussion?”
“There is something. I received information from a user who is close to the Elves…”
Even the TV debate panel descended into chaos.
Though some fairly reasonable claims surfaced, they failed to garner much attention and faded away.
Like other experts said, it was too absurd to think that a whole species’ migration was caused by just one Player.
However, because people grew curious about who ‘that person’ was, Jaeho’s screenshot resurfaced in the community.
A few people who knew Jaeho saw it, but they dismissed it as insignificant.
Except for one.
***
“Hey, be honest.”
“Hm?”
Wansik’s expression, standing at Jaeho’s doorstep, was grave.
“What the hell have you been up to?”
“Start by explaining what you did before asking.”
“Oi!”
When Wansik pushed his smartphone forward, the screen showed footage of Jaeho mingling with the Elves in Luxi Forest from the past.
“What? Like I said, I started in Luxi Forest, didn’t I?”
“No, I’m asking if you’re involved in this Elf Great Migration?”
“Hey, don’t say ridiculous things.”
Jaeho shrugged.
Most people would have shrunk back intimidated by Jaeho’s atmosphere, but not Wansik.
“Look at this guy trembling like he’s freezing! Damn! So you’re really the one at the center of this huge mess?!”
“Ah! Okay, so quiet!”
In the end, Jaeho covered Wansik’s mouth and admitted it.
“Crazy… Luck-based hellish sword! You caused such a massive event?! Ughhh!”
Wansik was genuinely outraged, making Jaeho frown.
“You think I wanted this? I just wanted to quietly run a flower shop.”
“Crazy bastard. You say that even though a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came and you’re only thinking about a damn flower shop?”
“To me, being able to run a flower shop is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”
Realizing further objection was pointless, Wansik calmed down.
“Fine… yeah, that’s the kind of guy you are. Sorry, I was out of line for a moment.”
Acknowledging his mistake, Wansik regained composure.
“Well, in the first place, Luxi Forest wasn’t a place known for players… There were probably many hidden quests left unattended without a proper owner. Still, you sure got insanely lucky.”
“How long are you going to hold a grudge?”
“Ahem… anyway, damn it! How could you keep this a secret from me?”
“You weren’t really curious.”
“That… true.”
The truth was, Wansik had partly lost interest in Jaeho’s play style because it was so frustrating.
All he wanted was a simple, ‘Are you doing well?’ kind of superficial greeting.
“Wait! Did you even dissolve the guild between us? If you’re bored, just do it.”
“Oh, right.”
“Damn it… So how’s everything going?”
“Well, I got friendly with the Elves and got some quests. The Elves’ survival is at stake…”
When Jaeho roughly explained the situation, even Wansik, who usually mocked Jaeho’s gaming style, listened quietly.
And when all the talk was over, Wansik was looking at Jaeho in a new light.
“You’ve actually been playing properly more than I thought.”
“What? From the guy who’s been cursing me all this time?”
“No, I thought you’d just be doing flower arranging, but you’re quietly progressing quests.”
Wansik’s expression was strangely ambiguous.
“Haha, you’re not the first King of Players, are you?”
Then, as if joking, he threw out a thought.
“Hey, is that even a thing?”
“Right? Haha! Just joking. But why are your toes like that?”
***
After finally learning the full truth, Wansik caused a commotion before rushing to Jaeho’s place… no, the capsule room.
“I’m coming too… What? Ah! Fermasa Desert! You’re going there!”
He left that shout behind.
“Well, it shouldn’t matter.”
In fact, Jaeho didn’t care much, but Wansik’s game sense was quite good.
He had steadily leveled up by following a ‘normal and orthodox’ route and was approaching level 200. He even acquired a Rare Class and was nearing mastery.
In the end, it could only help, and the chance of being a burden was low.
“Anyway.”
When Jaeho logged in, a bustling market square—no, a construction site—spread before his eyes.
The Elves, also called the ‘forest tribe,’ were building small huts scattered throughout the desert.
Following the voice of the Shinmok, Elves were gathering at every moment, and the population had already reached the size of a small town.
“This… can’t continue like this.”
Jaeho strongly felt that if the foundation wasn’t laid properly in the beginning, the entire region would fall into chaos.
“Hey, Wansik.”
“Yeah, boss. What’s up?”
Jaeho decided not to fuss over minor issues.
“Do you know any Luxi architects?”
“Architects?”
“The number of Elves is increasing like crazy. If we leave things as they are, it’s going to be a mess later.”
“Right… I’m only a hunter; I don’t have any combat classes.”
“Useless guy.”
[<Muscle Pang Pang> .]
Wansik’s curse sounded like they were ringing in my ears.
Regardless, Jaeho sent a message to the next candidate.
“Are you doing well?”
“Damn, busy… Who is it? Your Majesty Humble! Ah, no, Alicia!”
Samantha quickly switched tone, speaking carefully.
“Mei? Are you very busy right now?”
Since Samantha seemed extremely busy, Jaeho messaged Mei, who was with her.
“Ah! Als… no, Bimn Aridavi.”
“Seems busy.”
“Message later. Finish your work first.”
Jaeho sent another message to Samantha.
“No, I’m fine!”
“…Is that so?”
“The Golem does all the fighting anyway! So if you have a dragon, say it!”
Samantha denied that desperately, prompting Jaeho to get to the point.
“Do you personally know any architects?”
“Architect? What? Hey! I do have one.”
“Hey! Can you ask if they want to work here?”
Jaeho roughly explained the situation, and Samantha readily agreed.
For her, it was part of increasing favorability to get a class upgrade.
“I’ll confirm as soon as possible!”
About ten minutes later, Samantha responded.
“He’s a Player called ‘Giant.’ He’s specialized in construction class and has experience doing building quests in various countries, so his skills are solid!”
“Giant?”
“Yes! I’ve already talked to him roughly.”
Jaeho nodded at Samantha’s words.
***
Giant, recommended by Samantha, was a solo Player on friendly terms with the Prime Guild.
He was a well-known figure in this field, possessing a Rare Architect Class called ‘Glorious Builder.’
Since the early days of the game, he had focused solely on construction.
Although a Rare Class, he was considered a top-ranked architect.
Moreover, he had already accepted the Unique Class upgrade quest.
The only problem was… the quest’s difficulty was so high that it was impossible to attempt.
[*Class Quest*]
[You have reached the peak of your skills as an architect.
However, to surpass this, you must face a new challenge.
Create a work that no one has ever attempted before.
As time passes, this work will immortalize your achievements.]
[Upon quest completion, promotion to .]
It was the last line of the quest description that was problematic.
The requirement to ‘create a work that no one has ever attempted before’ was too vague.
In that situation, Giant’s proposal received from Samantha was:
“…Fermasa Desert.”
Upon hearing Samantha’s words, he fell into thought.
He had tried building in underdeveloped areas and done heavy labor.
After all, he had been a newbie once.
But the desert was a different story.
There was a question of whether even a solid foundation could be laid in such a sandy wasteland.
Most of the works after his promotion to an excellent architect had been limited to big cities, so this idea was reckless at best.
“A new challenge… feels more like a reckless challenge.”
Moreover, the quest demanded he build constructions that would only grow more burdensome over time.
How much attention would a few buildings in a barren desert even attract?
“Ah, I feel like you’re overthinking it, Giant.”
At that moment, a message arrived from Samantha.
“You’ll never regret it. The Elves are migrating there.”
“?!!!”
The Elf Great Migration!
Giant couldn’t ignore this.
Going to the Terras Continent was a huge event known to all users.
“You’re going to build homes for the Elves?!”
“Probably.”
“Uh, how did you get connected to them? Elves are known to be exclusive.”
“Well… it’s complicated! I’ll explain everything later. For now, why don’t you come take a look? It’ll be a great opportunity for you!”
Indeed, hearing that it was the Elves’ city gave a different feeling.
“Elves…”
To build constructions for the Elves himself?
“I’ll come as soon as possible.”
That’s how Giant made his decision.
***
“Nice to meet you.”
Jaeho smiled and extended his hand, but the Mage player Giant simply couldn’t smile.
Trembling—
Giant’s hand shook violently.
“Did I offend Samantha somehow?”
He briefly reflected on his past behavior but found nothing that could have upset her.
“Thank you for coming all the way to this barren wasteland.”
“Oh, no… I just did what was natural.”
It was a typical reaction when meeting someone for the first time, so Jaeho understood and let it go.
After all, the important thing was city design.
“As you saw on the way here, the conditions are pretty bad.”
Most of the Elves were still living in roughly built huts made of rough timber.
Though they showed no complaints, Jaeho felt sorry watching their living conditions.
Moreover, the haphazardly built log cabins were problematic.
Before long, this place might become as chaotic as the Gangnam subway station during rush hour.
In this situation, Jaeho was all the more grateful that Giant had come so quickly.
“I wanted to create a decent place for them to live.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a new notification popped up before Jaeho’s eyes.
[You possess the qualifications of a King.]
[You can design quests.]