Chapter 68: A City That Attracts Trouble

Kuung— Kuung—

A deep, heavy rumbling echoed from afar.

Those who had been working up a sweat in Elysia looked up, searching for the source of the sound.

“Huh? T-that…”

The first person to spot it pointed toward the horizon and shouted.

“A giant monster?”

“N-no! That looks similar to the golem Alicia summoned before!”

Although its size had shrunk considerably, the glimmering Golden Golem was burned into everyone’s memories.

And atop the golem sat a single figure.

The extraordinary aura that flowed from them was already familiar to everyone in Elysia.

“It’s Alicia!”

As the people expected, it was Jaeho, who had just arrived in Elysia.

The golem, which he’d summoned back in the Shuar Forest, had been brought all the way here— crafted from treasures he’d used to intimidate the Slur.

[Lv.15 Golden Golem]

When Jaeho first checked the golem’s level, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

The strongest golem he could create right now was only level 15?

Still, its actual performance wasn’t all that bad.

It was just that, when it went berserk before, it had been unbelievably powerful.

And unlike the Sand Soldiers, thankfully, the golem could grow stronger.

Just keep investing treasures into it!

As long as he didn’t unsummon it, Jaeho could continuously accumulate treasures into the golem, and its maximum level would increase based on his mana.

Theoretically, it was a pay-to-win summon capable of limitless growth!

“…That is, if I had money to invest in it right now.”

Kuung—

Jaeho stopped the golem outside the city, then nimbly leapt down from its head.

“Welcome back!”

The Elves approached Jaeho with bright smiles.

“It’s only been a short while, but you’ve brought back another unusual summon. That one looks pretty strong.”

“I figured it’d be useful for city patrols or heavy labor.”

Standing over two meters tall, there was no way it could be brought into the city.

Nor did Jaeho intend to unsummon it.

“That’s perfect. We were just thinking of cultivating new farmland.”

The Elf, satisfied, turned and glanced at the people lined up behind Jaeho.

“But who are these people?”

“They’re the ones who were imprisoned in the Bear Kingdom.”

Jaeho beckoned for Piso to step forward.

“This is Prince Piso of Guideran, and those around him are… uh, officials? What do I call them?”

“Ah, new employees, I see.”

“…Let’s just say they’re temporary guests for now.”

“W-wait! Guests?!”

Piso recoiled in alarm.

Being called a guest felt even more degrading than being labeled an employee.

“I’ve told you many times, you should show proper courtesy to royalty—!”

“Silence! How dare you lecture Alicia?! A fallen prince of a ruined kingdom dares demand courtesy?!”

Piso was left speechless by the Elf’s unexpected verbal assault.

“How do you know about all that?” Jaeho asked, just as surprised.

“Oh, was that true? I was only guessing…”

If it was just a guess, it was uncannily accurate.

“Well, most ruined kingdoms rot from within first, after all.”

“Ugh…”

Piso burst into tears, but none of the other survivors from the kingdom showed any sympathy.

They were either part of the royal circle or had suffered at its hands.

“But why did those people follow you all the way here? Not all nobles were wiped out, were they?”

“Uh…”

Jaeho couldn’t bring himself to say they’d been abandoned by everyone else.

Just how far had the Deran royal family fallen, that every noble and relative refused to come to Piso’s lands?

In the end, with nowhere else to go, they’d followed him here.

They had treasures, yes, but no strength to protect them, and couldn’t wander the streets like beggars, nor expect safety from the Bear Kingdom.

“Wow! So this is Elysia!”

Meanwhile, the clueless Players chattered in awe as they looked around.

Seeing this, Jaeho quickly searched for Breeze.

“Huff—huff—What is it?!”

Breeze arrived, panting, and Jaeho pointed to the Players he’d rescued from prison.

“These are Players I just freed. They want to settle in Elysia, and I figured the Jerluck Association would know best how to handle that.”

“Ah! In that case, leave it to me. We’ve actually started regular classes for new Elysia settlers—demand has been rising lately.”

“Oh… is that so?”

Jaeho was relieved to see the city’s administration running smoothly on its own.

“Can NPCs also attend those classes?”

“Of course! Actually, a lot of NPCs have been asking about life here too, though none have settled for good yet.”

“Then I’ll leave those folks to you as well. I think they’ll be here for a while.”

“Don’t worry!”

With a confident promise, Breeze led the Players and Piso’s group away.

“Whew… That’s settled for now. Has anything happened at the Flower Garden?”

“No, the Spirits are enjoying themselves, and the Shinmok is healthy. It’s all thanks to you, Alicia.”

The Elf replied with a beaming smile.

But Mei, who had been at the flower shop, had a different take.

“Ha… There were several times when these so-called ‘Pro Gaming Team’ people came barging in and made things difficult.”

“What? Suddenly pro gaming team staff?”

“The people who’ve been staying at the Flower Garden.”

Jaeho knew who she meant.

But what trouble could they possibly cause?

“They kept babbling about monopolizing talent or something…”

“?”

What on earth were they talking about?

***

To clarify, Jaeho met with the pro gaming team staff still surviving in Elysia.

The reason for their protest was completely unexpected.

“Lift the Jerluck Association’s Exclusive Casting Ban!”

An utterly unreasonable demand.

“You can’t block fair competition like this!”

“We’re disappointed by this underhanded move from MK!”

“Or are you planning to form your own team?”

Seriously…

“Why are you complaining to me?”

Jaeho asked, unable to hide his exasperation.

“Well, you’re the boss of the Players in the Jerluck Association, aren’t you?”

“I think you’re misunderstanding. I have nothing to do with the Jerluck Association.”

“Then why do all the Players affiliated with them reject every pro team casting offer?”

“I heard the Guild’s membership rules prohibit outside activity?”

That was Breeze’s department.

—Breeze.

Jaeho sent a message to Breeze.

—Say it with me! ‘I am a piece of tra—…’ Oh, Alicia! What’s up?

What exactly was he teaching in those classes…?

—I’m meeting with pro gaming team staff now. They’re questioning the Jerluck Association’s membership conditions.

—Ah! About that? Hehe…

Breeze chuckled meaningfully.

—The reason the Jerluck Association even exists, and why we can live here in Elysia, is all thanks to you, Alicia.

—Didn’t the Jerluck Association exist before? And you all chose to stay here.

—When we started New World, we nearly ended up as homeless, but you saved us. So after much thought about how to repay you, we decided to play the game for your sake!

—Wait. Isn’t that basically the same as before?

In the end, it was no different from being stuck in Luxi Forest, living as beggars.

—No, it’s definitely different!

Breeze insisted.

—The old Jerluck Association had no choice, but now we stay by our own will! How could we play as pro athletes then? The Jerluck Association exists only to serve you and Elysia!

—Why go that far…?

—We’re fine with it!

—I’m not, though.

—Haha! There’s no point trying to stop us! We’re already like the Players who quit the game in Luxi Forest!

Breeze simply wouldn’t listen.

“I don’t know anything about this.”

In the end, Jaeho threw up his hands.

“If you want to cast those people for your gaming teams, go ahead. I’m not getting involved. Hey! If you want to complain, go talk to Breeze, the Elf who handles consultations over there. He’s the Jerluck Association Guild Master.”

“What? Alicia isn’t the Guild Master?”

“…Nope.”

It was understandable why people might think that.

He could only imagine how much Alicia-worship there was in the Jerluck Association…

***

Kuung— Kuung— Kuung—

The golem strode across the desert, with Jaeho riding atop it.

He was searching for Brejal’s Vault, rumored to be buried somewhere underground.

He’d scoured the surroundings in case there were any hidden mechanisms, but found nothing unusual.

“The Kingdom of Cofei was beneath Elysia Garden itself, so I figured I’d find it nearby…”

But no trace had appeared, and it looked like he’d have to search the entire desert.

“No, it has to be here. I must just be missing it.”

Jaeho was sure he’d discovered Brejal’s Vault beneath the sacred ground.

It couldn’t have just teleported elsewhere, so it had to be close by…

Fwoosh—

Suddenly, as he passed a cactus, sand exploded from beneath it and a monster leapt out.

It was a , a beast that used the cactus on its tail to lure and hunt travelers and animals.

Thunk—

The creature immediately targeted the golem, but its hard body easily shrugged off the lizard’s spines.

Thunk!—Thunk!—Thunk!

The golem fought back with simple, repeated punches.

But the nimble lizard was too fast to catch.

Jaeho let out a dissatisfied groan.

“As I thought, it’s too slow.”

He’d faced this problem several times when returning to Elysia—the golem simply couldn’t handle fast enemies.

Of course, if he stepped in himself, it wasn’t a big issue, but he couldn’t help feeling disappointed in the golem’s abilities.

Tap—

Grabbing a hand shovel, Jaeho jumped down and blocked the lizard as it darted around the golem’s fists.

Kak—!

Crunch—

Its jaws snapped at him, but he slipped behind it and tightly gripped the lizard’s most dangerous weapon—its cactus tail.

Kaaaagh!

Jaeho’s own high strength stats easily immobilized the lizard.

Thud—

The golem then struck the lizard’s head, dazing it, and grabbed the tail with its huge hand.

Craaaaash—

Thunk—Thunk—Bang!

The golem slammed the lizard against the ground until it went limp, and Jaeho finished it off.

“Stab stab stab!!!”

Kaaaagh!

[You have defeated <Cactus Tail Lizard>]

“It can’t even fight a weak monster like this on its own…”

As he gathered the loot, Jaeho realized something.

“Wait.”

He’d had a flash of inspiration.

The cactus on the lizard’s tail.

Though it was used for luring prey and whipping enemies, to Jaeho it sparked a brilliant idea.

“…Couldn’t I attach flowers to the golem too?”

***

Jaeho thought the golem might be even better suited than a Player to receive flower buffs.

Its wide body, made of hard material rather than flesh, would be perfect.

If he could attach flowers to it, maybe he could turn it into a walking flower bed.

But to do that, he needed to solve one problem.

Namely, its pure gold body!

No matter how many times he planted flowers on it, they’d never grow.

He needed to mix in soil, keeping gold as the base but providing somewhere for flowers to root.

“The golem’s performance might dip a bit, but…”

With all the different buffs he could get from various flowers, it’d surely be much more efficient.

So he left the desert and headed to Luxi Forest, where the soil was rich.

[You have unsummoned <Golden Golem> ]

[50% of the resources used in its creation have been recovered]

No matter how many times he saw it, that return rate was annoyingly inefficient.

Losing fifty percent every time…

“I’d better craft a level 1 golem and experiment with that for the sake of efficiency.”

Jaeho’s stubborn and fearless spirit of experimentation was about to shine.