Border between Earth and Sky (1) and Border between Earth and Sky (2)
“What kind of phenomenon is this… ?”
At Hyun’s question, this time Papi also shook his head.
“me too… This is the first time you see it.”
The party was sucked into a cave made of fog and began to cross the white belt.
Is it because of that? Even after passing through the death zone, the party was fine.
The view from inside the belt was truly spectacular.
Aaaah-! A white and black waterfall with no end.
The scene where the white band and the flow of the black mist interlocked was magnificent.
Poppy also couldn’t hide his shock.
It took a while for him to begin explaining.
“I think this location is special. Yes, I should say Singularity.”
Poppy looked up at the sky.
Even while descending, buried in the white belt, Illuna was still overhead.
Perhaps now, the island of darkness lies on a straight path connecting the sun, Asura, and Iluna.
“It is a place where divine power becomes stronger. The reason we are safe even within the white belt is because we are protected by this black energy.”
“… ?”
“The magic that has been strengthened by the power of Iluna is in balance with the white belt. Going off track will throw you off balance, but you seem safe right now.”
Hyun couldn’t understand Papi’s explanation at once.
Here’s a quick summary of what I know:
Under special conditions, the power of the black mist becomes strong enough to neutralize the white belt.
In other words, it is said that this phenomenon occurs because the black fog covers the entire land of darkness.
“Has it stopped?”
At some point while continuing the descent like that.
The party once again felt the gravity change.
“You haven’t passed the white belt yet?!”
Ain shouted while looking down at the edge of the cliff.
“The hole in the sky is already closed… !”
Louise then looked up and shouted.
The Dark Lands were still floating in the middle of the White Belt.
Tring!
It was at that moment that the message came.
[‘Main Quest: Flight’ has been completed!]
<There was no place for darkness to set foot on the ground. So was the sky! But if it’s the boundary between the two worlds, wouldn’t the darkness be able to stay in peace?>
<Island of Darkness… Of course, her nest will be forever midnight, but that doesn’t really matter to the dark.>
[Now you can change the altitude of the Island of Darkness according to the will of ‘Louise’ or ‘Shadow’!]
[Your disposition is approaching a deeper abyss! (Current: -93)]
[3 main events have been canceled!] – <View details +>
[2 hidden events have been activated!] – <View details +>
[He strongly interfered with the causality of the world!]
[Level up!] x 9
[All stats increase by +12!]
[Skill points increase by +25!]
‘The nest… ?’
Hyun paid attention to one sentence among numerous messages.
Quest called this land the ‘Island of Darkness’ and was saying that this would be Louise’s home.
If you block it with a white belt, Louise will be safe, but neither Louise nor herself will be able to escape from this place, so how could that be a nest?
But the answer to that question was quickly found.
“Hyun, look at this!”
Louise, who was very excited, called herself to show her something strange.
“I feel like I can move the island with my body’s will!”
After a while, as Louise had said, the ground descended, and a new hole opened in the white band that touched the ground.
The ground was obscured by the clouds, but everyone could clearly see the shimmering atmosphere below.
‘Can I move too?’
According to the will of darkness or shadow.
‘Increase.’
Hyun also tried the same thing.
According to the message, you should be able to change the altitude of the island like Louise.
‘Why is it the same… ?’
For some reason there was no change.
It feels like only the ground is rocking up and down.
Hyun, who soon figured out the cause, quietly touched Louise’s shoulder.
“Hey, stop for a moment.”
“profit… ! Why is it not moving all of a sudden?!”
“No, I told you to stay still… !”
It seemed impossible to control, so Hyun assimilated into Louise and tried again.
‘Increase!’
The ground began to move in line with Hyun’s ritual.
First, the hole at the bottom was closed again as the ground rose.
Let’s continue to rise in that state at some point. Wow! The passage to heaven was reopened.
Through several experiments, Hyun learned that this place is similar to a passageway with double doors.
A passage with three forms depending on the altitude.
Either through the sky or through the ground.
Or, if you put it in the middle of the altitude, you could block both the sky and the ground.
‘This is definitely… It’s safer than a private room.’
A heavenly fortress protected by a white belt.
After grasping the whole situation, Hyeon felt relieved.
It didn’t seem like a trick of deception.
That’s right, there’s no reason to fool the same great devils.
I didn’t find any of Louise’s subordinates in the sky, but instead got something more valuable.
A land where Louise can stay safely.
Which of the two is better, of course it’s the latter.
Getting a safe place means more than powering up.
‘Was Caidrial already looking ahead?’
To be honest, it’s safe to say that the success of this main quest was thanks to deception.
Thinking back on it, it was an amazing plan.
Giving an oracle, creating your own forces in the sky, and even giving you a detailed infiltration route.
I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this result without her help.
I remember that the deception in the days of Asura was not this sophisticated.
It was thought to be the ability of second-generation artificial intelligence.
If this kind of deceit and even pretending… . It could be quite dangerous later on.
‘I’m an ally now, so it’ll be fine.’
However, one thing was certain: as long as this side was involved with Louise, even deception would not be hostile.
Hyun thought it was fortunate that Louise followed him well.
“What is this reward… !”
And Hyun was not the only user who cleared the main quest.
Ain was also on the same quest, and received the same rewards as Hyun except for the ‘Abyss achievement bonus’.
A satisfied smile was drawn on the corner of Ain’s mouth as he confirmed the enormous experience points, stats, and skill points he had acquired as a reward.
“It’s so mean that you’ve been doing this kind of quest all by yourself?!”
“The main quest can’t be shared, so it can’t be helped.”
“Whoa, well, of course I’m kidding!”
Ain also remembered the time Hyun raised his inferior level.
Now muttering anything in the joy of clearing the quest.
A smile appeared on Hyun’s lips as well.
Of course, the experience and stat rewards were great, but the reward that Hyun would be most happy with was by far the skill point.
25 achievement rewards, 9 more levels, a total of 34!
In addition, Hyun had a way to use more skill points than others.
2nd skill slot.
If you put the skills that can be linked to one side, it was possible to operate as if you had twice as many skill points.
‘It’s just fine. I was about to run out of skill points.’
Hyun didn’t learn much skills after level 200.
Shock amplification was a ‘supporter’, not a former skill, and shock bullets and absorption bullets. Basic shooting was the only skill of the shadow shooter.
With the new skill points you can try out a lot more combinations.
Supporters, shadow linkers, and even shadow shooters. The idea of creating an optimal skill tree was already exciting.
‘Of course, I’ll have to take care of Louise first.’
Hyun glanced at Louise, who was playing by moving up and down the island.
With nothing to eat or a place to sleep, this land was not yet a suitable place for people to live.
The first priority would be to make the nest like a nest.
And again, there was one more guy I was worried about.
“What are you going to do?”
Hyun looked at Papi and asked.
“I can’t go back to my normal life anymore.”
“then.”
“I plan to stay with the priestess for the time being. At least until the debt is paid off… . Of course, I intend to repay the debt I owe you.”
“Mmm.”
Hyungwon nodded quietly.
Poppy would be safe here right now.
If a heavenly being offered help, there was no reason to refuse it.
For the sake of Louise and Papi, Hyun thought that he should hurry up and make the island of darkness a place worth living.
***
Leaving Ain behind, Hyeon fell off the edge of the island alone.
It was much faster to reach the ground by simply falling than by riding the transport ship.
“Summon Ajin.”
“Are you gone already?”
“There was a city right nearby. I found the teleport gate.”
Hyun quickly raised the lantern and saved a new portal to the private room.
a few minutes later.
Whoops. A blue portal opened in the middle of the island of darkness.
A house where basic food was stored and where they could rest comfortably was the most necessary space for the two of them.
In order for Louise and Poppy to be comfortable, they bought a new private room that was slightly more expensive than before.
After completing the most important task, Hyeon jumped off the cliff again and descended to the ground.
Because there was still more to do.
‘The island of darkness… .’
Hyun’s heart was pounding.
‘This might be a golden opportunity.’
It is useful just to keep Louise hidden, but Hyun intuited the hidden value of the Dark Land.
Being able to open the entrance to both the ground and the sky within the white belt means that he and Louise are the owners of the land.
Demonia Gorge, which has been a tumultuous past.
He also remembered that countless users were frantic to occupy the land just because NPCs and monsters had no influence.
‘If we develop this place, wouldn’t it be much better than Demonia Gorge?’
Hyun quickly compared the values of the two places step by step.
‘The area is a bit wider.’
Demonia Gorge is a trace of the island of darkness being ripped off.
Of course, the upper part would be wider than the lower part, so the island of darkness was superior in terms of land size.
‘There’s no need to worry about NPCs.’
The influence of NPCs was also less in Dark Island.
Demonia Gorge was only reluctant to come by NPCs, but it was not impossible to enter, but it was impossible to access the Dark Island without Louise and herself permission.
‘User convenience would be much higher.’
Also, on the island of darkness, there is no such thing as a phenomenon in which fog settles down on the entire space.
That’s why there was no need to endure the hassle of having to log out periodically like in Demonia Gorge.
‘No matter what you compare, it’s just a landslide victory!’
And that’s not all.
The island of darkness is a passageway connecting heaven and earth.
Users who wanted to go to the sky in the future did not have to pass through the Antarctic and Arctic sky bridges.
Whether it’s the abyss or the sky, anyone who passes through the island of darkness can easily go to the sky.
In other words, hunting grounds, ruins, and dungeons that exist only in the sky are no longer the rights of sky users.
‘Isn’t this an invitation… ?’
Hyun started to get scared.
Wouldn’t it be rich just by receiving the admission fee?
No, it might be better to develop the island well and make it a transportation hub than to gain immediate benefits.
Such thoughts were ideas that would have been absolutely impossible in the past.
‘First of all, I’d better consult with Genie.’
Hyun made a decision after much thought.
Of all the people I know, the one who knows the most realistic problems is, of course, Ginny.
Even during the main quest, she handled her sudden and unreasonable request smoothly.
In order to say thank you, Hyun went to see Genie after Ain closed the connection.
“Ginny, I have something very important to do.”
“What is it?”
“I have a piece of land about 5 kilometers in diameter, and I want to ask what to do with it.”
“yes? It’s the land… ?!”
That there was a land in the sky that only he could use.
At first, Jini couldn’t understand Hyun’s words.
After showing the land of darkness, he understood the situation, but his gaping mouth did not close.
“There is land… It is too sudden.”
“Does it matter?”
“no! There are so many ways to use it, I don’t know where to start!”
“It will also be helpful for the ‘guild business’ that Genie is trying to earn, right?”
“Sure! It’s already more than helpful!”
Ginny let out a joyful scream.
Their conversation was very long.
Main Quest, Business, Island of Darkness, Future Shade Guild’s position, etc… It was because there was a pile of stories to tell.
Is it because of the constant effort to keep up with the changing Asrian? Now I could understand a little bit of the complicated story and difficult terms that Hyeondo Jini was talking about.
“This… I’m a little worried that I might be making things too big.”
“are you okay. If it is the current prefecture.”
After a rough plan is drawn up.
Jini answered Hyun’s concern with a calm smile.
“I don’t think there is anyone other than Hyun who can try this plan.”
The day after such a long discussion.
Hyun sent a notice to the entire guild.
He called all the guild members in time for Tartar to resurrect.
The private room was being used by Louise on the Dark Island, so the rest of the party promised to meet at a tavern in the city.
A room with a soft and quiet atmosphere.
With the four users sitting around, Hyun revealed the main point.
“We will move the location of our guild’s private room.”
“Are you thinking of moving? Where?”
“Here you go.”
Hyun projected the recorded screen onto the table.
The moment the landscape of the island of darkness was revealed, the expressions of Salon and Tartar strangely changed.
Tartar asked first.
“Where is this hunting ground… ?”
“It’s an island near the sky. Not a hunting ground.”
A brief description of the island of darkness.
the place where the war took place. Even the fact that now it is close to ruins.
“Everyone did the history quest, right? It is the place that becomes the background.”
Among the history quests, there is an episode called <Sacrifice to Darkness>.
The background of the island shown by Hyun was almost similar to the location of the episode, so the party could easily understand the explanation.
“But we are moving our private room here?”
“uh.”
“I heard that there are no people around and no hunting grounds? But what are you going to do… Oh no, nothing… .”
Tartar, who was eagerly expressing his opinion, hurriedly shut his mouth when he saw Hyun’s eyes narrowing.
“Suddenly moving the base to a wasteland like this. why… ?”
Salon subtly took over Tartar’s opinion.
“no. I don’t intend to complain either, but I thought there was no reason to go to a place where no one was around… .”
All members of the guild knew that the Shade Guild became known to the world through this incident.
So even when he heard that there was a meeting today, Salon was excited.
This is our world from now on. Show everyone your strength.
I’ve been waiting for those words to come out of Hyun’s mouth, but suddenly moving to a remote area where no one is? No matter how you think about it, this is strange.
“Ginny, please explain.”
Hyun handed over the right to speak to Genie.
It was because it seemed that the meeting would be very long if he spoke.
All the words that came out of Ginny’s mouth were things that Hyun had talked about beforehand.
“It is a land where no one is now. But after a while, that land will turn into a big city. A ‘city of users’ managed by the Shade Guild will emerge.”
“city… ?”
“Isn’t it too much of a waste to have only one private room on that big piece of land?”
The plan Hyun and Jini came up with was to urbanize the entire island of darkness.
to build a city.
Neither Hyun nor Ginny had the ability to build a city on their own.
No, everyone would laugh at me if I said that only five users would build a city.
“I put up the development rights for each section of the land by auction.”
Hyun and Genie put their heads together and thought about various plans.
Rarely, Hyun gave his opinion before Jini.
“Don’t you think we can leave it to companies?”
When the land’s urbanization plan came out, Hyun expressed his thoughts as if he had waited.
Outsourcing to big companies that are said to be in the middle of the day.
It was a method that Hyun could not have imagined if he had not been aware of the fact that his name had brand value.
Coincidentally, Ginny was thinking similar thoughts, so the plan was carried out in an instant.
“More than five companies are already eyeing the deal.”
Of course, since it is not possible to check the tricky conditions one by one, Ginny had to hire experts to review various conditions.
The contracts made in Assrian were quite different from general contracts.
It was because we had to consider the uniqueness of the game.
“Negle, Esta, Illennium, Hekro… It’s all nonsense giants!”
Salon was stunned when he saw the data Genie showed him.
“I have to be sure that I will make a big city.”
“No matter what, you sign a contract with these places? You would have to pay an astronomical amount of money to ask to build a city?!”
“It is not a reverse auction. You said it was an auction earlier.”
Ginny shook her head and added an explanation.
“It’s getting money from companies.”
“receive… do you?”
“Don’t like it too much. Because your stake is less than 1 percent. Oh, by the way, the ratio was set by Hyun, the guild leader. I heard you honestly didn’t do anything after joining the guild?”
“Kuhm… .”
Embarrassed, Hyun cleared his throat.
Should I raise it a bit if I complain that I caught too little?
However, Salon seemed more curious about how he could entrust development while receiving money than the amount of money.
“How is that possible?”
“In Assrian, the construction cost is not much. Most of them can be solved with magic. With a budget of about 1.5 trillion won, the city we are envisioning will be ready.”
“group 1… .”
“It’s won, not dollars, so there’s no need to be so surprised.”
From the point of view of large corporations, 1.5 trillion won is a burdensome but manageable amount.
It was also an amount shared not in one place but in several places.
On the other hand, there were countless intangible benefits that could be gained by taking charge of urban development.
In addition to getting the title of being the first to develop a city in Assrian, it is also advantageous to renew a contract with the Shade Guild later.
This is because trust can be built in the process of collaboration.
In addition, the prefecture added a condition that it would preferentially lend land of darkness to companies in charge of development.
Those who know how a city that is inaccessible to NPCs will develop in the future will surely jump at it, even with a higher price.
This was the reason Genie sold the development rights as a means of ‘auction’.
“Of course, our guild will move at the same time. We will build new factories and laboratories. It’s also to increase the production efficiency of guns… More importantly, it is to advance future plans.”
Ginny’s plan to raise money by preoccupying the gun market went awry in a good way.
If you own a huge amount of real estate, there is no reason to do gun business.
Still, Ginny wasn’t going to let go of gun research.
Because it is necessary to improve the string specifications through periodic upgrades.
And it was because there was no item comparable to a gun in helping users settle in the city in the early days.
When the long explanation was over, everyone was showing various reactions.
Ain was sleeping alone in the corner, and Salon’s eyes began to glow.
“Haha, you should have said this earlier. You just misunderstood! Finally we’re going out into the world! I was still itchy.”
And Tartar looked a little depressed.
Hyun could guess why the atmosphere in Tartar had subsided.
I’ll have to get that story out here.
“With the latest video uploaded, the YouTube channel will be suspended. There will be no editor job.”
“Ugh… !”
“Well, Tartar, what should I do… I’m not as talented as Salon… Is it really useless?”
The usefulness of tartar was enough with the link of the duke, but Hyun did not bother to mention that fact.
Tartar looks pathetic, like an office worker right before being fired.
Hmm, noticing Ginny’s gaze staring at him, Hyeon cleared his throat for no reason.
I’ll just have to play around here.
In fact, his role was fixed from the beginning.
“Well, don’t worry too much. Because this older brother will put you in the position of head of the marketing department.”
“marketing… I beg your pardon?”
“Ginny will tell you the details. Marketing is like the face of a guild, so you have a very important position.”
Seeing how Hyun had been operating YouTube and collaborating with Steven, he decided that he could entrust Tartar with a bigger task.
He always creates videos that captivate users.
Seeing through the public’s needs and being able to captivate them, Tartar was the necessary number of people for the Shade Guild.
Above all, Tartar was a guy who would never betray himself.
One concern was that Tartar, now a high school student, might have thick hair… Judging by the appearance so far, there is nothing to worry about.
“Hey, Hyun, what do I have?”
When Tartar was given an assignment, Salon suddenly spoke out.
“Oh, of course I have something prepared for Salon.”
“what… ?”
“The leader of the Assassination Squad.”
Hyun knew the characteristics of Salon.
A man who would do anything to get attention… The risk was too great to entrust the work that had to be done externally like Tartar or Genie.
The reason why he was entrusted with the position of assassination team was to use his excellent skills while suppressing his temperament.
“As an assassin of the Shade Guild… I have a feeling. It’s finally time to show everyone my skills.”
“Oh, there is something I forgot to say, but from now on, Salon has to work in hiding. Of course, you can’t reveal your identity.”
“What… ?”
The declaration was like a thunderbolt from the sky to Salon.
I thought I finally found an assassin-type job and saw the light, but I had to hide and work!
“Assassins don’t reveal their original appearance.”
It was clear that if the guild rapidly increased its branches, wild beasts would flock to the fruit.
Guys like spies from other guilds or companies.
Or, if necessary, you may need to covertly eliminate someone from a competitor.
Salon had to deal with them in the world of the back alleys, so he had to give up everything he had.
Affiliation, face, even name!
“How about starting a second life? I don’t mean to make a sub-character.”
Hyun began to speak the words he had prepared to persuade Salon.
“If you take on a pseudonym, change your face, and drop your Shade background, I promise you I will make you a legendary assassin.”
“Legendary Assassin… ?”
“An assassin with two personalities… Isn’t this the perfect place for Salon?”
Hyeon painstakingly touched Salon’s second grade sensibilities, and his eyes gradually changed due to continued persuasion.
After a while, Salon was nodding his head with a serious face.
“hyeon. Surprisingly enough… ?”
“Does it look okay?”
“Okay, I’ll be glad to be the Reaper of the Night. Hehehe, instead, are you going to teach me the new job control tips with great care?”
Like that, in a small bar, plans for a big goal were being built step by step.
