[Hm, that’s a good question. Of course, it’s not that there’s absolutely no way. If a king ‘surrenders’ to another village or empire, that works. There are many other conditions, but there isn’t enough time to explain them all here. What’s certain is that once a surrender takes place and the empire is absorbed by another, the surrendered empire collapses regardless of whether the king remains. Hm, judging by your faces, it seems you don’t quite understand. It’s something you’ll be better off experiencing yourselves.]
If a player surrendered to another empire, their empire became the defeated nation and was absorbed into the opponent’s empire. At that time, even the king was stripped of his status and absorbed into the other empire as just another subject.
In the end, it meant one could abandon their empire.
“Then… if someone doesn’t want to establish an empire, how should they survive….”
[There is also a way to enter as a ‘resident’ or ‘temporary inhabitant’ of another empire. It’s best for the king to always leave an option to return to their own empire. Those who already have an empire must enter as a ‘temporary inhabitant’ to ensure their empire remains intact. Since time is short, I’ll take only one more question.]
Billwill took out a pocket watch from his breast pocket as he spoke. His gesture made clear that there wasn’t much time left, which only drove the crowd into frantic muttering. And then, a man who had been standing quietly clutching a bundle of papers as if it were his life raised his hand.
He was unlike the rest of the terrified people around him. His furrowed brow showed he was equally displeased with the situation, but there was one crucial difference: he had no fear. He observed the scene calmly, responding with chilling composure. Just as he did now.
“What happens if one doesn’t undergo Awakening?”
The once-bustling hall instantly turned cold. Most people understood exactly what he meant. It was the most important question — the one everyone had thoughtlessly set aside.
[Hm, you must be someone who’s died often enough to have lost your ‘Easy.’ I understand. In such a case, you don’t need to go through with racial Awakening. However, you’ll be heavily restricted in many ways. Human bodies are frailer than one might think, so survival will become more difficult… well, that too is nothing but self-inflicted. If you’re still unsure, you may also postpone it for a set period. Ah, I forgot to mention the postpone option in the selection window.]
The monocled man let out an exaggerated exclamation, as if performing on stage.
[Let’s see… the postponement period… hm, here it is. It’s specified as exactly ten days. I nearly overlooked it.]
When Billwill waved his hand through the air, a third option appeared in the Awakening window: ‘Postpone.’ A sly trick of questions and answers that would have been missed had it not been asked.
“What happens if one has lost their Easy…”
[Questions are over. This is as far as I can help you. From the moment you leave this place, you will obtain the qualification of a Road Player. I wish good fortune to all players. Ah, and for those without an empire or those too afraid to go to their empire, please use the portals over there. I wish you a new beginning.]
The moment Billwill snapped his fingers, dozens of overlapping portals formed among the ones already densely arranged. Unlike the dazzling others, these were bluish, smaller, oval-shaped portals. All of them were vacant, without an owner.
[Those who wish to remain here may do so. But the longer you are exposed to the dimensional rift, the harder it becomes to leave. In that case, you will become a being of nothingness, never again breathing the air outside. So please, make the right choice.]
Until the end, he remained polite. Uttering terrifying words as if they were nothing, Billwill soared into the boundless void, out of sight, watching the swarming masses below like ants.
It wasn’t long before people began to move in search of their survival. Some, uneasy, stepped through portals to their empires. Others gathered those who had nowhere to go to try and establish new empires. Among them were those who sat numbly, motionless, utterly lost.
Amid the growing commotion, Sehyun also rose to his feet. In his arms was Lee Jaeyoung, trembling and curled up in fear.
“…Do you have somewhere to go?”
Lee Jaeyoung shook his head, terror clear on his face. Sehyun’s gaze drifted toward something — a portal that glowed red. Among what seemed like countless portals, each person must have had one they saw glowing red to know which belonged to them.
“Wh-what about you, hyung?”
“…I don’t either.”
Sehyun pulled his eyes away from the red portal. Then, together with Jaeyoung, he slipped into a cluster forming around middle-aged men and other strays with nowhere to go.
Among those grouped together was also the man clutching the bundle of papers. The crowd split into dozens of groups. The one with the paper-clutching man, Sehyun, and Jaeyoung was composed of Koreans.
At the very front, the man standing solemnly led them toward one of the unclaimed portals Billwill had made — one that opened onto a misty forest. He must have judged it the safest. Sehyun and Jaeyoung followed along.
The last thing Sehyun saw was dazzling light piercing his eyes as their group disappeared from the void.
As the blindingly hungry portals dimmed, a faint human form appeared within.
[Still, this time there are quite a lot.]
Billwill’s gaze swept over the portals — some regaining stability with new owners, others burning black before flickering out.
They were empires collapsing in ruin at the cost of their rulers’ deaths. Billwill only looked on with indifferent eyes. Yet, as his eyelids drooped, a fleeting trace of bitterness passed over his face.
***
In the days Sehyun spent in Elix, he learned one thing: humans were quick to adapt. On the first day, everyone was restless and sleepless, shivering in fear of the uncertain future. But by the next morning, people began facing reality and showing their will to live.
Among them, one man stood at the forefront: a man named Gwak Junghan. Above all, he coolly judged the situation and decisively led people. At dawn the next day, it was thanks to his leadership that a hundred people had already been gathered together.
“My name is Gwak Junghan. Though lacking, I’ve come forward with the courage to gather your willpower into one. I know everyone is suffering, but for now, please set aside your fears. I ask for your cooperation so that, together, we can endure and overcome our current predicament.”
Gwak Junghan was a sturdily built man with tightly packed muscles. At a glance he looked in his early thirties, though it was hard to say exactly since he had undergone Awakening. His faintly bluish skin and the shark fin sprouting from his back showed that he had acquired traits of a merman.
His bold, well-defined features made him instantly recognizable. To Koreans, he was a famous figure — a national swimmer, a prodigy who had dominated world competitions with unprecedented skill, a source of national pride.
That was the kind of man Gwak Junghan was.
His case was one where innate talent affected Awakening. Because of his life spent in water, his awakened gift manifested as becoming a ‘merman.’
“Unfortunately, I have never played Elix before. I took the aptitude test and connected, but before founding my empire, I was killed by my Daegong. I abandoned it and never reconnected. So, I wish to make plans for our future based on the opinions of those with experience.”
People received his words with serious expressions. Yet, a balding middle-aged man pushed through the crowd and stepped forward. The sense of déjà vu was undeniable, but no one dared to voice it.
“You there, student.”
“Yes, please speak.”
“Listening to you, it sounds like you’ve got no experience, yet you’re telling grown men what to do. So are you saying you mean to be king here?”
“If everyone is willing to consider me, I would, though I am lacking.”
“Forget it. This kind of matter should be left to elders with experience. Step aside. How dare some wet-behind-the-ears kid lecture adults.”
“Then does that mean you have experience, sir?”
“‘Sir’? Ha, look at this kid. I’m forty-five years old. Don’t go calling me sir. And experience or not, just step aside. Adults will sort this out among themselves. People who can talk sense will discuss and decide.”
Gwak Junghan looked at the man briefly, then nodded and stepped back. Murmurs spread throughout, but no one voiced support for him again. The middle-aged man had already taken over the spot where Gwak Junghan had stood, radiating confidence.
“Looking around, none of you seem to have much gaming experience. But if there’s anyone who’s leveled an empire to 5 or higher, raise your hand and step forward.”