―SPLASH!
―SPLASH!
―SPLASH!
This time, since he was farther out at sea than he had been in the West Sea, he ran without worrying quite as much about the aftermath.
“Ha. If the Japanese server had properly remained too···.”
While running across the sea called the South China Sea, also known as the West Philippine Sea, Han Woo-hyun let out a sigh.
World of Yggdrasill had not originally had four servers.
It had five.
Korea, China, Southeast Asia, global—more precisely, North America and South America—and Japan.
Unfortunately, however, the Japanese server had ended service in 2022.
Because the sale of random gacha cash items with manipulated rates had become a problem.
The Japanese prosecutors had properly dug into the damage cases.
The game company succeeded in lobbying the Korean and Chinese governments, but failed with the Japanese government.
-[We deeply apologize for the harm caused to the heroes of Japan···.]
―Heroes, my ass. What bullshit.
―It was fucking awful being with you. Let’s never meet again.
The game company refunded all item purchases made over the past year and ended service.
It was a truly insincere measure.
In any case, as a result, there were no longer any World of Yggdrasill players in Japan.
Therefore, the Japanese players who had possessed high levels before that did not awaken either.
They were simply ordinary people.
Of course, there were not none at all.
Even after the Japanese server disappeared, there were a very small number of Japanese people who had deliberately transferred their characters to the Korean server to play, as well as players from the Korean diaspora in Japan.
However, the number of ranker-class players who could be properly used could be counted on one hand.
They would have to be recruited as well, but it was not a meaningful number.
“Let’s think of it positively. Even if the server had remained, there’d be no guarantee that Japan would have fewer mad players···.”
In truth, that was probably more likely.
Among the ten strongest Chinese players he remembered, six had been villains.
Then what about the Korean server, which had even more shut-ins than China?
Eight out of ten had been close to terrorists, psychopaths, or trolls.
So the fact that this kind of power had been given to lunatics who had devoted their lives to such a trash game was…
“···The height of absurdity.”
Even though he himself had been one of those players, no, the very peak of them.
Han Woo-hyun had no hesitation in disparaging them.
It was only natural.
If the personalities of the players before his regression had been even half as decent as those of ordinary people, the world would not have ended.
Blankly click, click while watching YouTube and Netflix. Move the character around half-heartedly once every three minutes.
Spending more than ten hours a day on meaningless, tedious hunting, and doing that 365 days a year.
There was no way things that had wasted their lives on that sort of game and become rankers could be normal people.
Among the rankers, there was only one normal person.
Riley Granger. Character Name: Nero.
The only max-level player in the world.
And yet, despite being a game-addicted shut-in of that level, she was someone who had done her utmost to save the world in a way that was difficult to believe.
If the title of hero had to be given to only one person in the world, it should go not to Han Woo-hyun, but to Riley.
“Nero···.”
He murmured gloomily.
Now, he could no longer see her.
The greatest and noblest savior who had always led him.
Han Woo-hyun was now alone.
No, in truth, it was worse than being alone.
Now, not only himself, but starting with Li Haoran, Zhang Zihao, and Choi Yoon, then the players throughout China, America, South America, Southeast Asia, and Korea.
Even Riley Granger, who had guided him in the past.
Now, she was someone Han Woo-hyun had to protect.
The future of humanity throughout the entire world lay in his hands.
“Phew.”
··Enough weak thoughts.
Han Woo-hyun steeled his heart again.
Seeing islands flicker past faintly in the distance, it seemed he had already almost reached Indonesia.
He had to hurry. He had to return to Korea before afternoon.
―SHWASHWASHWAK!
While running, Han Woo-hyun checked the map once more and slightly adjusted his course toward Jakarta.
The Southeast Asian server was not very large.
So there were not many usable rankers either.
Han Woo-hyun did not expect tremendous ability or noble character from them at all.
There was only one thing he wanted. Order and stability in the Southeast Asian region.
Although its economic weight was low, that area was globally important.
Because it was a point through which countless trade container ships from nations across the world passed.
The Strait of Malacca, a major navigation point bordered by the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia.
Because along with the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal, one of the three most important maritime transport routes in the world was located there.
If trouble arose there, world trade would become half-paralyzed.
The only thing that mattered was keeping that place stable.
Naturally, there were people designated as rulers. Three in total.
First. Nguyen Bao Truong. His class was Druid.
An Indonesian gangster from Vietnam.
A big shot who had risen from the very bottom of a workshop mining World of Yggdrasill gold to the head of an organization.
He had carried out oppressive rule, brutally suppressing tens of thousands who resisted him, but when Vietnam and Thailand were destroyed.
He urgently gathered the players from the entire Southeast Asian server and sent them to America, greatly contributing to preserving that force.
And then, he himself self-destructed along with a boss monster in the Lesser Sunda Islands, meeting his end.
Before the regression, he had been the ruler of Indonesia and Malaysia.
“He was a tyrant from a criminal organization, but he kept the line. He also briefly served as a Korean internet website administrator during his refugee days, so he can speak a little Korean... In any case, I’m not expecting much. He just needs to protect the shipping routes.”
Second. Eliza Navarro. Her class was Magical Girl.
A Virtual YouTuber from the Philippines and a World of Yggdrasill internet streamer.
According to what Han Woo-hyun had heard from one of her subordinates before his regression, she had apparently reversed her life once by debuting as a VTuber, and twice by becoming a player.
A man-crazed woman whose eyes would roll back the moment she saw a handsome man, and who would abduct him.
She lived like that, then died fighting when a boss tried to sink the Philippines area.
Before the regression, she had been the ruler of the Philippines.
“She’s a crazy bitch obsessed with handsome men, but she definitely protected her kingdom.”
Third. Chen Hendrick. His class was Longbowman.
A third-generation chaebol and game-addicted shut-in who had been born as the hidden illegitimate son of a Singaporean financial conglomerate family.
Before the world became a game, he had been caught while trying to expose his existence to the press and was half-imprisoned.
After that, he had supposedly lived a life of doing nothing but playing games while receiving only enough money to survive.
“Did they say that as soon as he awakened, he killed every Singaporean bank and financial chaebol, including his father, and lived while sniping random people whenever he got bored?”
He had acted as the master of a Big Brother world that terrified all Singaporeans.
But when a boss monster came, he helped Nguyen Bao Truong self-destruct and met his end with him.
Before the regression, he had been the ruler of Singapore.
This bastard was a similar type to Li Haoran.
An elite with ability and ambition, but one whose environment had devoured and ruined him.
Because Han Woo-hyun did not have Li Haoran, who cooperated with him fully, there was no point expecting those three to be as easy to talk to as the Chinese side had been.
“[Inventory].”
Han Woo-hyun decided to bait those bastards with an even greater reward.
A material reward and a force-based reward.
A Gold Ingot worth one billion Korean won. And the seven hundred million won worth of dollars he had exchanged.
As the finishing touch, one [Extreme Level Advancement Elixir] for each of them should be enough as an advance payment.
Conveniently, all three of them were also exactly one level short of level 290, the threshold for entering the ranker class.
―Tap!
After arriving on land, Han Woo-hyun moved quickly yet stealthily.
He infiltrated the places where they were located.
“(Nguyen Bao Truong.)”
“(Wh-what! Who are you!)”
Once more, he went through similar processes.
“Have all of them truly reached an agreement? The players of the Chinese, Korean, and American servers, all of them?”
In addition, he repeated the demonstration of the four great discontinued items and his ability.
Along with the statement that he would be appointed administrator of Indonesia, Han Woo-hyun showed him the Gold Ingot, dollars, and [Extreme Level Advancement Elixir].
In the end, he nodded as well.
Han Woo-hyun demanded that he guarantee the safety of the Strait of Malacca and actively recruit guild members.
“One more thing. Manage your subordinates well. There should be many bastards with grievances against the Indonesian government.”
“Hmm...”
And he told him that as long as he kept that one rule, Han Woo-hyun did not care what he did with Indonesia and Malaysia.
He also told him that in the process, he could use the guild’s name however he pleased.
“(Understood.)”
Nguyen Bao Truong, who had initially seemed reluctant, changed his attitude after Han Woo-hyun finished his detailed explanation.
After confirming that he smiled, revealing teeth as white as rice noodles, Han Woo-hyun moved to the Philippines.
“(Eliza Navarro.)”
“(Wh-what! Are you one of my viewers? Stalking is a crime!)”
He repeated the same process.
“(You’re really saying that as long as I properly protect the seas near the Philippines where container ships pass, I can do whatever I want with everything else?)”
“(Yes.)”
The final destination was Singapore.
“(Chen Hendrick.)”
“(...You are a player. A very powerful one, at that.)”
Unexpectedly, Chen Hendrick had been waiting for him. It seemed he had sensed the wave of intense Force.
To awaken Force detection in only a day. It was truly outstanding talent.
Thanks to that, talking to him went far more smoothly than expected.
“(Good. I only need to properly maintain Singapore’s finance and bond markets, correct? Leave it to me.)”
“(One more thing. I intend to create a tax haven in Singapore for laundering Gold Ingot money. Can you create paper companies related to gold processing?)”
“(It is not a very easy task, but it is not difficult either. After I inherit my father’s position, I doubt it will even take a week.)”
“(Do you want help?)”
“(No, that much is more than enough for me to handle alone. There are not many players in Singapore either, so you may leave it to me. I will make sure you do not regret choosing me.)”
Chen Hendrick was clear about what he wanted, and that aligned precisely with the recognition from the guild that Han Woo-hyun could give him.
That was why he voluntarily swore loyalty without much additional persuasion.
Then again, even before the regression, he had gone beyond simply breaking order and had actually subjugated the financial conglomerates.
Although it had not been a particularly long conversation, Han Woo-hyun could feel his ability and ambition strongly.
Perhaps it would be best to leave management of the entire Southeast Asian server to Chen.
But there was no need to say that now and pit Nguyen and Chen against each other.
“Now, from now on, orders will be delivered through guild messages.”
In that way, he succeeded in enrolling all three rankers.
Unfortunately, there were, of course, Villain Players on the Southeast Asian server as well. However, it was impossible to find them now.
Unlike the Chinese government, which had put them on wanted lists just before its collapse, the governments of Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines had collapsed before discovering their real names and locations.
“Remember. If you discover these six players, contact me immediately. They are dangerous and important bastards.”
So all he knew were their character nicknames. For the time being, he made sure they were aware of at least that much.
Lastly, he had them establish a communication system among themselves.
“And remember this. The governments must not collapse completely. Do not try to destroy governments. Tame them.”
“Actively recruit guild members. Any bastard who does not listen to you should be executed.”
“For the time being, cover the necessary funds with the dollars I gave you. It will be troublesome if you release large amounts of gold all at once.”
He gave all three of them more detailed instructions once again.
―SPLASH.
After finishing everything he had to do and leaving Singapore.
Han Woo-hyun felt a deep sense of accomplishment and fatigue.
He was also thirsty from running across the sea without rest.
―Tap.
“Mango milk tea. Takeout.”
“Xiexie!”
So he briefly stopped in Taiwan and packaged a drink.
A drink he had not liked at all before his regression.
―Woo-hyun, is there anything you want to eat or drink?
―Hmm··· cola.
In truth, he did not need to drink it.
Because for players, Yggdrasill Force replaced bodily metabolism.
Therefore, unless it was pure appetite, there was no need to eat.
Moreover, his tastes leaned toward fermented dark teas, like pu’er tea, whose elegant aromas filled the mouth.
To Han Woo-hyun, milk tea was too muddy in flavor for appreciating fragrance.
Nevertheless, there was one reason he bought mango milk tea.
Because he had recalled Riley’s words from one month before his regression.
―There is cola in your Inventory even now, isn’t there?
―It’s different. The ones in my Inventory are game items. They exist because of a collaboration with a cola company···
―Ah, Cola Town. It was a village with pretty graphics.
―In any case, it’s subtly different from real-world cola. And I want to mix a little lime and lemon into it...
―How complicated. I want to have mango milk tea.
―If it’s mango, it’s mango, and if it’s milk tea, it’s milk tea. Mixing them is too chaotic.
―You only say that because you haven’t tried it. Later, go to Taiwan and try it.
―Taiwan sank, didn’t it?
―...Later.
“...It’s good. Though it’s a bit too sweet.”
He chewed the mango.
And swallowed it.
“When I go to America later, I should buy one to bring with me.”
Han Woo-hyun thought of America.
Of Riley Granger.
“By now, I wonder if she’s been taken to the White House.”