Hard-Working Taxpayer - Chapter 522



Only Krnovel

Episode 522

* * *

About 20 years ago now.

[She] selected 12 intelligent beings with some of the greatest talent in the entire universe and made them her apostles.

‘One of them is me. I’m not sure if I’m really talented enough to be among the top 12 people in the universe.’

Of course, this is not a judgment that takes into account the subject’s situation. Regardless of whether the target is a fully grown adult or a child who knows nothing.

Regardless of whether the subject is a professor at Ouroboros, the greatest academic institution in the universe, a cosmic powerhouse, or a slave to a lower civilization that does not even know the existence of extraterrestrial life, we now have a world that copies the game.

That’s how we are able to log into our own world.

Became a player.

[In that sense.]

Merlin, in a translucent state, smiles bitterly as he looks at the world that once belonged to him.

[That means I am eliminated as a player.]

“So you’re saying I can’t come in?”

[okay. The inner world remains to some extent… … I can’t log in anymore. This is an ability that allows me to gain as much research time as I want, but it has become a waste.]

Although he grumbled as if it was a waste, his eyes were fixed on the city in front of him.

I also looked at the city.

‘big. At this level, he would be at the level of an emperor.’

I look at the city in the distance from a forest with lush growth of bushes.

A pyramid with a total of 100 levels.

That huge pyramid is just like an emperor-level castle. Just like Olympus, it distorts space so that the space inside is much larger than it appears from the outside. It’s no joke, a population the size of a country lives in that one city!

However, Merlin’s position is different.

[The population has decreased tremendously. The population of ‘Center’ alone was over 50 million… … .]

“The circumstances are understandable.”

A peek inside the pyramid. Originally, it would have been difficult to see the inside from the outside, but this did not stop people from enjoying the natural scenery.

Inside the pyramid, angels with black wings are checking people.

“No more, no more! “Haven’t we already met our quota?”

“You are. But isn’t the child you’re hiding different? “You look down on us by reporting that he is dead.”

“Well, that’s… … !”

A passerby walking down the street can be seen having his card taken away.

“Please, please, just that card… … Without that card, our business will fail… … .”

“If a business cannot even pay taxes, it would be right to go out of business.”

“Oh, how could that happen!”

Angels were also seen entering stores and stealing cards from owners.

“No, what is that…” … What kind of thug is the angel? Besides, what you’re taking away is a card.”

Unlike me, who was dumbfounded, Merlin was shaking his fists.

[Evil guys… … .]

“ah. I guess the card is like money, right? then.”

[How can they steal the core card?! The concept of the deck is broken!]

“… … “Is that the point of getting angry?”

Whether I’m embarrassed or not, Merlin is serious.

[In Darkstar, decks and cards are the basis of life. To have it taken away would be to lower one’s class to a small extent and to be crippled to a greater extent. And look carefully.]

Merlin points to the bottom level of the city, which looks like a pyramid.

The first floor, which is the largest in the structure of the pyramid and where so many people stay… … For some reason, I saw a pile of bodies piled up.

suddenly. They open their mouths at the same time.

Kiiii—- Profit!!

With a tearing scream, the corpse burns with black fire and turns to ashes, and only one card remains where the corpses disappeared.

[The scream of a terminal demon.]

Type: Spell Restriction: Dark

Grade: Advanced Cost: 5

Effect: When activated, the following effects are applied.

1. During ‘Dual’, the cost is reduced to 3.

2. Inflicts 3 darkness attribute damage to the entire field.

3. Status abnormality [Fear] is applied.

Flavor Text: Even though things didn’t go their way, they probably wanted to live too.

Flap!

At that time, two angels with black wings land on the mud that smells of blood.

One of the dogs picks up a card.

“Let’s see… … “It’s a scream.”

“under. They were chosen carefully, but all they did was scream? It would have to be at the level of Deathly Roar to be worth 2 costs. “It is also advantageous for synthesis.”

“Trash people are trash even when they die.”

“Go to the next area.”

I ask Merlin as I see the angels flying away with their wings spread.

“The card… … “Is it made like that?”

[It’s also made like that. In Darkstar’s worldview, spells, characters, events, and even locations can become cards. However, the fact that it is being pulled out so viciously… … I guess it’s for the Dark Star’s Curse deck.]

Although he speaks calmly, Merlin’s eyes are cold and sunken. It’s so natural.

This is the world he created and nurtured.

Just as Ardenia and the people who live in it are important to me… … This world would also be precious to Merlin.

[Han Jae-yeon, you came to clear this world, right?]

“I couldn’t come in unless [her] side connected me, but now that I have a pass like this.”

Currently, the only games I have cleared are Revenge and Darkest Despair. Let’s say Revenge was originally my game, and I was able to enter Darkest Despair because of [her] interference, so it’s safe to say that there is virtually no way to enter other games.

So that means it has been like that until now.

[Will you gain what you can from the retrograde time?]

“I don’t know exactly what Grandpa Choco and Salhwang’s goals are and whether they can succeed… … “I can’t miss this opportunity.”

Merlin nods his head at my words.

[good. How is your power now?]

“The body is in a complete reset state. “In retrograde time, even if my body went back to the past, I still had the ability to play games, but when I came here, I didn’t have that either.”

[I don’t think I’ve completely become an ordinary person.]

It’s just as he said. If I were really an ordinary person, I wouldn’t have been able to look inside that huge pyramid.

Pot!

When I stretch out my hand, a martial sword protrudes from the inner world and floats in the air.

I ended up with an ordinary person’s body and became a body without even a year of internal energy, let alone a great weapon, but fortunately, the martial sword containing my internal energy still exists.

There is a throne in the inner world and you can use power and stress blades, so although the stats are a bit disappointing, it is by no means a weak power.

“They will catch the emperor in a funny way.”

[good. Then take the shortcut. Let’s see… … On that tree over there, it says ‘Merlin, the greatest genius in the universe.’]

“… … ?”

[sun. Within the next 5 seconds.]

At Merlin’s firm words, he moved his sword and wrote the words “Merlin, the greatest genius in the universe” on the tree he had designated.

And that moment.

Pot!

Before I knew it, I was in a room decorated in an old-fashioned way.

“what!? “Where all of a sudden?”

With long horns. A monster with all kinds of malice and murder wrapped around its body was standing in front of me.

“Ha ha ha ha ha! It worked! “Take out your heart and put it in this prison.”

puck.

A man who shouted excitedly. No, a sword is stuck in the devil’s head.

There was no way that a low-level transcendental, let alone an emperor, would be able to block my sword while he was even off guard.

“What is this?”

I killed it, but the moment I couldn’t figure out the situation, a card flew out from the fallen demon and landed in my hand –

[Game clear! The game has been cleared!]

A text I once saw comes to mind before my eyes.

[Game name: Dark Star.]

[ID: Jaeyeon Han.]

[good. It’s going well.]

Hearing Merlin’s voice say he was satisfied, he checked the card in his hand.

[Master of the world.]

Type: Unknown. Restrictions: Unknown.

Grade: Unknown. Cost: Unknown.

Effect: Clear all cities.

Flavor text: Cold radish.

“no… … .”

I groan in shock.

“You created a backdoor?”

Backdoor, malicious code that is secretly installed during the development or distribution process of hardware or software, allowing security to be unlocked without going through the normal authentication process.

Absurdly, Merlin created something like that in his own world!

[Is there any reason not to make an update when it can be done? It was updated first.]

“What are you going to do if someone accidentally finds this? “Isn’t the password too simple?”

[That’s just one of many passwords. special time. You have to write special phrases in special places. And the kids here speak Korean, but the letters are different.]

The moment I say that, the world starts to turn grey.

Kugugu—!

In contrast to when the world stops moving for a moment, a storm arises in the inner world.

The inner world, which was already wide, became even wider, and new worlds began to be added within it.

[You can go to the rest of the world too, right?]

“I just came here first, but anything is possible.”

[Then eat them all.]

It gets blurry and Merlin laughs.

[If they want you to train and become a god… … Even if I die, I won’t do whatever I want.]

With those last words, the world closes.

Pot!

Before I knew it, I was back in the gap of time.

“No, what is this…” … “It’s not even a divine realm, but there is a dimension completely independent of the timeline of the great universe?”

The person who saw me back opened his mouth as if it was absurd. I guess I don’t understand the current situation.

“Aren’t there quite a few subspaces or dimensions with separate timelines?”

“I’m sorry, but the timelines of all worlds except the God Realm. Even the underworld is intertwined. As proof of that, no matter how much time passes into another world, you will never go back to the past.”

“It must be the same as the dimension I just went to.”

“Time keeps moving back and forth right now?”

At his words, I turned my head and looked at the world lines of thousands and billions of things waving in confusion. Myeong looks at me like that for a while and then mutters as if he realized it.

“No, but what can we do to make such a large-scale ‘correction’? Power can be obtained by having a god step forward or offering a baby god as a sacrifice, but there are only a few beings in the universe who have this kind of authority… … “Is Kronos crazy or did I do something and have his memory erased?”

I concentrate on his words and look at the timeline.

Fortunately, the presence of other players is recognized in the chaotic, fluctuating timeline.

When they were still alive.

As was the case during Dark Star, if you use their existence as a pass, you can enter their world.

“Of course, there are no backdoors anymore. Hmm, but.”

As I look closely at the timeline, I can feel some beings moving between the timelines.

‘No, it’s not just coming and going.’

They are seen interfering with the timeline. It can cut off the timeline, or it can pull the timeline that was extending outward inward.

Yes.

surprisingly… … they. No, ‘they’ are modifying the timeline itself.

-Hurry! Once you step back… … !

-Ouch! The flow is too strong here!!

-In order from important points… … !

Those who move between timelines while making indescribable movements are beautiful girls wearing cat ears.

And that’s what they look like.

“… … .”

Without realizing it, I turn my head and see Myeong looking worried. A level of beauty that even I, who have seen all kinds of beauties, cannot help but acknowledge.

“Oh, I don’t know.”

She sighs with a face that slightly shows the cat-eared girls’ side.

“How on earth are you interfering with the timeline?” … .”

“… … .”

“… … what? Why do you look at me like that?”

“no. That’s it.”

I shake my head slightly and then concentrate again.

It was time to devour a new world.