Chapter 49
CHAPTER 49
Captain Buff
Radiance spread everywhere.
At its center stood Julian.
In his hand was the Seed of Healing that Ju-Heon had left behind.
And the problematic Authority.
Ju-Heon's original world.
The light of life he had brought forth produced a miracle.
Its effects had long surpassed anything that could simply be called healing.
Blood vessels that had been rotting away from the plague knit themselves back together.
Organs that had completely stopped began beating once more.
People who had been unable to draw even a single breath slowly opened their eyes, as though awakening from a long sleep.
"...Ha."
Julian looked down at the Rulebook before finally rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.
"This name... is seriously unacceptable."
"My fever... it's gone."
"It doesn't hurt anymore...!"
'SPAM Broadcast.'
It was a miracle.
Not one that saved a single city—
but all of humanity.
It discriminated against no one.
It asked for no conditions.
It allowed no refusal.
Whether the recipients could handle it or not, it simply spread.
Yet despite all his complaints, Julian understood the ability perfectly.
Taking a deep breath, he activated the Authority.
His voice was quieter than usual.
Almost as if he hated admitting the situation.
[All of Humanity: Survived]
[...Success.]
[Authority Activated]
[SPAM Broadcast]
"...'Success,' huh."
An invisible wave crossed continents, traversed oceans, and reached every place where humanity still lived.
Unconditional restoration.
An overwhelming infusion of life force.
The plague couldn't even resist.
A moment later, the Rulebook spoke.
Julian muttered,
"You sound like you're really unhappy about this."
[Disease Trial Cleared.]
As expected, the Rulebook's voice echoed through the air with obvious displeasure.
[...You've cleared the trial.]
[I honestly didn't think you'd overcome the Disease Trial.]
[Grrgh...!]
Julian smiled toward the empty air.
The Rulebook had realized what had happened.
Originally, using healing relics only caused the disease to spread further.
That had been the trap.
But now that condition no longer existed.
"Thanks to that, we can finally make proper use of the effect you gave us."
[...!]
The Rulebook flinched.
Come to think of it, hadn't it previously bestowed an effect in order to hasten humanity's extinction?
And that effect had become—
"Instead, it's turned into an excellent buff for protecting this world."
[Ghk!]
"So... isn't it your rule that clearing a trial earns a reward?"
[Grrrrrrgh!]
[Within this world, all healing relics permanently operate at 200% effectiveness.]
The Rulebook ground its teeth.
Ju-Heon's completely unconventional actions clearly infuriated it.
But—
[Fine! Rules are rules!]
- Temporarily changes a relic's innate attribute (fire, water, poison, etc.) to suit the user's preference.
[Notice]
[Exceptional rewards will be granted to the Majesty who disrupted the System's order.]
[Majesty-Exclusive Elixir]
- A concentrated potion that greatly enhances a Majesty's fundamental abilities.
It called them rewards, but the Rulebook sounded more like it was throwing them charity.
Moments later, items rained down around Julian and Ilya.
[Gold Coins]
- Universal currency accepted across worlds.
[Golden Enhancement Hammer]
- A support relic that upgrades any relic by one level without damaging it, regardless of rank.
[Grrrgh... To think I have to hand over treasures this valuable. Though they were predetermined rewards, so I have no choice...!]
Ilya snickered.
"You really don't want to give them away, huh? It's painfully obvious. Hey, Bookhead. Shouldn't there be special rewards too?"
At the same time, three glowing sheets of paper materialized in midair.
Warning messages appeared.
[Grrrgh!!!!]
[Warning: Use is NOT recommended.]
[Warning: Extremely detrimental to peace treaties, alliances, and neutrality agreements.]
The Rulebook practically twisted itself in agony before shouting.
Julian looked utterly disgusted.
[Fine! The Majesty who disrupted the System's order shall receive the 'Not Recommended Package!']
"If you're telling him not to use them..."
"...the Captain will definitely use them."
Though they were supposedly rewards, the calculation behind the Rulebook's voice was painfully obvious.
It chuckled as if asking whether that would really happen.
[Understood? The rewards you're about to receive can severely damage trust between Majesties.]
[You won't be able to use these, will you?]
After all...
[Reward 1] — Declaration of Seizure
"...Seizure? That's just everyday life for the Captain."
"Shh."
- Declare to a target Majesty: 'That relic does not belong to you.'
- If the declaration succeeds, the relic enters Disputed Status.
- While under dispute, diplomacy, peace treaties, and neutrality agreements are automatically terminated.
- One adjacent relic submits.
- The moment a dispute is declared, the area becomes neutral territory and all buffs disappear.
[Reward 2] — Reputation Reversal
- Reduces your reputation to the absolute worst possible level.
- In exchange, Authority effects are amplified by 30%.
※ Upon use, your relationship with the target Majesty becomes permanently irreparable.
Silence filled the air.
Ilya blinked slowly.
"...Uh."
Then he answered with complete honesty.
"This is just a Captain buff. His reputation's already rock bottom anyway..."
"Shh."
He wisely left the words "The Captain would be thrilled to use this" unsaid.
The Rulebook, however, seemed delighted and hurriedly continued.
The final reward was one that even the Rulebook announced hesitantly.
[Exactly! An ordinary Majesty would never use rewards like these! They destroy relationships! Leave you isolated! You'll only suffer losses in the end!]
Clinging to its final hope, the Rulebook declared:
[Reward 3] — Relationship Nullification Token
- Select one previously established treaty, unspoken agreement, favor, or debt of gratitude, and make it as though it never happened.
- The target Majesty has no right to protest.
[...These rewards destroy peace, shatter alliances, and ruin your reputation among Majesties. So surely even Seo Ju-Heon...!]
The expressions on Julian's and Ilya's faces were quite a sight.
Seeing them, Ilya grimaced.
"That guy... actually cares about his reputation?"
[Anyway, with rewards like these, you won't be able to exploit the system anymore!]
It seemed the Rulebook had decided to stop Ju-Heon from running wild by giving him mostly tangible rewards along with perks that no one would dare use.
Yes. This is enough. The moment he uses these, his reputation as a Majesty is finished. Seo Ju-Heon may be insane, but surely he's not that insane.
...There's no way he'd actually use them, right?
The insane man, meanwhile, raised both hands in delight.
These weren't rewards.
They were self-destruct devices.
Isolation from the Majesty community.
Complete diplomatic collapse.
In short—
permanent hostility flags across every worldline.
According to the Rulebook, Majesties were beings meant to unite.
They were supposed to build alliances, maintain their reputations, and bind worlds together through treaties.
Choosing to destroy all of that with their own hands?
Even recklessness had its limits.
The Rulebook was convinced.
"Is this Rulebook bastard... actually a nice guy?"
Majesty Yu Jae-ha's jaw dropped.
"...I've never seen rewards like these before. They're all debuffs that turn everyone into your enemy. Aren't you supposed to care about diplomacy?"
"Diplomacy? Once you steal someone's relic, they're your enemy anyway. Of course you use buffs like these."
Ju-Heon frowned slightly.
Then that means I have to take the Executor's position in the end.
...So he's really going to use them.
In the end, we have to go to the world where the Executor is.
"Enough talking. Open the gate already, you knockoff."
As if reading his thoughts, Yu Jae-ha spoke.
They had to chase the Rulebook.
It had run off carrying Yu Jae-ha's heart.
And...
"Whether by coincidence or fate, the Rulebook has gone to the Executor's world. I'm sure it's trying to sell your subordinate's heart to the Executor."
The corners of Ju-Heon's lips curled upward.
"You said you need Executor qualifications to enter the world of that guy called Vitrain, didn't you?"
"That's right. He never allows Majesties inside."
"Looks like I can rob three things in one trip."
"Sounds good. Hurry up and use it."
[Portable Stage Transfer Device Box (B-Rank)] (100/100)
Yu Jae-ha sighed before taking out an Invasion Permit.
"It feels unfair that only I'm using mine. Why don't you hand over yours too?"
"Oh? Want to have a Majesty-versus-Majesty match?"
Cynthia smiled and waved.
"I thought you'd take Dionysus's relic. Thanks for leaving it behind."
Just then—
"Stop! I already gave you enough Invasion Permits and Contact Permits!"
Cynthia's shout made even Ju-Heon stop.
Thanks to the interdimensional travel relic she'd given him, Ju-Heon no longer needed to use the Jack and the Beanstalk Relic.
He had obtained something better and more convenient.
The Dionysus relic was Cynthia's Majesty relic.
Which meant...
She had believed Ju-Heon intended to declare a Majesty War and conquer her world.
Ju-Heon answered bluntly.
"The Dionysus relic isn't yours anymore. It's mine. Pay the usage fee."
Laughing, Cynthia shook her head at his inability to be honest.
She had already decided that every potion obtained here would go to Ju-Heon first.
"Travel safely. But before you go..."
"...?"
"The city you're heading to belongs to the Queen of Fortune."
"The Queen of Fortune?"
"One of the Twelve Executors. Luck follows her as naturally as breathing. She could kick a random stone and it'd probably turn out to be gold. Among all the Majesties, she's the richest by far."
The strongest Queen of Fortune in existence.
Countless Majesties had fallen before her.
And Cynthia had never seen a single Majesty who hadn't become that woman's slave.
"If you lose to her, it doesn't end with defeat."
Cynthia swallowed hard.
She was also a terrifying broker who stripped Majesties of even their souls.
"If you lose, she'll take your life... your lifespan... your memories... your world... your family... everything. Some Majesties have even had ten generations of their descendants bound into slavery as labor."
"You have one of Fortuna's Coins, the Death Match coin used among Majesties, don't you? Never gamble with that woman."
Ten generations...
Majesty Yu Jae-ha rubbed his forehead.
"...Ha. We'll have to avoid her somehow. We won't run into her, right?"
[Invasion Detected.]
[Radar Relic Activated.]
Ju-Heon merely whistled.
At that moment, the Abyss Relic activated.
The ground split apart beneath them.
The two instantly fell into darkness.
Yu Jae-ha shouted,
"Use the key! Hurry!"
Ordinarily, countless warning messages would have exploded across the screen.
Instead—
nothing appeared.
Only a quiet system log scrolled beneath Ju-Heon's feet.
Ju-Heon pulled out the Architect's Master Key.
[Using Key.]
[Screening Entrants...]
[Identifying and Eliminating Intruders.]
[Screening Result:]
[Existing Resident.]
Yu Jae-ha used a duplicate of the key.
Normally, this was the moment—
"...Oh."
Ju-Heon let out a low chuckle.
The key's power had activated.
It disguised them as native citizens.
And the result...
"What kind of name is Shin Yi-jun, anyway..."
[Welcome.]
The moment he opened his eyes,
the smell hit him first.
The intrusion-detection radar hadn't detected them.
When his vision cleared,
he found himself inside a tiny goshiwon room.
"Ghk."
What is that smell...?
[Welcome, Registered Citizen Shin Yi-jun.]
[Your current Luck is low. You are about to enter Murphy's City. Please exercise caution.]
The ceiling was oppressively close.
Close enough to touch just by stretching out a hand.
The fluorescent light overhead was half burned out, leaving the room dimly lit.
And beneath that flickering light—
someone was there.
No...
More accurately—
someone had been there.
Ju-Heon's eyes widened.
A corpse?