Chapter 316: Episode 316_A Glamorous Trip (2)
3.
They sotis called it a hotel in the sky. Seats that cost tens of thousands of dollars apiece. Naturally, everyone except Han Simin had flown first class a few tis.
“Wow. What is this? You really got this?” Yeseul exclaid.
“...I leased it for a year, but this is nicer than I thought,” Simin admitted.
“At this rate, you could just live on the plane,” Hyeonsu remarked.
But none of them had ever been on a private jet like this. It was built solely for its passengers, equipped with services ant only for the world’s wealthiest, making it far more comfortable and luxurious than any comrcial flight.
“I’m going to want to fly like this all the ti now,” Seolah said with a sigh.
“If it’s you, Ms. Seolah, I’ll lend it to you anyti.”
“Really?”
“Yes. At a special discounted rate.”
Simin, too, was very satisfied with the plane, which was far better than he had imagined. For a country bumpkin who had only ever flown once in his life—to Jeju Island, no less—to suddenly be on a private jet was an unbelievable upgrade. He lay down on the bed, caught so sleep, and devoured the in-flight als as if he were ready to chew up the plates.
There was even a huge screen for watching movies, but unfortunately, he wasn’t in the mood. He had gotten into the habit of sleeping whenever he had a spare mont. It wasn’t necessary on a vacation, but a little rest now ant more energy to have fun later.
The other three felt the sa. Lying on the soft beds, they all closed their eyes and muttered in unison, “If only there were capsules here, it’d be perfect.”
It was the kind of regret only a true gar would have.
*
When Simin had received the paynt from Kenji, he had also been told what he was getting and how to use it. He didn’t even need to listen to a tedious explanation; everything was neatly organized in a PowerPoint file sent by email. Kenji had even hired and dispatched a manager for the property, so there wasn’t the slightest inconvenience in coming here to relax.
A villa on a Maldivian beach, facing an erald sea. It was on a small island, surrounded by ocean on all sides, with a pristine, white-sand beach perfect for a stroll. The interior was so beautiful you could easily imagine living there permanently, and it was built to comfortably accommodate several groups of a few dozen people each, which only raised his expectations. That was why he had been able to speak so confidently, even to a chaebol like Specialist.
“I’m pretty sure the biggest central room there is mine.”
“Now I’m really looking forward to it,” Seolah said.
Even with their expectations already raised by the private jet, he didn’t feel the slightest bit of pressure.
They took a yacht to the island and finally saw it: the magnificent, stunning villas he had only seen in the presentation, which he had kept from Specialist as a surprise.
“Wow!”
“How is it? Amazing, right?”
They looked like sothing out of a drama—no, even more luxurious than that. It was the kind of place that, the mont you saw it, made you want to bring your family there soday, even if you had to blow your entire salary to do it.
“This is aweso.”
“I could really relax here.”
As they were marveling at the sight, the manager approached them.
In fluent Korean, Simin asked, “Where do we go?”
He had a rough idea of what the place looked like, but he hadn’t checked the internal layout or where they would be staying. Not because he was trying to show off, but because he couldn’t be bothered. With a manager here, why would he waste his precious ti studying that?
In response to Simin’s perfectly reasonable question, the manager replied humbly, “This entire place belongs to you, Mr. Simin.”
“...Excuse ?”
He couldn’t help but feel the weight of Kenji’s ridiculous grandeur.
’What a magnificent fool.’
Snapping out of his daze, Han Simin imdiately took off running.
His vacation had begun.
4.
Two of the continent’s deeply rooted evils had disappeared.
One was the Demon King. Even though the Heavenly King had been falsely accused, forced to wear the Demon King’s mask, and driven out, from the perspective of the continent’s people, the Demon King was gone. And Epia, who was currently playing the role of the Heavenly King, was doing a better job of it than anyone. Thus, the absolute evil had vanished.
From the warlocks’ first rampage to the victory in the war and their retreat, and then to Simin crossing into the Demon World and dragging the Heavenly King and Demon King back—an incredible series of events had unfolded in a relatively short span of the continent’s history. Now, with its conclusion, the Heavenly King’s blessing had descended upon the land, and the continent was in a festive mood.
Only a handful of people knew that a second absolute evil had also disappeared. But that was enough. There was no need for others to know; in fact, they must not know.
Among the few who did, the highest-ranking one—the Emperor—could not stop smiling.
“That man hasn’t been seen lately. Where did he go?”
“He has gone on vacation with his guild mbers to their world, Your Majesty.”
“Oh? A trip, is it? He must be feeling quite comfortable. How long will he be gone?”
“He left without giving an exact schedule, Your Majesty. However, we estimate it will be at least a week.”
“It has been three days since we last saw him, has it not?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“So I have four days of freedom. With the Demon King gone and that man out of sight as well, it’s a weight off my mind.”
“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”
“Ensure the remaining remnants are thoroughly dealt with, and at the sa ti, proclaim a festival across the entire continent.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Peace after war is always the more dangerous ti.”
The second evil: Han Simin. Perhaps it was only from the Emperor’s perspective, but that was how he saw him, and his mood had improved greatly. The Imperial Princess was already in high spirits, overjoyed at having driven out the Demon King alongside Simin, so she didn’t care that he had gone on a trip without her. And what a relief it was not to have to worry about what kind of trouble he would cause now that the war was over.
These recent events had given the Emperor ti to reconsider the adventurers. Their influence on the continent was no longer small. This ti, it had been the work of just a few users—people you could count on one hand, like Simin—but there was no guarantee it would always stay that way. From now on, he would stop thinking of adventurers as re savages and would treat them as full-fledged inhabitants of the land.
Even if that ant losses for the Emperor and more things to worry about, it didn’t matter. His duty was to maintain peace on the continent and to forge the Empire into an absolute monarchy that the other kingdoms wouldn’t even dare to challenge. The money, ti, and change in mindset required were not a blow to his pride. Besides, wasn’t this also for the sake of the next Empress?
“Invite the adventurers who distinguished themselves this ti. I shall grant them titles as well.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
It wasn’t as if he had any pride left to protect anyway. The first man in the continent’s history to beco the Iron-Blood Emperor’s son-in-law was an adventurer. What more was there to lose?
The already open-minded Emperor had beco even more liberal.
*
The world went on just fine without him.
Even though Simin had left after repeating his instructions over and over, in reality, his presence hardly mattered. The Rich Territory and the newly opened Rich Casino continued to rake in money. From the start, Simin’s role had only been to handle promotion, provide infinite capital, and use the Emperor’s backing to guarantee the territory’s safety. This was only natural.
Of course, those were the most important things, but his highly competent aide used that foundation to push the business even harder.
“A casino built by the hero who saved the continent! The odds are better than at any other, and many people walk away winners!”
He was the kind of man who would row when the tide ca in, row even if the boat sprang a leak, and slap a motor on it if seawater started pouring in. From their very first eting, his chemistry with Simin had been perfect, and now that they had co this far together, there was no reason for the aide to hesitate. He wasn’t one to shy away from noise marketing, and now his lord had beco a superstar across the continent.
Even though the lord had thrown everything aside to go on vacation, the aide was overjoyed.
“Expand our advertising to the far side of the continent! Use lines like, The casino of the hero who drove out the demons. Co test your luck. Plaster them everywhere, and don’t worry about staying in the black when you run events.”
He had been operating the territory as if the lord might as well not exist. Gratitude and respect still filled a corner of his chest, but even now, the aide’s drive to push forward for the territory’s developnt was impressive.
And that wasn’t all.
“Lady Hyegi, I leave it in your hands.”
“Mm. Don’t worry, Mister. Daddy told
to help you a lot.”
Even Squeaker was mobilized.
Epia, who was perfectly playing the Heavenly King’s role and, surprisingly, getting along well with Squeaker at the Great Temple, stepped up to begin a pilgrimage. Naturally, countless users, priests, and believers followed. As they traveled, those who fell for her at first sight cried out the na of God and joined the procession.
They toured the continent’s famous holy sites, pretending to pay their respects, before finally arriving at their true destination: the Rich Casino. There, they neatly emptied the wallets of their followers before heading to the Rich Territory to introduce them to lodgings.
It was a classic Southeast Asia tour route.
The amount of money they were raking in was beyond imagination.
Han Simin’s influence across the continent was enormous. To be fair, the credit really belonged to Squeaker and Epia, but the point stood.
With money pouring in, the aide began to harbor a new ambition.
“The continent is currently enjoying an unprecedented era of peace. My lord has been hailed as the hero who saved it, and the Rich Territory can no longer remain a re territory. Soon, His Lordship will found a kingdom of his own. To remain just the Rich Territory would tarnish his na, so we must expand.”
He used Han Simin’s na as an excuse, driven by his own desire for the Rich Territory to grow.
The aide finally began to spend the money he had hoarded, without sending a single coin to Han Simin.
His targets were the territories located between the Rich Territory and the Rich Casino.
The winds of a new Simin Dynasty began to blow.
*
A calm sea.
A gentle breeze.
On the tranquil island, even the sound of clear water lapping against slender ankles was pure and pleasant.
With stars scattered so thickly across the sky they looked ready to spill, the mood was naturally perfect.
“This is really nice.”
“I don’t think we’ve taken a break like this since we started 『Fantastic World』.”
“Thank you, Mr. Simin.”
“Is it just , or does it feel like a monster is going to spawn here any second?”
“To be honest, I was thinking the sa thing.”
“An underwater monster? It’d be fun if a Nad one showed up.”
“Hey, hey! We’re on vacation. Can you two shut up for once?”
True to their status as 『Fantastic World』 addicts, their ga-centric conversation in a place without capsules might have killed the mood for others, but for the four of them, it wasn’t a problem.
After all, Jeong Seolah and Kang Yeseul, strolling along the beach in bikinis that showed off their long legs beneath thin cover-ups, were so beautiful it was a relief no one else was around.
Jeong Hyeonsu also wore a thin short-sleeved shirt and shorts that revealed his solid muscles, but Han Simin couldn’t have cared less about that.
The atmosphere was idyllic.
For the first ti in a while, the reality of how much money he’d made truly sank in.
Despite his bank balance climbing into the tens of millions of dollars, owning several buildings, and having just acquired another massive asset, it had all felt like ga money because he was always so busy playing. Nothing more.
But now, here he was: flown in on a private jet to a resort on a remote island, relaxing with beautiful won.
Wasn’t this the exact scene he’d dread of during late-night guard duty in the army?
He felt proud.
At the sa ti, he felt healed.
For Han Simin, that feeling imdiately forged a new resolution.
“I need to work even harder and make more.”
“...How did you arrive at that conclusion?”
As he muttered his vow, Kang Yeseul slipped her arm through his.
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