ACT 5 Alan Stabbed to Death

Hrmm, its a little frustrating?

Hyun-woo scratched his head.The time had come again for him to submit his report.As always, Hyun-woo only sat down in front of the computer once the deadline was near. It was the last day of the winter holidays and he had to hurriedly finish his homework.But since he could finish the report in 1~2 hours, time wasnt the issue. His problem was that he couldnt think of where to begin.

How much should I edit?

Talking about the siege wasnt an issue.But the process he used to sell the estate was one.Under the current system, selling or transferring the castle was illegal. It could become a big issue in reality. In fact, buying or selling the castle was no different than fraud. And he also used Dual Registration at the trading post. Not to mention he set up a secret tunnel as a way to get into the castle later.Ultimately selling the estate using that method was illegal.While Hyun-woo firmly believed that there was justification for it, he had no idea what Global Exos would think.

Ill just leave that part out.

It was better to avoid any possible problems.So he summed up the eventful week with one sentence, the castle was taken away.Although it was somewhat flat, the truth was that he had lost the castle.

Okay, the report is now finished.

Hyun-woo sent the email before stretching.Hunting in the secret dungeon and selling the castle.it really was a busy week where he hardly had any time to breathe.So he slept and woke up feeling refreshed after finishing everything he had to do. After submitting his report, he exercised in the morning and realised that one month had passed. However, there was still the most important thing that he had to do after one month.

Time to organize my household accounts!

Hyun-woo smiled happily.Normally he would sigh because of the tight finances but this month was different!Hyun-woo divided his household ledgers into two. His real household finances and New Worlds finances. It was impossible to separate them since they were so closely related. When one rose, just like a seesaw the other had no choice but to fall.The reason was that if he didnt sell an item then it wasnt possible to obtain a substantial income. But this was the first time that formula had broken.

20,000,000 won!

That was the bidding price for the Sacred Steel Shield after several days. He actually hadnt expected that much. In the past, his unique mace Fire Slayer had sold for 7,000,000 won and the price for unique armour couldnt even compare to weapons. And shields normally sold for the lowest among the armour.He thought it would be good if he received 15,000,000. And after 10 days the bidding price was 14,000,000 won. But then someone had suddenly bid 20,000,000 won and requested to purchase it immediately.

Huk, D..deal!

Hyun-woo who had accessed the auction site quickly agreed.The buyer immediately asked him to cancel the remaining auction period. But he requested that the money be paid in advance.He had no intention of being tricked by other people.After taking off the handling fee, 18,600,000 won was deposited into his account. While he couldnt possibly understand the person who would spend 20,000,000 won for one item, thanks to that Hyun-woo would be warm this winter.

This will last me two to three months!

Whether it was good or bad luck, it always seemed to come pouring in at once.Hyun-woo put his household account book in order and opened Arks account book. The number there was also as beautiful as his household finances. The first item was the 5000 gold that he received once Sid was released. Since he couldnt entrust Sid with large amounts of money anymore, Ark distributed it according to how much they invested.Arks share was 58% so he got 2,900 gold.Then there was the 4000 gold he received from the sale of the estate!Unfortunately, Hyun-woo couldnt keep all of the estate sale money. He didnt occupy the castle by himself. He had to concede the majority of it to the NPCs since they made up 80% of his forces. The rehabilitation members had also invested a lot of money into the siege.

Cross and the Sylphid Knights also did a lot of damage. I have to prepare the proper compensation for the NPCs. While the Meow, raccoons and thieves didnt openly demand anything, I have to give them a certain amount.other users might not know but NPCs could be lethal.

Hyun-woo was a man who would bet his life for 10 won.However he wasnt stupid.At a young age, he had experienced all sorts of things.There was no part time job that he had not experienced. If there was one thing that he learnt during that process.it was that two types of money existed.In other words, if he eat and worked alone then he would be able to obtain 100% of the money.

But the foundation of my siege was the NPCs I met in New World.

He keenly realized what a reliable presence they were through the siege.If he ignored their efforts and didnt give them anything then a problem would definitely occur. An NPC was like a human.If they did a favour then of course they would want something in return.

For the sake of the future, I shouldnt be stingy.

Thus Hyun-woo decided to boldly invest 3000 gold that he got from selling the castle.First, he gave JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members 1000 gold while he distribute 2000 gold between Cross, the soldiers, the thieves, the Meow and the raccoons.

You dont have to do this.

We came running to defend you because of justice.

Of course I know that. It really is a pure friendship. But my heart wont accept it. Every time I think of the colleagues who died on the battlefield, my heart starts hurting. Please take it and look after the families of the deceased.

Ark said with a warm tone.

If you say it like that then I cant possibly refuse. I wont say anything else.

Cross sighed and accepted the money.He felt as if his bones and flesh was being slowly shaved away but being too greedy would cause trouble.

Ive still managed to earn 3,900 gold this time!

With the 40 gold he received from the Three Little Pigs, it was another 160 gold. In total, he earned 4,060 gold!He felt an excited current flow through his body. If the NPCs were compensated then they would have a reason to look after him.

The compensation this month has cleared all of my worries in one shot. How good would it be if I could do this every month? This world is not that kind to poor people

Hyun-woo packed up his ledger and looked at the unit.Although he wanted to connect to New World, he checked the clock and turned on the TV.It was time to watch the aired scoop on the game.Information was power. And unlike the false rumours on the information sites, the information on the TV broadcast tended to have more credibility.Since it was broadcast once a week, the freshness of the information was low but it was quite useful as it dealt with a wide range of information. After an advertisement finished, the game exclusive news began.

Hello everybody in the audience.

The now familiar female reporter laughed as she greeted them. Then she deliberately put on a tragic expression and said.

This time I have very shocking news to tell you. For those who are not aware, I would like to show you a video obtained by our reporters in Selebrid, the capital of Schudenberg Kingdom.

Soon the screen was replaced by an image of Selebrid square.A crowd had gathered and chattered excitedly in the square where a spokesman was speaking loudly.

After we obtained information from Silvana, the truth that the church of Asyeosu had committed many misdeeds was revealed. They used the privileges of the church to further their own interests as well as covering up several acts of blasphemy, until it reached a point where it could not be tolerated anymore.

The spokesman said after a deep sigh.

After His Majesty investigated the church, he has decided to deal with those involved harshly. Therefore if you are offering them any help, you will be charged with the crime of harbouring them.

In the end the truth was covered up.

He felt more relaxed after hearing the conversation on the TV.Anyway, the King was taking care to hide all mentions of Ankh, god of death.After the recent troubling events, if the god Ankh was mentioned then the people might fall into a chaos similar to the Dark Century.He also had to worry about the role of the Asyeosu church.Because quite a large number of NPCs worshipped that religion.The situation wasnt bad for Hyun-woo. When all the truths come out, it would be natural for Hyun-woo to be mentioned. The interest of other users in this matter would be good.

Is the incident truly that shocking?

The reporter on screen said back in the studio. Then the male host nodded his head.

Yes, if you look carefully at New World then the role of the Cathedral is not light. The Holy place of the 12 religions has some of the biggest influences on the continent. Thats why it is called the Cathedral. But now one of the churches is closed due to corruption. For the followers of Asyeosu it is like the sky collapsed.

So it will send a large shock wave through New World?

Of course. When the believers of the church of Asyeosu, all the authorities said was that it was a crime and they wont be explaining the details. There are a lot of people who dont understand so theyre talking about it.

What about the users who have a job related to the Asyeosu church or have a sub-profession related to them?

Right. It is not just NPCs affected but users as well. But it will not be a big change. If they select a different religion then their profession will remain intact.

What will happen to it in the future?

According to the information posted, most of the leaders of the Asyeosu religion have escaped. Searching for the remnants will not be easy. But most of the attention is on the fact that although the Kings decision was very sudden, all the other religions were quiet. They didnt protest when the King used his authority to invade the Cathedral.

The male host said with a straight face.

I think there were other reasons besides the one they told us. And in the future it will clearly be connected to some big event.

The female reporter asked in a curious voice.

So you think this will lead to an event in the game?

Well see. Global Exos hasnt given a formal reply yet.

They have quite a lot of secrets.

Well, I understand. The point is to stimulate the curiosity of the users.

The male host gave a wry smile and changed the topic.

But in this case, something else was revealed?

Yes.It is really disappointing.

The female reporter sighed as she mumbled.

If the event regarding the Asyeosu church made NPCs feel betrayed, this news will make many users feel betrayed. It is regarding the Holy Knight Sir Alan.

I hear there was a problem with the siege?

Yes, they discovered something after investigating the results in the Shrine of War. During that time, Sir Alan had been abusing the rules of the siege by creating a ghost guild, accepting their challenge and then not fighting in the siege.

So that was the reason why he didnt want to release any video about the siege..

He was afraid that his plan would be revealed.

Then the female reporter complained with a gloomy face.

Frankly Im a little upset. Along with many other female users, I was a fan of Sir Alan. Since Sir Alan always insisted that people should play fairly and honestly, it is a big disappointment.

Reporter Lee Hye-won is not the only one who thinks like that. Sir Alan was respected by many users. So their disappointment will be bigger. Our homepage has been bombarded with thousands of messages slandering Sir Alan. On the other hand, quite of few of them were protecting him. Although it wasnt a proper method, the method itself does not break the rules. Rather, some of them thought it was wonderful that Sir Alan found a blind spot in the system and utilized it. How will this affect the dynamics of Nagaran in this future?

The Shrine of War has overhauled the old rules that applied to Nagaran, and they announced that they will delete the Lords right to specify the challenger. A more intense siege will occur if the Lord cant avoid the challenge of a powerful guild.

Ha, everything in this news scoop is related to me.

Asyeosus downfall and Alan with the ghost guild.Hyun-Woo uncovered all of it. Because it was handled seriously by the TV, thousands of people posted comments on it. On one hand the events were thrilling but they were also frightening.

Im glad that my name wasnt brought up.

He inwardly sighed with relief.The male host continued.

Anyway, Sir Alan is in a pretty difficult situation.

Yes, although the users are offended, I was told that creating a ghost guild isnt actually a criminal offence in New World. However, Sir Alan also has a relationship with the Asyeosu church. While the church was being investigated, it was revealed that Alan had been secretly helping the higher ranked NPCs. This is an obvious transgression. Sir Alan knew about the hidden corruption of the church and hid it. So Sir Alan has also been branded as a follower of Asyeosu.

Then Sir Alan has become a wanted criminal?

Yes, there is a bounty on him. Because Sir Alan has become a criminal, the Dawn Blade guild has been disbanded and its members scattered. Since the reputation of the guild leader is the most important, there is no meaning when he is severely criticized by every NPC.

I guess Sir Alans thoughts will probably be complicated.

Youre right. His face has also been publicized on TV. When I went to find him for an interview, he wouldnt meet with me. As everybody knows, in New World you can only create one character. Well have to see if he can recover and overcome this situation in the future.

The higher they fly, the worst the impact will be when falling. Since Sir Alan had been so famous, it will be difficult for him to overcome this adversity. But a game is a game and isnt breaking through any difficulty a charm of the game? Although he is in a difficult situation, one day he might recover enough to have users call him using the title Sir again.

.It wont happen.

Hyun-woo muttered as he turned off the TV.The man was talking about the standard method. The game was a game, but a situation that occurred in reality would be different in the game. There was nothing in the game that would cause a user to abandon it. Theyve prepared lots of methods to recover. If you murder someone then you can hide until you chaotic alignment decreases. No, because he was a wanted fugitive his crimes would only disappear once he was imprisoned.Although it wouldnt be easy to gather his forces again, Alan was clever and had a lot of funds so he might somehow recover.

.But Alans opponent was Hyun-woo.

Alan, didnt you hear me say it? Youve picked the wrong opponent.

Although his agreement with the rehabilitation members was already over, Hyun-woo had no intention of withdrawing like this.Of course, the first reason was because of his grudge.Although it was only because of Lariette and Roco, his grudge about the 3000 gold was truly fearful. And the second reason was because of Alan.Ark had a grudge against Alan but Alan also had a grudge against him.If Alan managed to regain his forces then his knife would be aimed straight towards Hyun-woo. If he was like Hyun-woo then he would be even more troublesome than before. Hyun-woo wasnt going to wait politely until that happened.

The end? No, it is only the beginning.

Ill have to kick him until he is trash in the dirt.In other words, I have to kick him as much as possible. Alans recovery will slow down if he kept on stepping on him and Hyun-woo would be safe for a while.

But since the situation isnt good, Alan might not connect for a while.

Hae Gyeol-sa, Bul-kkun and Tazza had already been searching for Alan for a week. It wasnt an easy thing to find a user if you didnt know the resurrection point, and it might take even longer if Alan didnt connect at all.

But Alan is a candidate. He will have to connect soon.

Then the phone rang.

Its me, Alan was found.

The voice heard on the other end was Bul-kkun.

You found Alan?

Yes, dammit! We thought Alan would hide in the vicinity of Nagaran since he was a fugitive.but he had gone all the way to Selebrid.

Selebrid?

Ark repeated in a strange voice.Ark had also thought Alan would hide near Nagaran. Since Alan was a fugitive, he was a target for the guards.If so, it would be easier to escape if he was in Nagaran. Instead of an ordinary village, he had gone all the way to Selebrid which was teeming with guards and bounty hunters? Was he intending to die? Ark couldnt understand his behaviour.

Anyway, it is an opportunity for me!

Hae Gyeol-sa is chasing after him. Since we cant defeat him, well try to hold him until you reach Selebrid.

Yes!

Hyun-woo hung up and entered the unit.

Alan (Foreigner)

The criminal who conspired with the Asyeosu church.

Since he had the ability of a Holy Knight, special care is needed.

Area last seen: His location after Nagaran is unknown.

Difficulty: ???

Bounty: 300 gold

Bounty payer: Chancellor of Selebrid