The operation to rescue the clergy members from Adrianople proceeded smoothly. With the cooperation of King Ragdoll IV, all that remained was to eliminate the angels stationed in the central square and use the warp gate created by the Inzaghi’s Door Handle to escape. [Alert: You have completed the Quest – Holy Rescue Operation!] [Alert: You have completed the Quest – Holy Rescue Operation!] [Alert: You have completed the Quest – Holy Rescue Operation!] [Alert: You have completed the Quest – Holy Rescue Operation!] Each time Siegfried rescued a clergy member, he would receive an enormous amount of gold from the Continent Religious Council. As if the reward was not enough, he looted the treasure vault of the Adrianople royal family. ‘Damn... Even after taxes and expenses... I’ll have seven hundred to eight hundred billion won left?’ Siegfried was calculating his earnings after the successful rescue operation in Adrianople, and he was stunned by the amount he earned. He never imagined in his wildest dreams that he could earn nearly eight hundred billion won worth of gold in a single mission. For an ordinary person, that kind of money would only come from winning the Superball Lottery in the United States, but for Siegfried, it was just another day in the office. ‘I guess it’s been a while since I d. I might as well do that while buying some prime real estate.’ He had been investing in high-value real estate recently, which provided him with steady rental income. Even if they were expensive, he focused on building a steady income stream rather than having immediate returns. He now owned a total of eleven buildings across Seoul, which netted him more than two billion won in monthly rental income. On top of that, his cash reserves were so massive that he could rival the annual earnings of a mid-sized corporation. His earnings far outpaced the speed he could spend them, which turned him into one of the wealthiest people in Gangnam in terms of cash on hand. Recently, he hired professionals to invest in promising small businesses, too. ‘I guess it’s time to upgrade my gears.’ He decided to upgrade all of his gear in preparation for his next mission. Having successfully rescued the clergy imprisoned in Adrianople, it was time for him to move on to the other kingdoms. However, the Illuminati were not an easy enemy. “Your Majesty! We have a major problem!” Michele burst into the room, his voice filled with urgency. “The clergy from the four kingdoms of Corinth, Zimbir, Hadashite, and Byblos have all been executed.” “The bodies of the clergy members and devout believers are piling up into mountains, and their blood is said to have pooled into rivers already.” “They dealt us another blow yet again...” Siegfried muttered, his voice dripping with frustration. The Illuminati’s intentions were obvious. Rather than allowing themselves to be continually outmaneuvered and sabotaged by Siegfried, they chose to wipe out the clergy entirely. It was a ruthless yet effective countermeasure, one that Siegfried acknowledged was both decisive and smart. “But that’s not all, Your Majesty,” Michele said. Then, his face darkened as he continued, “The five kingdoms of Adrianople. Corinth, Zimbir, Hadashite, and Byblos have... officially denounced you as the Axis of Evil and submitted a formal complaint against you to the World Peace Council.” “The Monotheism Church that worships the Creator has declared you as a wicked demon and a heretic.” “What? A wicked demon...?” “They’re calling you Satan.” In BNW, the word "Satan" referred to the Demon King who had once terrorized the entire continent. “Those bastards...” Siegfried growled, clenching his fists in anger. However, he couldn’t think of an immediate solution. “But that’s not all. The five kingdoms have also blocked the trade routes used by our merchant guilds and imposed restrictions on imported goods.” “So they started a trade war, too?” “Sigh...” Siegfried let out a sigh. Then, he said, “Well, let them do as they please. In the end, one side is going to have to be destroyed completely. And the fact that they haven’t waged a full-scale war against us is a huge relief already.” A full-scale war between the Proatine Kingdom and the five great powers was unlikely due to the geographical restrictions between them and the presence of several nations that would interfere with a war of such scale. “I agree. But for now... those five kingdoms have declared themselves as the Holy Alliance and adopted Monotheism as their official state religion. Their hostility toward us will undoubtedly impact our finances.” “I checked with Sir Schmidt, and he estimates that we will lose about fifteen percent of our annual budget.” “Wow... So they’re reaching into my wallet now, are they?” “I-I do not think that is the perfect was to put it—” “Deploy the Green Archipelago.” “Tell them to turn the seas surrounding the five kingdoms into absolute hell. Maritime trade? They can kiss it goodbye, too.” Siegfried chose to respond with piracy to the so-called trade war waged by the Holy Alliance, and this would prove to be extremely effective. The members of the Holy Alliance were predominantly located in the eastern part of the continent and relied heavily on maritime trade in the eastern seas. “If I lose fifteen percent, then they will be taking at least a forty percent hit.” “A wise choice, sire.” “Let’s see who gets fucked first. I’m going to teach them a lesson they will never forget,” Siegfried growled with madness in his eyes. The next morning, after finishing his morning workout, Tae-Sung went to his office[1], switched on his computer, and logged into the item trading site of BNW. Following his recent heist of the Adrianople Kingdom’s treasure vault, he planned to use the massive amount of gold at his disposal to generate even greater profits. Without hesitation, he began buying up every bit of gold available on the Korean market. With overwhelming financial power at his disposal, he launched an aggressive buying spree. “Not bad at all,” Tae-Sung muttered with a grin. In just three hours, the price of gold surged by twenty-five percent. This was a classic case of hoarding and price manipulation. Just like Heosaeng from the Story of Heo Saeng,[2] he used his vast capital to inflate the price of gold in the Korean market artificially. And just as the price of gold was artificially pumped— “Now it’s time to...” Tae-Sung began selling off small batches of his gold at the inflated price. Whenever the price of gold showed signs of dropping, he would halt all transactions and pull his listings. He even went as far as purchasing any gold listed by other sellers, ensuring that no cheap gold would remain in circulation. In doing so, he effectively dried up the supply of cheap gold in the market, causing the price of gold to remain sky-high. After setting the system to execute his planned trading algorithm, he left the rest to his competent staff. By controlling the supply, he could ensure a steady profit margin of at least twenty percent or even up to twenty-five percent at times. This was only possible due to the financial power he had that gave him the leverage to wield enormous influence over the market, and this, in turn, allowed him to dictate the market price of gold, giving him the power to sell slowly and rake in the profits. Tae-Sung’s reason for going to such lengths to make money was simple. His ultimate goal was to buy shares of the beehive, the developer and distributor of BNW, and become a major shareholder of it. Becoming a major shareholder of a global corporation like the beehive was not something that could be done with pocket change. He had no other choice but to manipulate the market in this way to maximize his earning potential. Ironically, the price of gold in the Korean market was still relatively cheap compared to other countries even after Tae-Sung's market manipulation. With South Korea having a high number of top-ranking players, the supply of gold had always been steady and abundant, which kept gold prices lower than in other markets. Ultimately, even after his manipulation, the price of gold only ended up aligning with global rates. After successfully manipulating the market, Tae-Sung then headed to the realtor’s office to finalize his purchase of another property. “Huh? Who’s calling me?” He checked his phone to see that it was Cheon Woo-Jin. — Do you have any gold? “Gold...? Why are you asking all of a sudden?” — I need some. Anyway, do you have gold or not? — For some reason, all the gold on the market vanished. Damn it... – I think some crazy bastard bought everything up. The price shot up way too fast, you know? Is there some kind of market manipulation going on? Tae-Sung had to try his best not to burst into laughter. Cheon Woo-Jin asked. Then, his keen sense kicked in. — Hold on... Don’t tell me this is your doing? “W-What are you talking about? —Yeah, it’s your doing. “What are you talking about? I have no idea what you mean.” — Are you Heosaeng or something? Are you hoarding and price-fixing? “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Tae-Sung decided to feign ignorance and play dumb. — So you’re the one manipulating the gold market! You crazy bastard! How much more money do you need?! You’re still hoarding gold even after making a fortune?! “What? I can’t hear you. Hello? Hellooo?” And with that, Tae-Sung hung up. His phone immediately started vibrating again, but he ignored it this time. “Tsk... This is why I hate dealing with sharp bastards,” he grumbled under his breath while shaking his head. Tae-Sung finished his work in the real world and logged into the game in the afternoon. “Your Majesty! We have an emergency!” The moment he opened his eyes in the Proatine Kingdom’s royal palace, Michele came rushing in with urgent news. “An emergency? Again? What is it this time?” Siegfried grumbled. He couldn’t help but frown after seeing Michele panicking when he just logged in. “Major cities across the continent... are in chaos.” “What kind of chaos?” “Toxic gas has started leaking, killing countless people.” “And it seems someone poisoned the water supply. Everyone who drank it last night did not last an hour before dying. The estimated number of victims so far... exceeds fifty million people.” “How is that even possible?” Siegfried couldn’t believe his ears. How could fifty million people die overnight when there were neither wars nor natural disasters? “And that’s not all. Many of those who died had their entire bodies turn black before dying. It seems like there is an outbreak of a plague of some sort.” “That’s crazy...” Siegfried muttered, utterly dumbfounded by the report. “Your Majesty! We must immediately close our borders. Fortunately, our kingdom remains unaffected thus far, but a swift decision is necessary!” Michele urged him. With toxic gas leaking worldwide, water supplies being poisoned, and a plague similar to the Black Death spreading, the Proatine Kingdom could be the next victim if they did not act fast. “Okay,” Siegfried immediately accepted the suggestion. Closing the borders would undoubtedly deal a huge blow to trade, but money was not the priority right now. The Proatine Kingdom had a relatively small population. If an outbreak of disease hit the kingdom, then the entire kingdom would be at risk of collapsing no matter how good its economy was. “What about the Marchioni Empire? How’s the situation over there?” “Damn it... How does something happen overnight?” Siegfried murmured in disbelief. Then, a thought suddenly flashed in his mind, ‘Hold on... For a catastrophe of this scale to happen so quickly... This must be something planned for a very long time. And there’s only one group capable of doing this.’ The Illuminati was a secret organization with a history spanning more than hundreds of thousands of years. This could have been something they were planning for decades or even centuries. ‘Those dirty bastards...’ Siegfried gnashed his teeth in anger. “Your Majesty! We have received a communication request from the Illuminati!” A signalman rushed in and reported. “What? The Illuminati?” Siegfried asked, doubting his ears. “Yes, sire! A person claiming to be the Master wishes to speak with Your Majesty!” “I’ll be right there.” Siegfried immediately made his way to the communication room. While walking, he couldn’t help but be puzzled. ‘What are they thinking?’ The Illuminati always made sure to conceal themselves, yet they were reaching out first. ‘I guess I should hear them out first.’ With that thought in mind, Siegfried stood before the communication crystal. Before long, the connection was established, and the silhouette of the leader of the Illuminati, the so-called "Master," appeared in the crystal. 1. I think author-nim meant a study? ☜ 2. An ancient novel written during the Joseon Dynasty. It was written to criticize the government for their incompetence and corruption. In the novel, Heosaeng borrowed money from his friend to buy up commodities, hoarding them, and selling them bit by bit to the people. In just three months, he earned close to ten times the original amount he borrowed. The author of the novel was basically criticizing how certain influential figures controlled the market and filling their own pockets. By the way, the novel was written circa 1780. ☜