Chapter 1209

After acquiring the title, Siegfried continued flying higher and higher until he reached just beneath the toilet.

Poooot!

Apparently, the same magician who had dropped his excrement on Siegfried earlier was still in the toilet, judging by a fart that sounded as loud as thunder in the dead of the night.

‘

I want to kill him. No, I’m going to kill him.’

Siegfried gnashed his teeth and resisted the urge to kill the mage and send him plummeting off the cliff.

If he attacked, he would surely get exposed, so he had no choice but to suppress his rage.

“

Ahhhh!

That felt so good!”

Once the magician had finished his business and walked away, Siegfried grumbled under his breath. “

Ugh...

Maybe I should just quit this game...”

He seriously started contemplating whether to just quit the game right there and then after having his eyes soiled by the magician’s bare backside.

Siegfried was a hardened warrior who had lived through countless battles. He had seen battlefields stained with blood and had crawled through filthy sewers.

However, even he found it difficult to live upon seeing the bare and hairy wrinkled ass of an old man. To make matters worse, he was almost struck by the shit that came out of it.

‘

I have to endure it. Just endure it...’

Suppressing his rage, Siegfried waited until the magician was far away from the toilet.

He would normally not even consider doing something so filthy and disgusting as this, but he had no other choice but to take one for the team, as the fate of the Proatine Empire depended on this operation.

If taking a dung to the face or witnessing an old man’s bare ass was the price he had to pay to keep the Proatine Empire safe, then Siegfried was willing to pay it, albeit unwillingly.

That, he believed, was the duty of a ruler—a burden he had to bear for his empire and his people.

‘

Ughh... I feel sick...’

Of course, his noble sense of duty did not stop his stomach from churning.

Anyway, with no one else around, Siegfried carefully bored a hole through the toilet floor. The makeshift toilet’s drop hole was too small for him to slip through, so he had to open a new one.

Then, he crawled up inside, sealed the hole back, and stuck himself flat against the ceiling with his arms and legs stretched wide.

“

Kyuuu!

You look like a toad, owner punk!

Kekeke!”

Hamchi cackled.

“Hey, you. I’m not in the mood for jokes right now, so you better watch it,” Siegfried growled, glaring daggers at him.

“

Kyu?”

“Now I have to glue myself against this filthy toilet’s ceiling? Damn it... My rotten luck...”

“

Kyuuu!

Are you dumb or stupid?! Just stand normally and then cling to the ceiling only when someone comes in!”

“

Huh?

Actually, that makes perfect sense...”

Taking Hamchi’s advice, Siegfried dropped down from the ceiling.

There was no reason for him to hang up there when there was no one around, as he just needed to spring up when a magician was coming to use the toilet.

“Just make sure to perk your ears up!

Kyuuu!

Otherwise, you won’t notice when someone’s coming!”

“I know that too, you little pink.”

Neither Siegfried nor Hamchi would miss the footsteps of someone approaching, as both of them possessed extremely sharp hearing, but it did not hurt to be extra cautious in these kinds of situations.

“

Sigh...

But how long do I have to wait here?”

“

Kyuu!

Since it’s the middle of the night, you will probably have to wait until morning!”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Siegfried settled in and waited inside the crude, filthy makeshift toilet.

One silver lining was that it was surprisingly tolerable. The floor opened straight down the cliff rather than a cesspit, so the stench was not totally unbearable.

While there was some filth clinging around the hole that gave off a foul stench, it was not to the point that one would suffocate to death inside the toilet.

‘

It’s around two in the morning now. Even if someone comes first thing in the morning, it will be around seven. That’s still five hours of waiting, so should I just log out...?’

However, logging out here carried its own risk. If he logged back in while someone was using the toilet, then his sudden appearance would surely cause them to scream at the top of their lungs.

‘

I guess I’ll just have to tough it out. Someone’s bound to come in the morning anyway. Or maybe later if nature suddenly calls them while sleeping.’

With that thought, Siegfried decided to wait inside the toilet until dawn.

However, not a single person came in to use the toilet, even though the sun was already rising on the horizon.

‘

Ughh... I’m so sleepy...’

When his eyelids were about to droop—

Thud... Thud... Thud...

The sound of footsteps approaching the toilet echoed outside.

***

Siegfried snapped awake and jumped up, clinging to the toilet ceiling like a certain superhero.

Click, creak....!

The door creaked open, and an elderly magician stepped inside.

Once inside, the elderly magician fumbled with his belt, undid the buttons, and pulled up his robe.

‘

N-No! Danger!’

Siegfried screamed inwardly.

Sensing a major threat to his eyes, he jumped down behind the old magician and clamped a hand over the magician’s mouth.

Then, he injected him with his radioactive microbes.

“

Mmph! Mmpf! Aaangh!”

Caught with literally his

pants down,

the old magician couldn’t even put up any resistance and was subdued instantly.

About a minute later...

“I greet my master.”

The newly created Irradiator turned toward Siegfried and tried to kneel, but

“Stop. Don’t kneel,” Siegfried stopped him before he could kneel.

The toilet stall was so cramped that there was not even space for him to kneel.

“Just carry on as if nothing happened. Focus on your duty, but make sure to keep what happened here a secret. Understood?”

“As you command, Master.”

Following orders, the old magician left the toilet.

‘Just four left,’

Siegfried thought.

He stayed where he was and waited until the other magicians came to use the toilet.

‘

Ah... I’m so damn sleepy...’

His eyelids drooped, but he forced himself to endure it.

Everyone was bound to receive nature’s call sooner or later, and the four remaining magicians were no exception.

And Siegfried was right...

By seven in the evening, he had succeeded in converting three more of them into Irradiator.

‘

Only one remains. I just have to convert this last one, and I’m done. Come on, hurry up!’

He channeled all of his grit and tenacity, fighting to stay awake. He had been awake and playing the game for twenty-four hours straight now, but he stubbornly endured and waited.

Around eleven in the evening...

“Damn it! Where the hell is this guy?! When is he going to use the toilet?!”

Siegfried finally exploded in frustration. He was dead tired, but the last magician had yet to come and use the toilet.

“Just go to sleep already, owner punk.

Kyuu...”

“Why?”

“Maybe he’s constipated?”

“Let’s say he’s really constipated. But how can someone not even take a piss?”

“Maybe he’s not drinking water? Why are you asking me?

Kyuuu!”

“I guess... that’s possible?”

“

Kyuuu!

Just log out and rest! You’ve still got plenty of time!”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

There were still nine days left to complete the mission, so he was in no real rush.

Just as Hamchi suggested, taking a break now seemed reasonable.

‘

It should be fine as long as I don’t log back in right when he’s in here...’

With that thought, Siegfried finally logged out of the game.

After spending almost thirty hours awake, he had hit both his physical and mental limits.

***

Meanwhile, the dwarves and laborers of the Proatine Empire were faithfully carrying out their assigned duties with unwavering diligence.

They had carved out a mine entrance halfway up the mountain and were tunneling into it at a terrifying pace.

Their work speed was nothing short of astonishing.

‘

Whoa... What the hell is this...?’

Seung-Gu, who had joined the operation, could only marvel at the scene unfolding before him.

The dwarves were working at a rate that could only be described as magical.

Normally, digging tunnels would leave behind huge amounts of excavated soil that had to be transported out of the tunnels.

However, every time a dwarf shoveled the ground, the dirt would vanish without a trace, as if spirited away by something.

Thanks to that, there was no need for them to haul dirt back outside. The secret to this was actually in the shovels that the dwarves were using.

Dwarves, being inherently lazy, crafted these shovels whose handles were fitted with a dimensional space like an Inventory, and they would store all of the soil they dug up inside that so-called inventory.

But that was not all...

The pickaxes they used shattered rocks and boulders so easily that it was simply absurd, and the rubble would disappear before they could even hit the ground.

For ordinary construction workers, such excavation would require endless hauling of debris out of the tunnels, but there was no such need for the dwarves.

On top of that, the magical explosives they used were of extraordinary quality. The blasts cut through even the hardest stone, and just like a hot knife slicing through butter, they carved the tunnels with pinpoint precision.

‘

So this is why they call the dwarves the people of the mines...’

Watching them, Seung-Gu had to admit that they indeed deserved their reputation.

No other race could match their skills when it came to digging tunnels.

***

After logging out, Tae-Sung collapsed on the bed and slept for fourteen hours straight, as if he were dead.

Staying awake for thirty hours straight had taken a toll on his body, causing it to shut down from fatigue.

“Wake up, Oppa.”

“

Mmm...”

“Oppa?”

“Five more... Just five more minutes...”

“Get up and eat before going back to sleep. Your stomach won’t be happy if you sleep this long without eating anything. It’s bad for your health, too.”

“

Ughh...”

Tae-Sung finally got up after Yong Seol-Hwa shook him awake.

“Good job. Now stretch your arms and legs.”

“

Ughh...”

“Come here. Wash your face and—blow!”

“

Hfff!”

“Good job. I made something simple, so let’s go eat.”

Just like a mother, Yong Seol-Hwa helped him stretch, washed his face, and even cooked for him.

The menu was made of light dishes, perfect for someone who had just slept for hours and had an empty stomach.

This was the sort of care that could only come from someone who deeply loved their partner.

“You don’t need to do all this, you know? I don’t want to be a burden to you,” Tae-Sung said.

He was grateful for her care always, but he felt incredibly guilty, too.

“It’s fine. I like taking care of you.”

“I’m not a kid, you know?”

“But you act like one, though?”

“

Huh?

What do you mean by that?”

“My boyfriend passed out after gaming for over thirty hours straight. What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t worry about you?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“You’ve been so busy lately. Just make sure you don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

Rather than scolding him, Yong Seol-Hwa encouraged and soothed him.

‘

She really is a loving girlfriend. I’m really lucky to have her...’

Tae-Sung thought.

“Oppa?”

“Yeah?”

“Mom wants to see you.”

“

Eh?”

“Are you busy next week?”

“No, I’m not! I’m free next week!”

Tae-Sung agreed without any hesitation. He was going to meet not just anyone. His future mother-in-law had asked to see him, so there was no way he could refuse.

“Really?”

“Of course!” Tae-Sung replied enthusiastically. Then, he asked, “After we meet your mother... Do you wanna stop by my family’s place, too?”

“I’d love to!”

Yong Seol-Hwa was overjoyed when Tae-Sung suggested exactly what she had been quietly wishing for quite a while now.

Her feelings for him were anything but casual, and she truly loved him. One of her life goals now was to marry Tae-Sung, have children, start a family, and live happily ever after.

“Then let’s do that. We will visit both of our families next week.”

“Sounds good!”

With that, the two promised to meet each other’s families.

‘

Ah, this feels good.’

Tae-Sung was happy. Having everything go one’s way was anything but easy, as the real world could be quite cruel at times. Still, Tae-Sung not only made it as a pro gamer, but he was now on the verge of winning in real life, too.

He had become the world’s greatest pro gamer and was now about to have a woman like Yong Seol-Hwa as his future wife.

Work and love.

He was a man who had succeeded in both—the very things many would find impossible to succeed in.