Chapter 166: Ready to Kill (2)

The unknown metal composed of a soft purple hue twisted and intertwined as if a serpent had coiled itself, forming the shape of the ring.

It’s simple... but that's why I like it even more.

It wasn't like he usually cared about appearances anyway.

Swallowing nervously, Kai muttered, "Item appraisal."

[

Knight of Nightmare

]

Grade: Unique

+15 to all stats.

Skill – Summon Skeleton Knight (Cooldown: 24 hours).

The summoned skeleton knight is influenced by the caster’s level.

If the summoned undead kills an enemy, that enemy will become a skeleton and follow the caster.

Durability 100/100

"

Wow

..."

Kai, with an expression full of emotion, gently stroked the pale purple ring.

A Unique ring with all the effects I wanted!

In truth, Kai would have been satisfied just with the ability to summon a skeleton knight. However, Parsanax wasn’t content with letting Korona pay off her debt so easily. Thus, after tormenting (read: negotiating with) her further, this ring was the result!

It might feel a bit awkward summoning the undead as a cleric, but...

Helik would surely forgive it with a simple offering of chocolate cake. She was quite laid back about these things.

"Thank you. This seems like exactly what I wanted."

"Creating an artifact that summons even one monster is no easy task. And you asked me to make something like that... Are you planning to wage a war by yourself?"

"Well, I’d prefer to avoid such situations if possible..." Slipping the ring onto his finger, Kai smiled. "Now, I won’t have to shy away from any fights that come my way."

***

After bidding farewell to Korona, Kai headed to his territory, Libertia. However, the closer he got to the city, the more bewildered he became.

Why are there so many people?

Unless one climbed mountains or went through forests, there was only one road that led into Libertia. And until just ten days ago that road had been a quiet path that only Kai used. But now, the road was packed with people, to the point of being overwhelming.

"What the... what happened in just ten days?"

With a dumbfounded expression, Kai reached the city’s entrance and blended into the crowd as he naturally made his way toward the fortress.

At least the fortress was completed while I was away.

As originally planned by Kai, the fortress was constructed using the roots of the great tree blessed by Luteria.

It had an incredibly high resistance to flames despite its exterior appearing vulnerable to fire, and since it continued to grow, there was no need for maintenance, making it an eco-friendly fortress!

"

Mhmm.

It’s all about the ecosystem these days."

Pleased with the thought of saving money, Kai approached the elves and merfolk standing guard at the fortress.

As he slightly lifted his hood, their expressions immediately brightened.

"Kai! You’ve returned!"

"Did everything go well with your task?"

"Yes, thanks to you all. But... what exactly is going on here?"

Glancing into the city, Kai saw that it was even more crowded inside. It was so bustling as if a festival was taking place.

Watching the scene, the elven gatekeeper smiled and began to explain, "Once the city was completed, word somehow reached the Kingdom of Rashion, and they sent a gift. Thanks to that, news spread, and merchants, adventurers, and travelers have been pouring in from all directions."

"Don’t even bother to explain. We’ve been swamped with work."

"So that’s what happened. I’ll take a look around the city first. I can head in, right?"

"

Oh

, of course."

Passing through the gate without any further checks, Kai quietly looked around the city. Libertia, which was blending with nature and constantly growing, looked vastly different from just ten days ago. Moreover, the shops run by elves and merfolk were doing exceptionally well.

Surprisingly... the elves and merfolk are great at business.

Just as Ayana's mother had shown, the elves were a race highly advanced in herbalism. Naturally, the herbs sold by the elves of Libertia were no exception! The herbs sold out as soon as they were put on display, and the supply could hardly keep up with the demand.

However, that didn’t mean the merfolk were overshadowed.

"

Ahem

. This equipment is made from Bluesteel, which is only found in the ocean..."

"Would you like to open a treasure chest? What’s inside? Who knows. It could be treasure, or it could be a bottle of vodka. It’s straight from the deep sea."

The equipment and items sold were made from Bluesteel, a material mined exclusively from the ocean! Players lined up to buy them, resembling people waiting for the latest smartphone release.

But that wasn’t all.

"

Ahhh

, please take a picture with us!"

"That'll be 1 silver per photo, ladies."

"I’ll take two!"

Libertia itself was a place filled with unparalleled beauty, unlike anything seen before. On top of that, all the elves and merfolk were naturally stunning. Naturally, many people wanted to capture their memories of this precious place in photos, which directly translated into profit for the non-human races.

This is already more than I expected...

Kai’s gaze shifted to a group that had just descended on the waterfall elevator.

They look like they would have high levels. Probably a party with an average level of 260?

And they weren’t the only ones. Several teams, seemingly competing with each other, were hastily buying up potions from the merchant stalls.

"Damn it, why are the monsters around here so strong?"

"Corrupted monsters,

huh

. They’re not even listed in the community. Let’s grab everything we can before word spreads."

"We don’t have time. I’ve noticed that the other parties we were competing with are heading this way too. We need to widen the gap as much as possible. Buy everything as fast as you can!"

The corrupted monster that respawned in the corrupted land that Kai had intentionally left behind captured the interest of high-leveled players. Moreover, these players were sweeping up the elves' herbs and the merchants' potions without even bargaining—every merchant’s favorite kind of customer!

Watching this scene absentmindedly, Kai finally came to his senses.

"Wait... if the city is doing this well... Territory Management window."

[Territory Management]

Name: Libertia

Rank: D

Population: 3,845 (Immigration requests: 17,150. Continuously rising↑)

Monthly Income: 329 gold (Estimated. Continuously rising↑)

"

Oooo

...!"

Libertia, which had been at an F rank, had risen to D rank, and over 17,000 NPCs had applied for immigration! Not only that, the monthly income, which had previously been zero, had skyrocketed to over 3,000,000 won.

And one game month equals... ten real days.

Even with simple calculations, the income from this single territory was close to a hundred million won per month in real-world value.

Considering the fact that the city is still growing...

It was an unbelievable success for it to be considered the first month.

If it keeps growing like this, there’s no need for me to invest any of my own money.

With the revenue generated by Libertia, the city could fund its own repairs and even expand further.

What had once been a troublesome city had transformed into a goose that laid golden eggs in just ten days.

As Kai stood there, watching the beautiful city with a dumbfounded expression, Elania and Karius approached him.

"So you really have returned."

"You look quite surprised."

"Elania, Karius."

These were the ones who had helped the city develop while he was away.

Kai's gaze toward them was full of warmth.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"The city has changed a lot in the meantime, hasn’t it?"

"Yes. Seeing the things I had only envisioned now fully reflected... it’s quite moving, really."

"It’ll develop even more. Not all of your ideas have been implemented yet."

"Some things will take more time, and we’ll also need the help of the dwarves..."

As they continuously chatted, Karius patted Kai on the back and asked, "

Haha.

So, are you planning to stay here for a while now?"

"

Oh

, I need to talk to you about that... I’m sorry, but I have to head out again for an urgent matter."

"

Hm?

But you’ve only been here for a few hours..." Karius murmured with a sad expression.

Kai apologized again with a sorry look, "I’m really sorry. But this is something I’ve been preparing for a long time."

The Invasion Event. It was a major event Pegasus prepared for

MID Online’s

first anniversary.

Even some of the top ten guilds will be divided in this event.

According to Korea’s branch manager Kang Min-Gu, the event was specifically designed with guilds in mind.

Meaning there won’t be much room for solo players to shine.

But Kai was different. He, as a solo player, could rival the strength of an entire guild. And that power had been solidified when he received the Knight of Nightmare from Korona.

I should make the most of the Invasion Event.

This would give him an advantage in the territory war content that would follow the event.

Pegasus sure knows how to plan these things.

An unannounced first-anniversary event, followed by seamlessly integrated major updates! They were throwing two massive events at the end of the year that no player could resist loving. With this, players who had nothing to do during the Christmas and New Year holidays would undoubtedly dive headfirst into

MID Online.

The only trump card I really have for this event... is probably the Pray guild, which will soon come under my command.

That would be enough.

Kai finished his quick planning and smiled.

As long as people don’t get too greedy, this will be a mutually beneficial event for everyone.

However, if anyone dared to covet his honor or wished for his downfall, whether individuals or groups, he was determined they would undoubtedly experience the worst hell imaginable.