The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 216

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 216
Chapter 216
Second’s administrator, Ena.
She currently held both positions—administrator of the Heukryeom Guild and administrator of the Kalbera Territory.
And she was thoroughly delighted with her current station.
“The first territorial administrator in Second’s history.”
Mir was the first player in Second to become a nobleman.
As such, receiving a territory was unprecedented, and naturally, Ena, who had joined the guild Mir created as its administrator, became the first territorial administrator.
This was no ordinary experience.
From what I heard, the Empire was loosening various restrictions on players, so many more guilds would likely acquire titles and territories in the future.
When that happened, Ena’s experience in managing a territory would become an enormously valuable asset.
Scout offers would pour in, naturally, along with astronomical salary proposals.
Second was merely a game, but its current standing was so immense that it encompassed the entire world, making salaries exceed even those of major corporations.
Simply imagining those arrogant great guilds begging to scout her filled her with such joy.
But.
‘The Heukryeom Guild’s potential exceeds what I initially thought. In terms of potential alone, it rivals the great guilds. It’s genuinely worth cultivating seriously.’
Even if scout offers came from the great guilds right now.
Even if the Royal Guild, famous for its high salaries, extended an offer, she had no intention of leaving.
Normally, just hearing the name Royal Guild would have made her ecstatic, but not anymore.
And for good reason.
‘The central axis of the main scenario quest.’
Recently, Mir led a vessel out to sea and defeated the Evil God known as the White Water Deity.
This was no ordinary feat.
Evil Gods were the boss monsters of Second’s main scenario that had recently become known.
Simply receiving the related quest and defeating an Evil God was tantamount to becoming a protagonist of Second.
Yet such an Evil God.
‘He said it was the fourth one, didn’t he?’
Mir had defeated a total of four Evil Gods.
This was information Mir had shared with her, trusting her and under the condition that she not spread it.
To have defeated four Evil Gods alone.
By this alone, Mir was already a protagonist of Second.
Even the Five Great Guilds could barely track the traces of Evil Gods, yet they hadn’t even discovered the actual bodies of the Evil Gods themselves.
‘No matter how I think about it, Mir will be the center of Second going forward.’
Thus, Ena concluded.
That Mir’s potential.
That the Heukryeom Guild’s potential was in no way inferior to the Five Great Guilds.
Having reached this conclusion, she became determined to build the Heukryeom Guild into Second’s greatest guild with her own hands.
This time, she had made the contract thorough, so there would be no betrayal like before.
However, she faced one problem.
“No matter how I think about it, the tax base is simply too weak.”
Kalbera Territory.
This place had virtually no sources of revenue.
The territory’s people needed to earn money and produce something for wealth to circulate through the land.
Until now, the Imperial Army had occupied the territory, leaving its residents to handle menial tasks with no foundation for specialty goods or other productive enterprises.
“If I had to name one thing, perhaps shipbuilding?”
Kalbera Territory’s shipbuilding was exceptional.
After all, they had produced the Black Dragon Ship itself.
If we advertised that the Black Dragon Ship had defeated the White Aquatic Deity, we could sell it for an astronomical price.
This was certainly a promising venture, but the problem lay in the characteristics of the Southern Continent.
The Southern Continent still lacked proper connections to the Empire’s commercial networks, let alone players.
Though the Imperial Army was expanding its influence, the atmosphere remained cautious.
In that sense.
Kalbera Territory currently had no visible means of collecting taxes.
The residents struggled even to achieve self-sufficiency, let alone generate tax revenue.
“Sigh…”
In truth, there was no immediate problem.
The materials Mir had brought back from defeating the White Aquatic Deity were staggering in quantity.
Selling those alone would secure operating funds for both the Guild and the Territory.
Yet I couldn’t simply leave Kalbera Territory as a place that merely squandered money.
With a heavy sigh, Ena set out on a walk.
Or rather, information gathering disguised as a walk.
To assess the Territory’s current situation and discover any potential specialty goods.
Then.
Whispers and murmurs.
“What’s going on?”
The Smithy of Kalbera Territory.
Frankly, compared to the grand city of Labelt, it was a shabby place—yet people had gathered there in crowds.
“What’s happening here?”
“Oh, Administrator! The Lord has come!”
“The Lord?”
“The Lord is personally wielding a hammer to craft equipment!”
“What?”
The Lord of Kalbera Territory.
In other words, Mir was personally crafting items.
I was aware that Mir was a versatile, all-around player with exceptional skills not only in combat but also in production.
But why had he suddenly come to the Smithy?
Unable to contain her curiosity, Ena pushed through the crowd and entered the Smithy.
There, she found Mir earnestly swinging a hammer.
“Shoes and rings?”
Given her administrative role, she had trained her appraisal skill to a respectable level.
At this distance, I could easily check the Item Information.
After Ena examined the Item Information I had created,
“That’s it!”
she exclaimed, her eyes widening.
Naturally, the gazes of the Blacksmiths in the Smithy, including myself, converged on her.
* * *
I had completed the final item to distribute to the Guild members.
I had all the materials, and since the crafting difficulty wasn’t particularly high, it didn’t take much time.
But then, at that very moment.
“That’s it!”
A familiar voice came from behind me.
When I turned around, it was indeed.
“Ena?”
The administrative manager of the Heukryeom Guild.
It was Ena.
I was bewildered, wondering what had suddenly happened, but she approached me with long strides without regard for those around us and thrust her face close to mine.
“How could I not have thought of this? I experienced it directly while heading to Kalbera Territory!”
“What do you mean?”
“The tax base of Kalbera Territory! It’s hunting grounds! Hunting grounds!”
“Hunting grounds?”
Hunting grounds, she said.
What was she suddenly talking about?
Though bewildered, she wasn’t the type to speak nonsense, so I listened carefully to her words as she began to explain excitedly.
“The Territory the Guild Master received isn’t just the interior of Kalbera Territory, right? The surroundings of Kalbera Territory—that is, it includes the Sea and the Swamp. Moreover, considering this recent achievement, the range could be expanded further.”
“That may be true, but.”
“We should utilize that! Develop the Swamp and Sea as hunting grounds for our Territory and attract users!”
“Attract users?”
“The Swamp is roughly a hunting ground for levels 300-400. In Second, the majority of users are precisely at this level range. Given that hunting grounds are in short supply, the potential is certainly there!”
“But we wouldn’t be able to charge a usage fee for the hunting grounds, would we?”
“The Swamp-specific shoes you made before, potions, and more—not to mention the Coastline-exclusive equipment you’re making now! We can sell these things to the users who come!”
“Hmm….”
“The reason users don’t visit the Swampland is because of terrain penalties, but if we mass-produce and sell such equipment, it could become a major source of revenue!”
“Still, I alone cannot….”
“Why would you need to? There are Blacksmiths here.”
She pointed to the Blacksmiths.
Certainly.
While the Blacksmiths of Kalbera Territory aren’t particularly skilled, if I teach them directly, they’re capable enough to mass-produce equipment of this level.
“If we do this well, we could dramatically increase the tax revenue of Kalbera Territory. As the number of users grows, the Territory will naturally develop as well.”
The Swampland—an obstacle blocking the path between the Center of the Continent and Kalbera Territory.
To think of utilizing the Swampland in such a way.
Indeed, I made the right choice in appointing her as administrator.
Truth be told, after crafting the equipment, I had planned to lead the guild members directly to the Coastal Cave, but with this development, I can adjust my plans somewhat.
While the Coastal Cave is more efficient, the Swampland has proven to be an effective hunting ground for my guild members as well.
“Alright, shall we proceed?”
First, it was time to instruct the Blacksmiths.
Fortunately, just as the System Message had indicated, the Blacksmiths who gained enlightenment from watching my hammer strikes quickly mastered the recipes I taught them.
* * *
The residents of Kalbera Territory.
Though the Territory was being rapidly restored, there wasn’t much work for them to do.
Assisting Lee Chul-geun in rebuilding the city, and procuring food through fishing—that was about it.
But now.
“We are recruiting workers!”
“Workers?”
“To reclaim the Swampland! We will carve a path toward the center of the Continent!”
“W-what? Reclaiming the Swamp?”
“Is such a thing even possible?”
New tidings had arrived.
The lord had begun a new undertaking.
But the nature of it was quite daunting.
Reclaiming the Swampland to carve a path toward Labelt.
In a Swampland where monsters exceeding level 300 appeared at any moment—was such a thing truly possible?
It was far too dangerous.
But then.
“The lord and the knights have promised to protect us! You need not worry about safety!”
“The lord himself….”
“Then it is trustworthy.”
“The knights were incredibly strong as well.”
The subsequent news put the residents at ease.
It was thanks to their loyalty, which had already surpassed 100% and was approaching 200%.
Even so, ordinarily it would be difficult for residents to commit to such dangerous Swampland work.
“At last, it is time to earn our keep!”
“He built us homes and provided us with food! Above all, he is the one who saved our very lives!”
“That’s right, we cannot simply take and receive forever!”
“Now is the time to repay his kindness!”
The effect of loyalty was tremendous.
More than half of the Territory’s residents had joined Mir’s plan.
From that point onward, the work progressed with astonishing speed.
“This way! We will begin the path construction from here!”
Naturally, Lee Chul-geun oversaw the design and overall command.
Following Lee Chul-geun’s instructions, the residents felled trees in the Swampland and processed them into plywood.
Subsequently, Lee Chul-geun and the few architects of Kalbera Territory stepped forward to begin constructing the bridge in earnest.
They did not use the Empire’s bridge that Mir’s party had previously utilized.
Its condition was poor, and the route was far from ideal.
The path being constructed now was a direct route from the Continent to Kalbera Territory—a bridge built for Kalbera Territory itself.
“Crack!”
“Screech, screech—.”
Of course, various monsters attacked during the bridge’s construction.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
“Clear them all out!”
“I’ll handle this sector!”
Mir and the guild members of Black Flame stepped forward, swiftly eliminating the monsters.
Then Mir crafted something and installed it at regular intervals along the bridge.
[ Sentinel’s Torch ]
Form: Torch
Grade: Heroic
Restriction: Swampland Terrain
Description: When installed at regular intervals on structures, these torches form a barrier that prevents swamp monsters from approaching.
Monsters could no longer approach the vicinity of the bridge.
Thus, the bridge connecting the Center of the Continent and Kalbera Territory began to be constructed with remarkable speed.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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