Episode 60: A chance in a game turns into reality

18. Monopoly (3)

Acquisition of Chronicle Online Game Company?

It's not a bad method.

No matter how good a game company is, if its main user base is commoners, there is a high probability that it is undervalued.

[World Games / Market capitalization 102 trillion]'Uh, um... … .'

It seems like it's not that underrated.

Well, Chronicle Online alone has an annual net profit of over 10 trillion won.

Maybe it's natural.

Moreover, in the process of investigating the shareholding structure, the acquisition was clearly abandoned after seeing that Elysia Union Bank was the largest shareholder.

The cash obtained through Archduke Lucas's donations comes through this bank.

Elysia United Bank's accounts are all encrypted and operated, so it is known that even administrators cannot look into members' accounts.

Thanks to this, a lot of nobles use it as a tax haven... … .

Still, since you never know, there was no benefit in drawing their attention for no reason.

"Then what should I do?"

After thinking about it for a while, I came up with a not-so-pleasant plan.

"Should we buy slaves and set up a workshop?"

Game avatars can be purchased from other people, so you can rest assured if you use slaves who cannot betray you.

However, the problem is that most countries in Rondel have a feudal system and slavery is illegal.

In the end, it means that I also have to deal with illegal activities.

I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable about whether there was anything illegal that could be done for the sake of growth.

"No, but that doesn't mean people from democratic countries are slaves."

Then what?

Are you going to use up your last wish?

The right to wish here refers to exercising managerial authority through Chester, the foundation's management site.

It was because I exercised this administrator authority that I was able to launder money, create the Arcia family register, act as a disciple of the Duke of Riverdale, and create fake actors in the Republic of Prius.

After reaching the 7th circle, a total of 5 administrator rights were granted, but now only one remains.

So, I didn't want to use it unless it was a major emergency.

"ah!"

Then, a good idea suddenly occurred to me.

"Exclusive hunting ground!"

The monopolization of hunting grounds by large guilds is said to be a blight on online games.

Chronicle Online was no exception to this.

In order to obtain specific items and make money more efficiently than others, powerful guilds have no hesitation in monopolizing hunting grounds.

Of course, general users who are not part of the guild are bound to find this culture unpleasant, but I thought it was perfect for me at the moment.

If you fight in a highly efficient hunting ground without worrying about what people think, you will be able to grow even faster.

'What I have left now is money, and what I lack is time.'

I thought it wouldn't be difficult to take advantage of this and take over exclusive hunting grounds one by one.

"My one worry is that I have to interact with other users."

"Anyway, I'm still encountering quite a few users."

"That's right."

Arsia's words drove the wedge to a conclusion.

I immediately connected to the Chronicle online community and searched to see who had a monopoly on the hunting ground that suited my taste.

* * *

Considering the size of Chronicle Online, which has an average of 40 million concurrent users, it would seem that there are a lot of servers, but surprisingly, the game only operates on a single server and single channel.

Instead, they are adopting a method of increasing the size of the world, creating many countries and continents, and managing them separately like servers.

Thanks to this, Chronicle Online is not just a simple game, but is so vast that it can easily be described as a second world.

Perhaps thanks to the realism created by virtual reality and the huge world, many users considered Chronicle Online to be more important than reality when living their lives.

It was natural that the game, where everyone was equal, felt more like a utopia than the daunting reality.

Chronicle Online's top users are people who make a living from games.

This means that reality is supported in some way with the money earned from the game, whether through advertising or item sales.

There are people who make as much money as successful business owners, and there are also people who barely make ends meet.

However, the number of people making a living from games was very small compared to the total, and it could not be said that the amount of income was high compared to the number of users.

"I heard they are doubling their game access time suggestions in Korea this time."

"really? "It sucks."

"Not long ago, cash transactions for items were blocked, so I guess I'll have to do some hard work now."

"Wouldn't it be okay to sell items indirectly to a country where cash transactions are legal?"

"They say crazy people get fined 10 times when they get caught."

"Ha, you are having a hard time too. "It's getting harder and harder to play."

"Damn it! "It would have been better if I had been born in the United States of Elysia, but why are they creating such idiotic regulations?"

"The noble bastards make it too easy to regulate by saying they don't play games."

Some countries imposed unimaginable regulations and penalties, claiming that games were reducing national productivity.

On Earth, users would fight against actions that infringe upon their freedom in any way, but on Rondel, where the class system exists, this was structurally impossible.

On the outside, it was decorated more extravagantly and stylishly than anyone else, but inside, there were many cases where poor commoners lived there.

"Guild leader, who came to visit?"

"who?"

"I'm a level 200 wizard. However, he said he has an issue he would like to deal with and is requesting a meeting with the guild leader."

There are 35 countries on 10 continents in Chronicle Online.

In other words, the guilds within the top 10 are the guilds representing the continent, and the guilds within the top 100 are the three major guilds representing the country.

The 'Black Dragon Guild', ranked 98th overall and 3rd in its country, is a large guild with 3,000 members, but it is no exaggeration to say that they are a group of typical game addicts and all live to play games.

As a large guild, there are quite a few advertising sponsors attached, so profits are steadily generated, but because the guild is so large, it is not making enough money for all guild members to comfortably focus on the game.

Moreover, as the game becomes more and more popular, its popularity and profitability begin to decline, and regulations in each country are tightening their throats, so the guild leadership has to worry about the future every day.

Meanwhile, the guild leader and leadership had no choice but to react angrily to the request, which seemed to anyone to be nothing more than a trick.

"Just kick them out. Just looking at it, it looks like he's trying to get me to join the guild."

If you run a large guild, you will meet many people who approach you aiming for Congo goods.

Therefore, the guild leader did not consider it a big deal.

However, the guild member who would normally just shrug his shoulders and back away persisted this time.

"I think it would be a good idea to meet."

"why? "What do you have?"

At this point, the guild leader couldn't help but react strangely.

And at the words that followed, the guild leader's indifferent expression changed.

"I brought you 10 Decathlon hearts as a gift. Moreover, the outfit is filled with the best paid equipment that can be worn at level 200. "If you just look at the simple abilities of the equipment, it seems like it would be better than the mediocre max level?"

"okay?"

Decathlon's heart was an expensive reinforcement material costing 500,000 roots each.

Not only did they give away 10 of these items as a gift, but the story that they were all over the place with billing equipment that was extremely inefficient when considering cost-effectiveness was enough to attract interest.

"Are you a nobleman?"

"Well, maybe he's just rich."

Nobles tend to disdain virtual reality.

This is because they can live and enjoy many things in reality, so there is no need to be obsessed with virtual reality.

However, this does not mean that there are no nobles who play virtual reality games.

There are eccentric people everywhere, and not everyone who is noble lives a satisfactory life.

After thinking about it for a while, the guild leader was reluctant to just throw it away, so he decided to meet the low-level wizard.

"okay. "I'll bring it right away."

And after a while, the guild leader was able to meet a man with a plain avatar, unlike his flashy clothes.

As the guild member said, he was definitely a user who gave off an aura that was difficult to ignore.

"Nice to meet you. "This is 'Mingi'."

"Your nickname is unique. hello. "It's Penny."

The identity of the low level mage is Adrian.

The character nickname 'Mingi' was the name Adrian used in his past life.

Although they run a large guild, is it because they have the underlying thought that their opponents might be nobles?

Guild leader Penny greeted him politely.

"You're talking about a deal. May I ask what brought you here?"

"I would like to lease the hunting ground that is exclusively owned by the Black Dragon Guild."

"Rent a hunting ground?"

"Yes, as you are doing now, I would like to rent it on the condition that the Black Dragon Guild block other users from accessing the hunting ground and use it only for me."

It was an exclusive hunting ground lease, a method I had never heard of.

Moreover, I thought it was nonsense to say that the guild had to manage it, but I wasn't allowed to use the hunting grounds.

Naturally, Penny's eyebrows furrowed, and the executives who were with her did not react well.

What is the reason for monopolizing the hunting grounds?

Wasn't it for high hunting efficiency and monopoly on certain items?

There was no reason to share the benefits that had been gained by giving up one's conscience.

"If you rent, of course you have to pay rent."

"How much do you want to give me?"

However, after the words that followed, the guild leader's room became dead quiet.

"I will give you five times the total profit you can get from that hunting ground. "In cash, of course."

"… … ."

When everyone was at a loss for words, Adrian tilted his head as if he didn't feel like it.

"By any chance, which hunting ground do you want?"

"Caltern's Chimera Dungeon."

Caltern's Chimera Dungeon was sufficiently difficult for a five-person party at level 200 to hunt.

Moreover, the item called Water of Life that comes from there provides a lot of money, and the experience points are also generous.

So, it was one of the places where even max level users worked hard to make money.

"Now, wait a minute. The Chimera Dungeon is a hunting ground used by over 200 people a day. Of course, it is because it is profitable for people at max level to visit that hunting ground. If each person earns 50,000 roots from that hunting ground, the total daily profit is well over 10 million roots."

If the daily total profit was 10 million lute, it meant that if you hit 5 times, you would pay 50 million lute as a daily rental fee.

Adrian shrugged his shoulders at their words.

"No problem. Instead, you must completely prevent other users from entering."

Black Dragon's guild leader and executives looked confused at Adrian's light reaction.

"Is there any special item found there? Or are you involved in a hidden quest?"

"I'm just trying to level up."

Everyone responded with suspicion.

Unless you have a purpose, you won't burn 50 million routes a day.

It was an answer that did not make common sense.

"I'm solo leveling. "I want to enjoy the game without anyone disturbing me."

"I guess you're in the middle of a challenge?"

"Yes, it's already tough, but all the good hunting grounds are monopolized by large guilds."

Among users, there are people who enjoy playing games hard.

Such as reaching max level as a normal character without a job, or playing without any armor and wearing only a pair of panties.

The guild leader thought that Adrian in front of him seemed like that type of person.

It's also overflowing with money... … .

"If you want, I can pay you in advance. Online currency trading is also okay."

The guild leader swallowed dry saliva and asked.

"How long do you want the rental period to be?"

"Let's try it for a month first. However, if the level goes up well, I plan to extend it as is, and if growth slows down, I plan to rent another hunting ground."

"What do you mean?"

"Yes, I plan to continue renting exclusive hunting grounds until I reach max level."

Adrian's appearance, which gave off an air that he did not want to bother arguing, made the request feel even more sincere and not a joke.

And, without thinking about it, it was a request that they had no reason to refuse.

A jackpot, almost like winning the lottery.

"Guys, what are you doing!? "Give me the car!"

The guild leader and executives were bustling about and welcoming Adrian.

"Can I regard the rental request as a response that I will accept it?"

"Of course, there is no reason to turn down such a good contract."

Adrian looked satisfied.

"All right. "I'll calculate it right away."

"We don't have accurate data, so we can only make estimates. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Then let's neatly sum it up to 50 million daily rent."

The smiles did not leave the faces of the guild leader and executives at the generous decision.

"It's good for us."

"All right. Please call my account. "It's a hassle to pay every day, so I'll pay in advance on a weekly basis."

"yes? Well, then 300 million right?"

"If we take 50 million routes as a standard, it is 350 million routes."

The guild leader informed me of the business account in the guild's name where advertising fees, etc., were deposited, and it wasn't long before I was able to confirm the deposit.

350 million a week.

How many people in the game can afford to burn money like this in a week?

It was judged that the person in front of him was clearly a nobleman.

And that's not just some idiot, he's a real nobleman.

"You paid a lot of money, so you have to make sure the job is done. If you only think about running away with money, or if you get greedy and the guild goes bankrupt, something annoying happens... … "I won't stay still."

"Sure. "Is there any possibility?"

In the game, the level is gangster, but the level of power in this position has been determined.

Adrian, who registered as a friend with the guild leader, left the Black Dragon Guild hall, saying only that he wanted to use the dungeon right away and to do it quickly.

"I feel like I'm possessed by a ghost."

"Open an account. Is it really deposited correctly? "You counted the digits correctly, right?"

At the urging of his colleagues, the guild leader shared and showed the account status, and the guild members all looked blank.

"i envy you. "They just pay hundreds of millions to make the game easier."

"It's a different class."

The executives of the Black Dragon Guild, who had unexpectedly gained a large amount of money and were able to continue to receive such large amounts of money, put their heads together and thought about how to use this money.

"ah! Teacher Mingi said he wanted to use the hunting ground quickly! "Quickly send a message to the guild members telling them to vacate the Chimera Dungeon!"

"Well, that should be it."

Before we knew it, Adrian's game character title had changed from 'Mr. Mingi' to 'Mr. Mingi.'