Episode 61: Dream in the game becomes reality

18. Monopoly (4)

It is said that time is more precious than money.

I never imagined that the day would come when I, living as an ordinary person on Earth, would experience that.

I also realized once again that spending money saves precious time.

"Wow, look at the speed at which you gain experience. "It's on a different level."

"Although the battle pattern is complex, its hunting speed is much faster due to its low magic resistance."

"The battle pattern is complicated, but isn't it best if the hunting speed is fast? "It means that you can further refine your combat sense as you level up."

"That's certainly true."

As I continued the battle by monopolizing the high-efficiency hunting ground that I had carefully selected, the speed of gaining experience was more than twice as fast as before, when I was fighting while paying attention to everyone's opinions.

Moreover, due to the nature of the chimera being hunted, it makes random attacks that are not limited to any format, so it feels like its ability to respond to unexpected situations has improved.

Thanks to this, we were able to continue leveling up once every 1.5 days in the exclusive hunting ground, and our growth, which had been stagnant, gained momentum.

When I paid my fourth weekly rent, I was able to reach level 220.

'If things continue like this, wouldn't we be able to achieve level 250 (level 8 gifted quest) much faster than expected?'

I predicted that it would take more than half a year even if I couldn't do the original LAN, but at this pace, I think I could achieve level 250 in 2-3 months, even taking the increase in experience points into account.

Of course, if the battle continues without any interruption, whether in a game or in reality.

"dismissal!"

The problem was that there were too many things to pay attention to for me to just focus on the game like a person in the corner of my room.

"dismissal! Faster than expected in the Holy Land... … ."

I thought I could continue leveling up without any interruption for the past few days, but after about a month, an unexpected situation occurred.

* * *

-Magic Century October 7, 2019

"I heard that the contest to select saints and saints is being held ahead of schedule."

"Yes, I heard that it was scheduled to be held in the second half of next year as originally planned, but they said they are planning to search for a candidate immediately and confirm it within this month."

The contest to select a saint was suddenly brought forward.

This was unexpected information to me, who was training a newly recruited girl named Everil Barnet last week to become a saint.

Even Pessius, the head of the intelligence department, reacted with embarrassment as the story about her becoming a saint was something he was aware of.

But I didn't think this situation was all that bad.

As the contest progresses hastily, the number of rival candidates is bound to decrease.

What I had to do here was not worry, but a winning strategy to elevate Ivril in the contest.

"Have you thought about anything else?"

"First, we have to make Ivril a candidate for a saint representing the Kingdom of Reinharts."

My plan is very simple.

A method that requires no worries.

"Two weeks ago, I sent a donation to the Archdiocese of Reinharts Kingdom. In the name of Ivril."

If the donation had been made even a little later, it would have been so obvious that it would not have had much of an effect.

However, our donation was made before the news of the contest to select a saint became known to the public, and it had a very big effect.

"Tomorrow, the Archbishop of Reinharts Kingdom will stop by our territory. And it's me and Miss Ivril who welcome him."

"Ah, first of all, you are planning to involve the archbishop of the kingdom."

It took a lot of effort to establish relationships with church officials and connect with the archbishop through a large donation.

I'm sure the archbishop would recognize Ivril's potential.

If the archbishop recognizes Ivril's saintly qualities, it would be best. If not, I plan to involve him politically.

"Furthermore, if we succeed in attracting the archbishop, we plan to ask the royal family for backup."

"indeed… … "You have a plan."

First of all, I plan to ask the second prince for Ivril's support.

Although I blushed with him, externally I was in the second-prince camp anyway.

I think that the second prince will not refuse, as it will be an opportunity for his power to develop even further.

And if I secretly tell the crown prince, I think it won't be difficult for Ivril to become a candidate for a saint representing our Kingdom of Reinharts.

However, while Pessius nodded to my plan, he reacted with concern.

"But will the girl go according to plan?"

His concerns were natural.

Ivril is only a 15-year-old girl, and it has only been a month since she began studying theology.

Moreover, she was studying theology because I told her to, and she had no intention of becoming a saint.

It is an unavoidable story.

Even if you tell her that you have the qualities of a saint, it won't make much of a difference to her who was working part-time at a convenience store.

Although she was working hard to do as she was told, showing motivation was another matter.

But I shrugged and said I wasn't too worried.

"It will be okay because there is someone next to you who constantly motivates you."

"Someone who motivates me?"

"Are you planning on appointing Eric as Ivril's counselor? No, he is already like a throne."

Eric Jones, a man with talents in politics and administration.

He has one characteristic, and that is 'eloquence'.

A characteristic can be thought of as a kind of passive skill.

Thanks to this, his words inspire a strange trust in those who listen to them.

"Ah, that sly snake…" … ."

Eric shows absolute loyalty to me, but people around him seem to judge him as a snobbery.

Well, considering the nature of politics, isn't that an accurate assessment?

"Ivril relies on him a lot and follows him. Eric will be a good helmsman."

"If that's the case, my lord, then it must be something like that."

And Pessius opened a holographic window and shared it with me.

"This is the information my lord requested."

"Oh, I see you've figured it out."

Ivril is not competing alone.

So I asked Pessius to find out who would be her rivals, and he prepared the information according to my request.

"Among the candidates to participate in the saintess contest, these three are the most influential."

The first woman had dazzling beauty.

This was inevitable because she belonged to a group that was unrivaled by her beauty.

"A high elf from the Elysian Alliance?"

"Yes, he is a person who is strongly supported by the Kingdom of Elvenheim, the main axis of the Elysian Alliance. "They say he is a direct descendant of the current queen."

[Grace High Elven / 210 years old / Granddaughter of the Queen of Elvenheim / Top level elementalist (7th circle level)]The enemy is too strong from the beginning.

High Elfrani, a direct descendant of the Queen of Elvenheim, supported by the Allied Powers of Elysia.

Considering the nature of elves as a matriarchal society, it was clear that they would have a line of succession to the queen.

I clicked my tongue briefly and scrolled down the hologram window.

"The second candidate is Evelyn Francis of the Duke Francis family, which is being pushed by the Brigham Empire."

"Wait, are you Duke Francis?"

"Yes, that's right."

[Evelyn Francis / 21 years old / Third daughter of Duke Evelyn of the Brigham Empire / Auror Expert level high-ranking knight]The appearance of a big name again.

I frowned at the name Duke Francis.

It was inevitable that the current Duke Francis was a 'Grand Master', equivalent to the Grand Wizard of the 8th Circle.

Unless she is a princess, her background is bound to be inferior to that of the elf queen's direct lineage, no matter who her parents are.

However, if the Brigham Empire supports it at the national level, the story will be different.

I felt a throbbing sensation in my temples and looked at my last strong enemy.

"The third candidate is a commoner woman from the holy city of Everhill."

I thought the third candidate was a bit more manageable... … .

[Judy Esther / 19 years old / commoner from Everhill / layperson]-Sponsor: Olivia, Duke of Riverdale, Kingdom of Lucias

Out of nowhere, the names of my official envoy, 'The Dukes of Riverdale', and my sister-in-law, 'Olivia', popped up.

Thanks to you, I burst out laughing.

"It's definitely a contender."

"It's a bit excessive. "I think it's the most intense in recent times."

The first candidate, 'Grace High Elven', is a top-level spirit saboteur on the same level as a 7th circle wizard.

The second candidate, Evelyn Francis, is a high-ranking Auror Expert.

The third candidate, Judy Esther, has already joined the church and is working as a priest.

This means that even if you take away their backgrounds, they are all better people than Everil.

The moment I saw the list of candidates, I wanted to shout 'surrender', but I held back and gathered my thoughts.

"I thought a rival like this might appear anyway, so there's no need to panic too much."

"Is there any hope?"

"It won't be easy, but it won't be impossible."

"My lord, I think you are going to be very serious about this."

"I cannot give up the title of patron who created a saint."

What I believe in is the potential that Everil has.

I know that they are all excellent, but it is unknown whether they really have talents and characteristics specialized in divine power like Ivril.

There is no one else who can see through the essence of people like me.

"By the way, master, may I ask you one question?"

"What is it?"

I was about to get up, thinking that my business was now over, when Pessius asked me a question.

"How much have you donated to the temple? As far as I know, they say that the Archbishop of Reinharts Kingdom is not a great person who moves for money."

No matter how strong a person he is, isn't it natural for him to express gratitude when he receives a large amount of money that goes beyond common sense?

There is no one who does not move with money.

It's just a small amount.

I grinned and stretched out my index finger.

"One big one."

I did not disclose detailed costs so that you can find out for yourself if you are curious.

The value of a large piece is different for each person.

What is the difference between the amount I think and the amount Pesius thinks?

* * *

-Lucias Kingdom Riverdale Magic Tower

"what?"

The best magic tower in the Kingdom of Lucias is not the Royal Tower, but the Riverdale Tower, to which the three great wizards belong.

Officially, it is a magic tower built by Duke Kyle Riverdale, who raised seven disciples, including Adrian, to become great wizards. It has the capacity to produce all kinds of artifacts, from flying cars to vanguard weapons and sky fortresses.

The market capitalization of the Riverdale Magic Tower is the largest in the entire Lucias Kingdom and is ranked among the top 10 in the world.

Thanks to this, Olivia, the Duke of Riverdale, who can be said to be the current head of the Riverdale clan, is said to have power comparable to that of the royal family, and is spending very busy days.

Today too, she went to work at the Magic Tower with the Archmages Marquis Lake and Count Preston, who can be considered her personal guards. When Marquis Lake looked at the report in confusion, Olivia, who was working on paperwork, also showed interest, asking what was going on.

"It looks like our cute priest is planning on entering the sainthood contest."

"What does that mean?"

The Marquis of Lake said it would be better to see it in person and handed Olivia a copy of the report.

That was a document posted by the Magic Tower intelligence team in charge of Marquis Lake.

[New saint candidate for the Sepia Church]-Name: Everil Barnett

-Age: 15 years old

- Status: Commoner

-Affiliation: Affiliation of the Marquis Laurence's Gifted Center of the Kingdom of Rheinharts

-explanation

Two weeks ago, he donated a large sum of 10 trillion won to the Archdiocese of Sepia in the Kingdom of Reinharts, forming a relationship with the archbishop.

The archbishop of the Kingdom of Reinharts expressed his support for Ivril Barnet, saying she has the qualities of a saint.

It appears that further investigation is necessary as the response appears to be that they sincerely think so, rather than simply paying lip service to large donations.

Ivril Barnett's sponsor is the Marquis Adrian Lawrence, and he also paid a huge donation of 10 trillion won.

And Olivia, who read the contents, raised the corners of her mouth.

"You're a really interesting priest."