Emperor of Solo Play - Chapter 191

Chapter 191

Chapter 191 – Epilogue

1 .

[Hahoe Mask has reached 1st place in the Warlord’s Level Ranking!]

[Tobot Soft’s Official Announcement: ‘The Ruined King episode will be the last Main Scenario Quest . ’]

[Tobot Soft’s stock is on the decline .  Is this a sign that Warlord’s bubble is about to pop?]

[Big Smiles guild has been disbanded .  They gave up on the rights to a live channel .  It is proof that the operating income for the live channels of the 30 great guilds have dried up . ]

[Hahoe Mask’s Shocking Announcement: ‘I will retire after the war with the Dragon . ’]

[Warlord has become a setting sun . ]

[After Warlord, which VR game will succeed in becoming the special one?]

[Hydra guild has set up a Player Care System for games .  They have found the ‘Hydra company . ’]

[In an interview with the founder of the Hydra Company, Eric Gomes states, ‘Our ability to support and progress in the game has been tested through Warlord .  Now regular Users can receive the same care and support from us . ’]

[Che-sulyun’s interview:  ‘I’m establishing the Stormhunters team, who will play VR games professionally .  It won’t just be Warlord .  Everyone will be able to see the brilliant exploit of the Stormhunters guild in other VR games . ’]

[This is the era of VR eSports .  Hahoe Mask is the eye of the storm .  Will anyone be able to acquire him and dominate this era?]

[It is the start of the final war between the Hahoe Mask and the Dragon .  It will be broadcasted live using the Stormhunters guild’s live channel!  The advance sale of the live ticket has reached 20 million!]

2 .

One couldn’t measure the length of the Dragon with one’s eyes .  The Dragon was unfathomably large, and it was flying through the darkened sky .

“Uh-whew… . ”  

A User wearing a Hahoe Mask was looking at the Dragon from the ground .  He let out a deep sigh .

‘This game is really fucked up . ’

After letting out a sigh, Hyrkan raised his head again to look at the Dragon .  It was one kilometer long .  It was capable enough to bring calamity to the world .  It was the final boss with an awesome presence .

Its official name was Dragon .

However, the Users added the ‘of Calamity’ to the short name .  The title stuck .

‘I’ll have to climb from the tail to reach its body .  Then I have to stab the War King’s Spear into the wound on its neck . ’

In short order, Hyrkan would have to start his monster hunt against the ridiculous Dragon of Calamity .

The hunting method was simple .

When the one kilometer long Dragon approaches the ground, the Dragon’s tail will touch the ground .  As the tail scrapes across the ground, one would have to stick to the tail .  This was the starting point .  As the Dragon ascends into the sky, he would have to travel from the tail to the neck .  He had to crawl up a distance of 1 kilometer, then he would have to find the wound on the neck .  Then he just had to plant the crude looking spear into the wound .

He had to be cautious of only one thing .

Falling!

The Dragon’s body moved so roughly that a rodeo couldn’t hold a candle to this .  The only thing one had to worry about was falling off the Dragon .

“I really want to see what the bastard, who made this shitty game, looks like . ”

This was obvious, but everything about this was insane .  Moreover, Hyrkan had to solo this craziness .

Hyrkan already felt queasy .  

He didn’t have a fear of heights, but he would probably develop one that day .

– Get ready, Hahoe Mask .

At that moment, a clear and very beautiful voice rang out inside the Hahoe Mask’s ears .

– The tail will reach the ground soon .

Shir had a voice that was very easy on the ears .  However, instead of smiling, Hyrkan frowned a little bit .

“I know . ”

He answered in a brusque voice .

– Bear this in mind .  When you climb the Dragon’s tail… . .

“I’m more knowledgeable than about the process, so you don’t have to explain it to me . ”

– Also, when this game ends… . .

“Let’s talk about it when we get to that point .  Stop treating me like your underling .  I’m unaffiliated right now .  Stop telling me what to do . ”

– I’m sorry .

At that moment, Shir apologized when she heard his brusque response .  Hyrkan suddenly became speechless .

‘…this is driving me nuts . ’

Shir responded in such a docile manner that Hyrkan had a hard time accepting the situation .

“You are going to do it even if I try to stop you .  Don’t worry about it .  There’s nothing I can‘t do now . ”

In the end, Hyrkan caressed the situation instead of baring his teeth .

– Fighting .

Shir gave a cheer for Hyrkan .  He let out a deep sigh at her words .

This was how the call came to an end .

The Dragon, which had been circling the sky, was incrementally getting closer to the ground .

At the same time, the Dragon’s tail descended towards the ground .   The lowered tail would reach Hyrkan in couple of minutes .

Hyrkan clenched his two fists as he looked at the Dragon .

‘This is it . ’

This was the final battle .  It didn’t matter if he won or lost .  He would leave Warlord after this .  He already gave his announcement to the public .  If he won, he’ll retire .  Even if he lost, he’ll give up on Warlord, and he would retire .

‘I’ll probably be too embarrassed to come back . ’

He couldn’t go back on his words .  Hyrkan had already given his announcement .  He would feel too much shame if he went back on his words .

Of course, he had no regrets .

‘Yes .  I have put an end to this long relationship .  It isn’t as if I can always devote my life to Warlord . ’

Hyrkan actually felt relieved .

From the time before he came back to the past and afterwards, his life had been intertwined with Warlord .  Thanks to Warlord, he had lived through difficult times .  On the other hand, Warlord now allowed him to prosper in life .

He had shared the good times and the bad times with Warlord .  He had experienced all sorts of emotions .  Now it was time to let it go .  There was no game in this world that could be played forever .  Everything in this world had a start and an end .  An end was needed to start a new beginning .

Hyrkan stood up from his seat .  

The Skeletons’ gaze moved in sync with Hyrkan’s movement .

Until a moment ago, his Skeleton Warriors, Knights and Death Knight had fought against the warriors controlled by the Dragon .  The signs of battle was all over their bodies .

‘Ah . ’

Hyrkan hesitated for a brief moment as he looked at the wounds they received from the fight .

“Ah . ”

He stopped for a brief moment to look at them .  

Hyrkan unconsciously raised his hand towards the nearest Skeleton Warrior .

Ssoo-oohk!

The Skeleton Warrior quickly dodged the hand .

Hyrkan let out a bitter laugh when he saw the Skeleton Warrior’s action .  Hyrkan once again extended his hand in a swift manner .  The Skeleton Warrior tried hard to dodge the hand, but at a certain point, Hyrkan had grabbed the head of the Skeleton Warrior .

After grabbing the head of the Skeleton Warrior, Hyrkan brought his head towards it .

“Thank you for everything . ”

Toohk······ Toohk······ .

“In many ways, you guys met a strange owner .  Still, I was able to reach this point, because of you all . ”

Hyrkan lightly and gently knocked heads with the Skeleton Warrior’s skull .

“This is goodbye . ”

After he spoke his words, Hyrkan took off his Hahoe Mask .  He had revealed his face to the world .

Soon, the world will know his face through the Stormhunter’s live channel .

‘Goodbye Skeletons and the Hahoe Mask . ’

The world would remember the Hahoe Mask Hyrkan .  However, now they would remember Ahn-jaehyun, who was the Hahoe Mask Hyrkan .

“Let’s end this . ”

Hyrkan put an end to the very long relationship he had with the Hahoe Mask .

3 .

“I want 10 dollar worth of lottery ticket with random draw . ”

The part time worker had been watching a video on his tablet .  He paused the video before he calculated the customer’s order .

As the customer ordered, he printed out a lottery ticket as he let the machine pick random numbers .  Then he scanned the barcode of the customer’s other item .

“Since this is a beef gimbap… .  The total is 15 dollars . ”

“Here . ”

“Yes .  Thank y······ . ”

He saw a 50 dollar bill in front of his eyes, so the part time worker naturally raised his eyes to look at the customer .  The customer was rail thin, and he was wearing thick glasses . Overall, he looked like a pushover .  The customer looked like someone that will fall for any deceit .

‘Huh?’

At that moment, the convenience store’s part timer felt as if he had seen this person before .

This was why he asked a question .

“Have I met you before from somewhere?”

Instead of answering, the customer’s brows furrowed a little bit .

The part timer thought he had overstepped his bounds, so he quickly gave the customer his change and the lottery ticket .

The customer exited the convenience store, and the part timer started up the video on his tablet again .

– Uh?  Hahoe Mask!  The Hahoe Mask took off his Hahoe Mask!

“Ah!”

At that moment, the part time worker stood up from his seat in shock .  Then he looked out the window .  He saw the customer get into a very sleek and new lamborghini .   The part time worker yelled as he looked at the customer .

“My god .  He’s the Hahoe Mask Hyrkan, Ahn-jaehyun!  This is crazy!  I have to get his signature .  A signature… . ”

The part timer tried to rush out, but the customer’s car was already pulling out towards the road .

“Ah-oh!”

In the end, the part time worker had to give up on getting the signature .

“This is nuts .  How could I not recognize the Hahoe Mask?”

He was an avid fan of the Hahoe Mask .  He kicked himself for not recognizing the Hahoe Mask .

After his despair came to an end, he had a question .

‘Why did the Hahoe Mask buy a lottery ticket?  He retired from Warlord, but didn’t he make a lot of money?  I thought he sold several million copies of his Frozen Kingdom episode . ’

4 .

He had his hands on the sleek handle of the lamborghini .  He wore a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist, and he was oozing with presence .

What he wore and drove was much more expensive than a house .  

Ahn-jaehyun opened the beef kimbap he purchased earlier, and he started chewing on a piece .

As he ate, he thought about the lottery numbers he had purchased .

‘I should have memorized the winning lottery number . ’

“Fuck the IRS!”

At that moment, Ahn-jaehyun unconsciously let out a wail of despair .

Ahn-jaehyun replayed the conversation he had with the agents of the IRS .

“Mr . Ahn-jaehyun .  You have evaded paying a significant amount of tax . ”

“It wasn’t tax evasion… . . ”

When he retired from Warlord, Ahn-jaehyun did everything he couldn’t do before, because he had been playing Warlord .  First, he bought and moved into the best penthouse apartment he could find .  Then he bought a lamborghini in one lump sum .  Afterwards, he slowly bought luxury items to fill up his newly purchased apartment .

Those were his happy days .  He was so happy that he sometimes forgot to eat!

However, a dark cloud appeared above Ahn-jaehyun’s happiness .

Ahn-jaehyun had made an enormous amount of money through Warlord .  Moreover, he participated in some shady practices to pay less tax, and he had been caught by the IRS .  Of course, Ahn-jaehyun hadn’t known he had participated in a shady practice .  The accountant he hired said everyone did it, and he would be an idiot if he didn’t take advantage of it .

“We don’t care about your situation, Mr . Ahn-jaehyun .  Our role is to take back the exact amount you owe us in taxes . ”

Anyways, this problem exploded in his face .  He had never dealt with IRS agents before, so he was at a loss as to what to do .

“You have two choices .  We can do this by force .  Or you can cooperate with us, and we can come to an agreement . ”

“I…I’ll cooperate . ”

He decided to pay his taxes .

However, there was a problem .  Ahn-jaehyun didn’t have enough liquid assets to pay off the taxes in its entirety .  The tax bill wasn’t small .  

In the end, the IRS took his cut of the profit in selling footages of Warlord .  Moreover, they took his sponsorship money .

This was the reason behind his purchase of the lottery ticket .

“Shit . ”

He purchased a lottery ticket every time Ahn-jaehyun ate beef kimbap and ramen .  He prayed for a winning lottery ticket .

‘Should I go to Che-sulyun, and ask her to buy me some meat?  Shit .  I acted so bold in front of Che-sulyun, so how would I look if I asked her to buy me some meat?  Ah, this is driving me nuts .  I should have just kept my money .  Why did I have to buy… . . ’

He wallowed in his pain and suffering as he chew on the beef kimbap .

At that moment, a call arrived .

“Receive incoming call!”

When Ahn-jaehyun yelled out, a hologram picture of a phone appeared in front of his eyes .  The caller’s name also appeared .

The caller was Che-sulyun .

– Ahn-jaehyun .  Tobot Soft officially announced their next project .

– There will be two version to the next project .  One will be the light version where normal Users will be able to enjoy themselves .  The other version is the Pro version .  It is said that no one can beat it .

As soon as her words ended, he heard the voice of Tobi Gwynn .  His voice filled the interior of Ahn-jaehyun’s car .

– Was the Pro Version an attempt to dominate the rapidly growing VR eSports market?

– It was the same during the days of Warlord .  Tobot Soft always strives to make that one special game .  We make unique products .  Our next project is a challenge we are putting out to the VR pro-gamers .  I’ll guarantee it .  This game will be more difficult than any other game in the market .

– How difficult is it?

– Do you remember the Hahoe Mask’s Skeletons?  

– Of course, They are still legendary .

– We took the battle AI possessed by the Hahoe Mask’s Skeletons, and we strengthened it using the Deep Learning system .  All the battle AI of monsters will be based on it .  I’ll guarantee it .  This game will be burdensome even for the Hahoe Mask .

Tobi Gwynn’s voice came to an end there .

– Ahn-jaehyun .

Che-sulyun’s voice could be heard again .

“What?”

– The Stormhunter’s next target is the sequel to Warlord .  We’ve picked out our members .  Of course, this will be the stage where you’ll debut as a member of the Stormhunters .

At her words, Ahn-jaehyun had a smile on his face .

“Is that all you have to say to me?”

– That’s all I have to say for now .  However, I am curious about something .

“Speak . ”

– You’ll be meeting the Skeletons you grew and trained as an enemy .  How do you feel about it?  You’ve never fought against your Skeletons before .

At her question, the smile on his face was wiped away .

‘Wait a moment . ’

After receiving the question, Ahn-jaehyun seriously mulled over it .  As he thought more on it, Ahn-jaehyun’s expression crumpled .

“It’ll be a damn annoying game .  A really damn annoying game… .  Shit .  Can’t I just play a different game?

– You are the one, who signed the contract .  Of course, you can pay the penalty to get out of the contract .  Do you have that kind of money?

At her words, Ahn-jaehyun let out a sigh as he spoke .

“Anyways, does our guild do any company dinners?  Shouldn’t we do a regular get-together in a barbeque restaurant?”

However, there was no answer to his questions .  She had already ended the call .

Ahn-jaehyun, who had his hands on the handle, glanced at his Patek Philippe watch .