Chapter 339 – A Small World  

The work on Old Man Hwang’s compartment plan began immediately after Gi-Gyu had approved it.

“Skeletons, move those materials faster!” Old Man Hwang ordered. “Griffins, why aren’t you working?!”

Gi-Gyu watched everyone working hard in Eden and muttered, “It looks like he was just waiting for my permission.”

The robust construction scene and the various monsters bustling around filled Eden with loud noises.

‘The energies are moving along with them too,’?Gi-Gyu thought. Eden’s various energies moved, getting split as the creatures utilized them. It was amazing to see what was happening around him. If Gi-Gyu were alone in Eden, he would have never known this place could do something like this.

‘Is this what Old Man Hwang meant when he said Brun has many abilities?!’?Gi-Gyu remembered the elderly blacksmith telling him that Brunheart was Eden itself. Gi-Gyu now understood what he had meant by this.

Old Man Hwang must be smiling inside the Sephiroth Tree while working hard. The thought made Gi-Gyu smile as well.

“My father has been waiting to start this for a long time,” Hwang Chae-Il, standing beside Gi-Gyu, whispered. The still-burning being continued, “He has been planning this construction and compartmentalization since before we even had the energy problem.”

“Why didn’t he begin earlier?” asked Gi-Gyu. Old Man Hwang had become Eden’s manager after Gi-Gyu had demoted Hart. The blacksmith could do whatever he wished with the entire Eden.

“Compartmentalizing and organizing a place like this requires more work than you think. It could also give rise to many problems and advantages,” Hwang Chae-Il explained.

“Hmm…” Gi-Gyu couldn’t understand what Hwang Chae-Il had said. “But I can see one thing for sure.”

With a smile, Gi-Gyu added, “It’s obvious Old Man Hwang prepared for this in advance.”

The changes in Eden were shocking. Old Man Hwang had the advantage of having countless undead workers who could work day and night without getting tired, but even so, things happened fast. In fact, Eden looked different almost every second.

“It’s incredible.” Gi-Gyu was impressed. Hwang Chae-Il could feel that Gi-Gyu was genuinely in awe.

Hwang Chae-Il burned even brighter as he worked. He wasn’t just standing around next to Gi-Gyu and watching leisurely. Hwang Chae-Il was directing different powers to lead the construction personally.

Gi-Gyu suddenly asked, “By the way, how long are you going to maintain that appearance?”

Hwang Chae-II’s burning face turned toward Gi-Gyu. When he didn’t reply, Gi-Gyu continued, “Wouldn’t it be better for you to get rid of this body now? Old Man Hwang already gave you his permission to end this punishment. I even heard that Paimon has made a new body for you.”

At the moment, Hwang Chae-Il looked grotesque. He didn’t look human, more like a moving statue. And every time he used his power, his face burned brightly, causing him immense pain.

‘I know Min-Su hasn’t said anything, but I know he wants his father to return.’?Gi-Gyu suspected that this was why Min-Su had worked with Paimon to create a new body for Hwang Chae-Il.

Hwang Chae-Il asked in a monotone, “Does my appearance make you uncomfortable?”

“I wouldn’t say that…” Gi-Gyu turned to watch the construction again. Watching Hwang Chae-Il’s burning face was somehow painful for him too. Gi-Gyu continued, “I just don’t think it’s a good idea to suffer a punishment greater than your crime. And besides, those you harmed have already forgiven you.”

Hwang Chae-II hadn’t committed his evil voluntarily; Andras had brainwashed him. Of course, patricide and attempting to sacrifice your son were enormous sins, but the fact that he wasn’t in his right mind had to count for something.

But it seemed that Hwang Chae-Il felt differently. He felt so guilty that he was willing to endure such a painful punishment.

“All right,” Hwang Chae-Il replied. Gi-Gyu’s eyes widened because he hadn’t expected that response.

Hwang Chae-Il added, “When the compartmentalization in Eden is completed and this place is stable, I will return to my old self.”

Gi-Gyu smiled. Just then, Old Man Hwang’s voice rang in the entire Eden.

-Hurry up and come back, you idiot! You can work more efficiently if you’re in the tree!

Old Man Hwang was summoning Hwang Chae-Il back to the Sephiroth Tree.

“Hahaha,” Gi-Gyu and Hwang Chae-Il laughed together.

***

The construction in Eden had finished at lightning speed. If not for Old Man Hwang, the minor details alone would have taken way longer. While Old Man Hwang was in command of the entire project, Brunheart was responsible for altering the terrains and expanding the space. As for the actual construction, the undead has done it.

Old Man Hwang wanted perfection. He also wanted his building to be beautiful, which required a lot of work.

“Uwah…” Heo Sung-Hoon couldn’t believe his eyes. “Is this really Eden? Everything happened so fast.”

He was with Gi-Gyu in the Sephiroth Tree, enjoying the newly improved Eden. But unlike before, they couldn’t look at the entire Eden from the tree because it had become too big. Instead, the tree now had numerous screens displaying Eden’s many corners.

-Is everyone ready?

Old Man Hwang’s voice rang inside the tree.

-I guess you are. Then I’ll get started…

Old Man Hwang sounded playful as he warned.

-Grab onto something tight.

Sung-Hoon asked in confusion, “What does he mean?”

Gi-Gyu replied with a grin, “Just find something to hold on to.”

Gi-Gyu quickly grabbed a nearby column. Sung-Hoon just looked around in confusion when Old Man Hwang roared.

-A tree must know how to grow!

Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun.

The Sephiroth Tree began vibrating.

“Huhhhhh?!” Sung-Hoon screamed in shock. The tree began shaking violently, and Sung-Hoon yelled, “H-help me!”

The tree began to grow, and columns erupted from the ceilings and floors. Because Heo Sung-Hoon was a player and had recently received harsh training from Bodhidharma, he moved swiftly to avoid getting impaled.

-It’s almost done!

Old Man Hwang announced. Suddenly, with a loud thud, the shaking stopped.

“Uwah…” Sung-Hoon, who was hanging onto a wall like a spider, exclaimed. “How…?!”

He noticed the numerous screens in the room were gone, replaced by large glass windows.

“Did… this tree grow just now?” Sung-Hoon asked. Just a moment ago, they couldn’t see the entirety of Eden. But now, they were way higher, so they could again see Eden as a whole.

There were many sky islands, and one looked like a castle. On the ground, there were roads that the non-players could use to travel. There were also houses the guests could stay in if necessary. And the gate entrance was right beside the waterway.

“Hahaha… That’s a museum, isn’t it?” asked Sung-Hoon as he pointed at a bluish glass pyramid. It looked similar to the Louvre Museum. Inside, he could see hundreds of cars and transportation systems being exhibited.

“And what’s that?” Sung-Hoon pointed at a curve far away at the edge of Eden. It was right below the sky castle and near where the waterway ended. “Is that a door?”

It looked like a door, but its exact details were ineffable. It was something big and strange.

“It looks almost as big as that monumental building the monsters destroyed in the past,” Sung-Hoon added. A long time ago, a tall building near Jamsil was considered a landmark. However, an S-Class gate break had occurred and had destroyed the building. This new door in Eden was just as tall.

“And is that door really hand-sculpted?” asked Sung-Hoon.

“Probably,” replied Gi-Gyu. Even from afar, they could see tens of thousands of dragons and monsters sculpted on the door. It looked grotesquely beautiful. Sung-Hoon asked various questions, but Gi-Gyu couldn’t pay attention. Instead of the new buildings, he was more interested in the energy changes.

‘They… have definitely separated into different parts of Eden.’?

The various energies in Eden had always remained mixed in an unorganized manner. But now, they were separated neatly.

The divine energy had been pushed to the sky, while the magic remained on the ground.

‘And the?sorcerous?energy is behind that door…’?Gi-Gyu realized that this new door must lead to an underground area. He could see a tiny bit of sorcerous energy leaking out from the door.

‘Life, Death, and Chaos are… all organized inside the Sephiroth Tree.’?

As the tree grew, a giant column had materialized in the middle. Sung-Hoon didn’t seem interested in this new change, but Gi-Gyu could feel the three energies flowing inside the column.

“I’m impressed…” Gi-Gyu finally whispered. The different energies had merely separated, but that change alone impressed him a lot.

Just then, Sung-Hoon turned to see Gi-Gyu. He yelled, “Ranker Kim Gi-Gyu! You look…!”

Gi-Gyu had felt the changes before Sung-Hoon had even mentioned it. He had gotten taller, his skin had become harder, and his sight seemed clearer. And he could sense some other physical changes apart from them.

‘And my power…’?Gi-Gyu had recently obtained a lot of sorcerous energy, which had resulted in instability; he found that instability gradually disappearing. ‘At this rate, I might not lose control even if I use the Berserker Mode.’

The Berserker Mode required an explosive amount of sorcerous energy, which made him lose consciousness. But now, he felt he could use it without actually going berserk.

Of course, there was no way of knowing what might happen if he went beyond his limit.

“How…” Sung-Hoon looked flabbergasted. “Could a fully grown man get taller?”

“...”

Sung-Hoon suddenly realized something about his height.

.

“Ackkkk!” Sung-Hoon screamed.

***

The compartmentalization caused big changes. It modified the entirety of Eden as the different energies took their place. Gi-Gyu had also experienced some mental and physical changes.

Gi-Gyu soon learned that the higher-level skeleton soldiers could now talk. The recent changes had made all of his creatures stronger, including Lou and El. While some had only become stronger, others had received strength and changes in their appearance.

“How do you like this?” Old Man Hwang grinned widely, seemingly satisfied with the result. “Everything worked out according to my plan! All of it felt like I was playing a game!”

Eden was now big enough to have cities. It was a small country on its own.

“It feels like I was creating an entire world. A small one, but still an entire world. I must say that meeting you is the luckiest encounter of my life, young man!” Old Man Hwang looked ecstatic. Through their sync, Gi-Gyu could feel how happy the elderly blacksmith was.

“Now.” Old Man Hwang looked into Gi-Gyu’s eyes. “It’s finally time to add the components that make a world real.”

Gi-Gyu turned to look at the giant door in front of him. Suddenly, Mammon appeared to greet him.

“We have been waiting for you. You are our true master.”