Chapter 199: Chapter 199

2 billion experience points.

2 billion experience points allowed Jeong-hoon’s level to instantly surpass 300.

Level 315.

He could now proceed to his 4th class advancement.

As soon as Rakandra fell, the Transcendents clung to him as if they had been waiting.

There were even more of them than when he defeated Baruda.

Jeong-hoon ignored them all and exited through the portal.

“Hun!”

Outside, his mother was anxiously waiting for her son.

“I’m back.”

“Thank goodness. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Jeong-hoon said with a bright smile.

Only then did his mother’s tense face relax, seemingly relieved.

“Since I defeated him, all the dungeons should have disappeared.”

Although it was just the starting point, a tutorial, it was enough that he had changed the future where countless victims would have fallen.

“Wow… So that’s why they disappeared.”

Ha-jin, who was listening from the side, took out her smartphone and showed Jeong-hoon the screen.

[You have defeated the dungeon boss.]

[Rewards will be given accordingly.]

[For one week, no penalties will be imposed for clearing dungeons.]

[Normal dungeons will be generated in 6 hours.]

Normal dungeons.

As the name suggested, they were dungeons that didn’t impose penalties and would be used for growth by both those who had enjoyed New World and those who hadn’t.

‘It will be peaceful for a week.’

It meant they wouldn’t impose penalties for clearing dungeons for a week.

That one week was significant because it secured time for as many people as possible to adapt.

‘Everyone will be going crazy trying to grow stronger.’

Realization had been forced upon them.

People were seeking ways to survive.

And they realized that leveling up and gaining strength, just like in New World, was the most certain method, so everyone was heading to the dungeons.

Plus, the points they could earn by clearing dungeons.

They could use those points to secure food, clothing, and shelter, making going to dungeons not a choice but a necessity.

[NPCs will be generated in all regions.]

[NPCs with various roles will be deployed, so Earthlings are encouraged to actively utilize them.]

NPC generating.

With this, the realization was complete.

“NPCs will be generated…?”

Ha-jin muttered blankly at the message that followed.

“This is crazy…”

Bong-Goo had a similar reaction.

Even though the realization had happened and the dungeons were closed, it wasn’t easy to accept.

“We’ve put out the immediate fire, so let’s rest a bit.”

Rest was essential since they must be quite confused.

* * *

With the dungeons gone, Ha-jin and Bong-Goo returned to their homes.

Jeong-hoon, back at his house, was looking at Welcomm with his mother.

[Who is the person who defeated the dungeon boss?]

– They said the demon dungeons that appeared this time were tutorial dungeons, right? Then who do you think defeated the boss?

└ I think I know who it is.

└ LOL, it’s obvious, isn’t it?

└ ??? Who is it???

└ Damn, stop talking about things only you guys know and tell us.

└ It’s HoneyTube.

└ It really seems like HoneyTube.

└ It has to be HoneyTube… He’s the one who uploaded the strategy video in such a short time.

The one who defeated the boss of the tutorial dungeon.

Countless people were convinced that the person who defeated him was HoneyTube.

It made sense because the strategy video was uploaded shortly after the realization occurred.

And the views on that dungeon strategy video exceeded 100 million.

It was evidence that many people around the world had cleared the dungeon using that strategy video.

He was the first to upload the strategy video, so it was safe to assume that he was the one who hunted the dungeon boss.

“Hun, what are you going to do now?”

His mother asked cautiously.

He had broadcasted the dungeon closing process, and it was all his son’s doing, even defeating the dungeon boss.

“I think it’s best to keep quiet for now.”

“Keep quiet?”

“Yes.”

The whole world was in chaos.

In this situation, if it was revealed that he had defeated the dungeon boss in the dungeon strategy video, countless troublesome situations would arise.

There was no need to create such a situation.

So Jeong-hoon intended to keep his mouth shut.

He had also contacted Ha-jin and Bong-Goo.

He told them never to reveal anything about this incident.

“You’re right. There’s no point in revealing it.”

His mother seemed to have the same thought and agreed with her son’s opinion.

“Yes.”

“But can we really hide it…? If people are determined to find out, they’ll find out…”

Many people were paying attention to HoneyTube because of the dungeon strategy videos.

If they were determined to find out, Jeong-hoon would be exposed soon.

“There’s a way.”

“A way?”

“Yes.”

Jeong-hoon smiled and entered the achievement shop.

[Category] – [Special]

There were a variety of items visible when entering the Special category.

Jeong-hoon scrolled down using the drag function.

As he quickly scanned through the items, he found the one he wanted.

[Identification Tag]

It was an item called an Identification Tag.

While the Disguise Potion Jeong-hoon had drunk was useful for concealing his appearance and class, this Identification Tag could hide his nickname itself.

It couldn’t hide his class or level, but it had the advantage of allowing him to use a dual nickname.

‘This should be quite useful.’

Jeong-hoon purchased one Identification Tag for 10,000 points.

[Set the nickname you want to use for the Identification Tag.]

‘Heaven-Defier.’

Jeong-hoon set the nickname as ‘Heaven-Defier’.

With this, he could change his nickname whenever he wanted, which would be a great help in concealing his identity.

If he also used the Disguise Potion to change his appearance and class, it would be perfect.

‘I’ve made sure the broadcasts are completely blinded, so it should be fine.’

No matter how skilled someone was, it wouldn’t be easy to go against the system created by New World.

“Your nickname has changed?”

His mother was surprised to see Jeong-hoon’s nickname change.

“I changed it using an Identification Tag.”

“Identification Tag?”

“Yes.”

Jeong-hoon explained to his mother how to purchase an Identification Tag and then instructed Ha-jin and Bong-Goo to change their nicknames using it as well.

They couldn’t hide completely, but at least for now, they could avoid troublesome situations.

Next, he called Yeo Min-ji.

[Yes!]

She must have been waiting for his call because it connected after only one ring.

“I was wondering how Park Jin-Hyeok is doing.”

[Park Jin-Hyeok? He’s currently gathering his guild members, and he said he’ll be here soon.]

“Then please tell him to be careful of Myth.”

[Myth… You’re right.]

Now that the realization had occurred, Myth would also take action.

‘The target is most likely me, but we can’t rule out Park Jin-Hyeok either.’

And with Lee Hwa-rang, who couldn’t play New World for a year due to the suspension, now able to move, it was better to be safe than sorry.

***

Earth Korea.

Except for the headquarters, all Earth Corporation and Genesis Corporation branches were in chaos.

It was because of the sudden dissolution announcement and the game becoming reality.

“Dungeons, NPCs…? The dissolution of Earth and Genesis is because of this, right?”

Oh Hye-young, an employee in the management team, asked Oh Jin-soo.

They had received the dissolution notice, but it wasn’t completely dissolved yet.

Perhaps that’s why more employees than expected came to work.

Of course, there was nothing to do.

The moment the countdown in the sky reached zero, New World was blocked.

The users who were playing New World through the capsules were forcibly logged out, and the capsules that were working fine suddenly stopped functioning.

“…”

Oh Jin-soo, the head of the management team, nodded silently.

He couldn’t deny that the situation happening outside was similar to New World.

He had witnessed with his own eyes that stats had manifested in reality and skills were being used.

But there was also a sense of doubt in his mind.

The game has become reality?

No matter how much he thought about it, it was hard to believe.

“Then what happens to us?”

“Yeah… We couldn’t even play New World…”

The biggest problem was that the employees of Earth and Genesis hadn’t been able to play New World.

From the moment they joined the company, there was a clause stating they couldn’t play New World.

Because of this, with the realization, they were at the same level as ordinary people.

Oh Jin-soo was no exception.

===

[Player Information]

-Nickname: None (Please set a nickname.)

-Level: 1

-Class: None

===

The information displayed before him.

Level 1, and he didn’t even have a nickname set.

“Sigh, this is driving me crazy.”

Oh Jin-soo let out a soft sigh.

And then it happened.

[To all employees who have worked hard after joining Earth Corporation.]

Suddenly, such a message appeared.

“Wh-what?”

“Huh?!”

It wasn’t just Oh Jin-soo; the message appeared before all the other employees as well.

[We would like to offer a very special opportunity to all employees who have worked hard.]

[We are planning to add various systems for Earthlings and intend to convert all employees who have worked in New World into NPCs.]

[At the same time, Earth and Genesis will be dissolved, and a new organization, the New World Association – South Korea, will be established to manage it.]

NPCs.

In simple terms, were they asking them to become game assistants?

Oh Jin-soo was dumbfounded.

How was this a special opportunity?

“…This doesn’t seem like a bad offer.”

Oh Jin-soo frowned at his team member’s mumbling.

“Not a bad offer? It sounds good, but it’s basically telling us to become dogs.”

“So what? We couldn’t even play New World, so our levels are all 1. How are we supposed to raise them?”

“…”

He had no words to refute that.

Even though they knew New World better than anyone else, they were no different from ordinary people.

If they were attacked by monsters, they would lose their lives.

Even if they knew the strategies, they couldn’t implement them because they lacked the ability to do so.

[Oh! There is no right to refuse.]

An additional message was sent, causing a stir among them.

They were already being forcibly dissolved, and now they were being forced to become NPCs?

“That’s nonsense!”

Oh Jin-soo jumped up from his seat.

Even though he had joined Earth Corporation tempted by the conditions and had worked his hardest, he had never once thought of himself as a slave.

But wasn’t this the same as being a slave?

[NPC conversion in progress.]

[1%]

Struggling was pointless.

The NPC conversion was proceeding forcibly.

“Ugh… What’s happening? Manager… My head feels strange…”

At that moment, one of his team members stumbled and collapsed on the spot.

His face was pale, and blood was flowing from his nose.

“Byeong-jin! Open your eyes!”

“Cough…”

The man called Byeong-jin trembled violently.

Oh Jin-soo hurriedly tried to call for paramedics, but the call wouldn’t connect.

“What’s going on… Why is this happening all of a sudden?”

Oh Jin-soo couldn’t hide his confusion.

The smartphone that had been working fine until just now suddenly went dead.

“Ugh!”

“Aaaah!”

One by one, other team members started collapsing as well.

And they all showed the same symptoms as Byeong-jin.

“Is everyone okay?!”

As Oh Jin-soo hurriedly checked on his team members.

“Ugh!”

An indescribable headache and severe dizziness hit him, and Oh Jin-soo also collapsed.

‘Is this what NPC conversion is like…?’

Oh Jin-soo struggled to hold onto his fading consciousness, but with the pain in his head feeling like a lightning strike, he lost consciousness.

———-