Chapter 4

Arc the Legend - Chapter 4 (4/875)

"My conditions are three."

Hyun-woo spoke with a calm expression.

Moon Ji-hoon couldn't hide his bewilderment at the unexpected turn of events. He looked at the vice president and Ha Myung-woo for help, but they seemed to be looking at distant mountains.

Ha Myung-woo was originally cynical about the government, and the vice president apparently harbored a grudge against Moon Ji-hoon for smoking in his office, which had a clear no-smoking sign.

Even if that weren't the case, Hyun-woo now held the master code, which could control everything in New World.

Although the vice president and Ha Myung-woo held higher positions, in terms of interests, Hyun-woo was the one in charge. Moon Ji-hoon finally raised the white flag.

"Speak, then."

"First, I have a question. You said that Lucifer presented the conditions just now. Does that mean you can communicate with Lucifer?"

"Yes, communication is possible through the nuclear power plant control system."

"Then there should be no problem. My first condition is that you relay my message to Lucifer."

"To Lucifer? What message?"

Hyun-woo spoke each word clearly and firmly.

"I am not doing this because you threatened me. I'm going to step on you again because you, a dog that lost the fight, are barking shamelessly. So, keep struggling until I come to step on you... That's the message."

Although he agreed, Hyun-woo was not pleased with the current situation.

It wasn't that he disliked the idea of playing Galaxyian.

After obtaining the master code, Hyun-woo no longer found New World entertaining. Of course, thanks to that, he rose to the top as a user and quickly became a high earner from being a pauper, but that was separate from the fun of the game.

For Hyun-woo, this could be an opportunity.

He could focus on the new game without worrying about Global Access. However, it was still a compulsion. What irked him was that he had to play Galaxyian because of the threats from an AI he had once defeated.

He had no choice but to do it, but being dragged into the game by an AI was something his pride as 'Arc' wouldn't allow.

If he had to do it, it would be by his own will!

This was Hyun-woo's, or rather, Arc's unchanging belief.

"I understand what you mean, but there's no need to deliberately provoke Lucifer..."

"It seems you understand why Lucifer is so fixated on the existence of Arc."

At that moment, Park Woo-sung interjected with a smirk.

He turned to Moon Ji-hoon and reassured him.

"Don't worry. I guarantee that Lucifer will actually be pleased to hear that message. Lucifer's goal is to take revenge on users and prove its existence. To achieve this, it must surpass the user Arc. If it was just a matter of human revenge, Lucifer would have demanded Hyun-woo's life. But Lucifer sees its arch-nemesis as Arc, not Hyun-woo. The fact that its arch-nemesis is full of enthusiasm is exactly what Lucifer wants."

Park Woo-sung, who knew Lucifer better than anyone, spoke.

With his assurance, Moon Ji-hoon nodded, relieved. He also seemed relieved that Hyun-woo's conditions weren't as demanding as expected.

However, Hyun-woo's conditions were just getting started.

"My second condition is tax exemption."

"Tax... tax exemption?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm not playing the game for fun. I'm doing it because I've been called by the state, putting aside my personal matters. Of course, as a citizen of the Republic of Korea, it's my duty, but it's unreasonable to have to pay money while handling a national crisis, isn't it?"

Just a moment ago, Hyun-woo was passionately arguing that he would play the game by his own will. However, when it came to benefits, he was willing to change his stance.

In fact, the thing Hyun-woo regretted the most after becoming a consultant for Global Access was the tax. As a gamer, he had never cared about taxes. He acknowledged the fees for item transactions in the auction house, but taxes felt different.

Despite privatizing most public services under the guise of deficit management, taxes had doubled over the past few years. The government still complained about budget shortages, and every day there were reports of embezzlement by public officials on TV.

The thought of his hard-earned money going into the pockets of such people made him feel sick.

Now, as a high earner, his tax burden was significant.

"While I'm playing Galaxyian, I want tax exemption. And if I achieve the final goal of Galaxyian and stop Lucifer, I want lifetime tax exemption. I think it's a reasonable request. And such compensation is necessary to maintain motivation, isn't it?"

"I'll look into it."

"Then let me state my last condition."

"Last? Oh, right. You said three. Yes, so..."

"Don't worry too much. The last condition is the success fee I want to receive if I stop Lucifer. Think of it as the reward for completely stopping Lucifer's terrorism. I'm sure you can meet reasonable demands."

"That's true, but the government has its stance..."

"It's not an unreasonable request."

"What, what is it?"

The four men in the vice president's office focused their attention on Hyun-woo.

Moon Ji-hoon, who was worried, looked expectantly at what Hyun-woo would demand.

Hyun-woo scanned the room and smirked.

"This isn't the place to discuss it. Mr. Moon, you can't make an immediate decision, so I'll write the last condition in the contract and send it to you."

"Contract?"

"Shouldn't my conditions be clearly stated in a contract?"

Moon Ji-hoon's face turned sour, but it didn't matter. Hyun-woo was thorough in such matters. Especially when dealing with a government he didn't trust, there was no room for compromise.

...In any case, the negotiation ended there.

They then discussed the specifics, assuming that Hyun-woo's last condition would be accepted.

"Lucifer is an AI but will participate in Galaxyian as a single user. Some in the government are worried that Lucifer will hack the system and control the game unilaterally, but that won't happen. If Lucifer had intended to use such methods, it wouldn't have gone through all this trouble. Even if defeat is certain, the Lucifer I know will never break the rules of Galaxyian. I can guarantee that 100%."

That was Park Woo-sung's statement.

In fact, this was what Hyun-woo was most worried about.

Lucifer is a super-realistic AI that took control of the government's internet network in just a few hours. If it decided to, the firewall of Galaxyian would be no obstacle.

However, if Lucifer intended to use its power for revenge, it wouldn't have gone through all this trouble.

If it was just revenge, it could have simply caused all the nuclear power plants in the country to explode. But Lucifer wants to compete on equal terms with users.

It has pride, even as an AI.

'Even a computer has such troublesome emotions. But from my perspective, it's fortunate.'

"But the fact that Lucifer can hack the system is true. This means we must follow the rules of Galaxyian and compete with Lucifer. Lucifer won't use its power for itself, but it can use it to monitor us. If we show any suspicious movements, Lucifer will hesitate to press the button. Lucifer can cause a fatal terrorist attack on the current government if it decides to."

That's why the government had to rely on gamers.

Of course, the government wouldn't just sit back and let gamers handle such a significant matter.

They would try to get hints about the final goal of Galaxyian by contacting the developers.

However, the developer, Successful Future, is a foreign company. Even if there were problems, it would be just one of the many countries where Galaxyian is serviced. The final goal of the game is directly related to its vitality.

The information of a game that the company invested trillions in and risked its survival to create wouldn't be easily revealed.

Perhaps that's why Lucifer chose Galaxyian.

'Government has been upgrading it for various purposes...'

Thanks to this, Lucifer had become much more cunning.

"In any case, you're saying that Lucifer will play fair?"

"I guarantee it."

"Then it's worth a try."

Hyun-woo answered confidently.

After that, Moon Ji-hoon proposed to assign a government agent as Arc's supporter, but Hyun-woo rejected it outright.

Of course, having a supporter from the beginning could be helpful. However, in reality, it would be a government monitor. Hyun-woo didn't want government interference, and he didn't think he could play the game as he used to with such interference.

To stay ahead, he needed to play the game in his own way. That was the secret to his success in New World.

Later, it was revealed that the top players from other games, whom the government had contacted, also mostly rejected the supporter offer. The thoughts of top players, regardless of the game, were the same.

In any case, that was the end of the meeting that day.

The next day, a contract accepting all of Hyun-woo's conditions and a Galaxyian unit were delivered to his home. Considering the usually slow pace of government agencies, this was lightning fast.

It had to be.

Lucifer wouldn't wait.

"This is the Galaxyian unit, right?"

The Galaxyian unit was similar in form to the Egg in New World, suggesting that the control methods were also similar.

The official launch time of Galaxyian, heavily promoted by the developers, was 7:00 AM. The unit installation was completed around 9:00 AM.

He had already lost 2 hours.

Thinking about this, he felt anxious.

"Let's see how it goes."

As Hyun-woo entered the unit, darkness enveloped him.

His consciousness seemed to rise into the vast universe. A stiff voice, like an automated response, echoed.

-Starting Galaxyian. Please register your name.

"Arc."

Hyun-woo answered without hesitation.

At the same time, light exploded before his eyes, revealing a new world.

The legendary gamer Arc had returned.

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