Kang Oh and Asu held hands. There was a beautiful sunset stretched out in front of them.
They were in Maroon Hill, a place where the sunset could always be seen. And they werenât interrupted by anyone else either!
âItâs as beautiful as ever,â Asu said.
This was her third time here. As always, the sunsetâs glow was more beautiful than any gem.
Kang Oh and Asu watched the sunset for some time while holding hands.
Their hair fluttered in the cool breeze, and Kang Ohâs voice was carried on the back of the wind.
âWhere should we go tomorrow?â
Once he finished Valanâs quest, he went on dates with Asu whenever he had spare time. Sometimes they were short and sometimes they were long; it depended on their schedules.
âWhere do you think we should go?â Asu asked back.
âAs long as Iâm with you.â
âReally? Then letâs go there.â Asu grinned.
âWhat?â Kang Ohâs eyes widened.
âSomething wrong?â Asu sported a mischievous expression.
Asu wasnât just any idol, she was a really popular one! What would happen if he showed up to an amusement park with her?
âThe paparazzi will have a blast, thatâs for sure.â
To be honest, Kang Oh didnât care if their relationship was revealed to the public. No, he actually wanted to reveal it eventually. It would be like saying to the world âsheâs mineâ.
However, he didnât want other people to gossip about their love life, and he didnât want to damage her reputation either.
âAn amusement park doesnât soundâŠâ Kang Oh said, sporting an awkward expression.
âNo? Oh, thatâs weird. You were the one who said youâd go anywhere I wanted when you were finished with your job.â Asu stared at him piercingly. It was as if lasers were coming out.
âIf itâs alright with you, then we can go. But are you sure itâll be ok?â Kang Oh said with genuine concern.
âItâll be fine. I have an idea.â Asu pounded on her chest. âTrust me.â
Kang Oh couldnât help but look concerned.
The weather was so clear. There wasnât a single cloud in the sky, and there was a refreshing breeze blowing.
Underneath that fair skyâŠ
There was a giant amusement park rife with cries of excitement and fear. This is the amusement park Jae Woo and Soo Ah chose. They came with their arms linked together, but they werenât wearing hats, sunglasses, or masks to disguise themselves.
Did she not care if word got out that she was dating someone?
Then, something strange happened. Countless people passed Kang Oh and Soo Ah. Not a single one of them recognized her though.
They didnât notice the popular girl group, Triple Lowerâs main vocalist for godâs sake! What was going on?
âHehe.â Soo Ah laughed.
Jae Woo scratched his cheek. He had been worried about coming to an amusement park, but it looks like his concerns werenât necessary.
âThis place will be fine.â
Jae Woo took a look around. Yes, it was an amusement park, but it wasnât an actual amusement park. After all, there were rides and attractions far larger than any in real life.
It was basically the virtual reality version of Rollercoaster Tycoon. The game allowed players to construct their own amusement park!
Players could ride their own roller coasters, and they could also come to other peopleâs amusement parks too.
It wasnât a popular game, but it had a cult following.
Anyhow, they were inside Rollercoaster World!
It was an amusement park created by an ardent fan of the game, âTycooniâ.
What about Jae Woo and Soo Ah?
They were having a date using their scanned characters.
âThis is nice,â Soo Ah said.
No one recognized her here. Aside from them, everyone that moved was an NPC. This place was like heaven to her, as she didnât have to worry about what other people thought.
âOppa, letâs ride that one.â Soo Ah grabbed his hand. She had pointed at a giant roller coaster that looked like a tigerâs open mouth.
Jae Woo sported a bitter expression. To be honest, he wasnât really good at riding roller coasters.
When he was young, or to be more specific, when his father was still alive, he had come to an amusement park with his parents. That was when heâd ridden his first roller coaster. Although it was meant for kids, the mini roller coaster was still quite the frightening experience for him.
Jae Woo could still remember it clear as day. He could remember how scared he was. After that experience, Jae Woo hadnât been fond of roller coasters.
It was basically childhood trauma.
âBut itâs virtual reality, so I should be ok, right?â
âWhatâs wrong, Oppa?â Soo Ah stared at him.
âYeah, letâs go!â Jae Woo hid his frightful expression.
âYeah, Iâll be ok. Itâs virtual reality, after all!â
He dragged his feet across the floor as if he were bound in shackles, and followed Soo Ah.
âGyaaa, this is so fun!â
Though their arms were linked together, their reactions were completely different. One was pitifully crying out for his mother, while the other was enjoying the thrill of the ride.
âHeok, heok!â Kang Oh covered his mouth. He felt nauseous. His body shook too.
There was something heâd forgotten. It was because it was virtual reality that the creators went all out.
Plus, Rollercoaster World was designed specifically to replicate the thrill that you would experience in a real rollercoaster.
Thus, the roller coasters here were actually scarier than the ones in real life. As he didnât have much experience with roller coasters, these rides were akin to brutal monsters that were far higher leveled than him.
The rollercoaster heâd just ridden was proof of that.
âIt was called Happy Rollercoaster, right? What a load of shit!â
The creatorâs naming sense was the worst. âHow could you put âhappyâ in the name!?â.
âOppa, are you ok?â Soo Ah asked, looking concerned.
âI-Iâm ok. Iâm fine!â Jae Woo acted tough, but he didnât look ok at all.
âLetâs take a break.â
Soo Ah was definitely a considerate woman.
âYeah.â Kang Oh obediently followed her.
Soo Ah sat him down on a nearby bench, and then sat beside him.
âNow then!â She tapped her thighs. âLay down!â
âExcuse me.â Jae Woo laid his head on her lap.
She stroked his forehead with her hand. Both her thighs and hand were soft. Jae Wooâs lips naturally curled upwards.
âLooks like youâre not good with roller coasters,â she said teasingly.
ââŠI never said I was,â Jae Woo replied a bit sullenly.
âHmph. You kill monsters so easily, but you canât handle roller coasters?â
âYeah. Iâd rather fight a dragon.â
âIf you do something bad, then I guess I should make you ride a rollercoaster from now on.â Soo Ah sported a wicked expression. She was like a cute little demon.
âThen letâs ride some more roller coasters!â
âUheok!â Jae Woo flinched.
Soo Ah screamed with laughter.
Fortunately, Soo Ah let him off easy. She didnât force him to ride the most intense rides. They had a normal date instead.
âWhy am I wearing this?â Jae Woo pointed at his cute bunny ear hairband.
On the other hand, Soo Ah wore a tiger hairband. Of course, she still looked cute with tiger ears.
âItâs a herbivore.â Soo Ah smiled impishly.
âWhat?â Kang Oh said angrily.
âWhatâs wrong? Want to ride on another rollercoaster? Thereâs one called Mega SwingâŠâ
It was frightening just hearing it.
âWant some?â He quickly switched topics. Kang Oh pointed at a cotton candy stand.
The two bought one and shared it.
âLetâs go to the zoo.â Soo Ah licked her fingers and led the way.
The zoo, which was a part of the amusement park, was different from normal zoos. It was a giant grassland area with tigers, elephants, and even extinct creatures like mammoths, triceratops, etc.
However, there was no fence around the animals. You could observe and touch the animals from up close. Hurray for virtual reality!
âOppa, look at him!â Soo Ah picked up a baby bunny.
It threateningly bared its teeth, but because it was so young, it looked cute instead.
âOh, so cute!â Soo Ahâs eyes gleamed.
But then, something unexpected happened.
âHey!â Soo Ah said hatefully. The baby bunny was peeing all over her!
Jae Woo couldnât contain his laughter. âHey, nice shot!â he thought, and began clapping.
âOppa!â Soo Ah yelled.
It felt like the pain heâd experienced had washed away.
Their remaining time was filled with plenty of memorable, happy moments.
After seizing both the Baiyan and Dellas kingdoms, the Arabas army returned to the cheers of its citizens.
âArabas! Arabas! Arabas!â
The triumphal arch opened, and the Arabas army proudly marched into the city.
The military band sang sonorously.
A Pegasus, ridden by a handsome man, swooped down to the ground.
The citizens cheered his name. It was only natural. He was the great general that conquered both the Baiyan and Dellas kingdoms!
The Arabas Kingdomâs most beautiful women, who were called the Black Pearls of the Desert, threw flowers at him.
Dukeram softly waved his hand and flew towards the imperial palace.
âOoh, youâre here!â the Arabas King said. He was nothing more than the Empire Guildâs puppet.
The king and the nobles passionately stared at Dukeram. Since they had purged all the dissenters, they were made up of the Empire Guild.
In other words, they had full control of the Arabas Kingdom now. No one could touch Dukeram or the Empire Guild.
âI completed my mission.â Dukeram knelt on one knee and made a fist.
âGood work. Go on and rest. Iâll reward you afterwards.â
âThank you very much!â Dukeram stood up and headed to the side. That was where the Empire Guildâs mastermind, or Jegal, was located.
âWe will begin stabilizing our territory now. We have to ensure that our new land is firmly under our control.â
âAnd what comes after?â
âThe kingdom will become an empire. Of course, the emperor will change.â Jegal smiled wickedly. âThe new empire will likely be called the Dukeram Empire,â he added.
In the future, the puppet king would abdicate the throne to Dukeram. They had already purged all the dissenters, and Dukeram was extremely popular with the people.
There was no one here that could prevent Dukeramâs rise to power.
âSounds good.â Dukeram beamed.
He was just waiting for the day. Since times long gone, men have always hoped to experience a coronation!
The Arabas Kingdom focused on destroying all traces of resistance.
Resistance groups popped up every day, but they were mercilessly killed by the Arabas Kingdomâs military might.
When the flames of resistance were quelled, the people of Baiyan and Dellas bowed their heads in surrender to the Arabas Kingdom, no, the Empire Guild.
Rumors were secretly being spread that the Arabas King was planning on abdicating the throne to Dukeram.
It was almost time for the three eastern kingdoms to join as one.