My Lucky Encounter From The Game Turned Into Reality - M.L.E Chapter 60: Monopoly (Part 1)

Acquiring Chronicle Online, the game company?

Not a bad idea.

No matter how well-regarded a game company is, if its primary user base consists mainly of commoners, there’s a high chance of it being undervalued.

[WorldGames / Market Cap 102 trillion]

“Hmm… Doesn’t seem to be undervalued that much.”

Well, considering that Chronicle Online alone generates an annual net profit exceeding 10 trillion, it might be expected.

Moreover, during the investigation of the ownership structure, I decided to cleanly abandon the acquisition upon discovering that Elysia Union Bank was the largest shareholder.

The cash obtained through the Lucky Encounter comes through this bank.

Elysia Union Bank’s accounts are all encrypted and operated in a system where even administrators cannot peek into members’ accounts.

While this system is known for being exploited by nobles for tax evasion…Still, it was unnecessary to draw their attention for no reason.

“Now, what should I do?”

After much contemplation, I came up with a rather unpleasant plan.

“Should I buy slaves and set up a grinding operation or something?”

Since game avatars can be purchased from others, and by acquiring loyal slaves, there would be no need to worry about betrayal.

However, the issue lies in the fact that slavery is illegal in most countries in Rondel.

In the end, it means I have to get my hands dirty in illegal activities as well.

Although I couldn’t help but find it awkward, if it’s for the sake of growth, there might be things that can’t be avoided.

“No, still, being a lord from a democratic country and owning slaves doesn’t sound right.”

What should I do then?

Shall I use my remaining wish?

Here, the term “wish” refers to the act of exercising the administrator privileges of Chester, the manager of the Fate.

It was because I exercised his administrator authority that I was able to launder my money, to create Arcia’s family register, to forge some documents to make me an apprentice to the Duke of Riverdale, and to create the fake lucky encounter possessor.

Although I was granted a total of five administrator privileges when I reached the 7th circle, only one remains now.

So, unless it’s an extraordinary situation, I didn’t want to use it.

“Ah!”

Then, suddenly, a good idea struck me.

“Exclusive hunting ground!”

The monopolization of hunting grounds by large guilds is often referred to as the scourge of online games.

This wasn’t an exception for Chronicle Online.

Even in Chronicle Online, it wasn’t an exception. Powerful guilds didn’t hesitate to monopolize hunting grounds to obtain specific items or earn money more efficiently than others, a deed that could be seen as unpleasant by regular users. But for me, it seemed like a perfect fit at the moment.

Fighting in high-efficiency hunting grounds without worrying about people’s attention would lead to even faster growth.

“At the moment, all I have left is money, and what I lack is time.”

I thought it wouldn’t be difficult to claim a few exclusive hunting grounds using this approach.

“My one worry is that I have to interact with other users.”

“Well, we’ve been encountering quite a few users.”

“That’s right.”

Arsica’s words drove the wedge to a conclusion.

Immediately, I connected to the Chronicle Online community and searched for hunting grounds that suited my taste.

* * *

Considering that Chronicle Online has an average of 40 million concurrent users, one might think there would be a large number of servers. Surprisingly, this game is only operated on a single server and a single channel.

Instead, it adopts a method of increasing the scale of the world and creating many countries and continents, and managing them separately like servers.

Thanks to this, Chronicle Online boasts vastness to the point that it can be described as the second world, not just a simple game, and perhaps due to the realism created by virtual reality and the massive world, many users consider Chronicle Online to be more significant than real life when it comes to living their lives.

It was natural that the game, where everyone was equal, felt more like a utopia than a daunting reality.

The top users of Chronicle Online are those who make a living from the game.

This means they use the money earned in the game, whether through advertising or item trading, to support their real-life needs.

Among them, some earn a lot of money comparable to successful businesspeople, while others barely make enough to get by.

However, the number of people making a living from the game is minimal compared to the total user base, and it can even be said that their earnings are significant compared to the number of users.

“I heard that the game access time in our country will be doubled this time.”

“Really? That sucks.”

“Not too long ago, cash transactions for items were blocked, so now it seems like we have to do some hard work.”

“What if we sell items indirectly to a country where cash transactions are legal?”

“They’ll impose a tenfold fine if they catch you doing that.”

“Ugh, you’re right. It’s getting tougher to play games. Damn it! It would have been better if I had been born in the Elysia Union. Why are they making such damn restrictive regulations here?”

“Those damned noble made regulations too harsh since they don’t play games themselves.”

There were countries that imposed unimaginable regulations and penalties because they believed that games lowered the nation’s productivity. While users on Earth would oppose any infringement on their freedom in any way, it was structurally impossible in Rondel, where the class system existed.

On the outside, it was decorated more extravagantly and stylishly than anyone else, but inside, there were many cases where poor commoners lived there.

“Guild leader, someone has come to see you.”

“Who?”

“A magician in their 200s. However, they have a matter they wish to discuss and have requested a meeting with the guild leader.”

In Chronicle Online, there were 10 continents and 35 countries. This meant that the top 10 guilds represented the continents, and the top 100 guilds represented the three major guilds of the countries.

Ranked 98th overall and 3rd in their affiliated country, the “Black Dragon Guild” was a massive guild with 3,000 members, but they were typical gaming enthusiasts who could be described as living for the sake of the game.

As a large guild, they had their fair share of advertising sponsors, resulting in steady profits. However, due to the guild’s massive size, there was not enough income for all guild members to be comfortably engrossed in the game.

Furthermore, as the game became more niche, popularity and profitability began to decline, and regulations from various countries were tightening. In such a situation, the guild leadership had to worry about the future every day.

Amidst all this, the guild leaders could only have a dull reaction to a request that seemed like a mere prank.

“Just send them away. They’re probably just trying to join the guild with some trickery.”

Operating a large guild often meant encountering people trying to take advantage of them.

So the guild leader didn’t pay much attention.

However, under normal circumstances, a guild member would have shrugged and backed down. But this time, they persisted tenaciously.

“I think it might be a good idea to meet them.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

At this point, even the guild leader couldn’t help but show a puzzled reaction.

And then, the guild leader’s expression changed at the following words.

“He brought 10 Decatron Hearts as a gift. Furthermore, he’s equipped with the best cash equipment that can be worn at level 200. If we look only at the equipment’s basic stats, it might be better than an average max-level player’s, don’t you think?”

“Is that so?”

Decatron Hearts were high-priced enhancement materials, each costing 500,000 loots.

Not only did he offer such items as gifts, but he was also equipped with cash items that were extremely inefficient when considering cost-effectiveness was enough to attract interest. This story was intriguing enough.

“Is he a nobleman?”

“Well, they might just be wealthy.”

Nobles tended to disregard virtual reality. They could enjoy many things in real life, so there was no need to immerse themselves in virtual reality.