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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: A Hundred Years
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Niflheim Empire.
It's the empire that serves as the main stage for Dungeon Replay.
Even though there's supposedly a world beyond the city walls.
In the game, it's mostly just briefly mentioned and glossed over.
As such, the Niflheim Empire's power across the continent is absolute.
'For such an empire to be rounding up necromancers.'
On the rooftop of a building reached by Bone Broom.
Leyzon was lost in thought.
Two stories he'd heard from the old man.
One was the collapse of the Gray Mage Tower, the necromancers' mage tower.
The other was the Niflheim Empire's manhunt for necromancers.
These two were clearly events that hadn't existed back when Leyzon was playing.
'If only I could figure out why.'
From the old man's reaction, it was obvious this was something ordinary folk didn't know.
Normally, Leyzon would have just shrugged it off.
But right now, his class was Poison Necromancer.
His gray irises were proof enough for anyone to spot him as one.
"Hmm."
Leyzon tapped his chin.
Leyzon had made up his mind to find a way back.
So what did he need to do to get back?
'The most promising bet is clearing the game.'
This was a world built around the game, after all.
It was only natural to think of that first.
So what did it take to clear the game?
'Dungeon Replay is fundamentally an open-world game.'
Open world.
A game where players roam and explore a virtual world freely.
But it did have a clear central storyline.
'Clear the given story, and the ending credits are guaranteed to roll.'
Sure, you could keep playing after the credits.
But the credits themselves were real enough.
'There are two storylines that trigger ending credits.'
First: the Dungeon Ending.
The empire houses four great dungeons of the highest difficulty.
Hell Realm, Celestial Realm.
Forsaken Prison Realm, Great Net Realm.
Clear all four scattered across east, west, south, and north.
The player is hailed as the hero who accomplished the empire's greatest feat.
Then the ending credits roll, and the game is cleared.
'The problem is, the Dungeon Ending requires forming a party.'
Dungeon Replay demands parties for higher-level dungeons.
In a game, you could boss NPCs around freely.
But this was reality now.
'...Will people actually follow my lead?'
Honestly, it wouldn't be easy.
'If I build it from people who actively heed my words, it's not impossible.'
But finding them? Easier said than done.
Such loyalty was rare even in the real world.
And above all, Leyzon faced the biggest hurdle in party recruitment.
The empire's outright rejection of necromancers.
Finding anyone willing to party with one was the first problem.
Leyzon let out a breath.
'Don't give up that quick.'
There were ways; he just had to find them.
And while searching, keep other options open.
'Dungeon Replay's second ending.'
This one was a bit unusual.
Second: the Founding Ending.
An ending where you establish an independent nation separate from the empire.
You might wonder what the point is with an empire already standing.
But it was a legitimate ending, so there wasn't much to argue.
What were the Founding Ending's conditions?
Recruiting the major factions.
Key imperial figures, renowned individuals, large guild masters—all of them.
Once you've swayed enough, declare nationhood on a plot of city-sized land.
Then the credits roll.
'There used to be a quest window for the founding conditions.'
But in this reality, no such window appeared.
Which made it vaguer than the Dungeon Ending right now.
'Plus, difficulty-wise, this one's way tougher.'
A necromancer hunted by the empire swaying its luminaries?
Naturally, no walk in the park.
'On top of that, there was a personal fame requirement.'
To declare founding.
How much fame the player had built up.
An essential condition for the Founding Ending.
"Kuh-huhm."
A groan escaped Leyzon's lips.
"No clue."
And with that, he reached a breezy conclusion.
No point racking his brain for an answer that wouldn't come right now.
'First up, figure out this eye color.'
Mages had eye colors matching their affinities.
Leyzon the necromancer had gray ones.
Fix that alone, and he could mingle with people.
As Leyzon mulled it over.
'Hold on.'
A sudden realization hit him.
'The character auto-hunted all the way up to my possession.'
There had to be a way it'd hidden being a necromancer this whole time.
Leyzon opened his mini backpack.
A mask appeared in his hand.
"No way."
Leyzon skeptically slipped the mask over his face.
In that instant, it turned semitransparent.
He whipped his head around.
His reflection stared back from a darkened window.
His eyes gleamed brown.
And his face was subtly altered too.
The character Leyzon had possessed was strikingly handsome.
Dungeon Replay used random customization.
Leyzon's race was Half Dark Elf.
Elves, the race of beauty.
So Leyzon had a handsome look.
But now it differed from the original.
His nose bridge was slightly flattened, eyes smaller.
Lips thicker than before.
In a word: ugly, with a rough, menacing vibe.
Perfect for a movie villain.
"Changes a person's whole impression this much."
No wonder folks obsessed over plastic surgery.
Leyzon balled his fists.
Sure enough, there's always a way out, even if the sky crumbles.
Leyzon curled his lips into a grin.
'From here on, I'm Leyzon.'
Couldn't stick with Ryu Han-hyuk in this place.
Had to go with the given name.
"Leyzon. Nice ring to it. Auto-generated or not, it's a good one."
A name that felt like it'd bring good fortune.
Leyzon spun his Bone Broom.
And sneaked down to the ground alongside it.
His wounds weren't fully healed—body still a wreck—but.
Leyzon headed straight for the Pioneer Guildhall.
'First, renew the Pioneer ID.'
Pioneer.
The catch-all term for dungeon clearers.
The Pioneer Guildhall managed them all.
Normally, Pioneer IDs auto-renewed on clears.
But now that it was real.
They had to be renewed manually.
Leyzon had a bigger reason for renewing his.
'Check the Ascension EXP from all that auto-hunting.'
Ascension.
Dungeon Replay's growth system.
Ascension's perks came in two flavors.
Character stat boosts.
Skill socket unlocks.
Ascension was the core of character progression.
But it had trial conditions attached.
Meet the Pioneer Guildhall's trial demands.
Then you ascend.
Fail the Ascension trial?
Even full EXP wouldn't advance you.
'Ascension EXP itself has no cap, though!'
That was exactly why Leyzon wanted to check it.
A full decade of auto-hunt.
Had to have piled up a mountain of Ascension EXP.
How many Ascensions could he pull off? The anticipation built.
'On top of that.'
Auto-hunt included resource farming.
'Ten years of nonstop gear and riches flowing in!'
All stored in the Pioneer Guildhall vaults.
Mouth watering already.
Time to savor the true delight of auto-hunting.
'Hang on, these streets look way off from memory.'
He'd been trekking diligently when.
Leyzon sensed the surroundings had changed drastically.
Colorful roofs, medieval buildings.
Fantasy garb.
Paved roads bricked one by one, unlike back home.
'Dot graphics back then, maybe?'
Navigation was tricky.
'Even so, it feels excessively altered.'
Still, nice to look at—almost enjoyable.
Night streets aglow with floating lanterns instead of electric lights.
Workers chatting amiably on their way home.
Felt like journeying through the game itself.
'Not half bad.'
The game world he'd dreamed of as a kid.
Seeing it for real? Definitely not unpleasant.
More romantic than any overseas trip.
'Yeah, ten years can transform a landscape.'
Ten years since he'd left Dungeon Replay idle.
Streets evolving? Natural.
Suddenly—
Leyzon halted dead.
Onlookers passed with puzzled glances.
But he stood rooted, unmoving.
Slowly, he touched his mouth with a hand.
"...Wait."
He mumbled blankly.
And small wonder.
Right then.
He realized one chilling mistake.
'...Ten years in reality.'
And ten years in-game.
'Are they really the same?'
An unconscious assumption.
Dawning on him, his pace quickened.
Here and there.
Nothing like the Niflheim Empire streets from the game.
Different.
Way too different!
Even accounting for ten years—too many changes!
"Hah, huff!"
His steps turned to a sprint before long.
And soon, the Pioneer Guildhall came into view.
Leyzon pulled up sharp in front of it.
"Kahaha! Today I made a killing!"
"Whoa, then treat us. Not always freeloading."
Raucous voices boomed from beyond the door.
Leyzon caught his breath.
Then slowly pushed the door open.
Creeeak—
Gazes turned from inside.
Casual looks as the door swung wide.
"Oh, it's the Earthhold Layer Spider Den vet."
"Coming at an off hour, and looking roughed up?"
"Something go down?"
"Heh, still a dark elf, but ugly as ever. Face like a thug."
"Scary enough at night to report! Kahaha!"
Their chatter drifted to Leyzon's ears.
They knew him.
But Leyzon had no time for them.
"Welcome, Leyzon. Late today."
The clerk spotted him, greeting warmly.
"And those wounds—you hurt? You okay?"
"I'm fine."
His mind raced with urgency.
Leyzon refocused and asked.
"Mind telling me the year, month, day?"
He needed the current date right now.
"Sure, it's 1531, September 11th."
Leyzon froze at the answer.
Then slowly pulled out his Pioneer ID.
The latest renewal record was printed on it.
The moment he saw it.
Leyzon's body began to tremble faintly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Korea's Provisional Government established in 1919.
And now, the 21st century.
A little over a century since Korea's founding.
How much had happened in those hundred years?
From independence to the IMF crisis and beyond.
Korea had pushed through countless hardships to reach today.
And now.
Leyzon had possessed into a world exactly a hundred years past the point he remembered.
"Whoa...."
He murmured his habitual exclamation.
His face went slack with shock.
It was only natural.
Leyzon possessed full knowledge of Dungeon Replay.
From in-game factions.
Market trends, prime farming gear, easter eggs—everything.
That intel alone could carry him far.
But a hundred years had passed.
All of it was obsolete.
Average human lifespan: eighty.
Even that owed to modern hygiene and medicine.
The medieval game world had far shorter lives.
Which meant faster turnover.
Regime shifts, leader deaths.
Market fluctuations.
Slower progress, but quicker changes.
Leyzon touched his face.
Why he'd mistaken the timeline.
Because he himself hadn't changed a bit.
Leyzon was a Half Dark Elf.
Elves lived long ages.
Half or not, an elf was an elf.
His lifespan was long accordingly.
'If I'd been human.'
He'd have died ages ago.
'...Dodged that bullet.'
Leyzon rubbed his dry face.
Almost ended up a corpse from the start.
Intel could be regathered.
Done it once, what's stopping twice?
And not all knowledge was lost.
Surely some usable bits remained.
'Dodged the worst. Second worst? Handle it myself.'
Getting isekai'd was absurd enough.
A century's gap? No need to freak.
Moping changed nothing.
Back to zero? Only way was up.
'Recap the situation.'
This era was a hundred years beyond what he remembered.
And an age where necromancers faced imperial persecution.
'So I've been auto-hunting for a hundred years?'
In other words.
A century's worth of Ascension EXP and riches piled up.
A slow smile crept across Leyzon's face.
Not pure loss.
A new edge had emerged.
How to wield it was all on him now.
Then, fleetingly.
Something crossed his mind.
'Wait, a hundred years?'
Leyzon's eyes narrowed.
A post about a century link popped up in memory.
Back when he was deep into Dungeon Replay.
He'd frequented boards sharing game lore.
One post stood out.
Dungeon Replay time accelerated ~100 years ahead. [109]
A coder's bored time-skip hack.
It drew tons of comments for one weird outcome.
At around a hundred years accelerated.
The Niflheim Empire had fallen.
Post owner said timelines varied, but.
On average, past a century.
The empire always collapsed.
Issue was, only the fall showed.
No details on how.
'...And a hundred years have passed.'
Leyzon glanced around.
Pioneers drank and bantered peacefully.
Empire hadn't fallen yet.
But maybe the process was underway.
'No clue why it falls.'
Still, a nation's downfall.
No telling what happens to its people.
'Let alone a world where game's reality.'
Mad mage nuking the empire.
God smiting it in rage.
Such things could happen anytime.
Leyzon staggered.
Before he could clear the game.
Its main stage, the empire, might crumble first.
"Uh, Leyzon?"
The pioneer clerk called out again.
Leyzon snapped his head up.
She eyed him with concern.
Blank staring, sudden grins—must've looked off.
Best not invite suspicion.
Leyzon steadied his breath.
'No telling when it falls, but not today.'
Plenty of wiggle room.
He mentally slotted "Empire Falls" as another ending.
A bad one.
'Clear Dungeon Replay before the empire does.'
Handle the top priority first.
"I'd like my stored items. And a Pioneer ID renewal."
She blinked at his words.
"Eventful day. Never thought I'd see Leyzon renewing."
A century without one—natural reaction.
'Mask or not, these are Half Dark Elf ears.'
Frequent visits, no odd looks.
"One sec."
She smiled, rummaged a drawer, pulled a key.
"I'll guide you to storage first."
She beckoned and stepped off.
Leyzon tailed her promptly.
He knew what was coming.
Pioneer Guildhall, imperial royal operation.
State-run perks galore.
Click—
The clerk opened a door.
Clunk—
A corridor stretched endlessly into view.
'Space magic corridor.'
For pioneers to safeguard assets securely.
Empire-backed vaults.
Numbered rooms lined it.
Each with unique codes, owner-only access.
"This way."
Leyzon followed her in.
Passed countless rooms.
She halted at one.
Pointed, then backed off.
"Leyzon's room. We'll renew the ID when you exit."
"Thanks for the guide."
He nodded thanks, faced the door.
Grabbed the knob.
Click—
Locks disengaged inside; door swung open.
His space alone.
Leyzon stepped through.
His eyes widened gradually.
Room bigger than imagined.
And inside? Beyond expectations.
A mountain of gold dazzled his vision.
Coins' gleam stung his eyes.
"Insane...."
Leyzon stared at the overflowing riches, mumbling blankly.
A century of auto-hunt bounty.
A fortune no lifetime could burn through.