The eldest son of a powerful family was evil after all

Yggdrasil had information crystals.

These crystals could hold vast amounts of data, and Roy naturally took full advantage of them to store the knowledge of human civilization.

He worried that the scientists he had arranged for might fail to cash out after he crossed over.

So he set aside time specifically to record humanity's scientific achievements.

Mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, language, history, and more.

Inside a game, he recorded all that knowledge in one information crystal after another.

That knowledge would have value in any world.

The enormous library held not only countless magic scrolls, but also the knowledge of a scientific civilization.

By the time Roy finished these preparations, it was already the twelfth year.

The game was about to shut down.

He had relaxed a little and planned to log in to admire everything he had accomplished over those twelve years.

After all, he had done his best. All that remained of his twelve-year plan was to cash out and leave in seven days.

When he returned with World City someday, he could use those fantasy crops to help people around the globe live better lives.

But a visit from his older brother made him forget to hide his login, triggering a server-wide announcement. Countless people pestered him in the world chat.

Some people who actually knew Roy also hurried to send him private messages.

"Pops, what brings you here?"

After switching his status to hidden, Roy couldn't help laughing.

"I'm not spending money anymore, and you're still calling me Pops?"

Matsuno Hideaki, the game's lead designer, scratched his head.

"I'm so used to it that I can't change overnight."

"Pops, the second game we've been working on will launch in six months."

"The closed beta is about to start. You absolutely have to come."

Roy bringing Yggdrasil to its end didn't mean the company was finished.

They had made more than enough money off Roy, so naturally they had developed a new game.

Roy laughed.

"Sure. As long as I'm alive, I'll definitely play."

If he died, there was nothing he could do.

Matsuno Hideaki took it as a joke and couldn't help asking:

"Pops, are you really not going to consider revealing your King of the World?"

"We could unlock every paid feature, get everyone on the server online, give them everything for free, and then have them challenge you, Pops!"

Twelve years. Twelve whole years.

Do you know what I've been through these past twelve years?

Ever since Roy started spending money, Matsuno Hideaki had been his point of contact.

He had poured untold effort into Roy's King of the World, his ten thousand original NPCs, and everything else.

Yet no one knew about any of it. They weren't even allowed to spread rumors.

Aside from spending money, Roy hadn't played the game at all as far as most players were concerned.

He was one of the game's greatest oddities, a mystery to countless players.

What exactly was he here for?

Some players speculated:

"He must be a paid shill, helping the game company scam people out of their money."

But after Roy purchased additional guild base slots, the guild's players all came forward.

"Anyone who dares call Lord Joshua a paid shill will get their damn head smashed in!"

What paid shill would spend fifteen million yen to help them increase their guild base limit?

Everyone had argued endlessly about what Roy was actually playing.

Never mind the players-even the lead designer, Matsuno Hideaki, couldn't understand it.

Was Roy really content to crush everything on the test server, never interacting with real players except to shop?

It made no sense. No sense at all.

How could anyone build such a perfect demon king's castle, only to sit inside it all alone?

Matsuno Hideaki felt he would never rest in peace if the game shut down like this.

He had to try persuading Roy one more time.

"No."

"A promise is a promise."

"I once promised someone that I would build the most perfect palace in the world, then preserve it quietly, without anyone knowing."

"A promise is a promise."

Roy knew that without an explanation, the man would keep pestering him.

He might as well lie to him.

Matsuno Hideaki finally made peace with himself. So that was why.

Now he could die content.

Matsuno Hideaki breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"Thank you for telling me, Pops. Was there anything else you needed to do online?"

Roy thought for a moment, then smiled and said:

"Enjoy the game."

"The game's shutting down, and there's still a whole pile of World Items that haven't been discovered."

"I might as well collect them all."

Roy played a personally customized version of the game. His access privileges were so extensive that he had even seen the backend editor.

He probably knew where those World Items were better than most of the company's employees did.

Matsuno Hideaki fell speechless on the spot.

Still, he had to provide professional service.

Although Roy had spent only a modest hundred million yen over the past two years, he was still an exceptionally valuable customer.

Especially since he would be spending money in their second game.

So even though Roy's spending had dropped dramatically, the game company continued to grovel before him.

Besides, wasn't a customer who spent a hundred million yen worth groveling to?

Matsuno Hideaki immediately said:

"Pops, we actually designed a few other things before."

"For example, the [Incredible Treasure Map]. It marks the exact coordinates of [unowned] World Items, as well as their new locations after their owners use them."

"There are only a few days left anyway. You can play however you like, Pops."

Now that's good stuff!

World Items, especially the strongest twenty, had one drawback: after being used, they disappeared and respawned somewhere in the world.

Previously, the lead designer hadn't dared offer this item for fear that Roy would recklessly use World Items and destroy the game's balance.

Now that the game was about to shut down, making sure Pops had fun was what mattered most.

As of now, fewer than half of the game's World Items had surfaced.

The rest remained undiscovered, including the [World Crown].

Getting all ninety-nine remaining items in the days he had left would be no easy task for Roy.

But he had already experienced it on the test server. Now he merely had to do it again on the live server.

He hadn't expected this pleasant surprise.

Roy couldn't help asking:

"What other good stuff do you have? Bring it all out."

"Make me happy over these next few days, and I'll spend a little more on your new game."

Top-ups had already been disabled a month before the shutdown.

There was no way to spend a fortune right before the servers closed.

The game company had a reputation to maintain, too. They couldn't let players keep topping up right before shutdown; that would cause an uproar and hurt their chances of milking people in the future. Morality had nothing to do with it.

That's exactly what we've been waiting to hear!

"Yes, Pops!"

"We've had everything ready for ages."

"At your service anytime!"

"For example, we designed the [Incredible Monster Compendium]. With it, you can summon any monster at any time to fight, Pops."

"The rewards for defeating them are the same."

"For example, we designed the [Incredible Scroll of Miracles]. For these seven days, you can use [Silver Bullets of Allure] without spending any gold, and the skill's usage limit will be removed."

Excellent, excellent. That's my boy.

Roy had originally only intended to collect the last World Items and then wait to cross over.

He hadn't expected the lead designer to contact him and, worried that he wasn't having enough fun, offer divine items they had already designed but couldn't release.

With these divine items in Roy's hands, the other players wouldn't get to enjoy any part of the game.

There were only seven days left, and the lead designer knew Roy very well.

Roy simply couldn't be bothered to interact with other players.

So he wasn't worried about Roy causing trouble and released these items.

Roy added:

"Pops is very pleased with what you've done."

"Open a temporary top-up channel for me. I'll put in some money as a reward for you all."

Matsuno Hideaki hurriedly said:

"Pops, how could we possibly take your money for this?"

"Do as you're told. Just transfer it over as a gift package when the new game launches."

Roy happened to need one final replenishment of Saint Quartz for World City. Once this opportunity was gone, there wouldn't be another.

Matsuno Hideaki was moved to tears. His position had remained secure for twelve years, and he had even achieved financial freedom, all thanks to Pops.

Pops! My own dear father!

"Your son will get right on it."

"Wait. There's one more thing."

Roy added:

"Over the coming days, keep a record of anyone who spends large amounts of money buying up game items."

Who would do something like that?

"Yes, Pops!"

Even if he didn't understand Roy's orders, he still had to carry them out.

If Roy discovered someone planning to disrupt the market, he wouldn't kill them or anything.

He would just have the game company ban their account for a week.

And have them implicated in some cases under investigation, so they couldn't go out and play games.

As for the reason, well, who told them not to wear a hat?

Roy wasn't afraid of other transmigrators. He was worried that their actions might reduce his chances of crossing over.

Yggdrasil couldn't be allowed to have anyone that ridiculously powerful.

The eldest son of a powerful family was evil after all.