Above Your Head

It would be on an entirely different scale from what it had been until now.

And just as she said, Genie implemented the changes.

Beeep!

A week later, I heard a warning sound from a gigas. It was coming down from the wall after a long fight. To be exact, the sound was coming from inside the gigas, but my hearing had become more sensitive these days.

Mr. Macron, you must go back to the Unique World to take care of your business.

“B, but Miss Genie! I can’t hold it in right now. It’s number one, can’t you let me off once?”

There will be a fine of 10 gallats if you decide to go ahead.

“10 gallats! Hmm, 10 gallats… Hmm…!”

Fines were to be paid in gallats, the common currency of the Great Universe and the Unique World. 10 Gallats were equivalent to about 200,000 won (~200 USD). It was enough money to eat about 20 decent meals or buy 4 decent game titles.

‘I think it’s five gallats for defecating and ten gallats for urinating.’

To put it simply, one needed to pay 100,000 won to poo, and 200,000 to pee! Naturally, the fine for urinating was higher because water was more valuable in the Unique World.

‘This seems a little harsh, but at the same time, it’s a little ambiguous.’

People could not even protest against the new rules because the combat teams took shifts of 24 hours. There would be no problems if they emptied themselves before the stage, then held on for a single day. In addition, they needed to be powerful fighters to be a part of the combat team. It was not a serious matter for them to hold their urges for 24 hours or to pay a fine of 10 gallats.

In the end, it wasn’t the fines that were coercing them, but Genie herself.

“Ha. Fine. If it’s Miss Genie’s wish, I will be patient for another two hours.

How excellent.

“What’s excellent about holding back my pee?”

The player muttered grumpily.

However, this was just the tip of the iceberg. The Thrifty SimCity of Genie went far beyond simple regulations of peeing and pooping.

“Uwaah! I want to eat meat! I’m sick of bread! Genie! Don’t you think having us eat 4 loaves of 30-centimeter bread is too much? When I’m done eating, I don’t even have an appetite for anything else!”

“That’s right. Ten liters of water a day… I’m not even a Life Energy Practitioner…”

“Don’t even speak if you don’t know. Us Life Energy Practitioners are required to eat 12 loaves of bread and drink 30 liters of water! I’m not some hippo or anything!”

People grumbled collectively in front of Genie’s metal body, which was always on standby in Center City. Naturally, it had no effect.

If I could have it my way, I would feed all of you twice as much as I do now. You should know that I’m showing extreme restraint.

“Hiek. 8 loaves of bread and 20 liters of water? I’m going to die while eating!”

Hold it in.

“Oh my god!”

People sighed but eventually accepted it and moved on.

One day passed.

One week passed.

Another month passed.

Finally, people began to complain.

“This is just too much!”

“I’m gaining weight! Look at me! Don’t you know how bad carbohydrates are for dieting?”

“I want to eat something else! This bread is dirty and tasteless, damn it!”

“Booo! Stop this food torture!! This isn’t some militaristic regime!”

There was quite a bit of resistance. In addition, there were other problems.

“Ahk! My stomach!”

“Y, you fool! Did you eat the bread from the stage?”

“Yes… My mother was having a hard time eating it…”

“You fool! I told you that only players can eat the food from the stage. You were born here, so when you eat the food from the stage, it disappears from your stomach!”

When the food disappeared from inside the stomach, a vacuum was created for an instant and people got sick. The situation was even worse if the food disappeared after being absorbed into nutrients of the body.

“Cough! Bwaaagh!”

“Oh my! Come on, take them to the hospital!”

Problems were starting to break out here and there, and the resistance grew stronger and stronger. IT was to the point where protests started to take place. Genie eventually found a solution after long contemplation.

Chiiiiie--!

Freezers 1 through 10 have finished opening. Exiting Ice Age!

Freezers 11 through 20 have finished opening. Exiting Ice Age!

Freezers 21 through 30 have finished opening. Exiting Ice Age!

She started waking the frozen players. The people of the Unique World were expectant.

“Phew, what a relief! Our population has nearly doubled, so the quota should be cut in half, right?”

Indeed, the quota was reduced – to three loaves of bread and seven liters of water a day.

“What the hell is this!? It’s literally unchanged from before!”

I’m being as generous as possible.

“Look here, Miss Genie! This is just being way too greedy!”

The people were taken aback. But their agitation was nothing compared to those who were awakened from the freeze.

“I made a determination when I became frozen, but to think I would be thawed to serve as a pooping machine…”

Even with such lamentations, there were no actual complaints from those released. They were compensated accordingly by being provided with residence in the Unique World and given citizenship in the Unique World.

Moreover, the thawed players had lived in the stage, living day by day in fear of death, and also experienced a war in which countless people had died. Their lives had been stretched tight like a rubber band, so the newly provided life of relaxation was a gift to them. Having to eat three loaves of bread and seven liters of water a day was not burdensome for them.

Two years passed.

An additional 100 freezers were released. The number of people in the Unique World was nearly 2 billion. The thawing process sped up even more.

Bringing in food and water to the Unique World wasn’t akin to having a simple meal. It wasn’t that straightforward. Rather, the process was an addition and transition into the ecosystem of the Unique World. Water bottles and loaves of bread dropped by the Death Knights were diligently transported by the combat teams, digested by the players, then accumulated in the ecosystems of the Unique World. Genie possessed the science and technology of a Type III civilization, which meant that she could easily separate urine into different elements, including potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus. As time passed, the ecosystems of the Unique World became more abundant.

Three years passed.

With an influx of people wanting to fight, the number of players in the combat teams increased from 10,000 to 100,000. Accordingly, the supply of the dropped items increased as well.

Four years passed.

The war situation was changing rapidly. The Death Knight Kings finally began to appear. They should have appeared earlier on, but we had been dragging out feet for many years. With the change, hundreds of casualties were reported.

A massive funeral was held in Center City.

I could hear the participants’ whispers as I observed the event.

“Yes. We were still living in the apocalypse. It had been so peaceful that I almost forgot.”

“But… I’m relieved. I think it was only a short while ago when hundreds of millions of people died. We couldn’t even afford to be sad back then.”

Five years passed.

The rate of thawing increased and more and more people were released. Center City grew in size day by day.

Six years passed.

The city of wizards, Seven-colored Magic Tower was constructed (the name of the city was literally Magic Tower).

Blue metal, the city of artisans, was erected.

Then,

Ten years passed.

“Congratulations!!”

“Have a wonderful life!”

I quietly observed the couple being blessed by so many people. People buzzed after belated noticing my presence.

“Wow! It’s Iron Mask!”

“Dae-ha-him!!! Dae-ha-nim! I’m a huge fan!”

“I heard that Jae-seok-nim and Dae-ha-nim were friends before, but I never believed it…”

I made my way through the crowd and shook hands with Jae-seok.

“Congratulations on getting married.”

“Thank you. You made it.”

“Of course. It’s not like I’m busy with anything.”

Jae-seok grinned. His body was nothing short of a human weapon, but it was wrapped in a well-fitting suit. I could already see the years on his face.

“Hi Dae-ha!”

“Hello, ma’am.”

“What did you say!? Ma’am? Ugh! Why isn’t this guy getting old?”

I smiled as Kyung-eun swung her fists threateningly. Her belly seemed slightly swollen over the wedding dress. As Kyung-eun greeted other friends, I asked Jae-seok.

“Is this going to be okay?”

“The wedding? We’ve basically been married for almost 10 years anyways, just without the ceremony.”

“Not that, but the kid. I thought you didn’t have any intentions.”

Jae-seok took on a serious expression at my words.

“Yes. That was the plan. It was a mutual agreement between Kyung-eun and I as well… But… Dae-ha.”

Jae-seok suddenly smiled.

“I am so happy right now.”

“Good. That’s enough.”

I hugged him. I took my place in the prepared seat and watched the wedding ceremony.

When I observed my surroundings, I noticed a familiar face next to me.

“Seon-ae?”

“…long time no see.”

It was Seon-ae, my desk mate from high school. She gave a light wave of her hand. She was wearing a apricot jacket with an elegant skirt. I was slightly surprised at her appearance.

“You haven’t changed a bit.”

Even after spending more than 30 years in the Unique World, her appearance remained mostly unchanged. Just like back on Earth, she only looked to be in her mid-20’s.

“I can’t even hold a candle to you.”

Seon-ae had a relaxed expression on her face, unlike in the past. I checked the title above her head.

Iron World

Lee Seon-ae, the Great Spirit

Surprisingly, she was maintaining her abilities from when she was transformed while maintaining herself. At her current level, she could be counted as one of the top three players in the Unique World. She must have come to a conclusion regarding her identity and abilities during her time in the Unique World.

“…I hope you live happily ever after.”

Min-kyung, Kyung-eun’s older sister, stood in the officiant seat. It was rare for such a young woman to officiate, but no one seemed to find it strange, given her position and status. After the wedding ceremony, Jae-seok and Kyung-eun left the wedding hall while receiving everyone’s blessings. Outside the wedding hall, Red Phoenix, the beast-rank gigas, was waiting for the wedded couple with its wings spread wide.

“Have a safe trip!!”

“Whooo!”

“Congratulations on your wedding!”

Kyung-eun boarded the Red Phoenix. Jae-seok looked rather awkward as he climbed the arms of the gigas. After lowering its body,

Boom!

The Red Phoenix kicked off the ground and flew into the sky.

“Congratulations~!!”

“Wow!! How cool!”

The wedding concluded with the cheers of the crowd. No formal process followed, such as giving greetings to the grown-ups and entertaining the crowd. The two would fly to their chosen honeymoon spot.

“It’s over.”

I stood up without hesitation. People stole glances at me and whispered, but no one dared to come up and talk to me recklessly. My position was absolute in the Unique World.

“Thank you.”

I turned my head at the unexpected remark. Seon-ae was bowing her head.

“…I’ve always wanted to say this.”

“It’s nothing.”

I waved my hand and left my seat.

Time passed again.

Fifteen years passed.

I attended a funeral. It was the funeral of Aegis, the Guard. He, who had screamed and begged to be relieved of his duties, had finally passed on. Naturally, I had no honor to mourn his death. It wasn’t as if I ever made a human connection with him.

I didn’t participate just because it was a funeral. Funerals weren’t rare in this world. However, I attended this particular funeral because it was a little different than the ones held thus far.

“He’s lived a blessed life. He lived a good life.”

“He suffered because of the damned stage, but at least he was comfortable as he passed.”

After observing the guards bowing and talking to each other for a while, I turned around and left the hall. The implications of this funeral were quite large.

No one had hurt Aegis, but he was dead.

He had been a powerful man who was over level 15. Even though he possessed abilities that transcended ordinary people, he had been unable to escape from death.

The cause of his death was old age.

It’s starting.

“Well, it’s something I had been worried about for a long time.”

I let out a small sight.

It was just as Genie said.

His death was just the beginning.