Level 0 Master

Prologue

Rumble! Kaboom!

The dark clouds covered the sky, making it hard to tell if it was day or night. Lightning was the only source of light. No human or animal should have been out in the relentless rain, yet two figures appeared; they were running in the darkness.

One appeared to be a lion, although not a normal lion with its unusual color and shape. The other figure was a slender girl riding atop the lion. Steady rain drops pelted her soft skin without mercy; the cold air made her weak.

The lion talked to the shivering girl.

"Rachel. Hang in there. When we cross the border and reach the land of the king from the other world, we will be able to rest."

Despite being exhausted, they were being chased and had to continue their journey.

"I'm…okay, Kuga."

Holding the lion's back with her arms, breathing heavily, Rachel tried to smile at the lion; it was a faint smile.

"Compared to the pain, this is nothing."

"Good. Hang in there. The king from the other world will save you. This is the future that the goddess promised you."

"Yes, I can't wait to meet him."

Rachel's eyes started to shine as if she was dreaming. Her dark eyes were pure and beautiful, like those of a child.

"Then I will be able to lay down in a warm bed?"

"Of course."

"I can eat my fill of bread as well?"

"Yes."

Her eyes shone even brighter when talking about her modest needs. On this dark and cold road, the only story that could soothe her was that of the king from the other world who would save her.

"I wonder what kind of man he is."

"Hmm. People say he is a handsome, friendly man."

"The goddess led me to him, so he would be the one to save me, right?"

"Of course. It was the goddess' word."

Kuga reassured Rachel who anxiously asked the same questions over and over.

"I can't wait to meet him and see what kind of king he is. Will he be tall or short? Relaxed or strict? Will he be loud or quiet? There are so many things I want to know about him."

"You will meet him soon."

"How should I greet him? Smile and bow? Or should I put my hands together? Would it be okay to hug him? Or …. Ugh… ugh!"

Rachel, chattering with excitement, suddenly stopped and fell, holding her chest.

"Ugh… Ahhh…"

Like a bird falling from its nest, Rachel shivered endlessly. She cried in pain and held her chest as if she wanted to tear her heart from it. She had no energy to scream and was forced to moan.

"Ugh."

She couldn't hold the lion anymore and fell to the ground. Kuga quickly stopped to hold her.

"Rachel…"

Kuga could only look at her with tears. Despite losing consciousness, the girl's pain remained.

"Ughhh!"

The extreme pain covering her body eventually woke her up with a blood bubble on her mouth. She continued losing consciousness, waking up over and over until she finally calmed down. She looked at Kuga desperately and asked him with her feeble voice:

"He could…surely…save me, right?"

From this miserable curse.

"Yes, of course."

"I want to…see…Sungjin…as soon as possible…"

Tears dropped from Rachel's eyes. Sungjin was the only one who could save her from this dark and cold journey.

Chapter 1

The area that used to be called the ally of the four kingdoms was now under one ruler: Sungjin. He came from the other world called 'the Earth' and conquered the heroes who refused to allow a level zero extra to become a king. Using his intelligence and a handful of team members, he had been victor over the powerful heroes, and everyone feared him.

Using that fear, Sungjin had changed from the feudal system, where heroes used to have land according to their status, to the bureaucracy, where people got their salary according to their duties. All the power was ultimately in his hands.

Many heroes were against this revolutionary reformation, but since they were Sungjin's prisoners they had no choice but to follow him.

Sungjin also established the legal system that forbade heroes with absolute power to abuse low-class extras. Historians categorize this era as a new type of rulership deemed Natural Human Rights. Everyone, even if they are extra, has the right to live with freedom.

It was a revolutionary idea one step ahead of the merciful rulership, the idea that heroes have to protect weak extras. Many believed the idea was putting the world order at risk.

In addition to declaring the law, Sungjin also enforced it. And now…someone was at trial for ignoring his law.

"Viscount, I told you not to take away the land of the people."

"It was not that…they used to have a shop on my land…I decided I wanted to take care of the land by myself…"

"No, it was abandoned land and you told them if they revive it they could stay there. As soon as they opened a market, you took it away."

"It was not that…the contract was over…"

"Even if the contract for a building or land is over, you can't raise the rent over the limit. If you refuse to extend the contract, you must compensate the tenant for their work that raised the value of the place."

When Sungjin read the clause, Viscount turned pale; he hadn't expected anyone to apply the law so strictly.

"Go and rest at home. Your fine is 10 times the amount of the damage."

"M…m…Master Sungjin…"

"Take him away."

"Forgive me," Viscount cried, but Sungjin ignored him and instructed Ereka:

"Take the fine and give it to the victims."

"Yes, Sungjin."

Looking at Viscount Mentis, other heroes broke out in a cold sweat.

That will be our fate if we disobey Sungjin's rules.

The fine would be 10 times the damage, and they would lose their status as heroes. Even an aristocrat like Viscount Mentis could become penniless.

"Isn't it too much to fine them 10 times the damage? Maybe you should just make them pay for the damage," Rittier suggested carefully; Sungjin just laughed.

"The abusive upper-class heroes are hard to spot. I can't go easy on them." Sungjin's explanation was not just for Rittier but for all the heroes who were there.

"So I have to make it clear, the price they will have to pay will be much higher than their deeds."

It was called Punitive Indemnification. Even Sungjin couldn't catch every abusive hero, and he made it clear that once caught, they would pay much more than the damage they caused; so even if they didn't care about justice, they would be careful to save themselves.

"Understood," answered Rittier bowing down with no question.

Other heroes will think twice before ignoring the new rules.

"Ereka, how are the new hospitals in the new territory?"

Ereka looked uncomfortable and answered:

"This is the first time in history so many hospitals are being built around the country. It will take longer than expected."

Sungjin's order was straight-forward: build hospitals for people all around the country. But even a well-funded, simple order wouldn't make them appear overnight. They needed new buildings, healers, and nurses. They also needed a well-organized infrastructure to supply equipment and medicines in order for the hospital to function.

It was easier in the kingdom of Sevrantina because the late king had prepared the base for the hospitals. It was a bigger challenge in the other three kingdoms because Ereka was starting from scratch.

"That's what I thought; take your time."

"This is the correct way to do this, right? I'm still trying to hurry for those in desperate need of a hospital right now," Ereka sighed.

"I understand, but Rome wasn't built in a day."

"Yes, Sungjin."

Sungjin looked at Eustasia.

"How are things in your department?"

"Training and gear is good. And…"

She put an Illusion Stone on the table.

"Here, this is the marine chart and the map I ordered."

The 3-D illusion from the stone showed detailed geography of each region and information on the ocean currents.

"Well done."

"Why do you need these? They don't even show our battlefields."

On Earth, every area could become a potential battlefield; here, they didn't study other regions unless assigned to it for battle.

"Is it for the trade?"

To revitalize the economy, they needed to promote trade and to do that, they needed to rearrange the trading route.

"Well, this and that," Sungjin answered with a grin.

That was the end of the national affairs meeting.

"Huh."

Sungjin breathed deeply. Although he was just overseeing things and letting others run the actual operations, taking care of the kingdom took a lot of time. Also, it was far-removed from things he liked to do, like fighting and games.

But I can't stop.

Whether he liked it or not, he was now the ruler of the four kingdoms and a lot of people were depending on him. While he didn't want to be an irresponsible king, he also didn't want to be a work-non-stop kind of king.

I'm glad I have such a great team.

They were great support on the battlefield and for national affairs. He looked at Ereka, Eustasia, and the others and smiled.

"Let's call it a day. Well done!"

Eustasia quickly approached him.

"That's it? Well done? It was a lot of work to complete the map and the chart, and we worked hard on everything else."

"Hmm, okay. What do you want?"

"The beach." Eustasia's answer was simple and clear.

"A beach…? You want to have a private beach?"

Sungjin was confused; he never thought she was interested in such things. Eustasia approached Sungjin and said:

"Let's go to the beach!"

"Oh. Now I get it." Sungjin finally understood.

"It's still a bit early; the water will be chilly. Is that okay?"

"What are you talking about? The weather is beautiful. It would be perfect."

"Hmm, you want a vacation?"

"Yes. That's not asking too much, is it?"

Sungjin hesitated for a second. Going to a beach together sounded like going on a date. Ereka sensed this and tried to stop Eustasia.

"Eustasia, Sungjin is busy; don't ask for too much."

"What are you talking about? We've been working tirelessly for forever. We deserve a vacation. This isn't asking too much; besides, he told us to ask him for whatever we want as a reward."

"You are right but…"

"And you don't want to?"

"I don't want to put anymore pressure on Sungjin…"

"He needs a break too. Wouldn't it be nice to go with him? Just imagine."

"That's…"

Persuaded by Eustasia, Ereka started to imagine the beach, surfing waves, basking in the white sand, and playing under the bright sun.

And…and…