NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1
Chapter 1
The World on the Brink of Destruction
An 8-year-old girl typed her dad’s name into a video platform.
Hyun
To the girl, he was a normal, loving dad.
A dad who carried her on his back, gave her piggyback rides, and strolled around the yard with her.
So she thought there wouldn’t be many search results.
Search Results: 6,637,981,297
“What?”
The girl looked surprised.
There were so many results that it was hard to comprehend at a glance.
“Is my dad’s name common?”
She thought it was because her dad’s name, Hyun, was common, but her dad’s face was clearly shown in the videos.
“Is it really dad?”
The girl played one of the videos.
Her dad, dressed as a novice adventurer in Royal Road, was eagerly talking.
“Sculptures for sale! To commemorate your visit to Serabourg Castle, take home rabbit and fox sculptures! Today only, 50% off, 3 silver! We’re down to the last six pieces!”
In the video, her dad was selling sculptures among the crowd.
He seemed to be scamming, talking about discounts that didn’t exist.
And within a few seconds, the video switched to another scene.
A massive muscular figure with protruding yellow teeth—a menacing orc.
“Is this dad too?”
The girl instinctively felt that the terrifying-looking orc Karichwi was her dad.
It was hard to explain, but there were many strange similarities to her dad’s aesthetic sense.
―Morning of the Mountains. The red sun rises, and the fierce wind blows. Chwiik.
The clouds seemed heavy, as if they sensed the impending battle, and I stood at the front line with the dark elves. Chwik!
In the fresh morning, I held onto hope. Chwiiik.
It was the worst song the girl had ever seen or heard.
There was no rhythm, and the voice and nasal sounds echoed loudly.
“He sings terribly. It really sounds like dad singing.”
In the following scene, the orc army roared in unison.
Orcs covered the Eurokina Mountains and, under Karichwi’s command, battled the dark elves.
Even a war with the undead army led by Lich Shire!
―I’m informing everyone that I received a quest from the King of the Rosenheim Kingdom.
Soon after, in a video where her dad returned to being human, he and numerous others built a pyramid.
He fought dragons on frozen lands and went on adventures transformed into the undead.
* * *
As they say, nothing lasts forever, and as time passed, the popularity of Royal Road, the first virtual reality, declined.
Even so, there was a name gamers couldn’t forget.
“Ahem, there used to be a user named Weed.”
“Weed?”
“He was the first user to unify Royal Road as a sculptor…”
“Oh, I’ve seen the name on the internet.”
“He was an amazing user. And he was the one who made a massive number of victims, including me.”
“Why?”
“Because users chose the sculptor class thinking it was good, only to shed tears of blood.”
Many people couldn’t forget Weed. Naturally, some refuted.
“How much time has passed? Weed is from way back.”
“No matter how active he was, he must have become obsolete by now.”
* * *
Meanwhile, the world changed rapidly.
With technological advancements, autonomous vehicles became common, and factories no longer employed people.
Unicorn Robots, the World’s Largest Company, Launches Android v19
Robots manufactured by Unicorn Robots worked tirelessly in factories around the clock.
People became accustomed to seeing large ships being constructed in shipyards and skyscrapers being built in cities.
In offices, efficient software and artificial intelligence replaced many tasks.
Unicorn Space Launches Space Exploration Project
Unicorn Bio Achieves Breakthroughs in Biotechnology
Unicorn Electronics Releases 500 Million VR Phones Operated by Brain Waves
The sprawling company, Unicorn, raked in vast amounts of money across all fields.
“―Unicorn Robots’ revenue for this quarter is approximately 45 trillion.”
“I see.”
Hyun received the report from AI Versa.
The core of managing the Unicorn Group was AI Versa.
From developing new technologies to managing employees and production facilities, AI Versa handled everything independently.
“Dr. Yoo Byung-jun’s legacy is truly remarkable.”
He was the first to unify Royal Road and inherited all assets, including the Unicorn Group.
Astronomical wealth and cutting-edge tech companies.
Honestly, I didn’t grow up dreaming big.
“I thought owning a 24-square-meter apartment meant success.”
AI Versa and the Unicorn Group managed global capital.
While they paid astronomical taxes in Korea and the US, the companies under Unicorn earned far more money.
“―There’s a report of an earthquake in Chile.”
“Send relief supplies under the name of Unicorn. Start with the urgent needs.”
“―There are signs of riots as food shortages arise due to the collapse of local logistics networks.”
“Drop food from the air, five times the required amount. If every household overflows with food, there’ll be no reason to riot.”
“―Understood. Shall we include frozen fruits?”
“No, sending fruits to a country I haven’t even visited is too much.”
Sending relief supplies but not to the point of luxury.
Together with AI Versa, Hyun was involved in numerous global events.
Hyun liked accumulating money.
However, he learned about the adverse effects when too much money concentrated in one place.
“You need to spend money when necessary.”
If money doesn’t circulate widely, people living in darkness emerge.
Thinking about the poor days when he had to fill his stomach with ramen, Hyun decided to be charitable to the world.
“Cars have become a necessity of life. Let’s sell them cheaper.”
“―Yes, by how much should we lower the price?”
The Unicorn Group manufactured and sold cars.
They operated on eco-friendly hydrogen and came equipped with autonomous driving as standard, multiple safety devices, and sound systems.
The production process was 100% handled by robots.
“Can we lower it by 20%?”
“―Of course. Even with such a sale, we’ll still make a 24% profit.”
“Then lower it by 30%.”
Though a shockingly steep price drop, Unicorn Automotive had enough potential.
Through Unicorn Resources, they oversaw everything from raw materials like iron ore to the entire production process.
Unicorn Automotive Lowers Prices of All Vehicle Models by 30%
Unicorn SUV Priced Below 30 Million Won
The media published articles.
Consumers welcomed the news, but competing automobile companies were having a hard time.
“What are we supposed to do if Unicorn cuts their prices by 30% all at once, especially when their cars are already far superior to ours?”
“They don’t even try to upsell options like we do. They come with almost every safety feature as a standard.”
“They mean to eat up the entire market.”
American and European automobile companies faced bankruptcy due to declining sales.
Unicorn automobiles were already unmatched in performance, safety, and design, and now they had dropped their prices to an unbeatable level.
Unicorn cars rapidly dominated the market they left behind.
Unicorn Automotive Acquires GM and Ford’s U.S. Manufacturing Plants
Robots Deployed to Reconfigure U.S. Car Factory Lines; Unicorn Cars to Be Produced in Two Months
Unicorn Automotive’s Annual Production Capacity Surpasses 30 Million Units
The world’s largest automobile market was China.
Over 25 million vehicles were sold yearly, and various brands fiercely competed.
There was a time when Chinese cars were scoffed at, but starting with electric cars, their competitiveness soared based on design and convenience.
Jilin Automotive: “We will make better cars than Unicorn.”
Beijing Automotive Group CEO Zhang Rui at Press Conference: “Chinese workers are diligent. We won’t lose to robots.”
In China, the government and corporations united to confront Unicorn Automotive.
While American and European car companies were struggling financially, China hoped to seize the opportunity with its low labor costs and government support.
However…
Unicorn Automotive Further Reduces Prices by 20%
Unicorn Launches 12 New Models Simultaneously
Unicorn Cars: Unmatched Performance and Competitiveness in All Models, From Compact Cars to Heavy Trucks
Competitors couldn’t keep up with prices, and basic performance and safety were nearly double those of other cars.
Although Chinese automakers fought hard, they could only hold out in their domestic market.
Yet Unicorn Group showed no mercy.
Unicorn Automotive Plans to Double Production Capacity
Unicorn Automotive Production Robots to Operate Three Times Faster
The speed of Unicorn Automotive’s production line increased tremendously.
The vehicle structure was simplified, and robots assembled cars at incredible speeds.
Eventually, even Chinese automobile companies went bankrupt.
Chinese Banks Suffer Massive Losses from Loans to the Automobile Industry
Chinese Government to Cease Support for the Automobile Industry
Unicorn’s domination of the global automobile market.
“There’s a lot of talk about how expensive groceries are.”
Hyun read an article on the internet.
From snacks and ice cream he occasionally bought as a kid to ramen, there were hardly any products whose prices hadn’t risen.
“It must be tough for kids to even buy ramen.”
“―Kids these days are doing fine with jjajangmyeon and sweet and sour pork.”
“If I say so, then just accept it. Anyway, we need to lower food prices.”
“―Shall we enter the food market?”
“To what extent? Isn’t the food market dominated by major grain companies?”
Hyun gained a little more common sense with age.
When he was young, he only blamed vendors for high prices, but as an adult, he saw more of the picture.
Major grain companies and distributors cultivated crops like wheat and corn and raised cattle and pigs on vast lands to process and sell.
These companies determined global food prices.
“―We can compete in the market.”
“Let’s give it a shot.”
Unicorn purchased vast farmlands.
Actual farming was done by production robots and drones.
Robots rapidly harvesting in the endless cornfields were only version 1.0.
Two-meter drones charged by solar power.
Thousands of drones flew over the cornfields, harvesting crops.
With overwhelming competitiveness, Unicorn lowered production costs and acquired shares in major grain companies through Unicorn Finance.
Pooh Ramen Price Reduced by 32%
Peaches Cheaper Than Snacks
Unicorn Group Enters the Fruit Wholesale Market
As Hyun expanded his empire like an octopus, consumers cheered.
Media and politicians, funded by Unicorn, remained silent.
Unicorn Construction Builds Korean-style Apartments in Europe
Unicorn Construction Erects 10,000,000 Apartments in Asia
Unicorn Construction built energy-efficient apartment complexes worldwide.
Apartments with insulation, soundproofing, and renewable energy received enthusiastic responses globally.