Текст книги "Legendary Moonlight Sculptor [Volume 1][Chapter 1-3]"

Автор книги: Nam Heesung

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Legendary Moonlight Sculptor
Volume 1

Chapter 1
The Birth of a Dark Gamer

Just imagine a noble, elegant and picturesque life in poverty that you might find nowhere else but in a soap opera. No matter how poor you are, it does not discourage you from showing unconditional love for strangers, and even a piece of bread is there to be shared with a warm smile.

If anyone claimed that such an illusion existed in reality, Lee Hyun would beat him to a pulp, and strike once more to finish him off.

Life was too cruel for the poor. The Labor Welfare Law revised by Parliament made all jobs unavailable to minors. Illegal though it was, Lee Hyun had worked in every kind of trade imaginable.

From the age of 14 he took to sewing stitches in a factory. The salary could only be called meager, but he was able to eat for free.

However, underground with only 2 ventilation fans running, his health extremely deteriorated. Thanks to his damaged lungs, he gained heavy medical bills.

Then it was a job at a gas station and occasionally he even went around pulling a handcart collecting and selling recyclables.

But no matter how hard he had worked, the money left in his pocket was chump change.

As a minor, he was forced to get a job illegally. This fact was used by his employers to mercilessly work him to the bone.

He lived this life of exploitation until 20 years of age. Thanks to it, Lee Hyun knew very well the value of money. However, things would be different now. Finally an adult, and with it came an ID card that would allow him to legally work.

Inserting the ID card in his wallet Lee Hyun mumbled.

“I have to work until my body practically breaks down. I should be able to deal with 3 jobs a day.”

When he was a kid, his parents died, his family now consisted of only his grandma and sister.

“Alright. From now on we’ll be rich.”

Lee Hyun pledged to do so and returned home.

“Did you come just now?”

His grandma was lying down snuggling in a blanket. After falling down the stairs a few days ago, she got a dislocated hip rendering her unable to go to work.

Although taking medicine, with the household struggling she could not go to the hospital to receive proper treatment and thus could only rest at home.

Not receiving treatment, every night she could only groaned painfully.

Whenever Lee Hyun entered the house, he felt his chest suffocating. It was a lifeless home with an aloof little sister and an old grandma. Even if he didn’t know it, it was probably why he disliked coming home even more.

“Hayan?”

“I have no idea. She went out and didn’t return. She might be hanging around with the bad crowd again, not sure.”

Lee Hayan was his little sister. He had not seen her face very often recently.

“It’s going to be okay. What could happen?”

“You are her one and only brother. A brother should protect his little sister.”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun smiled wryly and went to his room. Even if he was forced into physical labor or driving a taxi, he wanted to send his little sister to college.

For a while now she had been drifting off the rails, but she was bright and intelligent, unlike Lee Hyun. He believed that in college she would meet a good husband and be able to live well. He also wanted to repay his old and ailing grandma for all she sacrificed to raise Lee Hyun and Lee Hayan.

“Right, look for work tomorrow. There will probably be an employment test as well…….”

Muttering, Lee Hyun turned on the computer. The old computer buzzed to life. As soon as it connected to the internet, as routine, he accessed a game. That game was Continent of Magic. A classic game released 20 years ago. An online game that once created a frenzy of gamers in the Republic of Korea.

That game remained at the pinnacle until just 3 years ago. Lee Hyun’s antiquated computer assembled by combining parts from here and there was not capable of handling most games. Nothing but Continent of Magic ran smoothly.

It was the first game he’d ever played, but only during the game could he have a feeling of enjoyment.

Lee Hyun’s playing style was very peculiar. He did not associate with the people around him and instead hunted all day long. After killing monsters and raising his level, he headed to harder hunting grounds. He did not participate in sieges or guild wars at all.

He found pleasure in the game by gradually improving his character’s abilities and upgrading equipment. He once hunted for 200 hours straight without catching a wink of sleep. It wasn’t unusual for him to struggle for a month to raise one level or catch a single monster.

Some might question what kind of fun he was looking for, but for him it was fun watching his character grow stronger and when he was able to defeat monsters he was previously unable to, he was thoroughly delighted.

In a short period of time, Lee Hyun had reached the highest level. He had attained the ultimate state where levels no longer rose.

In the decades of Continent of Magic, it was the first and last record in history. When Lee Hyun looked around back, he found none who could rival his character in supremacy. In hunting grounds where others struggled as a party, he singlehandedly wiped out all the monsters.

After climbing to the highest level, he alone hunted all the ultimate monsters, including Dragons.

Though, for Lee Hyun, he had lost all interest. Nowadays with the technological advances, the ultimate goal of every game was to equip itself with the virtual reality system.

A truly splendid game named Royal Road, referred to as the standard for virtual reality. Beginning with a fully implemented world, the game contained tens of thousands of races and users. Over tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of thousands of skills.

You could enjoy adventure as you desire or even go sea fishing with friends for days, as long you don’t encounter whimsical typhoons of course.

The massive scale of freedom was amazing, but best above all was the wondrous game’s system. Royal Road had the reputation of inducing the ultimate fun a human could enjoy in a game.

“Well for me, that’s all just a pie in the sky.”

What could Lee Hyun expect from a computer slowed down by a slightly more complex web page?

Popular as it was, to install the equipment that realized virtual reality would cost over 10,000,000 won. If he had that kind of money, under any circumstances, his grandma’s medical bills, otherwise it would go to his little sister’s college tuition. And now to diligently earn money, the game had to end.

Lee Hyun brought the mouse cursor over ‘Yes’. Now, with a single click of the mouse, the treasured character he raised would disappear forever. The moment he flexed his finger, a thought raced through his mind.

‘Can I sell my character for money? Account sale I think.’

Somewhere it seems. A newspaper or something said buying and selling characters was common. And that story meant money. It dawned on Lee Hyun that if he was going to delete his character anyway, it wasn’t a bad idea to sell to others.

Lee Hyun began searching through the internet looking for a character trading site. One search resulted in dozens of sites, and among them he located and entered the one with the largest trading volume.

“So I just post my character here for a price and it’s done?”

Lee Hyun uploaded pictures along with his own character.

Highest level in Continent of Magic with the best equipment coming from Dragons that was worth 30 trillion marks.

He decided to begin the auction with the initial price of 50,000 won. He was afraid no one would bid if he asked for too high a price.

The auction deadline was one day.

Waiting for a long time for big money to come was unlikely. To get a job though he needed a decent suit of clothes so he was in a hurry to get money right away.

Typically there was a range of characters and items to determine the price, but the auction content of other people could only be seen by paying members so Lee Hyun was denied access.

Lee Hyun finished posting and went to sleep. Waking up early the next day, he planned to stop by a nearby employment office.

Not even an hour after Lee Hyun posted, the netizens that occupied the virtual space began heating up the internet.

***

Initially, no one believed the auction post. With the last patch of Continent of Magic, they were well aware the levels increased significantly higher.

The maximum level limit was 200.

In the entire server, no one who achieved such a state could be found, possibly because the figure itself was practically impossible for any man alive.

And now, there was an auction post with the character that rose to the highest level for sale.

“Some guy’s playing a prank on us.”

“What sort of moron posted this boring stuff?”

“This has happened so frequently it’s no longer fun.”

Several people commented in this fashion. Passing by some advised no one be fooled while others gave thanks for making them laugh.

From the early 21st century, phishing entries became a trend and because they were duped so often, they thought it was one of such cases again.

“No, never…….”

“Can’t be.”

Netizens tried to ignore the auction post. But their curiosity could not resist and they entered to see the post once again.

Auction posts unconditionally required screenshots of the character to be shown.

Each of the files attached to the posting were opened. The character info was truly outstanding. Various stats hit maximum and equipment items were indeed fantastic.

“Where the hell did he get those weapons?”

“Full set of Red Dragon Armor along with Red Dragon’s Backbone Shield? Wow…….”

“He says they were conferred by the Black God of Valor.”

People admired it quite a bit. Somehow it did not seem like a normal phishing post. To forge such detailed images, a great deal of effort would be needed.

“This guy definitely spent a lot of time on it.”

“The interface is Continent of Magic, but what game did he import the equipment from?”

Among those present at the auction post were current graphics designers. Looking at the base photo, they tried to find a blind spot.

“No matter how well-crafted the picture is, microscopic traces remain. Even if it looks perfect in the eyes of the public, when you apply the latest technology, the fake parts will be revealed.”

The designers magnified the images by a factor 10,000, tracked down the pixels, studied every shade, and even scanned the photo files in 3D trying to prove it was a forgery. But their attempts proved futile. Finally they were forced to acknowledge.

“All these images are real.”

“I’m the chief designer of LK Co. I guarantee this picture hasn’t been altered in anyway.”

Contrary to their expectations, the graphic designers began to confirm the authenticity of the images.

Then real users of Continent of Magic appeared. The moment they saw the images, they shouted in surprise. From the beginning they suspected nothing.

“It’s real. Character named Weed. This user’s damn famous.”

“The equipment is his, but I didn’t know he reached the top level, really impressive.”

Lee Hyun always played alone, intentionally avoiding hunting grounds with lots of people. He never participated in sieges, and minor disputes were usually ignored and passed by. But rumors about him never ceased to stop.

Slaying Dragons and Krakens deemed simply invincible and sweeping through the highest level hunting grounds all single handedly.

Not associating with other people didn’t mean they couldn’t recognize him. Among the remaining users, he was already a legend. Only Lee Hyun was oblivious to the fact that he was a celebrity.

“So the equipment is real?”

“Then, this can only be called jackpot…….”

The initial price for the auction was 50,000 won. Excluding the character value or equipment, just owning it alone according to current prices made the amount was far too low.

People hurriedly began to write down their bids. It went up in a flash from 50,000 to 300,000 won, all the way until 700,000 won. An hour had not passed before it exceeded 1,000,000 won.

The value of selling just one piece of equipment, there was no need to be hesitant about the loss. The bid began to skyrocket.

By this time, many people stopped participating out of desperation because they imagined to some extent the auction’s closing price.

Although the number of players in Continent of Magic decreased over time, after the servers integrated into one and became free of charge, there were still quite a lot of users.

Initially, it was the players of Continent of Magic who drove up the price, and following them were the wealthy office workers who increased the price further.

At one time, when the game was created, Continent of Magic kept the Republic of Korea up all night. The highest level character in that game, owning that antique had such value that you wanted to show it off to others.

The shrewder among the office workers quickly phoned their similarly aged bosses.

“Director-nim, is that you?”

–Why are you calling me at midnight? Do you want to get fired?

“Eh? That, well……. Director-nim, did you play Continent of Magic in the past?”

–Yes, what of it?

“The highest level character in Continent of Magic is up for auction. I thought Director-nim would surely be interested in it…….”

–What! Wi, Weed you mean?

“Yes. So Director-nim knows. Character is level 200. Stats and equipment are filled to the max.

Then followed the explanation.

–Right now. With your own money call for 30,000,000 won right now. I’m going back home right now to check it out, try to get the first place bid.

In the current age, people who hold key positions in companies belonged to a generation that played online games in the middle of their youth. They boosted the price range.

In large portal sites and every game related website, the hot topic talked about was the auction of the highest level in Continent of Magic. Many people started searching and instantly the keyword ranking shot skyward. From this point, the real auction began.

***

In the meantime though, Lee Hyun was sound asleep, completely unaware of this.

“Nogada… 50,000 won per day. Washing dishes in restaurants, 30,000 won. Supper, ham hocks…….”

He was busy summing up what to do the next day in his dreams.

***

With the people’s attention all focused on certain person, the auction price was soaring.

So far, nobody knew who Continent of Magic’s highest level was, but it invoked a desire to possess and show off the eternal character of the once greatest game.

The auction price finally exceeded 100,000,000 won.

At this point, ownership exceeded the market price for the individual holdings and equipment. Some people lamented over their lack of money and dropped out of the auction.

“I think the guy selling this character is a big-time weirdo.”

“How could he set the auction period for such a priceless avatar to only a single day?”

“Was he damn sure he would receive the maximum possible price for it?”

In this manner people commented the auction post to soothe their sorrows. Before long, the number of comments went beyond 900.

The auction was automatically extended a few times, and when it exceeded 300,000,000 won, several companies became actively involved.

The simple matter of the auction, the only thing people knew was that there was no end in sight. If the deal was settled for a colossal sum, numerous people would hear about it through news or word-of-mouth, the publicity effects were formidable.

To place just one ad required a pile of money, also, after painfully spending money to make an ad, people still did not bother looking closely at it. However, what about news of the highest level character being sold for a small fortune? People’s interest and attention would be concentrated.

Each company’s public relations department approached with such a perspective. Digital media intensified the competition, game broadcasters wanted to acquire the highest level character. The value or market price of the character was not a problem. Organizing a series of specials about the famous game in the past and then casting the character in question would increase the reliability and public image of the broadcasters.

Fierce competition led to the price skyrocketing, and the surge in the number of visitors made the item trading site smile with satisfaction.

The auction finally came to an end.

Five game broadcasters battled one another, but piercing though all the competition, the one that made the successful bid and received the character was CTS Media. The latest situation was its rapid expansion and increase in broadcast share that made it a promising company to go to. By intervention from the president’s secretary, the winning bid was written and submitted as the auction ended.

***

“Hello.”

Lee Hyun received a phone call waking him up from his sleep in the morning.

The construction job from the day before exhausted him and he had fallen asleep. He earned only 30,000 won. It was less than average because he was told off for being incompetent.

–Hello.

Unexpectedly, coming from beyond the receiver was the voice of a beautiful woman.

“Um… looks like you called the wrong number.”

Lee Hyun, certain that nobody in her right mind would ever call his house tried to put down the receiver.

However…….

–You tried selling your account over the internet, is that not so?

“Correct.”

–This is CTS Media Incorporated. I am the president’s secretary Yoon Nahee. We have deposited the amount of the current successful bid to the auction into your account, you can confirm on the item trading site, and please do not hesitate to contact us.

“Wa, wait a minute. There was a successful bid?”

–Hmm. Yes, there was. May I ask if you have not checked it yet?

“No, I was a little busy…….”

Yoon Nahee of CTS Media.

President’s secretary, even going so far as to work in financial resources, she was no ordinary woman. Also knowing 8 languages, all those around her were busy flattering her. But the fact that he did not check the auction of such a fortune was enough to overwhelm Yoon Nahee.

“How much was the successful bid?”

Lee Hyun was filled with unease. Hoping for at least over 200,000 won to pay the medical bills, he figured he should ask, but the voice Lee Hyun heard over the phone stunned him into shock.

–3,090,000,000 won.

Originally, Lee Hyun’s character, Weed, according to the market price was 150,000,000 won.

Nowadays, games at the height of popularity, the equipment alone could pass for 100,000,000 won, but if it’s an old game, the market price is on the extremely low side.

However, several factors including the limited auction deadline, the one-of-a-kind rarity and his fame led to it ultimately being over 3,000,000,000 won. The auction itself was newsworthy, which was exactly what CTS Media aimed for.

However, Lee Hyun replied bluntly.

“Are you kidding me?”

–What?

“I can’t believe you called me just to talk about something as stupid as that. I’m hanging up now.”

After putting down the receiver, Lee Hyun bitterly laughed.

“How did she know about the auction post? And how did she get my number to play a prank?”

Lee Hyun believed none of it. It sounded far too absurd.

However, the moment he accessed the site, his auction post floated on the main screen of the item trading site. Countless people posted comments in real time, and the auction’s successful bid amount was as she said, 3,090,000,000 won!

Lee Hyun managed not to faint only because of his grim tenacity.

‘If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up.’

The next day, Lee Hyun confirmed the money receipt that more than 3,000,000,000 won had really been deposited into his own account.

He pinched his flesh until blood could be seen, unmistakably reality! Lee Hyun rushed to show his grandma the bankbook. He still did not dare tell her in it its entirety.

“Grandma, I made money.”

“Yes.”

His grandma replied helplessly. It had been only 3 days after his ID card was issued. He could not have earned much.

“Well, good work, Hyun-ah.”

“It was not that much trouble, grandma.”

Lee Hyun handed her the bankbook.

“What is this?”

“Look. This here is the money I earned.”

His grandma rubbed her dim eyes a couple of times while looking at the bankbook. The amount stamped into the account, the reaction was disbelief.

“You, did you steal? No, no, this amount of money can’t be stolen…….”

“What I did was sell my game account.”

“Account?”

“It’s complex to explain… anyway, I obtained this money legally.”

“Then really…….”

His grandma, filled with rising emotion, softly sobbed.

“Hyun-ah, like others, we can now live without worrying about water and electricity bills anymore?”

“Of course. We can even own our own home.”

“You can go back to school……. and Hayan can go to college. We no longer have to live envying others.”

His grandma was moved to tears. It was the same with Lee Hyun.

While remembering the suffering and bitterness he received.

“Now we can live happily together, grandma.”

“Yes, of course.”

With the tough times together, the two people were thrilled that much more. After several days they obtained a new house and received treatment at the hospital. In addition to his grandma’s hip, she was sick in many other ways and had to be admitted to the hospital. His little sister Hayan was also delighted. But their happiness was short-lived.

The men dressed in black suits. The ones he did not want to see most came to the hospital.

Black suited men with fresh from the store shoes, they literally pushed into the hospital room. Well-built, even though only 5 came, the hospital room seemed to be filled.

All other patients panicked in fear so with help from the caregivers, they quietly slipped out.

Only Lee Hyun, his grandma and the men remained. Lee Hyun thought it fortunate his little sister wasn’t there the moment they came. But nothing good ever came from those men. He expected it would be the no different from before.

“Lee Hyun. I heard of the good fortune bestowed to your family…….”

The blonde haired man spoke.

Lee Hyun shot back sharply.

“So?”

“In the past your father took out a loan, we’re here to collect that debt.”

“Debt?”

“Yes. And now that you have the money, I believe you’re ready pay it back.”

Lee Hyun gulped swallowing his saliva. When his parents passed away, Lee Hyun inherited the 100,000,000 won debt.

It would have been fine if he had done the waiver of inheritance, but at that time Lee Hyun was young and did not know about the law. In addition, his grandma, with the grief of losing her child, did not apply the waiver of inheritance in court within 3 months and the legacy was inherited.

Therefore, Lee Hyun became indebted to the loan sharks for 100,000,000 won. He knew how ruthless they were, but now he had a lot of money. There was no need to be afraid.

“I will repay the debt. How much is it?”

“Repay? Your words are a little short. Well, that’s fine. We treasure our esteemed customers. The money you have to pay is 3,000,000,000 won.”

At the man’s words, Lee Hyun’s temples throbbed with rage.

“Absurd……. The money my father borrowed was clearly 100,000,000 won.”

“Hey, it’s been 8 years. As time goes by, interest piles up.”

“Such a ridiculous thing… I’ll report to the police.”

“Report? Knock yourself out. You think the police will take your side?”

“Police are the people’s cane.”

“Puhahahaha.”

The men laughed at Lee Hyun’s words. In particular the blonde haired man, hearing that absurdness, he put his hand on his forehead and had a good laugh. The man standing quietly behind spoke. Considering the atmosphere, he seemed like their leader.

“Explain to the kid straight up. Do not cause unnecessary trouble.”

“Yes, Hyung-nim. I’m sorry. Well kid, listen carefully. What we are doing does not break any laws. Because we received legitimate interest. To begin with, the interest is 50% of the principal amount per year. Do you want me to calculate? Year 1 it increased from 100,000,000 to 150,000,000, year 2 roughly 220,000,000, year 3 it topped 330,000,000, year 4 close to almost 500,000,000.”

At the calculation report, Lee Hyun felt despair. Debt increased 5 fold in just 4 years. 8 years passed, so it might have been 2,500,000,000, but the time that passed was more than exactly 8 years so it was not wrong to say 3,000,000,000.

Lee Hyun while being harassed by the gang members did not know how much debt he was in. Without him knowing, it accumulated to as much as 3,000,000,000.

Bankruptcy!

Others with a 3,000,000,000 debt would file bankruptcy. Even after bankruptcy you would probably owe a few thousand won. Lee Hyun did not even consider bankruptcy. It costs money just to file bankruptcy. The courts and legal counselors. Paying them money and following the necessary steps, you could enter bankruptcy.

Lee Hyun could not even afford to file for bankruptcy. In fact, even if you had the money, you can’t seriously believe the vicious loan sharks would leave you alone to file bankruptcy.

“We want 3,000,000,000.”

“No, no way.”

“No way? Suit yourself. If you don’t want to we will come again tomorrow to collect. At that time what you have to pay back will increase a little more, but your call.”

The men dressed in black suits exuded confidence. The confidence of free will, the confidence of power.

And also, Lee Hyun knew it was better to repay the debt if he could. In the first place there were no other alternatives, they came knowing he had money. The men laughed with a smirk.

“Poor grandma has been injured and hospitalized, but she sure looks comfortable in the hospital. Much like your little sister in the hallway. Such a beautiful little sister, I bet she could be sold for quite a bit on the island…….”

“Don’t you dare touch Hayan!”

“Relax, nothing happened, yet. Right now, we’re just talking kid. But what if this family of three was admitted to the hospital all at once. It’d be the most touching sight.”

Lee Hyun could not stand the veiled threats anymore. It couldn’t be helped. It would be enough if the men left. Those unable to repay the borrowed money, in the slums he had seen the fates of those with no money to give them. If there was a sin in the first place, it was borrowing money from them.

Not even able to depend on the law, Lee Hyun had to surrender his bankbook. The men received the bankbook on the spot, and pulled out 90,000,000 won in cash from a bag. With it was the IOU for 100,000,000 won written by Lee Hyun’s parents 8 years ago. From the beginning they knew everything and came firmly prepared.

“Thank you. And sorry for your troubles.”

As the men exited the hospital room, Lee Hyun yelled.

“Wait a minute!”

“Why kid? What’s up?”

“Someday, I will surely make you pay for this.”

“What?”

“Because the money has been paid, you guys think this is the end of things. It means later on I will get even with you guys.”

The men were about to laugh again. However, at the sight of Lee Hyun’s eyes, their laughter died before ever coming out.

A young, wild beast. The miasmic embrace of his eyes sent a chill down their spines.

“I see you still have some spirit in you. We need to teach a fearless kid like you about the world.”

The men rolled up their sleeves. But Lee Hyun was not the slightest bit scared, nor did he shrink back.

“Enough. We have already collected the money, don’t do anything unnecessary.”

“But…….”

“Do you really want to make a scene in a hospital?”

“Understood, Hyung-nim.”

The men thundered getting out.

“And kid.”

The casual leader of the men looked at Lee Hyun and gave him advice.

“I am Han Jinsup of Myongdong. Do you really your boldness will work in this poisonous world? If you think it’s unfair, make 3,000,000,000 in 5 years and look for me. Then I will serve you as my Hyung-nim.”

The loan sharks departed. Lee Hyun sat down on the ground helplessly. And at the sound of his little sister crying in the hallway, his grandma broke into a sigh.

***

After being robbed to the tune of 3,000,000,000, he did not have the strength to do anything. He was slammed by extreme emptiness. However, on the third day after being robbed, he stood up.

There was hope. So he could not sit and hesitate. A smile casually drifted to Lee Hyun’s mouth. Amidst the tears, laughter emerged.

It was but a moment, the touching experience of a large sum of money that seemed to enlighten him just a little about how to live in the world.

‘Right. If I earned once, I can earn twice.”

Lee Hyun was busy. 90,000,000 won was not taken away, but it did not mean he could use it all. Because the house contract was already set, 50,000,000 won was set aside.

Able to cancel, but he would have to pay a penalty. He would rather die than pay the penalty.

Ultimately, the amount that could be used was only 40,000,000 won!

All thanks to the real estate slump in the early 21st century.

***

Using part of the remaining money, Lee Hyun registered in martial arts halls such as aikido, kendo and taekwondo. He placed himself on a rigorous schedule traversing to as many as 6 places a day. As his body broke down at the various gyms, he mastered martial arts.

The instructors there called him Wild Beast. Building his stamina, he swung his sword all day long enough for blood to flow from his hands.

Virtual reality game!

A place where a person moves their body means you can act like in real life. Then learning martial arts and studying about the game system a little more, would it not be helpful?

Of course, those that learned martial arts would not be completely advantageous. But to be stronger even at level 1, it was better to learn martial arts.

Imagine being at least 10% stronger throughout the game, the tremendous effects it would bring. Because of that, Lee Hyun in the morning and daytime learned martial arts, and in the evening studied about virtual reality games. Which game had the most users, and how the game system worked was thoroughly analyzed.

For every profession, city and skill Lee Hyun made analysis tables and pinned them onto the walls of his room. The paper records bombarded Lee Hyun’s room.

1 year. Lee Hyun learned martial arts and studied virtual reality games. The time of 1 year wasn’t just a preparation period, it was also used to closely observe the development of Royal Road.