Chapter 350: Under the Sun, In the Shadows (1)

“Haha—”

Alberu Crossman smiled calmly.

“So, this current situation—”

He was finally able to hear in detail each of the events that had happened up to Cale’s point.

And he came to the conclusion—

This current situation—

“Is a mess, right?”

“That’s right.”

Cale replied with unusual courtesy. He couldn’t do anything else.

“Your Highness, doesn’t your butt hurt?”

Crown Prince Alberu Crossman.

He had sat on the floor, simply looking at the throne, even though Cale had left it empty.

Cale couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable at his unusual behavior.
Normally, Alberu Crossman would smile mischievously and say—
“Haha, my dongsaeng. You don’t have to do that. Are you saying this is my place? The seventh evil? Are you going to give it to me?”

But this time, Alberu Crossman seemed… different.

“Haha—”

Look at him! He’s even laughing while calling everything a mess. This was strange to Cale.

- Human! The Crown Prince’s smile is empty!

That’s right!

Does he have an expression of enlightenment?

“Ah—”

At that moment, the Crown Prince stopped laughing. And then, looking at Cale, he said bluntly.

“Yes, let’s say that chaos is chaos.”

The chaos created by the Divine World, the Demon World, and the Hunters.

Alberu’s gaze darkened.

“Dongsaeng, you’ve been looking like a scarecrow lately, haven’t you?”

At that moment, a smile spread across Cale’s lips.

The throne.

Cale got off the altar where that luxurious throne was located.

Thump.

And he sat on the floor, right in front of Alberu.

Then, he said in a calm tone.

“Your Highness also sees it that way, right?”

Cale had taken down all the black blood, blue blood, and purple blood Hunters. He was preparing to strike the Demon World. And he wouldn’t be defeated by the Gods.

Despite everything, despite everything—

“It must be irritating.”

At Alberu’s sharp smile, Cale had no choice but to give him a sincere answer.

“Yes. It irritates me.”

The fundamental reason for all of Cale’s actions is one.

The peace of my surroundings and mine.

That’s why, he thought he couldn’t leave the Hunters as they were and decided to confront them.

It was from that moment.

Alberu’s voice echoed.

“Even if it’s your will, haven’t you felt a little more guided by others, by the situation, than by your own will?”

It’s different from the time of the White Star. 

Of course, there were also times when things unfolded without him realizing it. But that was only because the situation required it.

“The Divine World, the Demon World, the Mediators, they all seem to want to take advantage of you, our dongsaeng. Isn’t that, right?”

Alberu Crossman smiled repeatedly, as if he found it very amusing.

“The Worlds, the God of Death, in the end, they’re not companions. You know that, right?”

The Worlds that had involved Cale to save them. It seemed like cooperation, but in reality, it was impossible to travel between dimensions without the help of the God of Death.

They’re receiving various things as rewards.

Alberu, as if he had looked inside Cale’s heart and seen the small feelings that were accumulating, said bluntly.

“Allies and companions are different.”

The God of Death and the other Gods.

The various worlds like Xiaolen and the Central Plains.

They’re all allies. But they’re not companions.

Cale thought at that moment.

Cale understood it in that moment.
No matter where he went, there was no one else like this man—Alberu Crossman.
That was why they were called brothers. Because at their core, they were the same.

Alberu understood it too. Completely.
And that was why Cale had asked him to come.

The two looked at each other.

Alberu spoke.
“That’s why you called me here—in this game—instead of using a Sacred Object or a video call. Because you wanted to talk without anyone watching.”

A space untouched by prying gazes—
The God of Death, the Source of the World of Aipotu, and others like them couldn’t reach this place.

This was the New World.

Of course, there is a system that controls New World, but the system doesn’t understand the seventh calamities, also known as seventh evil, well.

It could be an assumption, but also a certainty.

That’s why Neo wanted to lure in his lackeys from Aipotu—
from the outside world—before a major update.

If the system monitoring for external interference had known,
it would’ve never allowed it.

This New World wasn’t omniscient.
It was a world riddled with holes.

The Transparent Family.

They must have deliberately created those cracks and gaps.

Because it’s a world that’s still being created.

The Absolute God. And everything that would follow.
They hadn’t accounted for every variable.
The game wasn’t perfectly prepared.

Cale, who had organized his thoughts, spoke after a long time.

“Your Highness also seems to be irritated?”

At those words, which were spoken with a subtle smile, Alberu shook his head.

He was smiling.

“Yes. I’m irritated too.”

His smile was very bright.

“A lot.”

Yes—

That was a smile that reflected great irritation.

Cale, who immediately recognized it, opened his mouth.
It was time to hear the story.

“What happened?”

At that question, which might seem disrespectful, Alberu didn’t get angry, but sighed.

“Is it because of Ahn Roh Man’s entanglements?”

Alberu was there in the Seventh Evil, having avoided Ahn Roh Man’s attention. Cale asked him, and Alberu showed his annoyance.

“Don’t you know me?”

“…No. I mean, yes. I know Your Highness well.”

Cale said calmly.

“Even though Ahn Roh Man is very powerful, I don’t think you would get so upset about it.”

Even though Ahn Roh Man is the number 1 player in this game and the president of Earth 3, Roan. In the end, he is a person. Alberu isn’t someone who gets scared of a person. Instead of getting angry, he’s the type to enthusiastically enjoy how to overcome that person, smiling mischievously.

“Huu.”

Alberu, who had sighed, was approached by Raon.

“Crown Prince! I don’t know why but cheer up!”

Raon took something out of his space pocket.

“Eat this! Crown Prince, don’t you like these?”

They were the palace cookies that Alberu had given to Raon.

Alberu, upon seeing them, smiled and said politely to Raon.

“Thank you, Raon-nim. You’re as generous as you are great.”

“Hehe.”

Raon’s wings fluttered, his chubby cheeks puffing up.

“Crown Prince! I’m good and great by nature! It’s obvious!”

And then, he stealthily approached Alberu and rested his face on his knees. As if it were the most natural thing, Alberu gently stroked Raon’s soft nape and opened the cookie box.

Crunch.

He put a cookie in his mouth and spoke bluntly.

“I’m a loser here.”

(Note: ‘Loser’ can also be translated as ‘Nobody.’)

“…Huh?”

Raon frowned.

“Excuse me?”

Cale repeated himself.

“Haha.”

Alberu smiled and added,

“I’m a loser everywhere.”

Cale said without realizing it.

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why is Your Highness, the Crown Prince, a loser?”

That wasn’t his style, so Cale found it absurd.

‘Last time he told me that he was chosen as the Newbie Rising Star and that he would participate in the Rookie Strongest Tournament, right?’

Crunch.

The sound of Alberu chewing grew louder.
Raon froze.
Cale flinched.

As Alberu swallowed the cookie, his expression noticeably brightened.

His mouth, which had finished eating the cookie, opened.

Of course, his hand went for another cookie.

“In the end, I’m a rookie. The tournament of the strongest is also for rookies.”

Crunch!

The sound of chewing became rougher.

Raon stealthily approached Cale.

“Dongsaeng, don’t you still know well what New World is like?”

Alberu was eating the cookies very elegantly. He didn’t spill a single crumb, and he always spoke after finishing a cookie.

Crunch!

Only the sound of the new cookie breaking isn’t normal.

“Yes. I don’t know.”

In these cases, you have to be courteous. Cale became a respectful subject.

“Of course, I know the general power structure.”

“Yes, of course. If you’re my dongsaeng, you’ll have figured that out already.”

Crunch!

“I’ve been given a mission to become Emperor.”

To be exact.

[Become the First Dark Elf Emperor]

It was the main mission.

“But I’m not the only one who has received it.”

Huh?

An expression of confusion appeared in Cale’s eyes.

“After this major update, players will be able to build kingdoms.”

“Yes. You told me that before, ah!”

Cale realized the answer immediately.

“Have several people received it?”

“Yes. It’s not a mission that everyone has been given. But according to the information we’ve gathered, Ahn Roh Man and I, it seems that several people have been given it.”

“Hmm.”

“And it seems that the content of the mission is slightly different.”

The general idea is the same, but the mission is slightly different.

“Like The First Dark Elf, like Your Highness?”

“Yes. Even though there are slight differences in the content of the mission depending on each player’s situation.”

“In the end, it will be a mission to build your own kingdom or empire.”

“That’s right.”

In the end, the result is the same.

“There are three people known to have received this mission through the player community. Originally, this wasn’t public knowledge, but those three made it known.”

That was how Alberu found out about the situation—just before the major update hit.

“They must be very strong—”

“—And they will have also prepared a lot.”

Alberu and Cale looked at each other. It wasn’t necessary to say who they were, but Cale had an idea of the names.

“They’re strong enough that they don’t care about being discovered.”

That they revealed their missions meant that they weren’t worried about being interrupted or, even—

“It could be a warning.”

They were warning them not to interfere.

“That’s right. But I’ve kept it a secret.”

Because I’m weak.

Alberu swallowed his words.

And Cale knew it without having to hear it.

“…Your Highness.”

Only Cale’s expression wasn’t good for another reason.

“Could it be that the plot Ahn Roh Man is hiding is—?”

“Yes. I’ve thought that guy was hiding something, but I haven’t figured it out.”

However, after learning this information, Alberu chose to move without alerting Ahn Roh Man.

“Ahn Roh Man told me he didn’t receive the mission. But he’s the number 1 player. Can that really be true?”

“I don’t buy it.”

“…Yeah. Neither do I.”
Alberu murmured quietly.

“Because he’s not a companion, but an ally.”

And a temporary ally.

“…”

Cale, who was watching Alberu, who had fallen silent for a moment, spoke.

“Even if he’s an ally, there’s still a hierarchy, right?”

The blunt words reached Alberu’s ears.

“Ah.”

He let out a short laugh, more sigh than amusement, and nodded.

“Yes. There is. Our dongsaeng knows that all too well.”

“So, you consider yourself a loser, Your Highness? My great prince, as radiant as the sun?”

Alberu, who let out a faint laugh, continued with a serious expression.

“Nothing I have works here,” Alberu said. “Honestly, it’s nearly impossible for me to become the first Emperor of the Dark Elves. If Ahn Roh Man—”

“If that guy also got the Emperor mission, it’d be a miracle if he didn’t get stabbed in the back.”

“That’s right.”

Their conversations rarely stalled due to misunderstanding.
In fact, it was the opposite.

They understood each other too well.

“This major update... it’s probably a chance for players to found kingdoms. But that’s just going to throw the game world into chaos.”

“That’s right. The Transparent Family will use that chance to quietly push their ambitions.”

“Of course. And the God of Chaos will also be scheming something, splitting the Divine World in two.”

“It’s obvious that, taking advantage of the chaos of New World, they will try to create the Absolute God.”

The two, who had been talking for a while, finally fell silent.

“…”

“…”

And ‘Crunch’, Raon carefully ate a cookie. From that sound, Alberu opened his mouth.

“It’s a nuisance, really.”

“Yes, it’s a nuisance, really.”

The two didn’t look at each other. They both looked into the void and spoke.

“Dongsaeng. Let me use something you have.”

“Hyung, become a hero and save New World.”

The two looked at each other.

Cale smiled and spoke.

“Wouldn’t it be better if we were the ones pulling the strings?”

Cale was disgusted with this situation, where he felt strangely dragged along.

Alberu also wanted to break free from this uncomfortable situation, where he was in the shadows as a rookie, with the number 1 player next to him.

“Of course it makes no sense to continue like this.”

Alberu, who smiled happily, continued.

“Let’s turn it around.”

It’s not anyone’s will or a scheme, it’s time to act and plan according to our will.

New World.

As its name suggests, in this new world, we have to create our own territory without our enemies or temporary allies knowing it.

Cale and Alberu knew that time had come.

If we do, we’ll be the ones controlling the game.

He pointed to himself.

Let’s turn it around.

“I, under the sun.”

And then he pointed to Cale.

“You, in the shadows.”

If someone told you to stay in the shadows, you would get angry.

Alberu, tilting his head slightly to the side, said softly, with a bright smile.

“Isn’t that the image our dongsaeng wants?”

Haha—

Cale laughed loudly and spoke.

“How do you know my thoughts so well?”

The two didn’t shake hands.

Crunch. Crack.

Instead, they each ate a cookie.

Raon, who was watching them, shouted happily.

“So, the Crown Prince will become Emperor here and a hero?”

Crunch.

“And our human will dominate the eight calamities, also known as eight evils?”

Crack.

Cale and Alberu opened their mouths.

“As always, you’re great, Raon-nim.”

“As always, you’re great.”

“Hehe!”

Raon giggled proudly.

* * *

And three days later, the major update that hundreds of millions of players were waiting for began, an update that was expected to open a new chapter in the game Raising My Precious Absolute God.

The fact that, after that update, a period of confusion occurred for the construction of kingdoms, under the name The Great First Step, was something that happened a little later. 
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Translator's Thoughts💭 

Cale and Alberu just shared more than cookies—what secret plan are they really cooking up under all this calm?

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Mayank]