Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 169

Let’s Go to New Zealand (2)

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There is a legend in the Empire.

A story passed down since the days when Katamutra, founded by the Ayras family, flourished… before the flames of war were kindled.

-He will come from afar.

When a mad tyrant rampages and foreign enemies invade, a warrior from another world will suddenly appear and save this land,

In the midst of fallen light and rampant darkness,

Holding a black sword.

That story had nothing to do with what was happening on the outskirts of the Empire, at least for now.

“Get out of the way, you bugger!”

A soldier in light armor swung his spear roughly, striking an old man.

The hit knocked the old man back for a moment, before he clung to the soldier’s leg, blood streaming from his forehead.

“Please, sir! Not my daughter! Didn’t I offer tribute last year?”

“Get lost. The Emperor has ordered the strengthening of civilian defenses. Your daughter will be in charge of guard duty at the forward base barracks.”

“What do you mean my girl will be on guard duty!”

This time, it was not the spear shaft but the spearhead that aimed at the old man’s neck. The soldier muttered in a murderous tone.

“Hey, are you daring to defy the imperial decree?”

The sun on the continent is hot. In the scorching heat, the surrounding residents look at each other.

The man in front of them is just a soldier. This is a remote area where the Blood Knights, the swords of the Empire, are unlikely to come, but the flag with the red lion is absolute.

At least anyone living on the continent cannot escape the rule of the Emperor—Ayras.

“Father!”

“Jane, no!”

Eventually, the watching soldiers intervened, and rough hands dragged the maiden away.

It was when the old man, trying to follow, was kicked and fell by other soldiers.

Suddenly, a line was drawn in the air.

“······.”

The silence was short.

The next moment, a helmeted head fell and rolled. It was the one who had first threatened the old man with the spear.

“Damn it, Purzen!”

“Enemy! Form a defensive line!”

Even though they only harassed villagers in the outskirts, they were still well-trained imperial soldiers.

Immediately forming a line and retreating, a black cloak appeared before the four of them.

“Who are you? Identify yourself!”

Whatever trick he used, the enemy had blown his colleague’s head off without even drawing his sword.

The soldiers, who didn’t rush in recklessly and shouted first, blinked. The hair color of the opponent who took off the hood attached to the cloak was as black as ink.

“Black hair······?”

Most of the Empire’s people have brown or dark blonde hair.

The bright platinum blonde that seems to scatter light is the symbol of the Emperor, the Ayras family. But the man in front of them had black hair that they had never seen before.

“My name is Ido.”

On the man’s cheek, as he replied indifferently, an old sword wound twitched.

Only then did some people realize that the black cloak was covered in sand. As if he had come from across the sea… from a distant continent.

The man wrinkled his nose as if he smelled a stench, and then said.

“Prepare yourselves. The monsters that annihilated the outpost’s forces will soon come. The foul stench reaches even here.”

“Outpost······.”

The soldiers looked at each other. Having just killed the Emperor’s soldier in front of their eyes, he was brazenly talking about monsters.

“Lies, it’s a trick to confuse us!”

“If you don’t believe me… I might be wrong. Looking at you guys, it seems like the Emperor’s tyranny and the man-eating monsters are the same.”

“You, are you insulting His Majesty the Emperor!”

The moment the soldier at the front shouted in indignation, the man took a step forward.

―Phew!

No one can react.

No, they can’t even react. From the scabbard slung across his back, he took out a huge greatsword, in the trajectory of the diagonal cut.

The cameras surrounding the area, the latest lens held by the hat-wearing cinematographer, would have captured the actor’s slash perfectly.

“Cough, cough······.”

From the neatly cut chest, a fountain of blood spurted out and splashed around.

It is different from the common imperial swordsmanship of the continent. A quick sword that cannot be seen with the eyes… a speed that even the person being cut does not realize until the moment of death.

Then a massacre took place. Three more flashes of light were drawn, and soldiers fell in the blood rain each time a flash occurred.

Until the man’s greatsword returned to its scabbard, all those present had only seen a dark, blurry shape.

“Thank you, thank you!”

The old man, who belatedly realized the situation, knelt down, and the daughter and villagers who had been dragged away also bowed their heads and expressed their gratitude.

“I don’t know who you are, but thank you so much. These guys are imperial soldiers from a nearby forward outpost, and they have been exploiting us for years.”

“The Sun God must have helped us! Glory to the Lord God for your grace······.”

“Do not seek God.”

A cold voice cut off the words. The people who were making a fuss each had puzzled expressions, but the man continued his blasphemy without a care.

“Do not call, do not look up. An absolute being who condones hell is no different from a demon. If there is a god in this land, it must be an evil god.”

If the Emperor of the Empire is a real fear, then blaspheming the Lord God, the only god of the continent… the Sun God Karuso, is truly an insane act.

The wandering man looked around at the soldiers who had fallen dead at his feet.

“So stop the foolish praise and find a way to live. Since there are no government troops, monsters will soon come here.”

“H-how can we! We don’t have the strength to fight monsters!”

“Run away.”

The man, who spoke simply, pointed to the plains where golden grasses swayed.

“The south is suicide. You will be caught by pursuers or monsters before crossing the Slow Wind Plains. It is better to go deep into the imperial territory.”

“What about you?”

“······?”

“Where are you going? Are you going to send us into the Empire and keep wandering around this outskirts, hunting monsters?”

The maiden who was almost dragged away a moment ago asks a bold question. Ido, who plays this role, is a Serbian beauty star whose stock price has recently risen.

Looking down at the people from another world, the wanderer—Ido—declared.

“I will go to the capital, the City of White.”

As if hearing his voice, the arm of the fallen corpse twitches. The blood-soaked pasture is swaying in the wind.

“To meet the Emperor.”

There are things that do not change even when cultures, races, and even the times in which people live change.

For example… delicious food, great inventions, and reactions to the wonders they encounter for the first time.

“Wow, how did you do that?”

“I didn’t see it either. How can a person move that fast? No matter how lightly made the prop is······.”

“Props! The director even went to a craftsman in California to make it, and it’s heavy even though it’s not sharp!”

After the battle scene just now, people flocked around Park Geon.

Some people wanted to see the sword just once, some asked if this was a reality magic show, and some even took out their cell phones to take proof shots.

The main cinematographer holding the camera, the Frenchman Andre, boasted as if it were his own business.

“Hey, friends. You’re appearing in our movie and you haven’t seen that man’s previous work? You lack professionalism.”

“I saw it. That’s why I wasn’t worried at all.”

“Wow, how can you only cut the blood bag? Did you bring a samurai from somewhere instead of swordsmanship training?”

Not only the actress who played the kidnapped maiden, but also the martial arts director and stuntmen were shining their eyes and expressing their impressions of the magic show just now.

“···Well, this is the same regardless of East or West. I heard it was like that during our audition too?”

“That’s right. PD [Production Director] Na Jong-mo almost fainted, acting out that legendary bath scene.”

Seo Hee-do and her manager, who had seen Park Geon’s supernatural powers relatively often, were happily whispering.

Is this what it feels like when everyone sees and admires a treasure that only I knew? Now, I’m almost disappointed if that kind of reaction doesn’t come out every time I film.

“The afternoon scene is over. The rest will be filmed after sunset.”

After a long time, Park Geon, who was finally released from the people, approached the Korean actors.

Seo Hee-do handed him a bottle of bottled water taken from the icebox.

“You worked hard, hyung [term used to address an older brother or male friend]. Senior Hong and the rest of the main actors are arriving tomorrow, and the full-scale filming will start then.”

Because there are so many people, only the advance team came first to start filming, and the next players arrive one by one. Park Geon, who received the bottled water, asked.

“Thank you. What about Seon and Jiyu?”

“Oh, they were here until just now… Did they go inside because it was hot?”

Seo Hee-do was looking around when a staff member ran over from over there.

“Park! Do you have a moment?”

The staff often called the leading actor who flew in from Korea by various names such as ‘Park’, ‘Geon’, and ‘God’.

Park Geon said, loosening the clasp on the shoulder of his cloak.

“Yes. What’s going on?”

“The director is looking for you. Can you come to the tent for a moment?”

Peter Sean was a man with an atmosphere that perfectly matched the word ‘movie director’.

A man of sturdy build with a bearded chin, he carried a megaphone with a bandit-like impression and directed all the situations on the set.

“Jack, call Lou and tell him to add a device that goes back to the round table! The solemn feeling is not felt at all when viewed from above. Why would I bring a prop team if I was just going to turn the camera angle?”

“Director, I heard that the corner of the royal castle set can’t go up? There are so many details on the front that there is a shortage of materials.”

“Proceed anyway, I don’t care! It’s enough if it’s supplied by the time of the final battle. Until then, you can just take the overhead view from the model set!”

As expected, the master of fantasy is different.

Domestic PDs [Production Directors] and directors, and recently even worked with Gwyn Raymond, but the skill of immediately unfolding the scenes in his head was by far the best.

When he entered the large tent used as the command center, Peter Sean was looking at a map on his desk.

“Oh, the Sword Master has arrived.”

“I’m not that good.”

“I gave the okay, so would I not recognize that much? You are much stronger than those humans who are descendants of German swordsmanship or sons of sword masters. Even though I was taught by swordsmen.”

Peter Sean, who cut it off, gestured as if to sit down. Geon, who was sitting in the chair in front of him, looked down at the map made like an actual operations board.

“Is this the route of the expedition?”

“That’s right. Well, if you’re a fan of the book, you can’t not recognize it.”

The map in front of him was the continental map of ‘The Book of the Lord God’, made of real parchment.

As a self-proclaimed fantasy enthusiast, Peter Sean had a marathon meeting with the original author Kang Young-il when he flew to Korea.

And Kang Young-il was completely 넘어갔다 [won over] to this big, bulky director who claimed to be a ‘big fan’.

“Speaking of which, what about Mr. Kang? Korea is probably… midwinter right now.”

“As soon as I got here, I got a call from my brother. He said he was doing well and looking forward to it.”

This eccentric director not only actually moved the map in the book, but also marked the protagonist’s path with a quill pen.

Peter Sean casually rubbed the detailed maps of the South and North Islands of New Zealand next to him.

“Damn it, there are more than one or two people expecting it. That stubborn Italian… what was the name of the director of your previous work?”

“It’s Director Gwyn Raymond.”

“That’s right. Before getting on the plane, I even got a call from that man, I don’t know how he found out my contact information, but it was an international call.”

The director who filmed ‘God’ together was still thorough in his actions. Peter Sean, who was chuckling in vain, continued.

“Whether it’s support or whatever, I have to do it unconditionally. If I fail here with that God, what will happen? Obviously, Waltville Studios, those money-grubbers who were going to make me film Dwarf 4 will make a fuss. And what about the extreme original fans… Damn it!”

Geon just nodded because he didn’t know the details of the behind-the-scenes story related to the ‘Dwarf’ trilogy.

Fortunately, Peter Sean seemed to have calmed down quickly.

“The sets on the South Island are almost finished. The 2nd team will arrive tomorrow. Have you ever met Rick and Jameson, both of them?”

Rick Michael, who plays the commander of the Emperor’s legion, and Jameson Overbe, who plays the leader of the rebels, are both Hollywood top stars, but I have never actually met them.

There is no place like a script reading for a domestic drama, and actors of different nationalities often have their first meeting on set.

Geon shook his head.

“I haven’t seen them. I don’t have any personal connections either.”

“Well… it won’t be bad. I know both of them personally a little bit, and they’re friends who I want to punch less than stars.”

“Is that so.”

I didn’t originally intend to punch my colleagues, but Peter Sean muttered with a strange expression.

“What’s even more unique is this side. Where did you find such a perfect protagonist?”

“I often hear that. Maybe it’s because I only choose works that are to my taste.”

“I don’t care, so please take care of me in the future. The summer in New Zealand is long but short.”

The brilliant sun is blazing now, but ‘The Book of the Lord God’ is a drama with as many as 10 episodes on the OTT [Over-The-Top] platform.

Since Season 1 and Season 2 are not separate and are contracted to be released at once, all the scenes possible in this season must be filmed.

While recalling the feeling when he first stepped on the plains, Geon nodded.