novelraw Chapter 89: Qualification of a God (5)
Chapter 89: Qualification of a God (5)
Translator: Dreamscribe
Episode 3, Chapter 1 “The Era of the Great Invasion” had just begun. All of Arsilan was preparing for the invasion, and even the newbie Heroes who had just started Arsilan Saga were working hard to reach level 40. Once they passed level 40, they could at least go to the desert even if only as odd-job workers, so everyone was putting in the effort to reach the minimum level requirement.
As the preparations for the invasion progressed, the civilization of Arsilan was developing rapidly. The demand for goods needed for the invasion was skyrocketing, and many inventions were pouring out.
“Selling fans powered by magic! They have freezing spells on them and are cooler than air conditioners!”
“I have made a magic engine! I’ll be demonstrating it today! Subscribe and you’ll receive the blueprint! Please visit HandGenius’s workshop!”
“Buying wooden planks in bulk!”
“Recruiting carpenters to build ships. We offer generous daily wages!”
Even the Heroes who had previously saved their money did not hesitate to open their wallets. The economy of Arsilan was soaring rapidly!
A large amount of money was needed for the invasion.
Ships had to be built, and exclusive equipment for the invasion had to be custom-made. Rather than the heavy armor that Heroes had worn until now, light gear that allowed nimble movement was preferred. And food was necessary too. Although Heroes’ bodies could be sustained with just magic power, hunger still occurred, and if they starved, they would receive debuffs.
If the expedition team was small, costs could be somewhat reduced, but for large-scale expeditions, the costs rose significantly. Even guilds couldn’t handle it on their own.
“We are recruiting investors for the Ragnar Expedition Team! It’s an expedition formed by selecting 300 elite Heroes! We disclose all information transparently, so please check us out!”
“Looking for sponsors to grow together!”
“There will be an investment presentation today at 7 PM! Everyone attending will receive a small gift!”
Because of that, they recruited investors like this.
FS Games immediately created an investment system.
The treasures looted by expedition teams would be distributed to investors according to the amount they had invested, or sold and the principal and profits would be shared. It was effectively the appearance of a corporation in Arsilan.
Expedition teams centered around named Heroes attracted many investors. Heroes who had accumulated wealth through production jobs actively started investing.
Many investors flocked to the 'Patriot Company' that Sillion Kingdom had created with big money. If an expedition team was registered with the Patriot Company, investors could review the information and decide to invest.
“Oh... it’s a new expedition team, but it looks like the returns will be pretty good.”
“Isn’t the risk too high?”
“That’s what investment is! I’m going all in with my entire fortune! Let’s go to the moon!”
The Patriot Company provided concrete figures and graphs so that investment trends could be checked inside.
Once created, expedition teams registered with the Patriot Company and held parades on the main street of Solis.
“Ooh! It’s NorthernGrandDuke nim’s expedition team! She’s finally made one!”
“Wow! Highest-level Hero! I’m going all in with my entire fortune!”
“Noona! Please take my money!”
They were fully armed and even displayed the weapons to be loaded onto the ship. Doing a parade on the main street of Solis to attract investors had become a kind of tradition.
Title: Northern Expedition Team, let's go to the moon!
The expedition team led by the dignified highest-level NorthernGrandDuke nim cannot possibly fail. All 400 members of the expedition team are level 60 or higher, and their equipment is perfect.
I put in my entire fortune that I earned through farming.
Anonymous1 (KR): Is the investment closed?
└FarmingForRice (author): Yup. We reached the target amount way faster than expected.
ColaWasabi: Looking at the ships at the Magic Barrier, it was truly grand.
AnsanHoneyPunch: The Northern Expedition Team is basically Vikings. The vibe is insane.
Anonymous2 (JP): I heard even the C-rank ring listed in the auction was bought by the Northern Expedition Team.
GolemKing: FS Games is seriously strict. If you try to pay in real money, you get instantly banned.
└FarmingForRice (author): No one’s succeeded so far. So let’s all just farm honestly to earn our living.
└Anonymous3 (KR): Either way, farming’s the way to go ㅋㅋㅋ
Even in Arsilan Worlds, it was full of talk about expeditions and investments.
Invasions alone were already dopamine-inducing, and now with investment added, the dopamine doubled! In this kind of atmosphere, the number of users surged past 4 million and soon hit 5 million.
“Wow! Finally 5 million!”
“The connection rate isn’t even dropping!”
“Let’s go for 100 million!”
FS Games was in a festive mood. The number of concurrent users was accelerating further and still rising steeply. Soul Link continued to sell out the moment it was released.
'In the past, even a million seemed like a lot....'
Now, reaching ten million was just a matter of time, and it even felt possible to set one hundred million as the target.
To celebrate surpassing five million users, Jinwoo bestowed the Blessing of the Creator God along with a commemorative gift.
The cheers of Heroes praising the Creator God lingered in his ears. In this overwhelmingly good atmosphere, the time to leave work arrived.
‘So relaxing.’
Leon just had to show his face to the Heroes from time to time while in his office, and Episode 3 was running smoothly on its own. There were many new systems added that needed to be monitored for a while, but Tiris was handling those well and reporting back to him.
He had some leisure time!
‘Then what should I do?’
Should I take a vacation and go on a trip?
Watch a movie? Or...
He used to imagine such happy thoughts while buried in work hell, but now that he actually had the time, something felt off. He wanted to do something with enthusiasm, but his body wouldn’t move, he was in that kind of state.
Jinwoo stepped out of the CEO’s office and looked around the office.
The office was completely empty, as everyone seemed to have already left. While walking down the hallway, he saw some employees heading somewhere. Their faces were full of excitement.
They were headed toward the company’s gym.
Jinwoo followed them inside. Inside, not just the team leaders but even the new employees were all gathered.
It seemed they had gathered as soon as work ended.
“Shouldn’t we pool all our money together to increase the size first?”
“That would be better, but we don’t have enough funds.”
“How about we bring in the materials ourselves and build it? Even if it takes time, that might be better.”
They were seriously discussing with one another. Even the new employees were voicing their opinions without hesitation.
Jinwoo tilted his head in curiosity and approached them. No one noticed he had come closer, likely because they were so focused.
“Aren’t you all going home?”
“Gasp! CEO-nim!?”
Only after Jinwoo spoke did the employees jump in surprise and look at him. It looked like they’d been caught plotting something in secret.
“Well...”
“We, um, we’re organizing our own expedition team.”
“This is our regular meeting day.”
The employees were talking about Arsilan Saga. Looking closely, they were even wearing matching t-shirts.
‘God’s Expedition Team?’
That phrase was printed on them.
Since they were FS Games employees, there were some restrictions in the game, but they could still enjoy Arsilan Saga.
Inside the company building was a Soul Link gaming room with state-of-the-art facilities. It looked like they planned to log into Arsilan Saga there instead of going home.
“Bwahaha! The time of great heroes has come...! CEO-nim!?”
Han Yong-seon, entering the gym with a hearty laugh, was startled when he saw Jinwoo.
“Why so surprised? It’s not illegal to play games.”
“Ahem.”
Han Yong-seon cautiously approached.
“Uh..., I was actually going to ask if you’d join us too, CEO-nim..., but you’ve been so busy....”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me and have fun.”
When Jinwoo said that, Han Yong-seon and the employees looked relieved. Jinwoo stepped back and watched them.
They all looked happy.
They chatted and laughed about memories from the game that Jinwoo couldn’t understand. It seemed they had enjoyed Arsilan Saga together for quite some time.
‘Hmm....’
...He felt a bit left out.
God’s Expedition Team.
Was the “God” referring to him? Jinwoo wondered about that for a moment.
“Um..., how about having a good meal before playing? I’ll treat you.”
Jinwoo tried to casually approach and speak again.
“Sorry, CEO-nim, but we all brought nutrient blocks.”
“Ah..., I see.”
At Han Yong-seon’s response, Jinwoo nodded.
They resumed talking among themselves.
Well, obviously, but Jinwoo didn’t really want to join in with them. He looked at the employees for a moment, then left the company building.
“CEO-nim, did something unpleasant happen?”
“No? I’m actually in a good mood.”
“I, I see.”
While riding in the security team’s car, he spotted a fried chicken restaurant. It didn’t seem like a bad idea to have dinner with the family for the first time in a while. After all, whenever Jinwoo came home, they would usually gather during mealtime.
“Please stop in front of that chicken place for a moment.”
“I’ll go in and get it.”
“No, it’s fine. Just wait here.”
He bought a bunch of chicken and headed home.
The interior was dark. He turned on the lights and checked the living room and dining room, but couldn’t sense anyone around. It seemed like no one was home yet.
“Should I wait a little?”
For the first time, Jinwoo waited for his family at home!
He passed the time watching various videos uploaded on Arsilan Worlds, waiting for the chicken to cool down, but no one came home.
Jinwoo tried calling.
[Currently enjoying a happy journey in Arsilan Saga! Please leave a message if you-]
That was the automated message that played.
Even though they could take calls in Arsilan Saga when linked with Soul Link, if call reception was blocked, they would get that kind of message. Not only his grandfather, sister, and hyung, but even his father had that same message.
“Chicken... tastes good.”
This is... what leisure time is, right?
This is rest, right?
This is...
Wow! So enjoyable.
...Fried chicken eaten alone actually tasted even better.
Jinwoo happily finished his chicken, lay down on the bed, and naturally headed into Arsilan. He crossed into the desert, filling in oasis locations and potential guides.
‘Carving Arsilan’s history into the land might be a good idea.’
He created a few such ruins. While invading, they would naturally grow to hate the Empire of Evil even more by imprinting painful history into the land.
“Ah! I’m on my break right now.”
When he came to his senses, he realized he was working out of habit.
Jinwoo crossed the desert, thinking he might as well do some scouting.
The Empire of Evil was vast. So vast that the Kingdom of Sillion looked tiny in comparison.
Within this massive land, lords ruled over their own territories and reigned like kings. These were the high nobles, the ruling class of the vast Empire of Evil.
He felt like dropping a meteor on them, but he didn’t. The perfect revenge against the Lord of Greed was to take away all the fruits of his greed.
If all the treasures were looted, he wouldn’t be able to accumulate more greed. Besides, everything here was content for the Heroes to enjoy. The many things in this empire would entertain the Heroes and help them grow stronger.
‘Hmm? It feels more chaotic now.’
When he first crossed over, it had felt tightly controlled, but now there were signs of confusion. There was an unsettled, disorganized atmosphere. Jinwoo cloaked himself and headed toward a castle in one of the large cities.
Inside the castle, the high nobles were having a meeting. They were all lords of vast territories. Jinwoo even recognized some faces. They were traitors who had sold their lands to Erosion.
“That land is mine! Hand it over as promised!”
“Father! There’s nothing more to hear! He’s just holding out after taking the gold we gave him!”
“Hmph! Holding out? Unless God responds, I can’t proceed with the transfer properly!”
These bloated individuals were gathered, discussing all sorts of matters.
It seemed that the Lord of Greed was intervening and issuing rulings to ensure the smooth extraction of greed. It was clear they were running things in a way that would maximize greed and suffering.
However, the Lord of Greed could no longer control them. He was still feeding off their greed, but the damage he had suffered was so great he could no longer communicate his will. That’s why all these conflicts were arising.
‘So that’s why it felt chaotic.’
To Jinwoo, the whole situation was just amusing.
“Why don’t we continue the discussion after a meal? I’ve prepared some fine dishes.”
“Ahem!”
The maids began bringing in food.
As the delicious-looking food piled up like a mountain, the bastards began devouring it eagerly. Jinwoo watched them for a moment.
‘Should I try linking instead?’
Jinwoo remembered the video he had watched earlier while enjoying his chicken alone no, joyfully. It was a documentary about samurai ants that had been uploaded to the Arsilan Worlds free board.
It said that the queen of the samurai ants kills the queen of another species and then rules over that colony as its new queen.
What if he linked his will instead of the Lord of Greed’s? If he could do that, it might lead to even richer content for the Heroes.
It was worth trying.
‘Alright, first...’
Jinwoo looked at the bastards.
The noble’s son who had been shouting angrily was now happily eating. He looked hideous, like a monster. Jinwoo sent magic power into him. The moment the magic permeated his body, the boy froze.
“Why? Is it not to your taste?”
The noble sitting across from him asked while looking at him.
Jinwoo attempted to link his authority to the boy’s soul. The boy trembled for a moment and then lowered his head, as if someone had switched off his power.
‘It seems... I did manage to link it somehow.’
It felt like he had forcibly jammed something into the wrong outlet, but the connection seemed to be established regardless.
Then, let’s try delivering a message.
[Ah, aaah! Can you hear me?]
Brrrrrrr!
The boy suddenly raised his head, and his eyes bulged as if they were about to pop out. His face started to turn red, like all the blood in his body was rushing into it.
[Huh?]
“Uh? Uh? Uh? Uh?”
The boy echoed Jinwoo’s words.
He continued to mimic Jinwoo as if something inside him had broken, until he just stopped altogether.
“S-son?”
The noble next to him looked at his son.
Then it happened.
[Can you hear me?]
“U-ugh? Uh-uh? Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Kuweeegh!”
Pop!
The boy’s head swelled even more and then exploded like a balloon.
Splatter!
His bloated body shriveled, and everything inside poured out toward the other nobles. Covered in the contents of his body, the nobles stood there, stunned, staring blankly at the scene.
‘Uh, hmm....’
It failed.
Next time, let’s do better!
You can’t succeed every time.
Jinwoo averted his eyes and quietly slipped away from the scene, returning to Arsilan.
Anyway, Arsilan was peaceful.
***
Jinwoo logged in as Comfortable.
There were an overwhelming number of messages. Dozens of expedition recruitment requests were pouring in.
“Oh....”
There were so many people looking for him.
Jinwoo moved to Solis. In a large park in front of a workshop in Solis, many Heroes had gathered. Rails had been installed, and a rough-looking train stood on them.
“Oh, oooh! It’s moving!”
“Wow! This is a magic engine!”
It was a train powered by a magic engine.
It was crude, but he hadn’t expected them to make one this quickly. The train was moving forward along the rails.
“Huh?”
"Crazy!"
The train veered off the rails and charged ahead at incredible speed, crashing into the workshop and exploding.
“Let’s do better next time!”
“I blew my entire fortune... Should I apply to be a worker for an expedition team?”
“How much do they pay per day?”
The Heroes were quite optimistic.
Jinwoo wandered around Solis and then headed for the Magic Barrier. It was said that expedition teams were gathering at the shipyard set up in front of the barrier.
'As expected, it's spectacular.'
In front of the golden shimmering Magic Barrier, ships of all sizes were lined up. Underneath each ship were pillars, and once those were removed, the ships would slide forward and pass beyond the Magic Barrier.
“Huh? It’s Comfortable nim!”
“Oooh!”
Haebyul and UruBear came over. Some of their expedition teammates were with them. It looked like they were still planning an expedition together. As Jinwoo appeared, the Heroes began to gather around him.
“Oh! That’s the Priest-nim!”
“The one who opened the Era of the Great Invasion...!”
As the crowd bustled around him, the emptiness in Jinwoo’s heart seemed to be filled.
Named Heroes also approached Jinwoo.
“Greetings! I’m RedFlavorPotion, the expedition leader of the Luxury Expedition Team. If you join our expedition, we guarantee you 4% of the loot!”
The Luxury Expedition Team had 300 members. A 4% share of the loot was a remarkably high offer. It was said that Priests who could use mid-tier sacred techniques were recruited with such generous terms.
“5%! We are the elite of the elite. Join us, and you’ll be handling real money.”
NorthernGrandDuke appeared and approached Jinwoo.
“6%! Join the hunt, Priest!”
LifeHunter appeared, leading his hunters. Both NorthernGrandDuke’s and LifeHunter’s expeditions could be called large-scale expeditions without exaggeration. They were the largest expedition teams in Arsilan.
NorthernGrandDuke’s eyebrows twitched.
“7%! I’ll also give you the right to choose your treasure.”
“7.5%! Depending on your performance, we could raise it even higher.”
LifeHunter fired back. Then the other expedition leaders came over, making various offers.
Haebyul and UruBear, who had been about to approach Jinwoo, looked at him with regretful expressions. Compared to the others, their expedition was small in scale. Most of what they had earned last time had already been exchanged for Invasion Contribution Points, so they couldn’t match the offers.
Jinwoo looked at NorthernGrandDuke and LifeHunter, then shook his head.
“I’m already part of an expedition.”
Saying that, he boldly walked over to Haebyul and UruBear’s side.
“Comfortable nim, we can’t match those offers. You’d be better off with a large expedition...”
Haebyul said, but Jinwoo shook his head.
“It’s fine. This one has way more romance.”
Romance!
At Jinwoo’s words, the observing Heroes were full of admiration.
“Comfortable nim....”
“Sniff! A real man, as expected!”
Haebyul and UruBear were touched and their eyes grew moist.
Jinwoo let out a small chuckle, looked over at LifeHunter and NorthernGrandDuke’s faces, and then spoke.
“Let’s go eat chicken together in Marogo.”
“Yes! It’s on me!”
“Yeah! I’ll treat for the beer!”
Haebyul and UruBear responded with bright smiles to Jinwoo’s words.
It was absolutely not because he was sulking at his grandfather and sister for rejecting him. (TL Note: I hope most of you know by now, but if you don't, LifeHunter is his grandfather, NorthernGrandDuke is his sister and RomanticBard is his brother.)
It definitely wasn’t because he had bought chicken and couldn’t share it with them.
Being busy could be a reason for not answering the phone!
And it certainly wasn’t because he felt lonely eating cold chicken by himself.
It was simply because he liked the romance!
Truly.