novelraw Chapter 104: Delicious Side Dish (5)
Chapter 104: Delicious Side Dish (5)
Translator: Dreamscribe
The domain war had become even fiercer.
Baron Burzirol was expanding his power with consecutive victories, and Marquis Namas displayed overwhelming wealth to flaunt his might. Count Highrun was also expected to do the same, but he was being devoured by a mercenary band backed by minor noble forces. The mercenary band, centered around LifeHunter’s Hunter Guild, absorbed Count Highrun’s power and grew in size.
The nobles who had hired Heroes as mercenaries could not hold peace talks of any sort. The Heroes wanted to keep fighting, and once they stopped, no one knew where their blades would turn. Like riding a tiger’s back, they had to keep charging forward. Of course, the Heroes were simply enjoying themselves.
Jinwoo looked down at the desert from the sky.
Countless ships were floating above the desert. Heroes who had reached the appropriate level boarded ships bound for the Empire of Evil and transported specialty goods from the Heroes’ domains to Arsilan. The desert route was shared, so anyone with enough capital could build a ship for adventure or trade.
‘Ships are gradually improving.’
Based on HandGenius’s magic engine, world-class scholars had joined in and created a fairly usable magic engine. To Jinwoo, it was still basic, but to the Heroes, it was nothing short of a technological revolution.
Fuel for the magic engine did not cost much either. By infusing it with mana or using black coal from underground labyrinth as fuel, it could run for quite a long time.
In Arsilan’s cities and towns, railway construction was in full swing. They planned to operate it in Arsilan first, then introduce it to the Heroes’ domains.
Arsilan was changing dynamically.
It would surpass its past golden age and shine even more brilliantly.
Jinwoo descended to an oasis in the desert and looked at his hand imbued with Ella’s authority. The authority of Ella he had found in Baron Salon’s castle was just a very small fragment.
From Baron Salon’s information, it was clear that many fragments were scattered across the Empire of Evil. Unfortunately, he could not pinpoint their exact locations.
‘That guy must have one too.’
The Lord of Greed sought to ascend to the heavens and become a god. If he built the Tower of Greed and corrupted and absorbed Ella’s authority, it was entirely possible.
Jinwoo closed his eyes and invoked Ella’s authority.
From his hand, golden currents flowed out, heading beyond the desert.
What was it trying to show him?
Jinwoo followed the golden current. After several spatial transfers, he arrived at the boundary of space.
The golden current imbued with Ella’s authority pointed beyond the space.
When Jinwoo reached out his hand, a small door appeared.
It was an old door made from Arsilan’s wood. Its condition was poor. Having withstood erosion for countless years, it was blackened and bore numerous traces as if eaten away by insects.
Jinwoo reached out and touched the door.
Tiiing!
Golden chains appeared on the door, tightly wrapped so that no one could enter or leave.
Jinwoo tried using Ella’s authority imbued in his hand.
Ssssss!
The golden chains became half-transparent, but that was as far as it went. He could not open it with Ella’s authority alone.
Jinwoo looked at the door.
It was clumsy workmanship. The alignment was off, and the carvings were crude. Yet, it felt as though it had been made with great care.
Arsilan’s lakes, forests, and mountains.
A robed mage and a woman.
Smiling Arsilan people. Memories of beauty from a hundred years ago were carved into the design. This door was undoubtedly made by Ella herself.
“She made such a fuss about suddenly learning woodworking….”
Jinwoo chuckled faintly.
He looked at the carving of the robed mage and the woman. Their hands overlapped.
It was a simple puzzle.
Jinwoo drew out Ella’s authority and connected it to the Soul Gate. Then, blue energy flowed into the golden particles, becoming a light that contained all colors. Like the sparkle of a jewel, it radiated multicolored light.
Charruk!
As if it had been waiting, the chains wrapped around the door unraveled, and the door opened. Without hesitation, Jinwoo stepped right inside.
The interior was fairly spacious.
It was about the size of Evanth, and golden-glowing tree vines were holding back the erosion. However, as if they had reached their limit, the vines were withered, and large holes had formed here and there.
At the center of this space floated a fragment imbued with Ella’s authority. That fragment was shaping this space and barely holding back the erosion.
Jinwoo suddenly recalled a conversation he had shared with Ella.
‘A magic barrier?’
‘Yes, I’m still working on the idea, but with enough massive magic power, it should be possible. Of course, you’d have to be on the level of an Archmage from legends to use it.’
‘What if there’s no magic power?’
‘Then you’d have to use something comparable as fuel. But it would be highly unstable.’
‘Magic is so complicated! My divine power authority just goes like this! and the result comes out!’
Ella snapped her fingers.
Petals scattered around, radiating a beautiful light. When the petals touched the ground, a tree bearing luscious fruit sprouted up.
‘Divine authority is like cheating.’
‘If you’re jealous, become a god yourself!’
‘Then stop bothering me and go.’
‘Let’s go have a drink. Noona will treat you.’
She had examined closely the formula for the magic barrier that Jinwoo had created.
“Yeah, something like this really is cheating.”
Jinwoo exhaled deeply with a bitter expression. She had split her soul and authority to create this space.
For what purpose?
He felt killing intent from all directions.
It was so dense it could burn the robe Jinwoo was wearing. From all around came the overwhelming presence pressing down on Jinwoo’s body.
Jinwoo shook his head slightly.
Mythical beings, monsters that had once threatened Arsilan, revealed themselves. They were powerful beings that the current Heroes could not even scratch.
Behemoth, Griffin, Leviathan, a witch made of ice, and various other monsters.
If those beings were corrupted by erosion, they would surely become enemies beyond control. Empowered by the strength of erosion, they would revive endlessly even after death and would be more than capable of burning Arsilan to the ground. Ella had used her soul and authority as fuel to protect even them.
The monsters revealed hostility toward Jinwoo. Like wounded beasts clinging to their pride, they glared at him.
Krooooo!
The Behemoth roared and charged at Jinwoo.
Certainly, the Behemoth was a formidable being, capable of effortlessly turning an entire city into rubble.
Kwaang!
When Jinwoo lightly flicked his finger, its head twisted to the side and was sent flying far away, crashing down.
“I’ll take care of everything, so wait.”
Jinwoo linked this space to the Soul Gate and erected a magic barrier. The erosion that had been seeping inside was completely blocked, making it a fully independent space. Now, no one could enter or leave without Jinwoo’s permission.
Jinwoo looked at the countless monsters surrounding him. There was no need to bother dealing with them one by one.
“Kneel.”
A magic circle rose around Jinwoo.
The magic circle imbued with immense magic power seeped into the ground, and then a blue wave swept across the entire floor. The Magic Tower and the Soul Gate connected to Jinwoo, granting him enormous magic power.
[No way!]
[An Archmage…?]
The monsters’ voices were filled with shock.
Only then did the monsters realize Jinwoo’s identity. The only being who could saturate this entire massive space with magic was an Archmage.
Which meant they would now die.
Kwaaaaa!
Tremendous gravity crushed the monsters.
The magic that could bring down the moon pressed down on them mercilessly, shattering their bodies.
These were the monsters that had killed countless Arsilan people.
Even while erosion was devouring Arsilan, they had refused to cooperate and acted as they pleased. Back then, Helby had tried to annihilate them all, but Ella had stopped her.
What had Ella seen in them?
She could have sealed them here forever, but destroying them now and absorbing them into the Soul Gate would be better for them as well.
‘At the very least, they could be used as fertilizer.’
The Behemoth desperately tried to rise, but it was useless. When Jinwoo raised his hand, the gravity grew even stronger, slamming the Behemoth’s body completely into the ground.
As Jinwoo slowly clenched his fist, the monsters’ bodies began to collapse.
[W-wait!]
[P-please spare us!]
[Uwaaaah!]
[I-I don’t want to die!]
The monsters barely managed to speak. If Jinwoo clenched his fist completely, they would vanish without a trace.
“......”
Ssshhk!
Jinwoo looked at the golden authority dwelling in his hand. He stayed silent for a moment, then shook off his hand. The magic that had been crushing the monsters vanished.
Ella hadn’t kept them alive so that he could just crush them to death like this.
[Huff!]
[W-we’re alive!]
The sight of these massive beings trembling in fear looked utterly pathetic.
Clank!
Jinwoo used Ella’s divine authority and the Soul Gate to put collars on the monsters.
From subspace, he took out a desk and a chair, then sat down. They were a desk and chair he had brought from FS Games. Being luxury furniture, the chair was quite comfortable.
“Tell me why I should keep you alive.”
The monsters glanced at one another before lining up in a row.
The Ice Witch quickly ran forward and held out both hands. The core of a storm close to absolute zero appeared. She seemed to want to show her power, but Jinwoo shook his head.
“Not that kind of thing.”
[Ah! Yes, sir!]
“Don’t you have some kind of talent? Something worth seeing.”
[P-please wait a moment.]
The Ice Witch looked around and made a gesture for the others to step back. The monsters behind her backed away.
When she waved her hands, an ice castle rose up and snow began to fall. Ice fairies with spears and snowmen appeared and saluted her.
“Hm....”
Jinwoo observed the sight carefully. Under his gaze, the Ice Witch broke out in a cold sweat from fear. The ice that made up her body melted, and she began to shrink.
“Looks like you’d work well during the Christmas season. Pass. Stand over there.”
[T-thank you!]
The Ice Witch barely relaxed and moved to stand at the side.
Jinwoo took out his laptop and began typing a document.
The title was “New Content”.
*Ice Witch
Appears to be usable for the Christmas season. Deploying her in Solis could make for a good event.
Content grade evaluation: C
Although she was a being capable of freezing an entire city in an instant, to Jinwoo she looked no more than a content generator.
“Next.”
A slime as big as a building came forward. It was the Slime King, which had once devoured an entire mountain.
“Shrink your body.”
The Slime King’s body split apart, and small slimes kept pouring out.
[I can dissolve all matter and can divide my body nearly infinitely.]
“Hm....”
Not a bad ability.
The waste generated in Arsilan was being broken down with magic, but that consumed quite a bit of magic power.
[A-and I can withstand erosion for quite a long time!]
“Hm?”
At those words, Jinwoo’s typing fingers stopped. He looked up at the Slime King.
“You can withstand it?”
[Yes! Because I’ve received Ella’s light for a long time! So, sometimes I would even go outside through the erosion holes!]
Jinwoo looked at the fragment of Ella’s authority floating at the center of this space. For over a hundred years, it had radiated light and imbued these monsters.
He thought he now understood why those called “barbarians” had appeared in the Empire of Evil. However, it wouldn’t be these monsters, they didn’t have human-like appearances deserving of that name.
[Until the light stored inside me is used up, I can endure it! If I make my body smaller, I can last up to 10 hours!]
Jinwoo fell into thought for a moment.
With that level of resistance, perhaps it could be possible.
“When you divide, who controls the pieces?”
[My core can control them, but if left alone, they all act as independent entities!]
“Good. Very good.”
It was an excellent answer.
When Jinwoo praised him, the other monsters stirred. They all looked at the Slime King with envy.
Jinwoo took out a body from subspace.
It wasn’t humanoid, it was a very small animal. FS Games had once planned a “pet” that could be carried around, but unfortunately, it couldn’t be implemented.
Using the Soul Gate, he could imbue it with will, but there were limits. They were already being used to populate numerous hunting grounds in Arsilan and in events.
If pets were to be released, the number might have to exceed tens of millions, even reaching into the hundreds of millions in the future, and it would be difficult to make each one an independent entity capable of building memories with Heroes.
“Can you make your body color red?”
[Yes! Of course!]
“Can you make it thick and sticky like blood?”
[Naturally! The Blood Slime monster was also born from me!]
Clap clap clap!
Jinwoo applauded.
“Then try taking the form of a Blood Slime and inhabit this body.”
[Ah! You mean to control it! One of a slime’s abilities is mimicry. If I apply that, I should be able to move it naturally.]
A Blood Slime separated from the Slime King and inhabited the body Jinwoo had brought out. The body was a white cat with a small jewel embedded in its head.
The white cat twitched, then stood up. It walked naturally across the desk and looked at Jinwoo.
Meow!
When Jinwoo reached out his hand, Ruby gave a small cry and rubbed its face against his hand. It was making excellent use of the information engraved into the body.
“Can you talk as well?”
[If you add vocal organs, I can.]
“Oh….”
It was excellent.
Jinwoo applied a modified magic barrier formula onto the body. The body would become a shield against erosion, and the Blood Slime would be the fluid that moved it. The slime’s resistance, imbued with Ella’s light, would become even stronger, allowing it to endure erosion for a long time.
‘If I engrave subspace magic and bind it to a Hero…’
If it could no longer endure erosion, it could return to Arsilan and recharge the magic barrier’s power. This was something only a being that had absorbed Ella’s light for centuries could do.
‘You’re quite the developer too.’
Jinwoo smiled as he looked at Ella’s authority.
*Slime King
If the infinitely divisible Slime King is utilized, it will be possible to create companions that go beyond the limits of “pets” in the game, partners who can grow together while building memories with their owners.
Content grade evaluation: A+
“Pass.”
The Slime King rolled over next to the Ice Witch.
Thud! Thud!
The Behemoth approached Jinwoo and respectfully lowered its head.
The Behemoth was a monster worthy of being called a mythical being. In front of Helby, it had crawled with its tail tucked, but to the Arsilan people, it had been feared as a calamity.
[I cannot divide infinitely like the Slime King, but I can split into many different forms!]
“Show me.”
The Behemoth split into various forms: a black horse with horns, a massive scorpion, and a lion that breathed fire. Many beasts worthy of myth stood in formation before Jinwoo. They ranged from giant beasts the size of giants to those about twice the size of a human.
“Can you also withstand erosion?”
[It depends on the size, but I can endure for about 10 to 20 minutes.]
“Can’t you make your appearance a bit cooler?”
[I will try my best!]
“Trying isn’t enough.”
[Yes! I will do well!]
As befit a being of great strength, even the beasts separated from the Behemoth were powerful. The smallest among them possessed power roughly equivalent to level 100.
‘It’d be perfect to use as a summon beast.’
It could be set up so it could be summoned through a quest, or summoned using a summoning magic circle or the power of a domain.
The time limit for enduring erosion could serve as the summon time limit, making it balanced as well.
‘It would be magnificent.’
The sight of Heroes summoning massive beasts to fight would be the essence of romance.
“It seems like you’ll need some adjustments, but…”
[Gulp!]
The Behemoth swallowed nervously.
“Pass.”
[Waaah! Thank you!]
The Behemoth cheered and ran over next to the Slime King.
*Behemoth
The Behemoth is a mythical being composed of many beasts, and each entity divided from it possesses great power. Since they can return to the main body at any time, it would be ideal to use them as summons for Heroes.
Content grade evaluation: A
After writing the document, Jinwoo nodded. The monsters were, in every sense, lumps of content.
“Next.”
Jinwoo inspected all of the monsters.
After that, there were not many monsters that passed, and when Jinwoo stood up from his seat, all of them looked at him nervously.
“Develop a useful specialty by the time I come back next.”
The monsters that failed barely felt relieved when Jinwoo did not kill them. Jinwoo took the monsters that had passed and used spatial movement to travel to the land where the Creator God’s Grand Temple stood.
[Huff! Arsilan!?]
[Ah….]
[This can’t be!]
The monsters were greatly shocked when they saw the distant scenery of Arsilan. When Helby appeared, sensing their presence, the monsters trembled violently and prostrated themselves on the ground upon seeing her.
“Where were they?”
“I picked them up.”
“Those?”
When Jinwoo answered with a smile, Helby looked at him with an expression of utter disbelief.
A few days later, when the update notice was posted, Arsilan Worlds exploded!
*****
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