novelraw Chapter 129: Karma (1)
Chapter 129: Karma (1)
Translator: Dreamscribe
The world was in an uproar due to the GN incident.
What would go down in human history as the worst showcase inevitably caused a huge ripple effect.
GN kept insisting until the very end that they had developed a virtual reality game, but the investigation results were shocking. The logistics warehouse, where the Star Connector was supposedly stored, was completely empty, and even the facilities installed with massive investments turned out to be fake. They only looked convincing on the outside, but the internal machine components were all hollow.
There was no data left at the headquarters either.
Instead of development data, there were only traces of gameplay, and the Research Lab was filled only with Soul Links.
“No! That’s not true! I really did create a virtual reality game! I logged into the world of Crimson Moon that I made!”
The GN Chairman insisted to the end and was ultimately arrested, and the rapidly growing GN was disbanded in an instant and disappeared into history. It was also said that Evan Merkins had been detained by his country and was undergoing an intense investigation.
Media outlets around the world expressed confusion. If the purpose was to scam investors or gain funding, was there any reason to go so far as to hold a showcase and suffer such disgrace?
“Isn’t he just a crazy bastard?”
“Seems like he’s got a mental illness?”
As time passed and the core developers claimed they couldn’t remember anything, this kind of opinion became the dominant view. The massive fraud shook the economy of the country involved, but FS Games continued to soar.
Aside from this scam, no company could even imitate the technology of FS Games. After the GN incident, the release of the Soul Glass left many companies who had entered the field in despair.
When linked with the Soul Link, even visually impaired people whose eyes were permanently damaged could see clearly through the Soul Glass without difficulty.
“I mean, in a world where virtual reality already exists, this much is nothing….”
“Because it’s Lee Jinwoo, of course it’s possible.”
Since it was made by Lee Jinwoo, wasn’t this level of technology only natural?
It was a level of brilliance that should have left people in shock rather than admiration, but humanity was now prepared to accept it lightly.
Anyway, despite how noisy the world had become, the Heroes didn’t care at all. They were too busy enjoying the content of Arsilan.
‘Kyaaaah! Another surprise update!’
‘I don’t want to be a newbie again!’
‘Veteran newbies are all going berserk.’
‘Just run for it!’
No, another insane amount of content had just been updated, who cares about anything else?
As soon as the server opened, the Heroes ran toward Ella’s Goddess Statue. That’s because the teaser video had shown the statue.
There were many Ella’s Goddess Statues erected throughout Arsilan.
They could even be installed for free in the Heroes’ Domains, so they could be found in nearly every Domain. Occasionally, broken or buried statues could even be found in the Empire of Evil.
All the Goddess Statues in Arsilan, unlike usual, were glowing with a golden hue, and strangely, that light seemed sorrowful. The moment the Heroes approached the statue, a Quest began.
[Ella] Look into the past.
‘If you wish to gaze upon the sorrows of the past, I will gladly become your eyes.’
The Goddess Ella had seen all of Arsilan’s pain through her statues. Faith had been corrupted, people had wailed, and the once-beautiful land had been polluted.
Even her divine authority had been seized by filthy hands and lost its light.
But Ella did not give up.
Ella tore her soul apart and planted the seed of hope in Arsilan. Thanks to your efforts, the seed had sprouted splendidly and became a great tree that now supports Arsilan. The Dark Priests, minions of greed, had disappeared, and Hanu’s sea washed away Arsilan’s corruption.
Goddess Ella recovered a portion of the power that had been stolen by the Lord of Greed and now awaits the day it can be used for Arsilan. Confirm the mission of light through Ella’s eyes.
Eligibility: Hero possessing the Lantern of Light
Reward: ???
A Quest window popped up in front of every Hero who approached the statue. As the rumor spread, all Heroes possessing the Lantern headed toward the statue.
In particular, many Heroes flocked to the Grand Temple in Solis. The massive statue of Goddess Ella inside the Grand Temple looked down at the Heroes with a benevolent smile.
Just looking at that smile made their hearts feel warm.
“Hmm….”
“So what should we do now?”
“Not sure.”
The Heroes who received the Quest paused in thought. They had obtained the information to confirm the mission of light through Ella’s eyes, but they didn’t know what exactly they had to do.
“Ah! Maybe the Lantern is a hint?”
“Since it didn’t disappear even after finishing the previous main quest….”
“There must be some connection.”
“Huh? Guys! When I get close, light starts coming out of the Lantern?”
They had reignited the Flame of the Giant and defeated the Dark Priest, yet the Lantern remained and did not disappear.
Before the massive statue of the Goddess in the Grand Temple stood a group of Clerics. As the Heroes approached, the Clerics, as if expecting them, bowed their heads and stepped aside.
Fwoosh!
The Lantern’s light intensified, brightening the surroundings.
The Heroes raised their Lanterns and shined them toward the statue.
“Huh?”
“This is….”
The moment the light shone upon it, the veil covering it seemed to be lifted, and the appearance of the statue began to change.
It was not the pure white, beautiful form they knew. It had been blackened with corruption and was damaged in multiple places. The expression showed restrained pain, and tears flowed from both eyes.
[Goddess Ella gazes upon the past.]
The flowing tears reached the ground and formed a pond. The same sight unfolded at every Goddess Statue across Arsilan.
The Heroes stood silently, gazing at the statue.
“Ella-nim….”
“She’s crying.”
That profound sorrow was conveyed to the Heroes.
Then, light began to shimmer from the tears pooled beneath the statue. One of the Heroes approached the pond with the Lantern in hand and reached out.
The moment their hand touched the pond.
Whoosh!
Their body collapsed in place and then disappeared as it flickered in light. A nearby Hero attempted to message the vanished one.
[Hero ‘ChickenSkewerKiller’ is asleep in Ella’s embrace.]
The message wasn’t delivered, and instead, this information appeared. One by one, the Heroes approached the pond. The moment they touched it, something strange happened.
“Huh? That’s my body?”
“W-whoa! My body feels weird!”
“Did our souls come out?”
The moment their bodies touched the pond, they collapsed, and their souls emerged from them.
The Heroes looked at one another. Their forms were semi-transparent, dressed in white robes. They wore nothing else.
The surroundings had changed too.
It was definitely still the Grand Temple, but everything was so dark that nothing could be seen.
The only thing visible to the Heroes was the statue of the Goddess.
“There’s a staircase in front of the statue!”
“Ooh! That’s where the pond of tears was.”
“Wow… what a god-tier game.”
As souls, the Heroes descended the stairs. The floor was as cold as ice, making their bodies flinch with every step. At the bottom of the stairs was a door. When the Heroes approached, it opened automatically.
They swallowed nervously and stepped inside.
Inside was a space so vast its end could not be seen. Thick fog blanketed the floor, and a soft blue light emanated from within. The dense mist completely obscured the floor, making it hard to step forward.
“Huh?”
“Hello?”
“Wha?! SockThief-nim?”
“Yes! I am Arsilan’s greatest thief! SockThief!”
They weren’t the only ones who had arrived here.
Heroes were entering through the many doors in the area. They were all in soul form as well.
“Where did you come from?”
“From Marogo.”
“I came from the my Domain’s Goddess Statue.”
“Ah.”
You could arrive here from any of Arsilan’s Goddess Statues.
“W-wait, RomanticBard?!”
“Holy shit…!”
“Aaaagh!”
At the sight of RomanticBard, the Heroes freaked out and backed away in fear. But once they realized he was unarmed, they finally sighed in relief.
“What is this place?”
“Yeah, really.”
While the Heroes were wandering around.
A light began to shine from afar. Someone holding a Lantern was walking toward them.
The Heroes instantly recognized who it was.
“Aren?”
“Ooh! It’s Aren!”
Aren emerged from the mist and stood before the Heroes.
“You’re still annoyingly cheerful as always.”
Aren sighed as he looked at the gathered Heroes.
* * *
Jinwoo greeted the Heroes in Aren’s form. Originally, he had planned to discard it after a single use, but thanks to Tia, Tiris, and most of the people of Arsilan opposing it, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Because of that, he was able to utilize it in this presentation.
Since the character was set up as Ella’s avatar, there was no issue with appearing here.
‘Hmm.’
The Heroes who arrived in this place were all members of the advance team.
There were quite a few who had turned on their broadcasts. Jinwoo briefly looked through the stream list.
[HohoGamMan]
A journey of affection in search of affinity! I can do anything!
*12,992 viewers
[SockThief]
Tonight, I will steal your heart.
*164,221 viewers
[RomanticBard]
RomanticBard’s musical journey
*0 viewers
RomanticBard had been streaming consistently, but his viewer count never rose from zero. His persistence since Early Access was admirable.
-Oh, Aren, hey
-Long time no see.
-Still cute as ever.
-Disappeared so dramatically and now he’s back ㅋㅋ Must feel awkward?
Turning on the chat, Jinwoo began his performance in earnest.
“Welcome to the embrace of Ella.”
As Jinwoo spoke and bowed respectfully, the Heroes tilted their heads.
“Ella’s embrace?”
“I don’t really get it.”
To explain, Jinwoo raised his staff.
When light flowed out from the lantern attached to the tip of the staff, the thick fog covering the floor cleared. A path leading somewhere was revealed, and on both sides of the path were bottomless cliffs that stretched endlessly.
“To be precise, you could say this is the afterlife.”
At Jinwoo’s words, the Heroes flinched.
“The afterlife?”
“Gasp! Did we die? Though we die all the time anyway….”
“The world after death?”
“Well, we are in soul form, so….”
Since they had arrived in the form of spirits, it could only be the afterlife.
“Originally, the souls who had sinned would fall here, cleanse their sins, and then return to Arsilan. However, ever since Erosion invaded Arsilan, all the paths leading here were blocked. Heroes of Arsilan like Hanu-nim can settle in Arsilan right away, but it is different for sinners. They must be purified.”
As Jinwoo spoke and began walking, the Heroes followed behind him. Jinwoo led everyone along a winding path. One wrong step and it felt like they’d fall off the edge.
“Of course, Heroes such as yourselves who possess the power of immortality wouldn’t normally come to a place like this.”
The Heroes were relieved by Jinwoo’s words.
“Souls who committed sins fall into those depths and spend time in repentance. This path is not one that sinners can walk.”
The moment Jinwoo finished speaking, a whip of light lashed out from below the cliff and wrapped around SockThief’s body.
“W-wait?! W-what is this? It’s pulling me down! Kyah!”
The whip began to drag SockThief downward.
Whips appeared near the other Heroes as well, but they cautiously stepped back to avoid them.
Whip! Whip!
The whip relentlessly struck SockThief.
“Aaagh! This feels weird! Aren! Save me!”
The Heroes just blinked and watched in fascination.
Jinwoo approached SockThief. Her body was completely bound by the whip. She wriggled and tried to escape, but the more she struggled, the tighter it got.
“You, Hero… have committed quite a number of sins.”
Jinwoo said this as he looked at her with eyes full of contempt.
“For a soul with this many sins to come to the afterlife, it’s only natural.”
-Our streamer really is a sinner.
-She’s been to prison six times…
-She’s just a crazy bitch.
Jinwoo waved the lantern, and the whip momentarily loosened.
He knelt and offered a short prayer. As if responding, the lantern at the end of his staff flickered with light.
Jinwoo looked at SockThief.
“Hero SockThief, confess your sins before Ella-nim.”
SockThief rolled her eyes in every direction. As the whip approached again, she quickly opened her mouth.
“I-I stole Heina-nim’s socks! I snuck into the royal palace and touched the maids’ socks! While I was at it, I also took Tia-nim’s socks….”
There were quite a few victims.
“Hm.”
“She’s completely insane.”
“This is just… wow.”
Hearing her confession, the Heroes clicked their tongues.
Even RomanticBard, who had been listening, shook his head.
“SockThief-nim, your concept is quite unique.”
“Huh?”
“You’re the one saying that…?”
“Hm….”
Was he implying he wasn’t a concept?
There’s a truly crazy person right here!
The surrounding Heroes were even more startled by RomanticBard’s comment and subtly backed away from him.
“I couldn’t resist when I saw the Clerics’ torn socks. Socks should be complete and perfect.”
The confessions of sin continued. It wasn’t that her playstyle was particularly malicious, but the sheer number of incidents was the issue.
“So what did you do?”
“…I switched the socks with white stockings.”
“White stockings?”
“Yes. White stockings… they’re nice, aren’t they? That sense of guilt you feel when white stockings become stained in a different color… heh, hehe! Wouldn’t Ella-nim like that too?”
SockThief even collaborated with HaangPureCotton, the top-selling underwear brand, to produce pure white stockings. The highlight was the “Phantom Thief Y” written on the stockings.
“Hm, that’s actually kind of cool.”
“She really is a thief.”
“Insanely creative.”
“She’s definitely a crazy woman.”
-I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!
-Our streamer is an embarrassment no matter where you take her.
-Can’t believe she actually said that here.
-I kinda like it though.
The Heroes all nodded in agreement.
“I even gifted them popular socks! I didn’t just steal, I exchanged them! You could call it a talent donation! Hehe!”
Jinwoo let out a small sigh.
There had been quite a lot of reports from Arsilan’s citizens regarding SockThief. She had been like this consistently since Early Access, and by now, it was even starting to seem cute now.
She would take the socks but always left behind a gift, so she wasn’t exactly hated, but it still felt unpleasant. That’s why Jinwoo had prepared this little scene.
Just what kind of person was SockThief?
Jinwoo quietly peered into her soul.
‘Uh…’
The shock caused his body to waver.
That was Lee Eun-seo?
Her soju commercial had become legendary, and every commercial she filmed became a massive hit. She was currently the main model for Ohsung Electronics’ smartphones.
Back when he was a game director before coming to Arsilan, Jinwoo had been a fan of Lee Eun-seo. Watching her dramas had been a great source of inspiration for him.
“I’ll make socks for Aren too. But give me the ones you’re wearing right now in exchange!”
At her completely insane remark, Jinwoo tightly shut his eyes.
‘Aren, closing his eyes in contempt at SockThief.’
‘Aren looks seriously shocked.’
‘It’s definitely not an ordinary concept.’
‘This is the power of the #4 ranked craziest Hero.’
Apparently finding Jinwoo’s reaction cute, posts with those titles quickly appeared on the Arsilan Worlds board.
Jinwoo struggled to regain his composure. Either way, he had to move the story forward.
[Goddess Ella contemplates for a moment.]
[Temporary Indulgence (3 hours) has been granted.]
*All past sins are temporarily forgiven.
*If further sins are committed, the indulgence will be nullified.
The indulgence appeared stuck to SockThief’s forehead. Then the whips disappeared once more into the abyss.
“Th-that’s insane.”
SockThief shuddered as she looked at the indulgence stuck on her forehead.
The indulgence was a “Bad Hero!” sticker made by Aren. It showed Aren’s disgusted expression in SD character form.
On her left shoulder was a prison tattoo, and on her right shoulder was the Penalty Unit insignia. With the indulgence now on her forehead, her “Holy Trinity of Sin” was complete!
“Well then, shall we get mov-”
Jinwoo had to stop mid-sentence. The Heroes were now kneeling in front of him after seeing the indulgence.
“I wish to confess my sins too.”
“Me as well.”
Apparently, the indulgence looked special to them.
“I… attempted affinity farming even with forbidden creatures….”
“Stop! I get it, just stop already.”
Only after stamping indulgences onto the foreheads of every Hero who wanted one was Jinwoo able to continue.
At the end of the path, a massive lake appeared. The tears shed by the gigantic statue of Goddess Ella had formed the lake.
As Jinwoo raised his staff, light burst forth and a vision appeared over the lake.
The image of Ella bound in chains and suffering appeared. She looked so pained that the Heroes were momentarily lost for words. She was standing firm alone, holding back the black-stained Erosion.
“Ella-nim is currently facing the immense Erosion alone. That is why she cannot intervene directly in Arsilan.”
Jinwoo wanted to let the Heroes know about Ella’s sacrifice. They might think it was just a game event, but if the Heroes could recognize it, he believed it would still bring comfort to her.
Just like with Hanu, Ella too would come to hold a deep place in the Heroes’ hearts. Everything she sacrificed for Arsilan deserved to be repaid.
With joy that is remembered and cherished.
With feelings that never disappear.
“Since you Heroes arrived in Arsilan, Ella-nim has smiled more often. Perhaps because there are many… unique individuals like Hero SockThief and Hero RomanticBard.”
“Hehe….”
“Me? I’m unique?”
SockThief scratched the back of her head shyly, and RomanticBard tilted his head.
Ella was smiling even as she suffered.
Her face could not be seen clearly, but the Heroes could all see her smile.
“You Heroes rescued the great chieftain Hanu’s soul and gifted the sea to Arsilan. Arsilan’s sea symbolizes circulation and purification. Now, it is time for Arsilan to judge and purify sinners.”
Jinwoo dipped the lantern attached to his staff into the lake made of tears. Then, the blue lake began to glow golden. At his gesture, the Heroes approached and dipped their lanterns into the lake as well.
As the lake turned golden, small droplets rose from its surface. They looked like glass beads filled with golden light, like eyes carved from clear gemstones.
The glass beads floated toward the Heroes and settled into their eyes.
[You have been imbued with Ella’s Eyes!]
*You can now identify corrupted beings at the Goddess Statues.
*Through Ella’s Eyes, you can peer into the sins of corrupted beings!
*You can send the souls of corrupted beings you’ve slain to the afterlife through the Goddess Statues. Sufficient rewards will be given!
*You can check the punishments given to the corrupted souls you’ve sent to the afterlife!
*You can craft and send torture devices to purify corrupted souls in the afterlife! If the sinner’s soul is purified by the torture device, you will receive Contribution Points in Arsilan.
The Heroes’ eyes shone with a radiant golden light. This phenomenon occurred whenever Ella’s Eyes were activated.
“The corrupted beings you have slain up until now will also begin arriving here.”
When Jinwoo pointed upward, twisted blackened souls came pouring down.
[Aaaaargh!]
[Ughhhh!]
Jinwoo also materialized the soul forms of the Lord of Erosion and the Dark Priest to show the Heroes. They wouldn’t actually fall here, but it would provide powerful motivation.
The Heroes had seen all of Arsilan’s despair. They had fought fiercely from the small village of Evanth and lost many Arsilan citizens before their eyes. Some had even personally experienced what the past had been like.
They couldn’t change the past, but if they punished the wrongs that brought despair, they believed it would surely lead to a better future. All the Heroes felt that way.
[Ella] Divine Punishment
Corrupted beings who sold out Arsilan lurk throughout the Empire of Evil. Deliver divine punishment and fulfill the mission of light!
A new Quest window appeared before everyone present.
“Wow!”
“So it was an afterlife-themed quest!”
“You’re saying we get to avenge Arsilan and earn rewards?”
“Kya! Purge the traitors!”
“It’s time for the Goddess Punch!”
-Ella desires vengeance!
-Kya! Goddess Punch! Goddess Punch!
-This is what real revenge looks like!
The time had come to deliver Divine Punishment!
Jinwoo began dispatching Heroes in earnest to the Empire of Evil.
“Ah! It’s my first time in the afterlife, should we take some photos?”
“Let’s take one with Aren too.”
“But… do souls even show up in pictures?”
“Let’s try anyway.”
Jinwoo couldn’t help but smile at the Heroes’ behavior.
Amid the joyful atmosphere, the tears of the Goddess Statue came to a stop.