novelraw Chapter 130: Karma (2)
Chapter 130: Karma (2)
Translator: Dreamscribe
The Divine Punishment Quest, the first update content following the 2nd Anniversary Event, had begun!
The Heroes who had returned from the Afterlife left their Domains and headed for the Empire of Evil. Even Heroes who had reached the level required to own a Lantern rushed to the Afterlife and began their adventures after acquiring Ella’s Eye.
Originally, Heroes could not venture deep into the Empire of Evil. The territory of the Eastern Noble Union, the eastern region, was the limit, and it was as if they had hit a wall, they could not go beyond it.
However, no Hero said the eastern region was small.
That was because the eastern region itself was vast enough that Heroes had not yet fully grasped everything it contained.
Of course, there were some Heroes who had dashed all the way to the limit, reaching the very boundary.
“Is this the area for the next update?”
“I can’t really see what’s there.”
“It took over three weeks just to get here. It’d be weird if there was more, honestly.”
The boundary line appeared semi-transparent to the Heroes. Beyond it, only faint outlines could be seen, and it was impossible to even guess what lay ahead.
In that situation, the Divine Punishment content was updated, and Heroes with Ella’s Eye appeared.
[Real-Time Announcement]
*You can now leave the eastern region and enter all other areas.
The moment the Heroes who had Ella’s Eye rose from the Afterlife to the surface, a real-time announcement appeared. The semi-transparent wall surrounding the eastern region had vanished, and the Empire of Evil was now open.
“Let’s start by mapping it out as we go!”
“This is what an adventure’s supposed to be!”
“Hmm, but it might not be as big as we thought? Honestly, if it’s just the size of the eastern region, that’s already insane.”
“True. The 2nd Anniversary Event already had a crazy amount of content. Even the Creator God would struggle to prepare more regions.”
“Let’s start from the Domain of SunlightEyesAegyoKill nim.”
There were Domains scattered throughout the eastern region, so the Heroes who had already registered at the Hero’s Flower were able to leave the eastern region with ease.
With those thoughts in mind, the Heroes lightly headed westward.
“Huh?”
“What’s this?”
“The environment is…”
However, the Empire of Evil was immensely vast.
The land was so large that it could easily accommodate hundreds of millions of people, and its scale was beyond comprehension.
In the first place, the eastern region that the Heroes were familiar with had originally been much larger than it was now.
The area where Hanu’s Sea had been was also originally part of the eastern region, but after Jinwoo dropped the moon, more than half of it turned into a desert and it was separated from the eastern region.
Considering that even such a large area was classified as part of the eastern region, it was clear that the Empire of Evil had to be at least three times larger than the combined size of Hanu’s Sea and the current eastern region.
Although all regions had been consumed by Erosion, perhaps to extract the maximum amount of greed, the ecosystem was as diverse as Earth’s. It was an extremely well-designed breeding ground.
Unlike Arsilan, it had a gloomy vibe, but that actually made it feel like an entirely different continent, earning it positive feedback.
“No matter how far we go, there’s no end.”
“Wow… there are so many animals I’ve never seen before. That one looks like it’d taste good grilled.”
“Just getting back might be a whole task… Anyone see a Hero’s Flower?”
The Heroes were shocked.
After leaving the eastern region and entering further in, they encountered an overwhelming number of things, and there was no end in sight.
On the Arsilan Worlds, posts filled with astonishment kept popping up.
Title: This scale is insane.
Honestly, I thought they’d just change up the city themes a little and reuse assets, right? Since Divine Punishment content is the main thing, I figured the cities or environments would be recycled.
I doubted the Creator God.
I am a sinner…
Outside the eastern region is a whole different world!
Let me show you the continent from the airship.
[Photo attached: Heading West!]
See the canyon and river? There’s a volcano over there too. A mountain range stretches out, and there’s a gray forest as well. Even from the sky, I couldn’t see the end. Might take a while to find a city?
[Photo attached: Current location]
Right now, I’m standing in a wheat field, and the scale is insane.
Feels like looking at a cornfield in the U.S.
And it’s actually delicious.
Ah! Let me share a tip.
Use Ella’s Eye to look around carefully. Then you’ll see something like a pillar of light, right? If you dig there, you’ll find a broken statue of the Goddess. If you restore it, a Hero’s Flower will appear. Think of it like a save point.
Anonymous1 (US): We found a statue of the Goddess on our side too. Thanks.
Anonymous2 (JP): Info posts deserve a like. Go to best!
Tia: Those are wonderful photos. Did you borrow the airship?
└CampingPing (Original Poster): Ah! Hello? The Helby Lovers Group has started an airship business. You can borrow it from the Helby Lovers Group’s Domain.
└Tia: I’ll give you a like.
└CampingPing (Original Poster): It’s an honor. I’m so moved right now I’m crying. Sob sob sob.
Airi: We’ll provide the materials needed to restore the statue of the Goddess at the temple, so please come and receive them.
└CampingPing (Original Poster): Wow! Saintess-nim! Thank you so, so much!
└Anonymous3 (KR): Wow… The grace of the Saintess…
└Comfortable: Praise the Saintess-nim!
└Haebyul: Love you.
When they looked around using Ella’s Eye, pillars of light became visible. The Heroes spread out across the Empire of Evil, using those pillars as landmarks.
Because they had to camp out, camping sets started flying off the shelves.
“Ah, ramen!”
“Eating ramen while looking at the canyon is insane.”
“This is what life’s about!”
“Seriously, people who’ve never experienced this are just pitiful.”
Though the ramen collaboration with FS Games was paid content, it was recording massive sales. The taste of ramen eaten while gazing over the vast lands was beyond words.
“Nice.”
Jinwoo, floating in the sky, watched the Heroes while eating ramen. It tasted even better because the Lord of Greed was watching from the direction of the capital far away.
Jinwoo guided the Heroes through the broken statues of the Goddess.
Since the Empire of Evil was so vast, if he just told them to go execute Divine Punishment without direction, they’d surely get lost. So he guided them appropriately through the “Goddess Statue Restoration” system.
‘It’s about time Divine Punishment actually starts…’
From a restored Goddess statue, one could view all corrupted beings in the surrounding area. The statues, made with Invasion Stones, were connected to the Magic Tower, allowing real-time information updates.
The Magic Tower and the Magic Developers identified corrupted beings and assigned suitable rewards.
The first Heroes to check the Divine Punishment List appeared!
Jinwoo moved toward them and flinched after confirming who they were.
“How fascinating!”
“Indeed. It’s inspiring an idea for a new song.”
“Hold it in for now.”
It was SockThief and RomanticBard.
The worst possible combination was currently standing in front of a Goddess statue, checking the Divine Punishment List.
[Slaughterer] Baron Angarun
Crime: Buried 20,000 Domain citizens alive in exchange for immortality and a noble title.
Grade: D+
Rewards: Intermediate Arsilan Gold Chest, +350 Total Contribution Points, Random Enhancement Stone Chest, Random Armor and Weapon Chest, +100 Honor
[Would you like to deliver Divine Punishment to Baron Angarun? If accepted, Baron Angarun’s location will be revealed.]
When SockThief and RomanticBard accepted, they were able to confirm Baron Angarun’s location using Ella’s Eye.
“Can you really give me a proper stage?”
“Yeah, it’s going to be a dopamine-exploding performance. Though, your head might explode too.”
SockThief seemed to have grown close enough to RomanticBard to speak informally.
-That’s the worst combo.
-Arsilan… is this really okay?
-The No. 1 and No. 4 Crazy Heroes teamed up. My heart swells.
The meeting of the crazy bastard and the crazy bitch became a hot topic, and viewers flooded into SockThief’s stream.
Jinwoo got a headache.
He felt the need to watch carefully.
The two arrived in the city where Baron Angarun resided.
There was almost no preparation for an invasion. It seemed the city had never even considered the possibility of enemies coming. Everything was focused solely on pleasure.
“When I give the signal, begin!”
“Understood.”
SockThief infiltrated the city under cover of darkness. True to her name as a phantom thief, she was extremely stealthy. Inside the mansion, she found Baron Angarun asleep and checked with Ella’s Eye.
[Peering into the past sins through Ella’s Eye.]
When SockThief looked at Baron Angarun through Ella’s Eye, the surrounding scenery changed as if she had traveled into the past.
It showed Baron Angarun during his time as a human.
He ordered 20,000 people to dig the ground. He had deceived them with the promise of generous payment, so they all worked eagerly. Once the work was finished, Baron Angarun ordered his soldiers to remove all the ladders from the pit.
Baron Angarun looked down into the pit and smiled. His mouth stretched grotesquely, almost tearing to his ears.
[Ba-Baron-nim…?]
[Kyaaah!]
[P-please spare us!]
When Baron Angarun raised his hand, the soldiers began to fill in the pit. The people struggled to climb out, but the soldiers pressed them down with their spear handles.
[Huhahahaha! How refreshing!]
Baron Angarun watched as all 20,000 were buried alive, dedicating the entire process to the Lord of Greed. In return, he received immortality, a noble title, and unending pleasure. His retainers who had joined him also shared in the happiness and indulgence.
-Wow, that guy’s a total asshole.
-No wonder Ella wants to bring Divine Punishment.
-I’m furious.
It seemed some minimal security was in place. As SockThief approached, magic was triggered and an alarm sounded.
“W-what?! Ugh!”
With a sly grin, SockThief pulled out a rope and bound Baron Angarun.
-That tying method is a bit…
-Tsk…
-Argh! Why is that part sticking out?!
SockThief dragged Baron Angarun down the hallway at full speed. His retainers and knights panicked and chased after her.
She broke out of the mansion and fled all the way to the city center. Due to Baron Angarun’s large number of troops, she was surrounded in an instant.
“Ugh, gah! H-how dare you! A barbarian like you! H-hurry and rescue me!”
SockThief dropped the rope she was holding.
“Now!”
At SockThief’s shout, RomanticBard emerged from a building and walked toward the city center. Seeing the crowd of enemies, his expression turned ecstatic.
Ding!
The moment RomanticBard picked up his instrument, SockThief ran toward him. RomanticBard smiled slyly and reached his hand out elegantly like a noble.
Smack!
As if passing a baton, SockThief brushed past RomanticBard and slapped his hand.
-Wow!
-Why is this so touching?
-It’s cool… it’s just the content that’s the issue.
SockThief immediately dashed away at full speed, using every skill she had to escape.
After arriving at the top of the city wall, SockThief gasped for breath as she looked down at the city center.
Suddenly, a wail filled the air.
It was the screams of nobles, retainers, and knights in agony. Fortunately, RomanticBard’s singing and music didn’t reach the city walls.
“Amazing…”
-What am I even watching?
-So this is Divine Punishment.
-This is terrifying. This is horror.
Divine Punishment had arrived.
From the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears of the nobles, black blood poured out. The knights slammed their heads into the ground and took their own lives. When the performance ended, SockThief approached RomanticBard.
“That was a great performance.”
“Hmm. As expected, people here don’t seem to understand my music.”
The dead noble’s soul floated up, forming a black orb. SockThief put it into her inventory and looked around.
There was a huge haul of loot!
“Gotta do what needs to be done.”
Using her Phantom Thief’s Pouch, SockThief collected all the loot and left the city.
When she offered Baron Angarun’s soul to the statue of the Goddess, an information window popped up. Through it, she could see Baron Angarun falling into the Afterlife.
Divine Punishment had been delivered!
SockThief felt a tingling pleasure that shook her entire body.
“We’re quite a good team?”
“I agree.”
The two smiled at each other.
“I’m a trusted Hero in the Romance Domain. I’ll recommend you to the Romance Domain, SockThief-nim.”
“Oh, you’re letting me in too?”
-Emergency alert in the Romance Domain!
-Haebyul, it’s happened! Stay strong.
-Huh? Haebyul’s rushing out a public statement?
-ㅋㅋㅋ Even if she protests, they’ll force their way in. They’re a crazy couple that can’t be reasoned with.
Watching from nearby, Jinwoo tightly shut his eyes.
‘Let’s leave Comfortable to Tiris for a while.’
Jinwoo quickly left the area and headed back to the eastern region.
‘Now that I think about it, wasn’t SockThief the model for Ohsung Electronics’ smartphone?’
RomanticBard was the marketing director of Ohsung Electronics.
Maybe they’d already had the chance to meet? Just imagining it gave him a strange feeling.
* * *
Starting with SockThief and RomanticBard, many Heroes began participating in the Divine Punishment Quest. In particular, assassination-type Heroes, who had struggled to shine until now, were entering their prime.
An assassination squad to deliver Divine Punishment!
An alliance of assassination guilds was formed, and they even wore matching assassin outfits. Even without Jinwoo’s interference, the Heroes naturally created their own content.
Not all of the named Heroes participated in the new Divine Punishment Quest. After the 2nd Anniversary Event, Domain Wars had resumed.
With the Helby Lovers Group stepping back after receiving a Domain and treasure, only two powers remained: the Romance-North Mercenary Alliance and LifeHunter’s faction.
All war-loving Heroes chose one of the two forces and joined them. Even newbie Heroes who had just crossed Hanu’s Sea joined in. As a result, the scale of the Domain War kept growing.
The Heroes of the two factions quickly obtained Ella’s Eye and returned to the Domain Wars. Haebyul and the Heroes were able to witness Morwen’s past through Ella’s Eye.
Morwen had always been by her master’s side.
But when Baron Burzirol became a Count, he distanced himself from Morwen.
“Morwen…, this foolish woman…”
“A tragic romance.”
“Damn….”
“That hurts the heart.”
When Count Burzirol was corrupted, Morwen was the only loyal one who tried to protect him, standing in the way of the Erosion. She endured the pain of Erosion, forcing herself to stay sane.
She used to love flowers, but now she avoided looking at them. Her kind heart had rotted away. Her cold body could no longer feel warmth.
But she still clung to her mind.
She couldn’t sleep at night and tortured herself to stay sane.
All for him.
The Heroes vividly experienced what Morwen had gone through, as if they had traveled into the past themselves.
Haebyul cried her heart out for a long time. She barely held back her tears and approached Morwen, who, as always, gazed out over the Domain.
“Morwen-ssi…”
“What is it?”
Morwen spoke coldly, as usual.
In the past, she had been so warm and gentle, but now she was not. That appearance was the result of torturing herself to keep her mind intact.
“Hu, huuuuuaaaang!”
Haebyul dropped to the ground, bawling.
Morwen looked down at her coldly, then turned away and disappeared.
Grin!
Out of sight, Morwen let out a small smile.
Tia (Morwen): Devastation complete.
└Leviathan (Levi-chan): Wow! This is gourmet-tier suffering!
└Luceren (Elvens Village Chief): So much to learn here.
└Garsha (Lunatie Village Chief): Delicious.
Starting with Morwen, the Heroes were able to view all the previously hidden side stories through Ella’s Eye.
“So it connects like this…”
“God-tier game.”
“Whoa, I got chills.”
“Burzirol, that bastard’s a real villain.”
Count Burzirol was a sinner who brought about his own Erosion in pursuit of immortality.
Flinch!
Count Burzirol shuddered.
At some point, the barbarians had started staring at him with murderous eyes. All he had done was follow Morwen’s instructions and distance himself from her.
“Um…, Morwen, the barbarians’ reactions are a bit… concerning?”
“You’re doing well. Please scold me even more coldly. Show them your dignity. Barbarians respect strong individuals like that.”
“Well…, they are crazy after all…”
To Count Burzirol’s question, she smiled softly and gave him that answer.
In that kind of atmosphere, the two factions clashed, gaining immense battle experience through repeated victories and defeats. Since Domain Wars had to yield rewards, the nobles’ Domains and treasures kept diminishing, while Arsilan continued to grow.
‘They’re all stuck in the Underground Labyrinth anyway….’
Jinwoo chuckled and nodded.
Whether it was Count Burzirol or any other noble, everyone in the eastern region was tied to the Underground Labyrinth. When they died, they would fall into the Afterlife, now exposed to the Heroes, and become content.
As the nobles ran out of things to offer to the Heroes, the Domain War entered a lull.
As a result, the leaders of the two factions gathered in a tent.
Jinwoo looked at Haebyul, NorthernGrandDuke, and LifeHunter gathered together.
“LifeHunter-nim! Then shall we agree to a temporary truce?”
“Hmm, that might not be a bad idea. It’s not really my style, but I’d like to try this Divine Punishment Quest too.”
At Haebyul’s suggestion, LifeHunter nodded.
“Hmph…, I suppose we have no choice.”
NorthernGrandDuke seemed quite displeased with the truce.
The Heroes belonging to both factions also looked rather disappointed. The pleasure that came from this kind of large-scale battle content wasn’t something that could be easily replaced.
Jinwoo nodded as he watched them.
‘It’s about time…’
Jinwoo had prepared a two-track strategy for conquering the Empire of Evil.
‘Divine Punishment’ and ‘Empress of Vengeance’.
If Divine Punishment was about silently beheading nobles, then Empress of Vengeance was massive, full-scale war content. Thanks to Airi, things had worked out smoothly, so there was no need to create additional content for it.
Shake them from the outside and from the inside.
That was the gift for the Lord of Greed.
“It’s time to begin.”
With a deep smile on his lips, Jinwoo gave the update order.
* * *
Lee Eun-seo headed to Ohsung Electronics’ marketing division. It was for the renewal of her advertising contract.
If nothing else, she definitely wanted to extend her contract as the advertising model for the Universe series. That was because the company had ties with FS Games. On top of that, Lee Cheon-woo, the head of marketing at Ohsung Electronics, was also attending, so the appointment couldn’t be delayed.
‘I need to take down one more…’
After killing a Corrupted Noble and leaving behind the messages:
[I will steal your greed. -Phantom Thief Y-]
[It was a delightful stage. -RomanticBard-]
The thrill surpassed even the time she had won Best Actress.
SockThief: Sorry. Let’s go Divine Punishment again tonight ㄱㄱ
RomanticBard: No problem. I have a daytime appointment as well.
SockThief: Nice. Told you, we’re in sync!
RomanticBard: Agreed
Feeling good after checking ‘Soul Talk,’ the Soul Link app, Lee Eun-seo smiled. When linked with Soul Link, it allowed conversation via smartphone too.
Upon arriving at the marketing division, she entered and saw the waiting staff. Director Lee Cheon-woo was also there.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Cheon-woo, Head of Marketing.”
“I’m Lee Eun-seo.”
The two exchanged light greetings and entered the meeting room. Since the contract renewal was already decided, they were going to discuss the concept for the next commercial during the meeting.
After renewing the contract, Lee Eun-seo officially began the meeting.
Lee Eun-seo and Lee Cheon-woo looked at each other.
‘Hmm.’
‘Hmmm…’
It was their first time meeting, but something felt strangely familiar. Maybe that’s why neither could take their eyes off the other.
Just then, Eun-seo’s smartphone vibrated. So did Cheon-woo’s.
“Shall we take a short break?”
“Yes.”
At Cheon-woo’s suggestion, the meeting paused. Lee Eun-seo and Lee Cheon-woo stepped outside to check their phones. It was a notification for an Arsilan Saga update.
When they checked the teaser video, they were left speechless.
SockThief: Did you see the teaser video? It’s insane.
RomanticBard: Things are getting even more fun.
SockThief: I’ll wrap things up fast and log in.
RomanticBard: Good.
They returned to the meeting room and ran into each other in the hallway. The way they were both staring at their phones was exactly the same.
“Director-nim, do you play Arsilan Saga by any chance?”
“Yes. Of course. You play too, don’t you, Eun-seo-nim?”
“Well…, I-I’m just about to start.”
Lee Eun-seo avoided Cheon-woo’s gaze as she answered.
“It’s incredibly fun. And right now, it’s the perfect season to help out newbies.”
“R-Really? You seem like someone who’d be super popular even in Arsilan Saga, Director-nim.”
At her comment, Cheon-woo flinched and looked a bit sullen. He quickly composed himself.
“…Of course. I have so many friends I can’t even check all my messages.”
“Amazing.”
“Haha, Eun-seo-nim, I think a Cleric would suit you. Oh! Be careful of Heroes who go for weird character concepts. There are a lot of borderline perverts lately.”
Hearing that, Lee Eun-seo gave a slightly awkward smile.
“R-Right. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Unintentionally stabbing each other in the heart with metaphorical spears, the two returned to the meeting room. The meeting ended earlier than expected, and they disappeared from the marketing division at the same time.
SockThief: What’s wrong with being a perverted Hero!
RomanticBard: Having too many friends isn’t always a good thing!
For some reason, the two got along extremely well.