novelraw Chapter 154: Further Progress (4)
Chapter 154: Further Progress (4)
Translator: Dreamscribe
After the Episode 4 update, when heroes died, they arrived in the afterlife. Many heroes had already died, enjoyed the pleasant afterlife experience, and resurrected.
The content that received a positive response from the Heroes was punishing the sinners they had killed so far.
Whether it was pushing soul-form sinners, who rose from boiling molten iron while holding a trident, back in again, or catching sinners trying to escape from the afterlife, just hearing about it was enough to make dopamine overflow. The afterlife was full of such content.
The sinners in pain were not fake, they were real.
Although it was presented in a somewhat softened way to avoid appearing too cruel, the sinners were definitely suffering. By carrying out these afterlife-related Quests, Heroes could shorten their resurrection time and gain Contribution Points.
Heroes with high Contribution Points were given good treatment, such as reduced resurrection times or being guided to a comfortable place.
‘I was planning to reveal the afterlife and give hints through the World Boss...’
With a flashy production, the World Boss would appear, and when many Heroes died at the same time, Jinwoo, playing the role of Aren, would show up to give hints.
He had set it up in the Magic Tower, but unexpectedly, the Romance Heroes self-destructed all at once, messing up the setup and summoning him right before their eyes.
Fortunately, he was able to take control quickly in Aren’s form.
If things had gone wrong, he would have ended up showing the backstage. He could have brushed it off as a bug or glitch, but since something like that had already happened once, it would’ve been a hit to his pride.
Since Haebyul was streaming, many Heroes were flocking to the afterlife.
‘This isn’t what I made the afterlife for....’
The place where there had once been a lake of tears was now filled with Ella’s flowers. And at the center of it was Aren’s office. Even if you were a Hero, you couldn’t enter without permission.
Aren took on the role of the King of the Underworld as the incarnation of Ella. Normally, he moved through illusion magic and the Magic Tower, but when an incident like today happened, Jinwoo controlled him directly.
“I’ll explain from the beginning, so listen carefully!”
Haebyul told Jinwoo the contents of Episode 4. Jinwoo, immersed in Aren’s role, listened and pretended to be surprised.
“Hmm, so Ella-nim made such a prophecy. I now understand why she’s been absent lately. Erosion is a transcendent being that crossed over dimensions in the first place. It wouldn’t be impossible for it to invade the Heroes’ world either.”
“To protect the world from Erosion, we have to go too.”
They needed to go with the power of Heroes. For that, they had to move from Arsilan. Haebyul and the Romance Heroes told him all of that.
After speaking, Haebyul wore a very serious expression.
-This story is so thrilling.
-Oh, so we’re going to save Earth now.
-Really looking forward to this.
-NorthernGrandDuke-nim said they found a clue? Seems like they discovered an orc city.
Jinwoo had scattered clues not just in the afterlife but all over Arsilan. He had left them in various forms so that many Heroes could enjoy the thrill of discovering them. There were over 1,200 related main Quests alone.
Jinwoo nodded and stood up from his seat. A lot of parts had been skipped, but he decided to improvise and carry on.
“First, let’s ask the person involved.”
“The person involved?”
As Haebyul tilted her head, Jinwoo stretched out his hand to the side. The wall of the office opened, revealing a staircase leading downward. From the end of the staircase, a desperate scream could be heard.
As Jinwoo led the way down the stairs, the Romance Heroes swallowed nervously and followed behind him.
A punishment site located deep within the afterlife appeared. It was a place where only special sinners were gathered. Among the sinners was the Lord of Greed.
[Kuh, Kuaaaak! Pl-please..., have, have mercy....]
He was suffering endlessly in the form of a shriveled-up bug.
Jinwoo revealed the Lord of Greed, who was truly suffering, to the Heroes.
“The Lord of Greed?”
“Wow....”
“So he was being punished here.”
“Keh! Now this is what I call revenge!”
-So satisfying!
-That bastard really needs to suffer forever.
-This is it! This is what the afterlife should be!
The Lord of Greed did not receive a shred of sympathy. Not only the Romance Heroes, but all the Heroes watching through the stream felt a sense of satisfaction.
When Jinwoo reached out his hand, the Lord of Greed, who had been impaled on a spit, floated into the air.
“I heard Erosion has begun invading the world of the Heroes. Do you know anything?”
Jinwoo applied a filter to the Lord of Greed.
There was no need to actually convey what the bastard said.
[W-what are you talking about?]
‘Heh, hehehe! Your world is finished! My comrades will devour your world and use it as fuel to head back to Arsilan!’
The Lord of Greed spoke in a mocking tone with such an infuriating intonation.
The effect was powerful!
Haebyul and the Romance Heroes’ expressions twisted with rage. Of course, it wasn’t actually the Lord of Greed who said those words, Jinwoo had made it sound that way.
[It-it wasn’t me! I never said that! I’ll tell you everything I know, just please show mercy!]
‘I’ll tear apart your families and friends while they’re still alive. Hehehe! They’ll curse your name and fall into eternal torment! Hahahahaha!’
The bloodlust of the Romance Heroes thickened by the second.
The Lord of Greed was going mad with frustration. If there was anything he could do to stop this pain even for a moment, he would do it. He had already lost everything, there was no pride left. He could only envy the mortal beings who could vanish.
“Aren, make that bastard obedient.”
Haebyul barely held back her anger.
The chat window was already filled with curses.
“What kind of torture would you like?”
“All of it.”
“Understood.”
As Aren waved his hand, flames shot up, ice crashed down, and skewers and blades rained without mercy. Because he was in the form of a grotesque bug, it didn’t even feel cruel.
What a tenacious bastard he was!
Only after a long bout of torture were they able to extract information. Jinwoo nodded and looked at Haebyul.
“It seems they were targeting the moment Heroes returned to their original world. They say Erosion stuck to the Heroes’ souls. Have you had any bad luck lately, or been feeling unwell?”
When Jinwoo asked this, Haebyul and UruBear flinched and nodded.
“That’s right! I got indigestion while eating a nutrition block.”
“I’ve started losing hair recently....”
-I don’t have a girlfriend...
-No wonder I didn’t want to go to work...
-They said I need dental implants...
They believed it was because that Lord of Greed had tainted them with Erosion! There was no way that was possible, but thinking that made them feel better.
“Requesting the full torture package, please.”
“Don’t stop, keep going.”
The Lord of Greed was subjected to even more intense torture. He writhed and screamed in frustration, but it was nothing more than a hollow cry.
“Looks like the Erosion on the Heroes’ souls became the coordinates.”
As Aren stretched out his hand, the space shimmered and then split open. A space dyed in gray revealed itself. It was torn apart as if scratched by claws and was corrupted. The wall of dimensions bore countless traces of Erosion’s intrusion.
“A transcendent being like the Lord of Greed could probably rip open that gap and descend completely. Even Ella-nim or Helby-nim could travel through it, though they’d have to bear significant restrictions.”
“Ah...!”
Haebyul recalled when Ella had appeared during the showcase. It had definitely looked like the summoning circle was forcibly opening the space.
“Restrictions...?”
“She probably couldn’t use even 1% of her original power.”
-So she came during the showcase with great difficulty.
-I did feel like the summoning looked hard.
-Seriously, the level of detail is insane...
It hadn’t been a simple showcase production. Even the showcase had been woven into the lore.
“Isn’t there any way around it?”
“Aren! Please!”
Haebyul and UruBear looked at Jinwoo with pleading eyes.
‘Hmm.’
The information was originally meant to be revealed elsewhere, but since so many Heroes were watching, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to reveal it early to build anticipation. Besides, the Romance Heroes had skipped the Quest and arrived, making it awkward to slot them back in midway.
“Hmm... There’s something I obtained when I descended in the form of the Archmage.”
Jinwoo reached out his hand. Then, the Archmage’s book appeared. Jinwoo pretended to flip through the book diligently. When he came across a page filled with complex formulas, he immediately placed his hand on it.
Whoosh!
A magic circle floated up, and several items appeared in the air. Though their forms were blurry and hard to distinguish, they all shone brilliantly.
“To cross dimensions while fully retaining Arsilan’s power, you need not only immense strength but also something noble. According to the records the Archmage left behind..., it’s likely to be the pure power each race possesses.”
A clue had appeared!
“However, it’s uncertain whether the people of Arsilan, after enduring for so many years, can still manifest such power. That’s something I hope you Heroes can handle in some way.”
Jinwoo closed the book and looked at the Romance Heroes with a small smile.
“Got it! We’ll figure something out! Thanks!”
Haebyul grinned and nodded.
“Now I know what we need to do.”
“Let’s go!”
“First, let’s find the cities.”
The information obtained from the afterlife quickly spread throughout Arsilan Worlds.
That much was enough to share.
Jinwoo reached out his hand toward the fired-up Romance Heroes.
[Aren banishes you from the afterlife.]
As that message appeared, the Romance Heroes all looked at Jinwoo.
“Thank you! Love you!”
“We’ll bring gifts next time!”
“We’ll come visit!”
Haebyul and the Romance Heroes shouted toward Jinwoo.
Their bodies began to transform into light and resurrect. Jinwoo looked at the Heroes as if he were seeing something horrifying.
“Let me say this again: the afterlife is not a playground. If you come to the afterlife like this again, your resurrection wait time will be extended.”
With Jinwoo’s sigh, all the Romance Heroes resurrected in Arsilan.
***
Hallon was rehearsing his lines inside the Archmage’s research lab. He planned to leave a strong impression on many Heroes this time and push his character, Haroron, into the top 80 of the popularity rankings.
Creak!
At the sound of a large door opening, Hallon struck a pose and prepared his line.
[Welcome! I’ve been watching your exploits! You must have gone through a lot! But worry not! For this Archmage’s..., hmm?]
Astel and the staff, holding demolition tools, began dismantling the Archmage’s research lab. Astel looked at Hallon.
“You’re being removed because the Quest was skipped.”
[Ah.]
Hallon lowered his head.
He had even prepared gifts.
Now that Ella-nim had returned, he could have bestowed an enormous blessing too!
[...H-haha! This too must be a trial of light.]
Astel reached out her small hand and patted Hallon’s body.
“Wanna help with the demolition?”
[Why not.]
Hallon began demolishing with fury.
As Astel watched, she thought, as expected of a former pope, what craftsmanship.
***
As time passed, clues were discovered, and all the Heroes moved toward the newly built cities in the reclaimed lands. Quite a few Heroes had over 70% Affinity, so the locations of the cities were found easily.
Large cities appropriate for each race appeared across Arsilan Worlds, and Quest information was shared. Since the cities had just been created, there were many Quests to help with settlement.
‘Every single Quest is insane.’
‘What’s with this volume?’
‘Lunatie is seriously heaven. I’m settling here.’
‘I really want to stay for a few months and just explore at a relaxed pace.’
‘The beastkin kids are so cute. They follow me around, and I almost had a heart attack.’
The newly transformed cities of the various races were beautiful.
It was large enough to be called a metropolis, and each race's traditions and cultures were vividly preserved. The very image of fantasy that Heroes imagined was now unfolding before their eyes, leaving them busy walking around and exploring.
There was a slight loosening of tension in the progression of Episode 4.
Then something happened to tighten that atmosphere again.
As the end of the workday arrived, Manager Kim Hyun-man quickly prepared to leave the office.
‘Hmph.’
He was HohoGamMan, the Affinity Master who had pushed the Affinity of countless Arsilan natives to the limit. As a Hero, his value was rising vertically day after day.
His strategy guides were regarded as scripture, and he had amassed a large subscriber base. Though his income surpassed his salary, he still carried out his company duties with responsibility.
He packed his bag, picked up his Soul Glass, and stepped out of the office. Employees who had been leaving work were staring out the window with shocked expressions.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you going home?”
“M-Manager, look over there....”
One of his subordinates pointed out the window with a trembling finger.
“Hmm, there’s nothing out there?”
All the subordinates were wearing Soul Glasses. Soul Glasses had now become as commonplace as regular eyeglasses. With automatic lens adjustment and many useful apps for work, they were highly practical even outside of Arsilan Saga.
Due to Episode 4, they were even experiencing a supply shortage.
Kim Hyun-man put on his Soul Glass and looked outside.
“Huh?”
The sky over Seoul had changed. In the morning, the fissure had only widened slightly, nothing seemed alarming. The Invasion of Erosion was expected to unfold in sync with the events in Arsilan.
But that wasn’t the case.
Arsilan Saga always far exceeded expectations.
“T-the sky...”
Kim Hyun-man stood stunned.
It was no longer the sky of Seoul he always knew. A long, gray rift stretched across the entire Seoul sky, and Erosion was dripping from that gap.
[The Reverse World has been detected through the Soul Glass.]
That message appeared before his eyes.
Erosion gnawed at the sky, staining it a dark crimson. It looked as if the skin of Seoul’s sky had been slashed open with a dagger.
“L-look over there!”
“M-monsters?”
The Erosion falling from the torn sky hit the ground. The pavement began to bubble and boil, and corrupted monsters rose to their feet. They were terrifying creatures that looked like a cross between spiders and trolls.
[KRAAAAAAH!]
As the monster roared and slammed the ground, the asphalt shattered and objects were destroyed.
Kim Hyun-man took off his Soul Glass.
In front of him, Seoul remained as peaceful as ever. People were heading home, and the roads were packed with cars. But when he put the Soul Glass back on, the people and cars became semi-transparent, and Seoul covered in Erosion appeared.
The Reverse World.
People and vehicles moving in the real world now appeared warped, as if they were from a different dimension. Even potential safety concerns had been addressed through in-world settings.
Kim Hyun-man could truly feel what the Reverse World was.
“This... this is insane technology.”
“Experiencing it in person, it makes no sense....”
“How is this even possible?”
“I’m seeing it with my own eyes and I still don’t believe it....”
It was as unbelievable as virtual reality itself.
This wasn’t some clumsy AR gimmick. It felt real. No, it felt more real than reality.
“W-waaaah!”
“Urgh!”
He saw people outside the building screaming and hastily taking off their Soul Glasses.
“M-Manager. Didn’t FS Games visit our company building too?”
Snapped back to his senses by his subordinate’s question, Kim Hyun-man recalled.
The building where his company was located wasn’t quite at the level of Ohsung Tower, but it was still a fairly large structure in Seoul.
Through their partnership with FS Games, a Gate of Souls had been installed throughout the building. As proof, a Gate of Souls certification mark was affixed to the wall in the corridor.
Kim Hyun-man hurriedly turned on the broadcast mode with his Soul Glass.
-What’s going on?
-Seoul’s in chaos right now?
-HohoGamMan-nim’s doing his first reality stream? Huh?
It was at that moment.
Tap!
Erosion clung to the window. Kim Hyun-man and the employees flinched in shock and stepped back.
Clang!
The glass window warped, and as if unable to withstand the heat, shattered completely. Erosion surged into the hallway where Kim Hyun-man and the employees stood.
“U-ugh!”
“Ah!”
A thick, sticky swamp rolled in and touched their feet. The moment it made contact, thick smoke billowed up. Vein-like bundles spread across the hallway walls, staining everything with Erosion.
Bubble bubble!
Monsters crawled out of the ashen swamp, revealing their forms. Kim Hyun-man and the employees froze on the spot. Monsters over two meters tall filled the hallway and let out grotesque howls.
-Um...
-This is insane.
-Is this actually real?
One of the monsters locked eyes with Kim Hyun-man. It glared at him, then swung its sharp claws.
[KRAAAHH!]
As the sharp claws struck Kim Hyun-man, a long slash appeared across his chest.
[You have taken damage to your soul!]
*Monsters can deal damage directly to the soul.
*If soul damage accumulates, your physical body in Arsilan will die, and you will no longer be able to observe the Reverse World. If you log into Arsilan Saga in that state, you will enter the afterlife.
As soon as that information appeared, Kim Hyun-man quickly retreated backward.
“If we take off the Soul Glass, it looks like they can’t recognize us!”
“Ugh, I almost died.”
Kim Hyun-man, hearing his colleague, took off his Soul Glass.
It was the usual office scenery he had always seen. The windows were intact, and the hallway was normal. Of course, there were no monsters.
“Ugh, if this were Arsilan, I’d have slaughtered them all!”
“They didn’t even look high-level....”
“Grrr!”
The employees were angry at themselves for being scared of monsters like that.
Kim Hyun-man carefully put the Soul Glass back on.
As soon as Kim Hyun-man and the employees vanished from sight, the enraged monsters began destroying everything in the hallway indiscriminately.
The hallway in the company became a complete mess.
-If you take it off, it’s reality. If you wear it, it’s the Reverse World ㄷㄷ
-Creator God... what the hell did you make?
-Everything inside is getting destroyed? Look at the walls getting smashed.
When the other employees put their Soul Glasses back on, the monsters turned their heads and began rushing at them.
That was when it happened.
BOOM!
A burst of light exploded behind Kim Hyun-man, sweeping away the monsters. He turned his head to look behind him.
“E-Ella-nim!”
-Wow....
-It’s Ella-nim!
-Ella-nim came to save them!
Ella smiled and clenched her fist.
“This time, I will protect the Heroes’ world. Leave it to me until Arsilan reaches this place.”
The number of viewers watching Kim Hyun-man- no, HohoGamMan instantly surpassed three million.