novelraw Chapter 182: The Afterlife of Heroes (4)
Chapter 182: The Afterlife of Heroes (4)
Translator: Dreamscribe
The 1st generation reincarnated heroes had all successfully completed their reincarnation. Jinwoo personally checked on each one in detail and took care of them. He supported their funerals through FS Games, and employees personally visited to offer condolences. Jinwoo wanted to go as well, but unfortunately, the situation didn’t allow it.
Lee Jinwoo was someone who could be said to be the most famous person in the world. If word got out that he showed up, it was obvious it would cause too much trouble.
Jinwoo placed statues of the heroes as they appeared in life inside the Grand Temple of the Celestial Realm.
‘From now on, many more heroes will reincarnate.’
That would be the case, as the number of connected users had greatly increased. Through a medical support project, Jinwoo brought many heroes from around the world who were on the brink of death to Arsilan.
Of course, it wasn’t for the purpose of forcing reincarnation. He merely wanted to ease their pain and hoped they would enjoy romantic adventures in Arsilan and grow to cherish it. Jinwoo wanted to go further and make the heroes even greater and happier. It was simply too heartbreaking to let the heroes who saved Arsilan vanish into the cold void of the universe.
Jinwoo planned to assign a generation number once the number of reincarnated heroes reached a certain threshold and send them to Arsilan. Until all the spots were filled, they would remain comfortably asleep within the Soul Gate. Thanks to Airi’s authority, they could await reincarnation while dreaming the happiest dreams.
The Soul Gate containing the reincarnated heroes grew even more magnificent.
Jinwoo also felt a great change within his own soul, but he didn’t pay much attention to it. No matter how he changed, the work he needed to do wouldn’t change.
Well then, before posting the update notice, let’s take a look around.
Jinwoo moved to the Spirit Realm.
Many reincarnated heroes had chosen to become spirits. Some were already promoted to low-ranking spirits. Since there was only one Spirit King position per element, they were all working hard and growing with eyes set on the top.
[Looking forward to forming a contract.]
[It’s still not available yet, right?]
[Yeah, maybe it’ll open once the update notice goes up?]
[Still, it’s nice that we can go to Arsilan. Ah! Hey, what’s your contract phrase going to be?]
[I’m planning to make it something cringey like a chuunibyou line.]
[Hehe, sounds fun. I’m thinking of receiving dessert in exchange for being summoned.]
[Oh, that concept is pretty good.]
True to their status as reincarnated heroes, the spirits were creating content among themselves. Even if they interacted with Arsilan natives or heroes, there was no worry about secrets leaking.
Even if they blurted out classified information, it would be filtered through the Magic Tower. It would either be muted or sound like completely different words. Prior consent was obtained for this part.
Jinwoo then moved to Arsilan to find the heroes who had reincarnated as divine beasts. A massive turtle was seen floating leisurely in Hanu’s Sea. Mermaids were swimming around it, taking care of it, and young mermaids were playing on its shell like a slide.
[Now this is the life.]
That turtle, resembling a Black Tortoise, could grow without doing anything. Being lazy was the most productive thing it could do. In any case, it was in the process of growing into a mythological being that guarded Hanu’s Sea.
Jinwoo had also remodeled the divine beast realm.
He created a beautiful space inspired by traditional Eastern landscape paintings. Of course, the territory of the existing summoned beasts was preserved as is.
‘At this point, Earth and Arsilan are practically one.’
Based on Arsilan Saga, a massive economic system had been created through the Dimension Gate. Cities with Gate of Souls were gradually increasing, and the list of Dimension Gates was being filled. Going even further, reincarnation had been introduced, creating a cycle of rebirth.
Two worlds, beyond other universes and dimensions, had become one. The foundation was finally laid to subjugate the higher beings of Erosion and take everything from them.
‘There are a lot more second-job advancement heroes now, and even quite a few third-job advancement heroes.’
The number of third-job advancement heroes had increased to the point where they could occasionally be seen in major cities. The fact that they could show off and were exceptionally powerful made it something heroes would naturally be obsessed with. The foundation work had been more or less completed.
Once the reincarnated heroes had somewhat settled in, Jinwoo posted an update notice on Arsilan Worlds.
[Notice] Update Announcement
Hello, this is Arsilan Saga.
We would like to inform you about new update content.
1. The Spirit Realm has been added.
Until now, only the lowest-grade spirits had appeared in Arsilan. With the retreat of the Lord of Despair and the recovery of the true Holy Sword, Arsilan has been reconnected to the Spirit Realm.
You might now be able to form official contracts with spirits. Discover them through your adventures!
2. A great light has arrived in Arsilan.
With the light of the Holy Sword, forgotten ancient races are revealing themselves. You can earn Contribution Points by researching them and completing the guide. In addition, various related Quests have been added, so please be sure to check them out.
3. The City of Darkness has been added.
A city shrouded in darkness has emerged in the outskirts of Arsilan.
4. Dungeons and Gates have been added.
Thirteen themed Gates and Dungeons have been added to the fields of Arsilan and the Dimension Gate.
.
..
...
10. Exclusive Skills for Second-Job Advancement have been added.
A total of 67 exclusive skills for second-job advancements have been added.
Anonymous1 (KR): ??
Anonymous2 (KR): What is this, an encyclopedia?
ChokeSlam: They just dropped the update without even a showcase.
└ParalysisScent: They don’t even bother mentioning stuff anymore ㅋㅋㅋ
└ChokeSlam: All those heroes doing strategy streams are about to collapse ㅋㅋ
Anonymous3 (MX): Come on… give us some warning, will you?
Anonymous4 (JP): The City of Darkness? That sounds freaking awesome.
└HoHoGamMan: Could it be an Undead-themed city?
As always, the joyful screams of heroes checking the update contents rang out.
Besides these updates, there was a major event happening within Arsilan itself. Jinwoo, in Leon’s appearance, announced that he would be moving the capital to the center of the reclaimed land. The new capital was hidden behind a barrier and not revealed to the public, but the location was disclosed.
As a result, heroes established various companies in Arsilan and began large-scale projects to connect them to the new capital.
"This is impressive."
Proper trains and airships appeared on the wide open plain in front of Solis. Not long after the release of True Magic Stones, such a dramatic level of advancement had been achieved.
Jinwoo, in the appearance of Leon, approached to observe.
Helby Lovers Group, now a key faction in Arsilan, was working on maintaining a new model of airship.
"Leon-nim!"
“Are you working on something?”
“We were just finishing up.”
Hellhound, who had been inspecting the airship, spotted Jinwoo and approached.
“That’s quite a large airship.”
“Yes, thanks to the True Magic Stone, the output of the Magic Engine has increased dramatically. They say this size can be sustained without issue.”
Until recently, it looked more like a barely flying glider than an airship. But now it had taken on the proper form of a true airship.
It had a large frame equipped with multiple magic engines, and its surface was covered with numerous magical enhancements. They had clearly paid attention to the design, giving it a refined appearance.
“The fare must be quite high.”
“Yes, the price of True Magic Stones is expensive, so it can’t be helped. We’re designing it to maximize efficiency. Once the flow of Magic Power stabilizes, even minimum output will be sufficient.”
Hellhound showed a more knowledgeable side than before. Since Helby was often absent, he had taken on many support roles for HellDoctor. HandGenius had also signed a technology partnership with Helby Lovers Group and was offering assistance.
HandGenius and HellDoctor nodded as they observed a large golem. The golem had a cockpit, but it was extremely small. Due to current technical limitations, they hadn’t been able to make it any larger. It looked like not even a child could fit inside.
"The cockpit is quite cramped. Is it a model?"
“No. It’s designed to be as efficient as possible.”
HellDoctor answered Jinwoo lightly. When Jinwoo looked at HandGenius, not understanding, he made an awkward expression.
“Well… you'll understand once you see it yourself.”
At HandGenius’s words, Jinwoo turned his eyes back to HellDoctor.
When HellDoctor gestured, a hero who had undergone third-job advancement approached. He was a Death Knight, and a member of Helby Lovers Group came over and removed his armor. A thin skeleton was revealed.
Clack clack!
HellDoctor nodded, then pulled out a sharp saw and cut off the hero’s arms and legs. Since he was a skeleton, it didn’t feel gruesome.
He inserted the torso directly into the cockpit and linked it with the golem.
Whoooosh!
The magic engine attached to the golem began to spin as a black current swirled around it. The cockpit closed, and the golem rose to its feet. When the hero inside the cockpit re-summoned the Death Knight’s armor, the armor formed along the surface of the golem.
HellDoctor grinned and pointed at it.
“It's a manned control golem, the prototype of a Magic Armor Unit.”
“Ah…”
“Thanks to utilizing an undead, we were able to minimize unnecessary space.”
It was a method Jinwoo had never even considered.
To overcome technological limitations, they had the idea of inserting an undead. As a result, there was no need to care about cockpit temperature. As long as the bones didn’t melt, it was fine.
[This is the power of darkness…!]
When the Magic Armor Unit reached out its hand, a Death Knight’s sword was formed. Assisted by the magic engine, a massive energy-infused black aura surged around it.
“The downside is that it costs a lot to maintain, but its power is guaranteed. Each basic attack is around C+ rank.”
“…I see.”
It was like looking at a boss monster.
The Magic Armor Unit destroyed the target set up for testing in a single strike. Jinwoo wondered if this was really okay, but since the hero riding, or rather, mounted in, the cockpit seemed satisfied, he decided to let it slide.
“If we use undead, we could probably even make manned missiles.”
It seemed HellDoctor had already devised numerous potential uses.
Jinwoo quietly stepped away from HellDoctor and approached the area where the train was located. Thanks to the greatly increased output, it was now capable of carrying large amounts of cargo.
The inside of the Magic Barrier had already been fully connected, and even Hanu’s Sea was being linked with railways connecting several islands to the reclaimed land. The merfolk were providing significant assistance in constructing the underwater infrastructure.
‘If we want fast delivery, we’ll probably still have to use ships…’
Since they were connecting island to island, it created a circular path around Hanu’s Sea.
In any case, once completed, it would enable large-scale logistics transport. Many heroes' Domains established in the reclaimed land were said to be investing heavily to secure train stations.
Jinwoo returned to Solis and looked out in front of Ella’s Grand Temple. The current number of connected users had far surpassed 90 million, with the 100 million mark just around the corner.
[Oh! It’s almost 100 million.]
[Kyah! God-tier game!]
[Leon-nim, hello?]
[Long live the Creator God!]
He could see the reincarnated heroes, now spirits, who had come to Solis in their lowest grade spirit forms. If they grew, they would be able to lead the small spirits that had remained in Arsilan and the spirits born from the light of the Holy Sword.
‘The capital construction is almost finished too…’
Mass production of Soul Links was pouring in all over the world.
It was an important time.
Jinwoo had made thorough preparations to prevent any incidents or accidents from occurring.
Jinwoo watched Arsilan's development and waited for the user count to reach 100 million. Everyone in Arsilan must have felt the same way.
***
100 million!
This didn’t refer to just the number of registered users, but to 100 million simultaneous active users. Arsilan Saga had already achieved an unprecedented milestone in human history, but the weight of 100 million was still immense, enough to make all of it feel surreal. To share such a large unit of measure with the global population itself gave it tremendous symbolic meaning.
Not only above Ella’s Grand Temple in Solis, but over every city equipped with a Gate of Souls, the real-time connection count for Arsilan Saga was displayed in the sky.
It was humanity’s golden age.
Though wars were still happening, the global economy, once in a recession, was recovering rapidly, with every index showing an upward trend. Even renowned economists were shocked. Virtual reality had evolved into augmented reality, and as it became connected to various countries on Earth and entered the real world, its impact became impossible to predict.
Of course, institutional reforms were needed and side effects existed, but no one resisted the trend. Rather, they felt relieved. Since they had been able to install Gate of Souls early on, they didn’t need to compete fiercely to join the race.
‘Lee Jinwoo, ranked No.1 Most Influential Person in the World.’
‘Ranked No.1 in Global Wealth.’
‘Leader Who Changed the World’
.
..
...
Lee Jinwoo held unshakable first place in several major categories.
Magazines and newspapers plastered with his photo had become too commonplace. Every year, or even every quarter, he released new scientific and technological advancements, to the point where multiple countries had established dedicated research institutions just for Lee Jinwoo. These were facilities solely for researching Jinwoo’s technology.
"Creator God-nim...."
In Mexico, Luis Miguel stared at the photo of Lee Jinwoo on his wall. It was a cut-out from a magazine that he had pasted up.
“Finally…!”
Miguel had finally managed to save enough money to buy a Soul Link.
Buying a new product was out of the question, but it seemed he could afford a used one in poor condition.
When Miguel first encountered 'Arsilan Saga', he thought it was just a story from another world, but once a Gate of Souls was installed in Mexico City and the Soul Link was released, he began to dream.
At last, he could connect to 'Arsilan Saga'!
With a pounding heart, he stepped into the Soul Shop.
It wasn’t the main Soul Shop branch in Mexico, but a small chain store that had expanded into Miguel’s area. It was a shop opened by Roberto, who had often looked after Miguel when he was little.
“Uncle Beto, I’m here! Wow! The store looks super neat? I think it’s even cleaner than last time.”
“If I don’t keep it clean, the head office gives me warnings.”
“I was really worried when you first said you were opening a shop here...”
It was a rough neighborhood.
A town where lower-level members of the cartel ran rampant. But strangely, this particular area was safe.
“Ha ha! Oddly enough, my luck’s been good ever since I opened the shop.”
“Really?”
Miguel had always been unlucky.
Not once in his life had he been lucky. Every time he gained something, it was taken away. There were even many times he was falsely accused and nearly killed while just walking down the street.
“Do you have any used Soul Link Light models? I heard you sell used ones too…”
“Hmm, I do have some, but... are you planning to buy a used one?”
“Yes.”
Miguel fished around in his pocket and pulled out some money.
It was far too little to buy a new product, and barely enough to get a used one that was nearly junk.
Roberto looked at Miguel, then took a product from the shelf and held it out to him.
“Huh? This is the latest model, brand new!”
“Miguel, your birthday is tomorrow, right? Think of it as a birthday present.”
“N-No, it’s okay. I can’t accept something like this.”
When Miguel shook his head and declined, Roberto opened the Soul Link box on the spot.
“It’s a used product now.”
“...Uncle.”
“Miguel, happy birthday. You’ve grown up well despite everything. You’re more suited to being a hero than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
With the money Miguel gave him, Roberto added several extra items into the package.
"Soul Link is not just a simple product. There is something warm about it."
“Huh?”
“You’ll understand soon enough.”
Seeing Miguel’s confused expression, Roberto let out a hearty laugh.
“May all the light in the world be with you.”
Roberto grinned and gave a traditional Arsilan-style greeting.
With his heart full of excitement, Miguel set off for home. His house was shabby and small, but it had been passed down to him by his grandmother, the only family he had.
As he entered the fastest alleyway leading home, Miguel flinched. A group of thugs were gathered there.
He tried to quickly turn back, but
“Hey, you.”
Ugh!
He got caught.
Miguel squeezed his eyes shut.He was always this unlucky. The moment something good came to him, he always lost it. His grandmother had once told him, as he cried, that someday a special moment meant just for him would come. But that day would never arrive.
Miguel swallowed hard and looked at them. Judging by their tattoos, they seemed to be from a well-known local cartel’s lower division.
“Hand it over.”
Miguel clenched his fists tightly, then gave up and held out the paper bag containing the Soul Link. A thug with a rough expression grinned and snatched the bag from him.
A pistol was visible at his waist.
“You little punk, you live around here, don’t you? Where exactly?”
“M-My house is in that alley over there…”
“Even a broke-ass like you went shopping, huh?”
He raised his hand to strike Miguel on the head.
“H-Hey, this is a Soul Link!”
“Fuck!”
“No, please don’t!”
That’s when it happened.
As soon as the word “Soul Link” was spoken, the man froze as if paralyzed. He broke into a cold sweat, quickly lowered the hand he had raised to hit Miguel.
People who looked like they could kill without blinking were now trembling in fear.
“H-Hurry, g-give it back.”
“S-Sorry. W-We weren’t trying to steal it or anything, w-we were just curious…”
“E-Enjoy 'Arsilan Saga'…”
The man who had been about to hit Miguel very politely returned the paper bag containing the Soul Link. Then, with trembling hands, he pulled out his wallet and took out some money, placing it into Miguel’s hand.
“Uh, what is this...?”
“P-Please accept it. It’s an apology.”
Then, as if he had seen a ghost, he turned and ran away.
“......”
What was that?
It felt like he was dreaming. It was hard to believe this was reality.
Now that he thought about it, he might have heard rumors like that. Rumors that even the cartel controlling Mexico didn’t dare touch FS Games.
There were ridiculous and insulting stories like how the boss would have a seizure or wet himself just at the sight of anything related to FS Games, but strangely enough, there had never been any retaliation or harm done to FS Games.
‘Was that actually true?’
Miguel had no choice but to believe the rumor now. He started to understand a little why Roberto’s shop had remained so safe all this time.
With a dazed expression, Miguel arrived home, then shook his head like snapping out of a trance to regain his senses. He carefully took out the Soul Link and placed the box beneath the photo of Lee Jinwoo hanging on the wall.
‘First of all…’
He was still a bit overwhelmed, but maybe he should try logging in?
Miguel put on the Soul Link and pressed the power button. Just as the articles had described, he was able to experience something truly incredible. It was such a magnificent sight that everything that had happened earlier felt like nothing.
Once he finished customizing, he was connected to 'Arsilan Saga'!
When he arrived in front of Evanth, he froze in surprise at the enormous number of heroes around him.
“100 million!”
“Kyah!”
"We have finally reached 100 million!"
Everyone was looking at Miguel and cheering. In the midst of the sudden situation, Miguel saw:
[Congratulations! You are the 100 millionth user to connect!]
*You have received a Title.
[A] Hundred Millionth Hero (Unique)
A unique title given to the 100 millionth user to connect.
We pay our respects to your incredible luck.
*You may attach the ‘100 million’ Title Mark.
Evanth was in a festive mood.
Not just Evanth, cheers were erupting across all of Arsilan and every field registered under the Dimension Gate.
100 million.
Miguel had become the symbolic hero of that number.
At first, he stood frozen with a bewildered look, but gradually, he was swept up in the atmosphere.
“I’m so jealous of that title.”
“Dude, your luck is insane.”
"Take this. I picked it up on the way."
“Hey everyone! Help the newbie!”
“Wanna join our guild?”
The heroes celebrated him purely, without any prejudice. They offered him help and gifts, hoping he would enjoy himself.
“Ah...”
There really was something warm about the Soul Link.
Miguel could now fully understand what Roberto meant.
That day, Miguel became the luckiest person in 'Arsilan Saga'.