novelraw Chapter 186: Content Hunting (1)
Chapter 186: Content Hunting (1)
Translator: Dreamscribe
The atmosphere in Arsilan couldn't have been any better. The wedding had concluded successfully, and in the most unstable region of Arsilan’s borders, a very reliable Margrave had taken up position.
Margrave RomanticBard.
No matter how he thought about it, it was the most fitting position.
RomanticBard was a disaster even to his allies, but to his enemies, he was akin to an inevitable natural catastrophe that no one could dare resist. Music that stirred the soul was a nuclear weapon that influenced everyone equally, regardless of strength.
‘He’s satisfied with it too....’
Jinwoo subtly returned to the mansion and checked his hyung’s expression. Perhaps because the wedding had been celebrated by all of Arsilan, he was visibly pleased. On the surface, it was nothing short of the world’s greatest wedding. Countless Heroes attended the ceremony, and gifts and congratulatory money piled up. On top of that, more than tens of millions of Heroes watched the wedding unfold.
His sister-in-law also looked refreshed. That was because she had been free to steal socks for 24 hours. Sacrificing the socks of Helby and Ella, he had secured the peace of Arsilan.
Wasn’t that a profitable trade?
A joyful ending for everyone, this was the true happy ending of Episode 4.
As time passed, Arsilan developed even further.
The internal strengthening efforts had quickly surpassed the intended goals. The Light of the Holy Sword had fully taken root in Arsilan and was overflowing with power.
There needed to be a place to release this explosive and condensed strength of Arsilan. For now, it was being relieved through the various fields of the Dimension Gate, and by periodically supplying World Bosses and high-difficulty Quests. But it wouldn’t be enough to stay satisfied with just that forever.
‘It’s time to move to the next stage.’
The foundations had been laid perfectly, and power had been gathered.
Now was the time to unleash it all at once.
Jinwoo took a look around Arsilan.
First off, one of the main contents, the City of Darkness, had been unlocked! The City of Darkness was completely different in form from the existing cities of Arsilan.
A gloomy castle, temples of darkness, and dim streetlamps wrapped in thick fog.
The streets were dark and dreary.
A sense of dampness lingered, and the smoke rising from the sewers mixed with the dense fog, blocking out the sunlight.
The buildings, painted in dark tones with medieval Gothic architecture, created a fitting atmosphere. It felt like terrible incidents could happen daily, or like monsters were lurking in the underground.
As Heroes unlocked the City of Darkness through Quests, the login screen for Arsilan Saga changed. The beautiful lands of Arsilan appeared above, and a dark, flickering space extended below.
When newbies logged in, they first experienced the usual tutorial.
‘A lot of new players have joined.’
There were an impressive number of new Heroes who had started with Episode 4.
Jinwoo watched a newly connected Hero with an expression full of anticipation. The tutorial and prologue of Episode 4 had been crafted with care.
He couldn’t let them experience all the history that had flowed from Episode 1 through Episode 4, but Jinwoo wanted to give the newbie Heroes something special. He wanted them to know that they weren’t just Player 1, but special beings, Heroes brimming with potential and possibility.
Jinwoo watched the newbie Heroes who had just logged in.
Once the newbie Hero completed character customization, Ella appeared.
"Wow! Ella-nim!"
Though it wasn’t the real Ella, but one produced through the Magic Tower, the newbie Hero felt warmth just by seeing Ella’s smile. It felt as if she was comforting the hardships of the past.
[Hero of Light, beginning a new life, the Holy Sword awaits you.]
As Ella extended her hand, a path of light opened, and the beautiful scenery of Arsilan appeared. At the top of a high hill, the Holy Sword stood planted.
“Wow... this is insane.”
The newbie Hero gazed at the beautiful Arsilan in awe. The vast land, the blue sky, and the picturesque Alusion, it felt like one could never tire of seeing it.
The newbie Hero took a deep breath.
The incredibly refreshing air sent a thrilling sensation through their entire body. Just as the newbie Hero climbed the hill and reached out toward the Holy Sword.
Swoosh!
A dark shadow surged up beside the Holy Sword, and a being that looked exactly like the newbie Hero appeared. Its hair was stark white, and it wore dark clothing.
“W, what is it?”
[I am your darkness.]
“Huh? Darkness?”
The dark being extended its hand toward the newbie Hero as if tempting him.
[Take my hand. I will grant you powerful strength that the light cannot reach. Choose me.]
That chilling voice felt like a demon’s temptation.
The newbie Hero flinched and quickly grabbed the Holy Sword. Then the dark being clicked its tongue and slowly shook its head.
[I will come again.]
The dark being scattered and disappeared. If the newbie Hero chose the dark being here, they could start not in Evanth, but in the City of Darkness.
Jinwoo gave the newbie Heroes another opportunity to choose before they completed their first class change. He created a slightly more special production for a Hero with traits that suited the darkness.
The dark being appeared whenever the newbie Heroes were in crisis.
Each person had a different personality, and the cutscene was also completely different depending on their disposition.
Jinwoo shifted his gaze to a newbie Hero who had been playing Arsilan Saga for one week.
The newbie Hero was clearing a fairly difficult Quest. It was a Quest to subjugate a boss monster, an Erosion-corrupted Horned Bear that was tormenting the Fairy Village.
“Kuheok!”
The massive Horned Bear, called the Newbie Slayer, roared as it charged at the newbie Hero. The newbie Hero could not dodge and was struck directly by the Horned Bear’s front paw. After taking a fatal blow, the newbie Hero rolled across the ground.
If he died here, the Quest would fail. However, there was something that tormented the newbie Hero more than failure.
“Ugh!”
A fairy trembling beside him came into view. The fairy he had met by chance during the subjugation request had helped him a lot. She taught him how to identify medicinal herbs and told him about a cave where ore was hidden. They ate sandwiches together and talked happily.
It was his first friend.
The newbie Hero could not die here. He struggled to lift his body. The fairy looked at the newbie Hero as if she had made a decision.
His eyes widened at that moment.
The fairy spread both arms as if to protect the newbie Hero and blocked the front of him. She deployed a weak barrier, but there was no way she could stop the Horned Bear. Even while trembling, the fairy stepped forward to protect the newbie Hero. The palm-sized fairy’s body looked like it could be torn apart at any moment.
“No!”
It was when the newbie Hero shouted that.
If only he had power, if only he had come back after raising his level more...!
Just as the newbie Hero despaired—
The surrounding scenery turned black and white, and the Horned Bear’s movement began to slow, then completely stopped. The fairy also did not move. It looked as if time had stopped. The newbie Hero stepped back in confusion.
Swoosh!
Black currents wavered beside the Horned Bear, and the dark being appeared.
“Y, you are....”
[Pathetic. Your power is not this weak.]
The newbie Hero swallowed hard.
[Accept me. I will give you power.]
The deliberation was not long.
The newbie Hero looked at the fairy in front of him, then nodded. He wanted the power to eliminate that Horned Bear. When he accepted, the dark being grinned and approached him.
It extended its hand toward him.
“There is a price, right?”
[Of course there is a price for wielding power you did not possess. Let us leave that as enjoyment for later.]
The newbie Hero grasped the outstretched hand without hesitation.
[The contract has been made. You will now become the darkness of Arsilan.]
Flash!
The dark being scattered, and black currents surged upward. The black currents swirled violently and were sucked into the newbie Hero’s chest. In that moment, the time that had stopped began to flow again.
Kuaaaaaa!
The Horned Bear charged while letting out a horrific scream.
The newbie Hero extended his hand toward the Horned Bear. A massive spear of darkness formed from his hand, and then
Kwagagagaga!
It burst forth as it was and drilled a huge hole through the Horned Bear’s chest.
“Huhk! Keuk!”
As both Health and Magic Power dropped to the bottom, dizziness surged in. The fairy approached and looked at him with worried eyes.
[You have succeeded in subjugating the boss monster, the Erosion-corrupted Horned Bear!]
He was able to complete the Quest.
The newbie Hero looked at his hand. A symbol he had never seen before was drawn there.
[A]Brand of Darkness
The price of the contract.
A Hero branded with the Brand of Darkness will lose their life after one hour and become a creature of darkness.
The Brand of Darkness has been engraved!
The Brand of Darkness gradually dug into the arm and spread throughout the body. The fairy landed on the newbie Hero’s hand.
“Are you okay?”
“Y-yeah, j-just a bit surprised. You're pretty strong. As expected of a Hero!”
“Haha....”
The newbie Hero was happy to have protected the fairy. And unexpectedly, the power of darkness was quite cool, he liked it. The newbie Hero escorted the fairy back to the village. The fairy flew ahead of him and waved her hand.
“The sandwich was delicious! Let’s meet again!”
[You have become friends with the fairy Lumi!]
As the fairy waved and disappeared, the newbie Hero had a wistful expression. It felt like he wouldn’t be able to return to Evanth for a while.
‘Still, I’m sure we’ll meet again.’
The newbie Hero clenched his fist tightly.
It hadn’t been long since he started Arsilan Saga, but already a narrative was forming!
After one hour passed, the newbie Hero’s body scattered and turned into particles of darkness. The newbie Hero, who had been near Evanth, was transferred to the City of Darkness.
The newbie Hero looked at his body with a dazed expression. He had become a ghoul, the most basic form of the dark race. When he checked his appearance through the mirror app, his skin had turned pale, and his irises had become red.
Other than that, there weren’t any changes, but he had gained the undead trait, and his Endurance stat had increased significantly.
[Traits List]
[F]Regeneration
Can enjoy eating raw food.
Possesses strong poison resistance; when eating, Health and Magic Power rapidly recover.
[C]Undead
Can endure fatal injuries and resurrection wait time is reduced by 50%.
It was a decent set of traits!
There were many Heroes around who were like him.
“Wow, the vibe here is insane.”
“Feels like monsters might come out?”
“We’re the ghouls though. But hey, were you tempted too?”
“Tempted?”
"A vampire noona appeared and said she'd give me power, so I was building Affinity with her and got bitten."
"Huh? I'm so jealous. I got dragged here after losing at gambling. I went all-in at the end but lost by one point."
Each had different reasons for becoming a dark race.
Jinwoo, through the Magic Tower, had brought to life the romantic fantasies each person had dreamed of. Since all of them had traits and personalities suited to darkness, no one had complaints.
Of course, for Heroes who chose the path of light, he also provided productions full of romance and thrilling emotion.
He gave them settings like being a Hero that Erosion had been watching and wary of, or a Hero who was originally a hero of Arsilan and had been reincarnated. It was because he wanted everyone to build their own special narrative in Arsilan.
It wasn’t just randomly assigned, he drew out the romance that existed in each Hero’s heart, so they couldn’t hide their excitement.
Many posts from newbie Heroes, posted in the Arsilan Worlds, began to appear.
Title: I... was the Archmage’s disciple...
I chose the path of a mage... and it turns out I was actually the Archmage’s disciple. I sacrificed myself trying to save my childhood friend, whom I promised to marry... I only just remembered my past life...
Huhuhuk...
Lani was waiting for me... I even bought a wedding ring... but I completely forgot and came to Arsilan too late...
I’m sorry... Lani...
I couldn’t keep my promise...
Anonymous1: Ah, to be young.
Anonymous2: This one’s a reincarnated Hero. Judging by how immersed they are, looks like they really fell for the production?
└BigEarsLover (Original poster): no no its not production. It’s real. Lani... sob sob...
└Anonymous2: Hang in there.
Anonymous3: Actually, we were all Heroes who were sealed and lost our memories. We regressed because Arsilan was ruined.
└BigEarsLover (Original poster): You guys must’ve had it rough too...
Newbie Heroes posted stories of deep immersion. Senior Heroes responded with empathetic comments as if they understood those feelings. Newbie Heroes who started during Episode 4 were far more immersed than the veterans.
‘The City of Darkness will be fully unlocked in time.’
The City of Darkness didn’t have a name yet.
Once Heroes unlocked it completely through various Quests, they would be able to name it and purchase its different zones with Contribution Points.
Tiris: The borders of Arsilan are becoming unstable.
Jinwoo: Is it an invasion?
Tiris: It’s not an invasion. It seems the borders of Arsilan are expanding as the Light of the Holy Sword spreads.
Jinwoo: Now that you mention it, the land did expand.
Jinwoo headed to the RomanticBard’s domain.
The RomanticBard’s domain had been placed near the most unstable border.
‘Hmm....’
It seemed all the Contribution Points had been poured into it, as the City of Darkness was decorated to the point that it no longer felt like something ordinary. The castle and walls, which looked as though they were made of bones, were the very image of a Demon King's Castle.
The knights and soldiers dispatched from the Sillion Empire had been transformed into undead to match RomanticBard. A King Slime had been imbued into a golem, and since these were autonomous entities operated via the Magic Tower, they could be handled freely without issue.
“Hmm, looks like we’re about to do some death metal.”
It really was death metal.
In one line, that’s how the atmosphere could be summarized. If enemies invaded, they’d likely panic and tremble in fear. In fact, Jinwoo had assigned the punishment area to RomanticBard’s domain, and both bad manners and crime rates dropped sharply.
It was, quite literally, a darkness that made Arsilan shine even brighter.
Jinwoo descended to the border of Arsilan.
Looking down at the ground, he could see traces of expansion. It was still only about a handspan wide, but as Arsilan’s power grew, the speed of that expansion would accelerate.
Arsilan was no longer the prey, it was now the predator.
Jinwoo looked back briefly. The light of Arsilan stood behind him, supporting him.
“Well then....”
Jinwoo approached the border of Arsilan.
Episode 4 had achieved its purpose.
Now it was time to begin preparations for the next episode.
What would the next content be?
What was the Creator God preparing?
This time would be amazing too! That’s the feeling the Heroes had as they awaited the announcement. Especially the newbie Heroes who had joined at the tail end of Episode 4, they were brimming with sky-high expectations.
‘I haven’t prepared anything.’
Jinwoo didn’t know what the next Episode would be either.
What had been released so far was everything, and nothing had been specially prepared. But that didn’t mean there was any need to hold meetings to create content.
“Guess I should head out and hunt for some content.”
Beyond Arsilan’s borders, there would be content in abundance. All he had to do was go and bring it back. Not knowing what would come out made it feel like opening a gift box. Come to think of it, maybe even the higher entities of Erosion were part of the Arsilan Saga dev team.
What might our Erosion devs have created?
Let the content hunt begin!
Jinwoo let out a faint laugh and stepped beyond the borders of Arsilan.