novelraw Chapter 188: Content Hunt (3)
Chapter 188: Content Hunt (3)
Translator: Dreamscribe
The city itself was magnificent.
Perhaps because it was a scenery not found in Arsilan until now, it was full of fascinating elements.
‘Since it was made using Arsilan as material…’
That city too belonged to Arsilan.
No, this entire planet was ours.
If what devoured Arsilan was simply another invasion of Erosion, or a means to destroy Arsilan, like it had always been, then they would have launched a strike first. It wouldn’t unravel easily like in Episode 3, but it would still be possible to land a hit.
By utilizing the recently acquired time acceleration, he could complete the grand magic at a rapid pace. Although still in the research phase and unstable, it was possible to use it.
After all, he hadn’t received the title of Archmage for nothing.
Crackle!
As Jinwoo snapped his fingers, his magic imbued a mountain peak. A magic circle was inscribed, and the entire mountain peak transformed into a transmission tower. Now, real-time communication with Arsilan would be possible. Since much of the interior of the planet was hollow, it could also be connected to the planet's source.
Jinwoo sent data to the Magic Tower and began real-time analysis.
"Now then, shall I investigate?"
Jinwoo cloaked himself and flew into the sky.
Exploring an unknown world was an exhilarating experience. During the time of the Lord of Greed, everything was expected from the beginning, so there had been no sense of exploration. But this place was different.
Even Jinwoo was seeing many things for the first time.
He felt excitement for the first time in a while.
Mages, by nature, were filled with a thirst for knowledge and curiosity. Though he had been suppressing it until now, there was no need for that anymore.
Jinwoo analyzed the atmosphere.
Since it was created by tearing apart parts of Arsilan, this place could also be called Arsilan. However, the energy of Erosion remained thick in the air.
‘Hmm.’
It felt slightly different from the Erosion energy he had sensed before. It seemed to have fused with the magic power of Arsilan. Even for an Arsilanian who had not yet gained immunity to Erosion, it didn’t reach the level of corruption.
“Oh…”
Jinwoo landed at the center of the city.
The city was vast.
Not quite as big as Seoul, but comparable to Alusion. It exuded a sense of being meticulously planned from the start, and it was a proper fusion of modern elements and fantasy scenery.
In the golden days of Arsilan, if there had been no invasion, would it have looked like this? That’s how developed it felt.
The magic power in the atmosphere was low, so it appeared they had focused more on efficiency rather than high output. Gravity was slightly weaker than Arsilan’s, making magic more efficient.
Vehicles powered by small magic engines looked fairly decent. A large airship was traveling toward the center of the city. It was quite extravagantly decorated and incorporated advanced technology.
‘The people…’
Jinwoo observed the people nearby. He had expected them to be slaves to Erosion like in the Empire of Evil, but once again, his expectations were wrong. There were no signs of bondage within their souls. On the contrary, they appeared free.
‘They’re not consumed by Erosion, but rather fused with it.’
Based on souls similar to those of Arsilan’s people, the energy of Erosion was naturally blended within. It had turned into a violet aura and maintained a stable state.
Each person had different horns on their heads, and their skin tones varied as well. Some had violet skin, while others had healthy-looking bronze skin. However, their eye colors were all on the darker side.
‘Hmm, I’d like to examine them more closely…’
Since they didn’t seem to be subordinates of Erosion, it was unfortunate that he couldn’t dissect them. Jinwoo could do anything if it was to protect Arsilan, but he believed the foundation must always be rooted in goodness.
It was for our Arsilanians and Heroes.
Between two large buildings, a small alleyway was visible. Clearly shady-looking people went inside. After a moment of thought, Jinwoo nodded and followed them.
A muscular man was grabbing a small boy by the collar.
“Hand it over!”
“N-No, th-this belongs to my little sister…”
Whack!
As the man struck with his fist, the boy’s head twisted, and blood trickled from his nose. It looked like it hurt quite a bit, yet he didn’t let go of the paper bag in his hand. He was young and frail, but his gaze was admirable.
“Let’s just kill him and bury him.”
“It’s a world where no one cares if a brat like this disappears.”
The words were rather brutal, but it didn’t seem like they would actually go that far. They didn’t give off such an evil impression.
“Hm.”
Flinch!
As Jinwoo’s voice rang out, everyone flinched.
When they turned around and looked at Jinwoo, his appearance in a blue robe looked utterly out of place. It was all the more so because he had come in the form of Leon, which had the best performance.
They stared at Jinwoo with blank expressions, then hurriedly pulled out their blades.
“W-What the...”
“A noble?!”
As Jinwoo flicked his finger upward, their bodies soared into the air.
“U-Uaaaagh!”
“Quiet.”
Their mouths were immediately sealed.
Jinwoo examined their bodies with analysis magic. Comparing it with the database from the Magic Tower, he quickly identified their nature.
“They’ve changed a little, but...”
Not to the extent that the Magic Tower couldn’t distinguish them.
“They’re demons.”
Their identity was demon race.
Long ago, Ella and Hanu had taken Jinwoo into the Demon Realm and beaten up the Demon King. However, the demons also had souls with the same roots as the people of Arsilan and were a part of what made up Arsilan. After forcibly establishing a non-aggression pact, they withdrew from the Demon Realm.
‘They were quite strong, though.’
The Demon King had been quite powerful.
He was strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Ella at her peak, he truly deserved the title of Demon King.
“Ah!”
Jinwoo began rummaging through his subspace, looking for something. It had been stored there so long ago that it took some time to find.
The demons floating in the air swallowed nervously and trembled. The boy, too, stared at Jinwoo with a frightened expression. It was clear Jinwoo didn’t seem like a being of this world.
“Found it.”
As Jinwoo pulled something out of subspace, an overwhelming magic power radiated out. The demons floating in the air trembled and fainted, while the boy standing a bit further away froze on the spot.
[S+] Demon King’s Horn
‘I’ll let you off with this.’
‘Yes! Thank you very much, Big sis!’
A symbol of the non-aggression pact formed with the goddess known as the Golden Tyrant. According to legend, the Golden Tyrant commanded the chieftain of a savage giant tribe and used a monstrous Archmage as her servant. However, this was merely legend, nothing concrete was known.
Since the Magic Tower was connected to the source of this planet, it was able to output information.
‘Very accurate.’
For an ancient record, it was impressively precise.
Back then, the Demon King had suddenly declared an expedition against Arsilan. It turned out he had fallen for Ella and was preparing an expeditionary force to propose to her. As soon as the Haeljin Party heard the news, they went to the Demon Realm, wrecked the Demon King's castle, and established a non-aggression pact. (TL: Ha + El + Jin from Hanu-Ella-Jinwoo)
Thus, the invasion of Arsilan by the Demon Realm ended before it could even begin.
Did anything happen?
No, nothing happened at all.
Thanks to that, the people of Arsilan held no particular feelings toward demons.
Jinwoo was always the one to handle the aftermath. In the process, he built a certain rapport with the Demon King.
‘Well… he wasn’t a bad guy.’
The Demon King Jinwoo remembered was an extreme romantic.
As a member of the incubus clan, it made sense, but even among them, the Demon King was exceptional. He was annoyingly handsome and held a bizarre belief that he needed to spread his love throughout Arsilan.
‘It’s a relief Ella ended it with just one horn.’
Even while being beaten by Ella, he continued to profess his love, it was quite a spectacle.
Anyway, as long as the Demon King wasn’t alive, this horn was nothing more than an item imbued with massive energy. It couldn’t be processed, so it couldn’t be used as material. And since it wasn’t pure magic power, it was tricky to use it as a substitute for a Magic Stone.
A violet aura flowed from the Demon King’s Horn. If the Demon King were still alive, he could exert considerable influence using this horn.
When Jinwoo clapped his hands, the demons regained consciousness.
“Try living a good life.”
The demons fervently nodded their heads. Judging by their glazed eyes, the horn was having an effect.
“Don’t tell me...?”
Is he alive? But how?
When Erosion invaded, the Demon Realm had been completely consumed. Jinwoo had even witnessed its final moments himself.
As Jinwoo flicked his finger, the demons fell to the ground.
“U-Uaaaagh!”
“Aaagh!”
“Kyaaah!”
The demons screamed and ran away.
Jinwoo approached the boy, who was crouched down. The boy screamed and began running away desperately.
When Jinwoo looked at the spot where the boy had been, he saw the paper bag. Remembering that the demons had tried to steal it, he looked inside. There was something inside a wooden box.
“A Magic Stone?”
It was such a small piece that it felt embarrassing to even call it a Magic Stone. It seemed more fitting to call it Magic Stone dust.
“Hm.”
As soon as the box was opened, the Magic Stone dust evaporated and disappeared. Tilting his head in puzzlement, Jinwoo looked straight ahead. The boy who had run away had returned and was now staring in shock. It seemed the Magic Stone dust was so precious that he had overcome his fear to come back.
"N-no! Hic, hic, waaaah!"
The boy dropped to the ground and sobbed.
Jinwoo watched for a moment before approaching him. The boy didn’t run. He seemed to have given up entirely.
“Is this really that important?”
"O-of course it was."
The boy nodded as he shed thick tears. With so many impurities and such a small size, it held no value in Arsilan.
Jinwoo took out a Magic Stone from his subspace and handed it to the boy. It was a high-purity Magic Stone.
“Really? Then here, take this.”
“Uh…”
Seeing the Magic Stone, the boy’s soul practically left his body. His expression showed he couldn’t tell whether this was a dream or reality.
"Th-this is impossible! If, if it is of this quality, it sh-should be offered to the royal palace...."
“How about this then?”
Amused by the boy’s reaction, Jinwoo smirked and opened his subspace, pulling out a massive lump of high-grade Magic Stone. At the sight of it, the boy’s legs gave out and he fainted on the spot.
Jinwoo heard people approaching. They looked like city guards. Holding the boy, Jinwoo moved to the top of a tall building.
The unconscious boy eventually woke up.
“U-Uaaaagh!”
Jinwoo had placed him on the rooftop ledge, and the boy flailed so hard he almost fell. When Jinwoo lifted him into the air with magic, he thrashed even harder.
“You’re a demon, and you can’t even use basic magic?”
“M-Magic? T-That’s possible? Demon…? What’s that?”
“Hm?”
Due to the effects of time acceleration, over 1,000 years must have passed here. A lot seemed to have changed in that time.
"Explain it to me."
"Wh-what?"
“Everything you know.”
Jinwoo could have peered into his mind with magic, but the likelihood of driving him insane was high, so he chose to hear it directly from the boy.
After hearing the explanation, Jinwoo was quite surprised.
There was a kingdom that ruled this planet, and outside the kingdom, monsters roamed everywhere. He suspected they were monsters led by a higher existence of Erosion.
The monsters opened gates to devour the kingdom and occasionally crossed the "Magic Barrier" erected by a great king to destroy various villages and cities.
“Magic Barrier, huh…”
Jinwoo closed his eyes and tried to sense the Magic Barrier.
It was powered by Jinwoo’s technique, combining the authority of Erosion with Arsilan’s magic. The unstable components were compensated for using the authority of Erosion.
“Hm, so why do you need Magic Stones?”
"It is..., to c-cure an illness..., there is a lack of nutrients."
He explained that without the energy they called nutrients, essentially Arsilan’s magic, they would wither and die.
“I see. You got it for your younger sister?”
“Yes, I worked for a month to buy it…”
“You must’ve had a hard time.”
“T-Thank you for giving me something like this. But if this gets found out, the royal knights might come…”
The boy held the Magic Stone tightly, treating it like a treasure. Jinwoo patted the boy’s head and stood up.
“Lead the way.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s go to your house.”
He flew together with the boy and headed to his home. It was located in a fairly run-down area. Still, the overall atmosphere wasn’t bad. There was a sense of people trying to overcome hardship together.
Entering a rooftop room, Jinwoo saw the boy’s younger sister and mother collapsed.
“M-Mom! Sona!”
The boy hurriedly took out the Magic Stone. Then he grabbed a kitchen knife and tried to scrape the surface of the stone. But because the purity was too high, the knife was simply damaged instead.
Jinwoo reached his hand out toward the mother and daughter.
Fwoosh!
Jinwoo’s abundant magic power enveloped the mother and daughter. While he was at it, he used sacred techniques to heal them from head to toe. As their complexions eased and their blood flow returned to normal, the boy looked at him in disbelief.
In the boy’s eyes, Jinwoo didn’t seem human at all.
Radiant blond hair, blue eyes clearer than a lake, rare snow-white skin.
His appearance was the very pinnacle of beauty. Even among central nobles, none could appear more noble than this.
As the boy struggled to grasp Jinwoo’s identity, his eyes widened.
"A-are you..., a Hero?"
“Hero?”
“Yes, um... they say whenever the world is in danger, a Hero appears to save it.”
Jinwoo grinned and shook his head.
“I’m not, but the Heroes will come soon. You’ll probably get to see them a lot.”
A great many would come.
Jinwoo flicked his finger toward the Magic Stone he had given. The Magic Stone turned into a necklace and wrapped around the boy’s neck. It was perfectly bound to him so that no one could take it. He also added a few magical security measures.
When the mother and daughter regained consciousness, the boy let out a sigh of relief and looked at them. But when he turned back again, Jinwoo had already disappeared.
“U-Uh? M-My body…”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore!”
The boy’s mother looked astonished, and his younger sister was smiling brightly, bouncing around the room.
“Ah…”
The boy wiped away his tears and hugged his mother.
The mother also embraced the boy, her eyes welling up. His little sister squeezed between them and smiled brightly.
The boy opened a drawer and pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper.
It was the cover of a comic titled “The Legend of the Hero.” The story was based on ancient records, telling of a Hero with blond hair and blue eyes who saved the world.
That day, the boy regained the childhood innocence he had lost.
***
Jinwoo approached the royal palace.
“It’s a bit different, but it’s definitely a Magic Barrier.”A Magic Barrier surrounded the royal palace. Since it was a technique he had developed, he recognized it right away. However, it was unstable and looked like it could collapse at any moment due to the lack of magic power.
When a higher existence of Erosion had invaded the Demon Realm, Jinwoo hadn’t had the capacity to care for it. He had transmitted coordinates to the Demon King through magic communication. He could only cast teleportation once. All remaining magic had to be focused on building the Magic Barrier, so that was the best he could offer.
But the Demon King had laughed heartily and refused Jinwoo’s effort.
‘My beloved subjects are being devoured. For the Demon King to flee after witnessing that, such a thing goes against the laws of love.’
‘Is this really the time for love nonsense?’
‘Archmage, you don’t understand love. Love is a logic that surpasses common sense and understanding.’
Even as the Demon Realm was nearly consumed, the Demon King spoke so leisurely.
‘I will send the surviving demons to Arsilan. Please save them.’
‘...Fine.’
‘I had hoped to show you the greatness of love, but alas. Archmage! Where there is love, there is always hope. Then, farewell.’
The Demon King had smiled as brightly as ever.
It was like seeing the smile of a famous idol.
After the magic communication was cut, Jinwoo had managed to save Airi and a few other demons. That had been his first encounter with Airi.
Jinwoo pulled his blue robe down and approached the main gate of the royal palace. Vehicles trying to enter the royal palace were lined up and being inspected.
They appeared to be affiliated with the royal knights.
‘The uniforms look great.’
It was like a blend of modern police uniforms and fantasy armor. It especially matched well with firearms. Instead of swords, they carried batons equipped with shock devices.
‘They’d sell well.’
If he sent the idea to the development team, they could probably use it as reference to create stylish paid outfits.
Jinwoo thought the scene was quite picturesque and took some photos. He also snapped a few of the overall cityscape and the royal palace with the Magic Barrier deployed.
“Without a permit, entry is restricted for now! Press corps, please wait outside!”
“There will be an official announcement from the royal family regarding the current situation!”
“Please step back!”
The area in front of the palace gate was quite noisy.
Jinwoo watched the scene for a moment before moving to the top of the palace wall. The Magic Barrier stood in his way, but he passed through it with ease. The barrier was weak, and more importantly, it was his own creation- it couldn't stop him.
The royal palace was also magnificent. Overall, it had a sharp, pointed design that conveyed a sense of majesty. There were long roads and cargo vehicles in sight, and even a royal-exclusive airport. An army division operating various equipment was present, and there was also an air force base.
Jinwoo went straight into the Central Palace, where the king resided. Security was tight. Knights were guarding it thoroughly, and various security systems were in place.
“Hmm?”
“Something is approaching!”
The knights guarding the gate looked at their equipment and were startled, trying to report via radio. Jinwoo lightly disrupted it, and their comms went dead.
‘To detect stealth… not bad.’
Though Stealth Magic was low-ranked, it was still crafted with a delicate technique. Jinwoo cast a Sleep spell to put them all to sleep and opened the door.
The door, made of mechanical components and sturdy enough to withstand artillery, was neutralized effortlessly by Jinwoo as he stepped inside.
“Who’s there?”
An old man lying in bed came into view.
The hornless old man sat up in bed, put on his glasses, and turned his head toward Jinwoo.
“Demon King Belzerad. What’s with your appearance?”
“You’re…”
“You’ve grown too old to talk about love like you used to. If Ella saw you now, she’d burst out laughing.”
Belzerad’s gaze wavered intensely.
He stared at Jinwoo as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, then suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Love knows no age. But perhaps… my time has come. I’m seeing hallucinations now. Hahaha! The Archmage came to greet me in my final moments…”
Splash!
As Jinwoo flicked his fingers, a large droplet of water formed above his head and splashed down.
“Th-This is magic!? Are you… truly standing before me?”
Jinwoo took out the Demon King’s Horn and tossed it to him.
Belzerad caught it and stared at it silently for a while. His gaze was filled with countless emotions.
“The great Archmage of Arsilan… it really is you.”
Belzerad stood up and met Jinwoo’s eyes.
His face was full of wrinkles, but his gaze still held its fire.
“Archmage. You’ve finally awakened to love.”
“What?”
“It may not be romantic love between man and woman, but you’ve made great progress nonetheless. For such a cynical Archmage to awaken to love… much must have happened.”
Belzerad was once again speaking nonsense.
When Jinwoo formed a fireball, Belzerad coughed and closed his mouth.
Jinwoo had many questions he wanted to ask him.
“Tell me what’s going on. From start to finish. Everything.”
“Hmm, everything began the day Erosion devoured the Demon Realm. That is, after we lost our magic communication…”
As Belzerad recounted what had happened since then, Jinwoo, uncharacteristically, was appalled.
"Crazy bastard...!"
Such words came out instinctively from the story that unfolded.