novelraw Chapter 190: Content Hunt (5)
Chapter 190: Content Hunt (5)
Translator: Dreamscribe
Jinwoo, who had come out of the airship, lightly flew into the air and looked down at the ground. Though the ground was littered with traces of explosions due to the Light Core Bombs dropped by the airship fleet, it hadn't managed to collapse the tunnels.
‘It seems to have come from inside the planet.’
It looked like it had tunneled through the planet from the place where the higher being of Erosion was sealed. Since this planet was roughly the size of Arsilan’s moon, it wasn’t particularly large, and with many hollow spaces inside, it was an effective method of attack.
The protective barrier extended underground to defend the area, but as the concentration of magic power weakened, it appeared to have been greatly breached.
Soldiers were desperately defending on top of the protective barrier. Insect-like monsters had begun to swarm toward the barrier created by the protective barrier.
In Levannas, those insect monsters were called Erosion Bugs. There were many types of Erosion Bugs, and they came in various sizes. The fat Erosion Bugs known as Giant Bugs were classified as medium-sized.
The Giant Bug’s body quivered, and then something like a tail popped out. The grotesque-looking tail split open as the energy of Erosion began to gather.
A sphere that felt like insect bodily fluid started to form.
“Ugh…”
It was a revolting sight that made Jinwoo frown.
He observed the Erosion Bugs for a moment and analyzed them. There was still a bit of time before human casualties would occur.
Kuaaaagh!
The Giant Bug’s tail swelled up and then shot the energy of Erosion toward the protective shield, as if spewing it out. When the sticky liquid touched the barrier, the shield melted away, leaving a gaping hole.
Kkirik! Kkiriririk!
Erosion Bugs resembling enormous cockroaches clung to the barrier, then rushed en masse through the breach.
It was a sight that sent chills down the spine.
Inside the massive mandibles of the Erosion Bugs, thousands of spines protruded, sharp enough to tear through steel with ease.
"The, the barrier...!"
"This is insane!"
The soldiers on the wall stared blankly at the scene for a moment before frantically swiveling the turret barrels toward the hole in the shield.
“Fire!”
“Concentrated bombardment!”
“Uaaaaah!”
Shells with powerful firepower were fired madly from the turrets. The Erosion Bugs that entered through the hole were continuously blown apart by the barrage, but there were simply too many of them.
Eventually, Erosion Bugs began slipping through the barrier one by one, advancing toward the wall.
"The barrier is breaking!"
“Ah…”
“Is this the end…”
The officer commanding the wall garrison stared at the barrier with a hollow expression.
Clang! Clatterrr!
It was hard enough to block just one hole, but now dozens had been pierced through. The officer dropped the firearm he was holding and was at a loss for words.
The radio was silent.
No orders were coming from command. Even if orders did come, they would be meaningless.
How were they supposed to stop that?
He couldn’t even think of a way to survive, let alone stop it.
The Levannas defense forces who had been guarding the protective barrier had completely lost their will to fight.
Then, it happened.
Uduuk!
All of the Erosion Bugs that had been charging toward the wall froze in place. As if they were frozen solid, they couldn’t move at all. Though the Erosion Bugs were trying their hardest to move, their bodies were instead splitting apart, their legs being torn off.
Swoosh!
The Erosion Bugs that had breached the barrier began getting sucked back out through the holes. The countless bugs clinging to the shield also rose into the air.
The Erosion Bugs desperately flailed their legs or fluttered their wings, but helplessly, they were all dragged into the sky.
Tens of millions of Erosion Bugs that had poured out of the hole were all soaring upward into the sky. It looked like a black wave was rising.
Was this a dream?
That sight was too unreal to be believed.
The defense forces could only stare blankly at the scene.
A soldier, barely regaining his senses, pulled out a telescope and looked toward where the Erosion Bugs were being pulled.
"Huh? Th-there...! There's a person in the sky...!"
"Don't be ridiculous! How could a person be floating up there?"
"But this whole scene doesn't make sense either, does it?"
The officer took the telescope and checked for himself. Just as the soldier said, a person was truly floating in the air.
Jinwoo was reaching his hand toward the ground. He lightly waved his hand at the defense troops on the wall. Then he gathered the Erosion Bugs into one place.
Jinwoo quantified the strength of the Erosion Bugs through the Magic Tower.
“The weakest ones are around level 80.”
The stronger ones among them surpassed level 150.
True to their insect form, the Erosion Bugs’ shells had tremendous durability and boasted tenacious vitality. That’s why they had withstood the Light Core Bombs.
"Perfect."
Jinwoo looked at the Erosion Bugs with satisfaction.
The Erosion Bugs were toys packed with vast experience points, and they rarely broke. He also liked the concept of insects. As Jinwoo extended his hand, the space rippled and tore open from the point where he floated all the way to the ground.
Paaaat!
The torn space began to suck in the tens of millions of Erosion Bugs. It was an overwhelming sight, like a black hole forming and pulling them in.
Each and every Erosion Bug was a precious experience point that would strengthen the Heroes. The space Jinwoo created was immensely large, more than enough to contain all the Erosion Bugs.
To generate monsters of this level, an enormous amount of True Magic Stones and Magic Stones was required. On top of that, the Slime King had to put in the work, and the Magic Tower had to pour in a massive amount of computing power. Converted into Arsilan Gold, it was an astronomical amount.
“A pile of money.”
Even disgusting bugs could look cute if they sold for a high price. Jinwoo found the Erosion Bugs rather adorable. There were revolting ones that looked like cockroaches, but there were also ones shaped like stag beetles or rhinoceros beetles.
Kkiriririk!
Kkirik!
The Erosion Bugs let out horrific screeches as they were completely sucked into the space.
Jinwoo named this space “Collection Bucket”. Once the tens of millions of Erosion Bugs disappeared, a calm descended. Only the sound of the airships' magic engines could be heard.
Jinwoo looked at the massive hole pierced in the ground. It was about half the size of an underground labyrinth. Sensing a powerful energy from inside, Jinwoo nodded and loosened up his body.
“Well, it would’ve been a bit disappointing if it ended like that.”
Fortunately, it seemed the highlight had been prepared. Something with tremendous power began to rise above ground. At the same time, the ground split apart as if from an earthquake, and the protective barrier shook violently.
Kwaaaah!
What emerged while causing an earthquake was a massive insect-like monster. It had a head formed of a large red skull and spread wings dripping with black fluid. At the end of its body, which was longer than a building, another monster that appeared to be a pair to the first was attached, their bodies overlapping.
The monster fully revealed itself as it spread four pairs of wings.
Its size was so immense that it cast a shadow on the ground. Even the large airship Jinwoo had arrived in looked small in comparison. Its body split open, and white eggs continuously dropped.
From the eggs that landed on the ground, larvae were born in an instant and began devouring the land.
Kieeeeehk!
The pair of red skulls on the top and bottom clattered and then opened their mouths. Inside, the energy of Erosion gathered, aiming at the protective barrier.
“Hm.”
That was not something the Heroes could handle yet.
It possessed Erosion energy so powerful that it couldn’t be sealed into a space. He couldn’t leave it be, so he had to deal with it here.
Jinwoo gathered his magic power and cast a grand spell.
Lines formed of magic extended outward from him and quickly took control of the surroundings. A massive magic circle appeared in the sky.
Just as the monster emitted the energy of Erosion, his grand spell activated.
Crack-crack-crack!
The world began to freeze.
The Erosion energy heading toward the protective barrier froze mid-air and shattered on the ground. From the monster’s head to its torso, it turned white and slowly froze solid.
Its wings shattered like glass, scattering into shards.
The frozen torso broke into several pieces and began to fall to the ground. At the same time, sharp icicles emerged from the magic circle. Each ice spear was as massive as a dump truck.
The icicles rained down.
The ice-formed downpour smashed the monster’s torso and drove into the earth.
Kwang! Kwagagaga!
Scars incomparable to those created by the Light Core Bombs were engraved on the ground. The chunks of ice embedded in the earth began to connect with each other, starting to fill the massive tunnel. Jinwoo entered before the tunnel was completely blocked.
Due to gravity, the passage naturally collapsed.
Jinwoo quickly moved into the planet's interior by casting spatial movement several times.
There, he saw the higher existence of Erosion settled inside the planet.
Its form was unclear, and it felt like it was composed of immense energy. The being itself was generating an enormous gravitational force. It still seemed unable to move, but the seal looked like it would soon be completely broken.
“…It’s strong.”
So strong, it gave him goosebumps.
Jinwoo could sense strength on an entirely different level.
Born from a place deeper than the Abyss, a being to whom all things in the world were permitted.
A god, or something even beyond that.
That was the true higher existence of Erosion.
This was going to be a tough one.
There was no chance of winning in a one-on-one fight. He wasn’t even sure if grand magic would work. The Lord of Greed felt like a clumsy child in comparison.
He wanted to eliminate it immediately, but Jinwoo wasn’t foolish enough to fight a losing battle.
"You'll need to stay here a bit longer."
Jinwoo began interpreting the sealing technique created by Karienne. Though it was at a transcendent level, he managed to decipher it. If he connected it to the Magic Tower and bolstered it with the power of the Holy Sword, it could likely be converted into a grand magic spell.
Jinwoo took out several massive chunks of Magic Stone from subspace. They were of such high purity, they were close to S-rank. He embedded all the Magic Stones into the sealing formula, reconstructed the seal into a grand magic spell, and deployed a magic barrier.
Krggrrgrrk!
A deep fury and hatred that felt like it could fill the universe surged forth. That being had been deceived by its own incarnation, had its power stolen, and had been trapped for a thousand years. Just as the seal was about to be broken, Jinwoo suddenly appeared and reconstructed the seal, its rage was understandable.
Just from the higher existence of Erosion revealing its anger, the entire planet trembled.
As the multicolored magic barrier wrapped around the planet’s core, the will of Erosion weakened and then disappeared. The seal couldn’t be maintained for long, but it would at least buy time to prepare.
“Belzerad, you really are impressive.”
Jinwoo thought Belzerad, who had wagered against such a being, was truly remarkable.
Truly befitting the Demon Lord of Love.
Just as Jinwoo countered with a magic barrier, the Demon Realm had also survived thanks to Belzerad’s love. Now that time had been bought, no matter how powerful that being was, they could overcome it.
They absolutely had to overcome it.
Jinwoo smiled.
Even standing before such a mighty enemy, he could smile. 'Arsilan Saga' was a game that reveled in despair.
As the CEO of FS Games, Jinwoo had the duty to transform this overwhelming despair into enjoyment. That was the kind of game Jinwoo sought to create.
“See you next time.”
Jinwoo gave a casual farewell and returned to the airship via spatial teleportation.
***
Serazade couldn’t believe the scene before her. Neither could her advisors, nor anyone aboard the airship. Only Belzerad alone remained calm.
Tens of millions, perhaps even hundreds of millions, of Erosion Bugs had floated into the sky and gathered into a massive sphere. It looked as if a terrifying moon had risen over Levannas. Then space split open and sucked them all in, vanishing completely.
Serazade shivered.
With just a wave of his hand, the Erosion Bug invasion, which had been expected to inflict catastrophic damage to Levannas, disappeared in an instant.
“That’s magic…?”
“That’s not magic, child. It’s closer to divine authority. The magic of Archmage is far more beautiful than that.”
Belzerad placed a hand on his granddaughter’s shoulder as she stood frozen.
“A! A-rank energy has been detected!”
“What?!”
“It seems the B-rank tunnel was a decoy!”
Serazade checked the data.
An earthquake strong enough to shake the royal palace had occurred. The energy levels were rising, registering as A-rank. A-rank meant Levannas could face destruction. Even if they poured all their firepower into it, there was no way to predict whether they could withstand it.
“Hohoho!”
Belzerad laughed.
It was a laugh far too cheerful for such a grim atmosphere. His gaze was fixed on the Archmage shown on the screen.
“Reminds me of the old days.”
Belzerad was lost in nostalgia.
Before Ella and Hanu intervened, the Archmage had frozen all the powerful beings of the Demon Realm. If he had wanted to, he could’ve easily wiped them all out. But he didn’t. Instead, he stayed in the Demon Realm and even healed demons who were diseased or injured.
‘Why are you helping us?’
Belzerad had asked the Archmage.
At that time, the Archmage sighed and pointed to the Demon King’s Castle. The once-mighty castle had been utterly destroyed by Ella and Hanu.
‘I’m broke, so I’ve got no money. Think of this as compensation.’
‘Hahaha!’
‘We did sign a non-aggression pact, but I should at least clean up before I go. Even though you declared war on Arsilan, the ones who invaded first were Ella... ahem, our side.’
Belzerad had sat beside him.
Talking with him had been surprisingly enjoyable. He had gained a friendship as beautiful as love.
‘So, between the Giants and the Goddess, which do you prefer?’
‘Hm?’
"Don't tell me both? You're quite the greedy man!"
When Jinwoo made a confused expression, Belzerad sighed and shook his head.
‘It’s a pity that an Archmage like you doesn’t understand love. If you were to realize what love is, perhaps you’d be able to wield even stronger magic…’
‘Well, I suppose strong emotions help with magic output, but… I doubt they make you more powerful.’
Belzerad had praised the greatness of love, but the Archmage casually brushed it off. That conversation, though a thousand years had passed, remained vivid like it happened yesterday.
Belzerad had seen off the Giants, the Goddess, and the Archmage when they left the Demon Realm.
He’d told the Giants and the Goddess that if they wanted to seduce the Archmage, they’d have to go for a full-frontal nude assault, and gotten smacked once more for it.
Belzerad emerged from his memories.
As the A-rank Erosion Bug revealed itself, emergency sirens rang out across all of Levannas, and everyone was plunged into despair. But when Belzerad raised his hand, the noisy interior of the airship fell silent.
“Serazade.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Behold. That is the magic of the Archmage.”
The Archmage’s magic unfolded.
The world froze over, and even the A-rank Erosion Bug shattered to pieces. Ice chunks with power beyond that of Light Core Bombs pierced the ground, annihilating everything outside the protective barrier, freezing it all. The blackened land, now encased in ice, was a breathtaking sight. Even the massive hole in the ground was filled with ice.
And then, snow began to fall.
“The Archmage’s magic always carries a touch of romance. Isn’t it beautiful?”
At Belzerad’s question, Serazade nodded.
It reminded her of the fairy tale her grandfather had told her when she was young. That in Arsilan, there existed a thing called snow, tiny, white, sparkling crystals that fell from the sky.
“That’s… snow…”
The sky darkened, and snow began to fall across all of Levannas. The advisors looked out the windows in astonishment, and the soldiers atop the wall reached out their hands to catch the falling snow.
“Hohoho! A real snowstorm!”
Belzerad nodded with a laugh.
Serazade swallowed hard.
He truly was the Archmage.
The Archmage who cleaved space and made snow fall.
Archmage from a fairy tale legend.
“Th-the protective barrier is being restored!”
“Huh? This is strange! The energy readings are rapidly increasing. The system overload is reaching its limit. It’s… it’s about to expl... no, impossible! Instead of exploding, the protective barrier is being reconstructed!”
“Crazy…! The protective barrier’s energy is now 12 times stronger! T-this level is supposed to be impossible…!”
The reports continued.
Serazade realized, this was the work of the Archmage.
The space rippled, and the Archmage appeared beside Serazade. She flinched and quickly stepped aside.
Jinwoo gave a small smile and met her eyes.
“How was it? The magic, pretty decent, right?”
Serazade’s gaze shook violently. She immediately dropped to her knees and bowed her head.
“Thank you... for protecting Levannas.”
Belzerad also stepped beside her and bowed his head. When Jinwoo gestured, Serazade rose to her feet.
“Ah!”
Jinwoo took out a box filled with large Magic Stones from subspace and set it down in front of Serazade. When she saw the Magic Stones inside, she froze completely.
Her jaw dropped and didn’t seem like it would close.
“Pocket money.”
“P-pocket money?”
"I met my close friend's granddaughter. The least I can do is give her some pocket money."
As Serazade began to faint and collapse, Belzerad caught her. The advisors, after checking the Magic Stones, lost strength in their legs and sank to the floor.
Belzerad laughed heartily as he looked at Jinwoo.
“Mm, Archmage.”
“Yeah?”
“Would it be alright to land for a bit? Seeing the snow reminded me of something I’d like to do.”
When Jinwoo nodded, the airship landed in front of the protective barrier.
Before they knew it, the ground had been blanketed in thick snow.
Belzerad rolled a snowball and began building a snowman. At his gesture, even the stiff-looking advisors joined in, along with officers and soldiers. The knights began a snowball fight straight out of a fairy tale.
Serazade, alongside Belzerad, made a snowman with a serious expression.
“How is it?”
“Not bad.”
Belzerad showed off the completed snowman. With horns attached, it looked pretty convincing.
“There was a time when Sera was little and threw a huge tantrum because she wanted to see snow. Since snow doesn’t fall in Levannas, it was quite a dilemma.”
“In that case, I suppose you’re the one who made up that fairy tale.”
“Hoho, you caught me. I’m actually a writer as well. But keep it a secret from Sera, will you? Hm, Sera… she must’ve had a hard time running the kingdom in my place.”
Jinwoo looked over at Serazade, who had joined the snowball fight. Her laughter, now returned to childlike innocence, seemed pure. She had all the traits the Heroes would love!
The staff officers debating about snow were also characters full of personality.
“Belzerad.”
“Hm?”
“You like games?”
Even in the advanced civilization of Levannas, games existed.
They were just past the stage of stick figures moving on a monitor, but apparently, they were still popular.
“Now that you mention it, you did talk about games before, didn’t you?”
“So, here’s the thing…”
Jinwoo looked at Belzerad with a sly grin.
It was the moment Levannas joined 'Arsilan Saga'.
*****
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