novelraw Chapter 191: Surprise Event (1)
Chapter 191: Surprise Event (1)
Translator: Dreamscribe
For the first time, Levannas was blanketed in pure white.
Due to the influence of Erosion contained in the land, the soil of Levannas was black, and the plants growing upon it were dull in color. The creatures that made up Levannas were the same.
Perhaps that’s why the fairy tales written by Belzerad became explosively popular among children. He wrote beautiful stories, reminiscing about the once-glorious demon realm and the landscapes of Arsilan.
Now, a snow-white scene straight out of a fairy tale had spread across Levannas. The boy who had met the Archmage stood on the rooftop with his younger sister, stepping on the snow. When a small shriek of joy burst out, the boy's mother watched them both with a happy smile.
The cold snow felt incredibly warm.
“Ice falling from the sky....”
"It's like something out of a fairy tale."
“Ha ha....”
The Demon Race, who had long suffered under the terror of Erosion Insects, all came outside and burst into laughter as they enjoyed the white snow that had fallen over Levannas. Although the snow melted as the effect of the great magic disappeared, it felt as if the world had briefly become something else.
As the snow melted, the black soil had somehow become a little brighter. It was because Jinwoo's powerful mana had seeped into it.
When Belzerad took the lead in deciding to join the Arsilan Saga from Levannas, Jinwoo immediately cast teleportation to proceed swiftly and returned to the royal palace.
He teleported together with Belzerad and Serazade. Belzerad was familiar with teleportation, but Serazade was not.
"I can't believe something like this is possible...."
Serazade's eyes blazed with scholarly passion.
She had already become completely immersed in magic.
Not all members of the Demon Race needed to know about the Arsilan Saga. It was actually more convenient to proceed with only the key people informed. Jinwoo told the two of them about Arsilan and gave a rough explanation of the game and the concept of the Arsilan Saga.
“Heroes... You've summoned ridiculously absurd existences. I’ve heard the legend that long ago, Heroes appeared in Arsilan, but to realize that in reality is truly impressive.”
Belzerad expressed admiration. Serazade remained silent as if confused, simply listening to the story.
"But there are too many Erosion Insects. No matter how strong Heroes are, they can't possibly deal with that many. Unless these Heroes are as strong as you...."
"You're saying even Heroes aren't invincible."
At Belzerad’s words, Serazade nodded.
In the fairy tales, Heroes could take on a hundred foes at once, but the Erosion Insects numbered in the thousands, tens of thousands.
“Ah! I forgot to explain that part.”
As he had been explaining quickly, there were many parts he had skipped. Belzerad and Serazade, with question marks in their eyes, looked at Jinwoo at the same time.
“There are quite a lot of Heroes.”
“A lot? Then, are there hundreds? Still seems difficult....”
When Jinwoo shook his head, Belzerad flinched and opened his mouth again.
“Then thousands?”
“No.”
“Ten thousand? No way it exceeds ten thousand!”
Hope lit up in Belzerad’s eyes.
If he supported with full power alongside the Archmage, it seemed they could at least maintain the current situation. Of course, if the Higher Being of Erosion awakened, destruction would be all but certain.
Jinwoo shook his head.
When he snapped his fingers, an Information Window appeared, displaying the number of online users.
“This is the current number of Heroes in Arsilan.”
“One million, ten million..., a hundred million!?”
Belzerad’s eyes grew so wide they looked like they might pop out, and Serazade once again lost track of the conversation. Moreover, the number was still rising. The number of Heroes far exceeded the population of the Demon Race in Levannas.
“Ha, hahaha! You are..., just as incredible now as you were then.”
Belzerad felt chills run down his spine.
This went beyond something to be called great, it was a transcendent achievement.
When Jinwoo told him that the number of Arsilanian citizens had surpassed 100 million, Belzerad once again felt dazed, but, befitting someone who had been a Demon King, he quickly accepted the reality.
“With that many people, there must be a national system. Are you perhaps...?”
“Ah, well..., I’m currently serving as the Emperor.”
At the word “Emperor”, Serazade immediately stood up and quickly showed proper courtesy.
The Archmage, who was her grandfather’s friend, was the Emperor leading over a hundred million Heroes and an equally vast number of Arsilanian citizens.
Jinwoo shook his head and smiled.
“Even if I’m called an Emperor, I’m basically just a public official, so you don’t need to worry about it. For now, until Levannas stabilizes, I’ll supply Magic Stones from Arsilan.”
“To cover all of Levannas, you’ll need an immense amount of Magic Stones.”
“I can more than cover it. In fact, having too many is the problem.”
There were too many Magic Stones, and that was the problem.
Even now, they were continuously being generated through the power of the Soul Gate and the Holy Sword. With Heroes establishing various companies and mining Magic Stones, there was even talk of oversupply.
Since the appearance of the True Magic Stone, the price of Magic Stones had drastically dropped, and now, a new market had emerged in Levannas!
It was something Heroes could welcome with both hands raised.
“Once things stabilize, make sure to purchase them. There are quite a few attractive things in Levannas, so it should make for a good trade.”
“Hoho, I never imagined we’d be trading with Arsilan.”
More detailed planning would be carried out through meetings once personnel from the Erosion Headquarters crossed over to this side. Thanks to Belzerad grasping the concept of the game more easily than expected, the conversation progressed more quickly.
“I wish Levannas had a charming character that could catch the interest of Heroes....”
“Hmm! There is a very lovely figure who represents Levannas.”
Swoosh!
Jinwoo and Belzerad simultaneously looked at Serazade. Serazade flinched and trembled at their gaze.
“M-Me?”
Jinwoo grinned and nodded.
Serazade was the Princess of Levannas, and the next Demon King. She was even born of an extraordinary lineage, being the granddaughter of both a Demon King and Erosion. It would be hard to find a character with such a compelling backstory. With a bit of added character design, she could become a very appealing figure.
Serazade shook her head vigorously.
She understood this to mean she would have to perform in front of countless Heroes, Arsilanians, and the citizens of Levannas. She had absolutely no confidence in doing so.
“I’ve never done it before, and I can’t do it either.”
Serazade was resolute. But Jinwoo had a weapon to persuade her.
“I’ll teach you magic in return.”
“Magic... I can use it?”
“Yeah, you have talent.”
Serazade began to hesitate.
Belzerad gently took her hand.
“Hohoho! If you learn magic, our Levannas will become even safer.”
“...Ugh.”
“Leave the state affairs to me. With Magic Stones, my health may not be what it used to be, but it’ll recover a lot.”
Serazade accepted for the sake of Levannas. When she nodded, Belzerad smiled brightly and nodded in return.
“Hoho! Now we can show off my lovely Serazade to everyone! Archmage, I leave her in your care.”
“Mm, I’ll make her very lovely.”
Hearing the conversation between the two, Serazade blinked.
She somehow felt like she had been tricked.
***
Jinwoo immediately supplied Magic Stones to Levannas and restored the health of the Demon Race.
To the Demon Race, pure mana was like an essential nutrient. They had been barely hanging on with the mana transmitted through the Divine Beast devouring Arsilan and the Magic Stones, but even that wasn’t enough.
Malnutrition was an all-too-common illness among the Demon Race. Belzerad and Serazade had opened the national treasury to hold on somehow, but even that had reached its limits. Now, thanks to the Magic Stones supplied from Arsilan, they could finally breathe a little easier.
Serazade waited nervously in the conference room. Belzerad, for the first time in a while, wore the attire of a king and placed a crown on his head. The staff participating in the administration of state affairs also took their seats.
They were the most intelligent among the Demon Race, but they couldn’t fully believe the story Belzerad had told. It was just too absurd. However, after witnessing Jinwoo’s magic, they were at least prepared to accept it.
Whoosh!
The space split open, and a magic circle emerged. The staff were startled and stepped back. As light burst forth from the magic circle, Jinwoo and the personnel from the Erosion Headquarters were summoned one by one.
Tiris, who appeared next to Jinwoo, looked at Serazade.
“Are you Master’s new disciple?”
“Y-Yes, I am.”
“Interesting.”
At Tiris’s blatantly scrutinizing gaze, Serazade gulped. She could feel the urge to investigate every inch of her through the skin.
Tiris nodded and looked at Jinwoo.
"With that level of talent, that plan might actually be possible."
“Let’s move forward.”
“Yes. I’ll begin preparations as soon as we return to Arsilan.”
Serazade still couldn’t keep up with the conversation.
When Airi appeared, Belzerad’s eyes widened.
“Airi, it’s been a long time.”
"Demon King-nim...."
Airi’s eyes welled with tears as she looked at Belzerad. The Demon King had once saved her. It was thanks to Belzerad that she had made it safely to Arsilan.
“You’ve become quite pretty. Not as much as our Sera, but still. Hohoho!”
“Hehe....”
At that moment, an overwhelming presence filled the meeting room along with a burst of light. It was a warmth-filled light. And with that light, Ella appeared.
Ella tilted her head as she looked at Belzerad.
She didn’t recognize him at first, but once she saw the broken horn, she realized who he was.
“Demon King?”
“It’s been a while.”
"You're quite tenacious too."
“Having survived even your hands, what couldn’t I endure?”
Ella furrowed her brow and clenched her fist. But she soon released it and laughed aloud.
Serazade, overwhelmed by Ella’s dominating presence and beauty, was left speechless for a moment before stepping closer to Belzerad.
“Th-that person is...?”
“She’s Ella, the Goddess of Arsilan.”
Serazade wouldn’t have believed that had someone told her in the past. But the moment she saw Ella, she was completely convinced. Lastly, Helby made her appearance.
“I didn’t expect you to come too.”
“Hmph, the horny little brat became an old man.”
“Hoho....”
Belzerad was also acquainted with Helby.
Long ago, when Belzerad was still young, he had met Helby. It was said that he had chased after her the moment they met, trying to woo her.
Now that the staff had encountered the beings of Arsilan, they had no choice but to believe.
“Well then, let’s begin the meeting.”
There were many things that needed to be resolved in order to incorporate Levannas into the Arsilan Saga.
Jinwoo planned to push the update as quickly as possible.
Over the course of the next two weeks, several more meetings took place, and they were able to complete a reasonably polished plan.
Jinwoo immediately updated the “Omen” for the next episode. He didn’t mention a word of it to anyone so he could surprise Arsilan.
‘I should release it into the Dimension Gate Field.’
The Dimension Gate Field was a space Jinwoo controlled. Though it was overlaid on the real world and linked with it, it was still a distinctly separate space. No matter what happened there, neither Arsilan nor Earth would suffer damage.
They’re going to be shocked, right?
He couldn’t wait to see everyone’s reactions!
***
By the time Episode 3 was updated, the Hero ChungjuBugKing, who had begun the Arsilan Saga, had grown into a Hero challenging his Second Class Change.
“Oh!”
His hobby and specialty was collecting insects in Arsilan.
In the real world, he was a professor at Korea University. He had conducted extensive research and published papers on general entomology. Going overseas to collect insects had been his only joy, but he had to give it up after injuring his leg.
To him, the Arsilan Saga was salvation, and Arsilan was paradise! Arsilan was full of big, beautiful insects. They were so unique that they couldn’t even be compared to Earth’s insects, possessing traits that defied all logic.
He compiled an Arsilan insect encyclopedia and shared it freely on Arsilan Worlds.
[A] Insect Doctor
A title awarded to the greatest entomologist of Arsilan.
ChungjuBugKing personally classified over 10,000 species of insects, researching their habits, ecology, and value as materials, and compiled them into an encyclopedia. In honor of his contributions, His Majesty the Emperor personally awarded him the title and a monetary prize.
*Free access to the Imperial Library
*Free use of the royal-owned workshop
Leon personally bestowed the title upon him.
He personally classified each insect in Arsilan, raised them, and even tasted them. He discovered an insect with bodily fluids that enhanced recovery effects, contributing greatly to the improvement of potion quality.
Though he had discovered and recorded over 10,000 species of insects, new species continued to be discovered.
He was currently collecting insects in the Seoul Field.
Recently, he had heard reports that rare insects were appearing in the Seoul Field and had gone out in response.
“Ooh!”
He caught a beetle-like insect the size of a forearm with a large butterfly net. The horn protruding from its head resembled that of a deer, and the sheen of its shell shimmered clearly like a lake.
“This is a new species not in the records!”
“As expected of you, Professor!”
“Kuh! I finally caught it!”
After roaming around the Seoul Field for a week, his efforts paid off in the form of a new species. His disciples, excited, gathered around him to look at the captured beetle.
They were his disciples in the real world as well.
In fact, ChungjuBugKing had started the Arsilan Saga at the suggestion of his students.
Three months ago, he personally founded the Insect Association and became its president. Although the Insect Association didn’t have many members, those who joined all loved insects, and their enthusiasm was incredible.
"I should name it."
When a new species was captured, the discoverer gained the right to name it. It couldn’t just be arbitrarily named, the name had to be submitted to the Imperial Court for review, and once approved and recorded in the encyclopedia, a reward would be given.
Insects from the Giant Race’s world were excluded.
To the Insect Doctor, they seemed less like ecosystem-based insects and more like ride-focused, event-type monsters. There weren’t many of them, and they looked too much like common Earth insects to be worth researching.
As proof, none of those insects had been registered in the Arsilan insect encyclopedia. And ever since the Giant Realm had settled in Arsilan and the Giants migrated to large cities, those insects had naturally disappeared.
One might have expected a fuss, but sadly, hardly any Heroes cared about insects.
“This looks like the largest beetle we’ve ever caught, doesn’t it?”
“Haha, I think you’re right. Bring out the specimen container.”
A student brought out a specially made specimen container. Once it was placed inside, a deep sense of accomplishment washed over them. ChungjuBugKing handed over the honor of naming the new species to his students.
ChungjuBugKing looked at his students with a proud expression.
There were predictions that Arsilan’s academic circles would grow to rival Earth’s. Already, numerous academic papers were being published from Arsilan, and scholarly conferences were held regularly. He was proud that he, his students, and the Insect Association were at the center of that unstoppable, massive wave.
The students began discussing names while examining the captured insect.
“How about Alusion Blue Beetle? With this size, I think the name Alusion is fitting.”
“It was discovered in the Seoul Field, so I think Great Seoul Beetle would be a better name.”
“Titan Seoul Beetle might work too.”
“There can’t be anything bigger than this, right? Any larger and it would probably be classified as a monster.”
The students were filled with pride, excited that they had caught what might be the world’s largest insect. Other nearby Heroes, intrigued by the insect, approached to take a look.
When ChungjuBugKing told his students to take it out and show it, they opened the specimen container and displayed the beetle to the Heroes.
“Whoa!”
“It’s huge as hell!”
“Is this a monster?”
“I think this thing could beat a newbie in a fight! Haha!”
The Heroes laughed as they looked at the beetle.
‘That’s how people start loving insects.’
ChungjuBugKing nodded.
Love for insects began with curiosity like that!
Not just Heroes, even Arsilanians didn’t like insects. That reality was deeply unfortunate.
Those shells! That hair! The long legs! The antennae!
There wasn’t a single thing that wasn’t beautiful!
Insects were truly the most beautiful creatures in the world.
“Ooh! It’s cuter than I thought!”
“Right? Arsilan’s insects have forms different from Earth’s. Our Insect Association defined the characteristics of Arsilan insects. If you look at the segment on this abdomen....”
As the Heroes showed interest, the students smiled brightly and began explaining about the insect.
Among the Heroes who had come to watch, some appeared to be couples. When the beetle wriggled its legs, they screamed as they watched.
That was when it happened.
Kugugugung!
Was it an earthquake?
As the ground shook violently, the student of ChungjuBugKing who was holding the beetle dropped it.
"Aah!"
The student sprinted with all his strength and barely managed to catch the beetle as it flew away. The other students sighed in relief, and so did the couple of Heroes who had been watching.
“Huh?”
“B-behind you...!”
A massive hole had formed behind the student, who was smiling while holding up the beetle.
Dudududu!
The ground shook intensely.
There was a sound of something crawling up, and then black shapes burst out from inside the pit. They were giant insects. As large as a full-sized truck, they cast a shadow over the student.
ChungjuBugKing and the Heroes stared blankly at the insect. The student holding the beetle slowly turned his head with a frozen expression.
Crunch!
The enormous insect tore the student’s body apart with sharp mandibles
Gulp!
And swallowed him whole.
Silence fell.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga!
As if water were pouring out, insects began flooding out of the pit. House centipedes, cockroaches, and mantis-shaped insects the size of cars painted the sky and ground black.
There seemed to be well over several million of them.
“Kyaaaaa!”
“U-urgh?!”
“Aaaack!”
“S-shit! Aaaaaaah!”
The Heroes could only scream at the sight.
Their grotesque appearance was so horrifying that no one could even think of fighting.
Crack-crack-crack!
A mantis-like insect landed in front of the Hero couple. Its disgustingly repulsive form caused their bodies to freeze.
Crunch!
It grabbed the male Hero with its sickle-like forelegs and devoured him on the spot. Then it injected a stinger into the remaining body and laid eggs inside. Afterward, it turned its repulsive compound eyes toward the female Hero.
Sticky bodily fluid dripped from its mouth.
It looked as though it was licking its lips.
“Kyaaaaaaaa!”
Screams echoed throughout the entire Seoul Field.
Amid those screams, only one group of Heroes reacted differently. It was none other than ChungjuBugKing and his disciples.
“Big and beautiful....”
“Haak!”
“Ahh! I’m so glad I’m alive.”
“Praise the Creator God!”
ChungjuBugKing and his disciples were mesmerized by the “beautiful” form of the giant insects (?).
***
Watching from the situation room, Jinwoo was slightly flustered to realize that the Erosion Insects' habits were far more brutal and horrifying than he’d expected. He thought they were just slaughter-type monsters, but they exhibited the cruel behavior patterns and diverse reproductive methods of actual insects!
‘Well..., Arsilan Saga is dark fantasy after all.’
Jinwoo rationalized it that way.
The water had already been spilled, so there was no turning back.
Thus, the surprise event in the thrilling Seoul Field had begun!