novelraw Chapter 192: Surprise Event (2)
Chapter 192: Surprise Event (2)
Translator: Dreamscribe
The Creator God had unleashed insects upon Seoul Field!
And not just any bugs, but ones far larger and more grotesque than those seen in the Giant Realm. They belonged to an entirely different genre compared to Arsilan’s insects, which were generally round and somewhat cute.
Long legs lined with countless spikes, unpleasantly dense hairs sprouting all over their bodies, horrifying compound eyes that looked as if they had hundreds of eyeballs embedded in them, and wings oozing with sticky bodily fluids.
They looked like a concentrated mass of nothing but repulsiveness.
The attention to detail was truly perverse.
Even more surprising was that the appearances of those bugs were all slightly different from one another, and the variety was incredibly wide. Bugs the size of bulls to massive ones as large as three-story buildings poured out of the pit.
“Kyah!”
“Shit, get lost! Aaargh!”
“Fuck!”
Even Heroes who had experienced all kinds of trials and tribulations couldn't help but curse.
On the other hand, the Arsilanian people tilted their heads as they faced the bugs. Arsilanians had no aversion to insects. Though they did feel disgust, it wasn’t to the point of convulsing. They merely disliked them or simply had no interest.
“Uh, aren’t those gross?”
“They’re gross, sure, but is it that bad? Hero, don’t you eat live octopus? That’s even more disgusting.”
“Ah…”
Thanks to FS Games, Seoul Field had live octopus and other ingredients representative of Korea implemented in it. Thinking about it, insects and live octopus might not be that different in terms of disgust. In fact, Arsilanians feared tentacles more.
The Heroes appraised the bugs.
“Erosion Insects?”
Those bug monsters were called Erosion Insects.
Just hearing the name made it clear they were the work of Erosion. No, even before that, they instinctively felt it upon first sight. Erosion Insects filled up the roads, clung to building walls, rampaging uncontrollably as they started gnawing away at everything in sight.
“Ugh! Help me!”
"Gah!"
The Heroes had no fear of death, but being eaten by Erosion Insects was just too horrifying.
Everyone gathered through the Dimension Gate.
“This is... not easy.”
“Uh... guys, those things are laying eggs?”
They entered buildings to lay eggs or attached egg sacs to structures. They even shot out silk to bind Heroes and drag them away. Heroes usually had at least one self-destruction skill, so they weren’t subjected to horrific fates, but there were even crazy Heroes who willingly offered their bodies to the Erosion Insects.
They were Heroes from the Insect Association.
“Oh, my body’s paralyzed. Seems to have parasitic wasp-like traits…”
“I’ll save you!”
“It’s fine! I got caught on purpose! For research!”
"...Are you insane?"
The Heroes from the Insect Association stopped others from rescuing the captured Hero. Even as they were dragged away, wrapped in cocoons by Erosion Insects, they smiled contentedly. They stuck their hand out through the gap in the cocoon and gave a thumbs-up. It seemed they were trying to look cool, but they didn’t look cool at all.
The Heroes frowned as they dealt with the Erosion Insects spreading across the Seoul Field.
Splurt!
When struck with a blunt weapon, the Erosion Insect’s belly burst, spraying bodily fluids. Even those grotesque appearances were becoming more familiar over time.
“Oh, the experience gain’s not bad?”
“It’s about twice that of regular mobs?”
“Huh? Looks like a True Magic Stone?”
There were a lot of Erosion Insects, and they gave a lot of experience. Moreover, inside their abdomens were crystal shards which, though small in size, turned out to be True Magic Stones upon analysis. They also dropped metallic materials no one had seen before, and their shells were hard yet light, making them useful crafting materials.
The natural enemy of the Erosion Insects appeared.
It was none other than Arsilan’s Undead Heroes. Poison didn’t affect Skeletons, and there was no bodily fluid to drain. Even if their bones were shattered, they recovered quickly as long as the skull wasn’t damaged.
“Hmm.”
Screee!
When Vampires broke the shells with their sharp claws and plunged their hands inside, the Erosion Insects withered and dried up, leaving only their shells. It was the Blood Drain skill.
“Tastes like lobster.”
“Really?”
Vampires could taste blood when using Blood Drain, and the bodily fluids of the Erosion Insects tasted like chicken or lobster. Perhaps due to their high quality, health and mana recovered rapidly along with gaining buff effects.
Necromancers revived the dead Erosion Insects as Undead. Since they moved through mana while only the shell remained, they became excellent subordinates.
“Huh? Guys, look at this!”
A Hero with a high-rank analysis skill shared some information.
[C] Core of Small Erosion Insect
An organ that supplies Erosion and bodily fluid.
Acts as the heart of the Erosion Insect, enabling it to move and sustain its large body. Contains concentrated energy and possesses various effects.
*Upon consumption, increases vitality by 150% (6 hours)
*Upon consumption, increases stats by 10% (3 hours)
*Upon consumption, expands senses by 10% (3 hours)
*Effects increase when processed with high-rank cooking, alchemy, or magi-engineering techniques.
It was a core obtained from a relatively small Erosion Insect.
“Oh....”
“Wow....”
“This is practically a drug, huh?”
“That’s small-sized?”
After reading the information, the Heroes looked at the Erosion Insects swarming in Seoul Field. Those grotesque, disgusting Erosion Insects now looked adorable.
Swoosh!
The Heroes drew their weapons and tried to begin hunting the Erosion Insects.
“Hold on a second!”
A Named Hero at the front raised both hands to stop them.
“Right now, it looks like that wave of Erosion Insects has ended.”
“Oh, you’re right.”
“They’re not coming out anymore.”
The Erosion Insects that had been pouring out of the pit were no longer appearing. Though millions had surged into Seoul Field, the number of Heroes and Arsilanians was overwhelmingly greater.
“Seems like they’re in the middle of reproduction. Let’s wait a bit?”
“You mean to set a no-hunting season, or a ban the during breeding period?”
“Oh, that’s wise.”
The Heroes agreed with the Named Hero’s words and nodded. The Heroes who had been dragged off by Erosion Insects returned after reviving. ChungjuBugKing was delighted upon hearing the Heroes’ conversation.
ChungjuBugKing shared the information he had experienced and analyzed personally.
“They’re laying eggs indoors, in places like buildings and subways. Reproduction doesn’t seem hindered even without food.”
Upon ChungjuBugKing’s words, the Heroes immediately formed a plan.
They would hunt the Erosion Insects wandering or attacking from outside and protect the areas where eggs had been laid.
When that plan was posted on Arsilan Worlds, nearly all Heroes agreed. They were even devising plans to bring the eggs back to Arsilan.
“Oh, this actually tastes pretty good?”
“Right? Once dissected, it’s not even gross, and the meat’s solid.”
“Tastes like deep-sea shrimp.”
“Ooh! I’ll go get some chili sauce!”
Even the meat was imbued with Erosion energy, providing buff effects. Alchemists and blacksmiths began researching the hard yet light shells. When polished well, they became glossy and looked quite high-grade.
The Named Hero who had extracted the Erosion Insect’s core looked at the Undead Hero beside him. It was a Death Knight, and he too was diligently extracting cores from corpses.
The Named Hero glanced around, then cautiously approached him.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve been wondering about something for a while.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
The Named Hero had something he was genuinely curious about.
“So... you’re basically a skeleton, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. If I take off this armor, I’m entirely bones.”
“Then... why would you need vitality?”
The Death Knight’s glowing eyes curved.
It looked like he was smiling.
"We can attach and detach parts. We can create them with mana."
“Oh....”
“If your mana stat is high, you can even change the shape... you know what I mean, right? Ah! I heard Liches can even make tentacles.”
“Wow... Undead are amazing.”
The Undead could be seen actively harvesting cores even more than others.
It really was a proper dark fantasy.
That day, the Named Hero discovered a whole new world!
***
Jinwoo observed the situation in Seoul Field from the control room. He was aware of this event in advance along with the FS Games staff, so he had high expectations.
Of course, the FS Games staff were rooting for the Heroes, but lately, they’d been a little annoying. The Heroes had become so used to FS Games' events that they often guessed the content correctly.
Prediction posts would go up, and when they got the event content right, they even left comments like, “Kind of obvious.”
'They won’t be able to predict this one.'
'Keh-heh, the Erosion Headquarters' development capabilities are always impressive. Such detail, wow.'
'Let’s do our best too!'
Prelude to the New Episode! Erosion Insect Wave!
That was the title of this surprise event, which they would not reveal to the Heroes.
Would they be so shocked they'd faint?
Jinwoo and the staff looked forward to the Heroes' startled reactions. Jinwoo had dug a tunnel into Seoul Field and injected millions of Erosion Insects.
The initial reactions were just as expected.
Seeing the Heroes freak out and flee filled him with satisfaction. But that scene didn’t last long.
‘They’re brimming with Erosion energy, but…’
He hadn’t anticipated that the core of an Erosion Insect would turn out to be the most effective aphrodisiac ever seen.
“Oh... this is nice.”
“Ahem, I think I’ll have to leave work on time today.”
Even the staff’s eyes turned greedy.
When the Heroes designated protection zones for the Erosion Insects, Jinwoo covered his face with his hands. What he had hoped for was a scene of them exterminating the disgusting Erosion Insects in revulsion.
First, he made it so that the eggs couldn’t be imported into Arsilan through the Dimension Gate. In any case, he had to prevent Erosion Insects from being born in Arsilan. Bringing eggs to Arsilan was the same as releasing cockroaches in your living room.
‘I’m the one who underestimated the Heroes.’
Once again, they showed unexpected behavior. Even the Arsilanians, blending in with the Heroes, were collecting the cores. They were now contributing to Arsilan’s birth rate.
‘I’ll have to revise the scenario.’
He had planned to introduce a boss-level Erosion Insect for a grand sequence once the regular Erosion Insects disappeared from the field.
But the atmosphere wasn’t right for that now.
He could have forced things to go according to the original plan, but Jinwoo didn’t do that. Everyone looked like they were having fun. Seeing them thoroughly enjoying the farming aspect made him lose the will to interfere.
“Oh, a potion made from the Erosion Insect’s core is already up on the Arsilan Auction House!”
It hadn’t been long since the core’s information was released, and yet potions with various effects were already being crafted using the core. Alchemy was advancing at a rapid pace.
Desire accelerated technological advancement.
It was a bit unfortunate that the desire in question was for aphrodisiacs, but regardless, it was a good thing.
“The Platinum Coin Shop just hit its highest sales ever!”
“Wow! They’re selling like crazy.”
Sales of paid items related to adult content had skyrocketed.
“We should open the Erosion Insect Nest early. Go ahead with the update.”
“Understood. We’ll create pits in all fields and connect them to the Erosion Insect Nest.”
At the end of the Erosion Insect Nest lay the gateway to the next episode. The nest would contain Erosion Insects even stronger than those that had invaded the field, so the Heroes would surely drool over it. Monsters developed by FS Games had also been placed in the Erosion Insect tunnels.
“CEO-nim, Author Horolong has arrived.”
“I’ll go right away.”
Jinwoo moved to the reception room in the FS Games headquarters. A man, sitting tensely, came into view. He looked to be in his mid-thirties and was constantly drinking water, as if his throat was dry.
As soon as Jinwoo entered, the man jumped to his feet and bowed.
“Ah, hello!”
“Hello? I’m Lee Jinwoo.”
The moment Horolong heard Jinwoo’s voice, he froze on the spot. His pupils were visibly trembling, he was so nervous, his body had stiffened.
Jinwoo used a bit of magic to loosen him up slightly.
“S-sorry.”
“No need to apologize. Please, Author Horolong, have a seat.”
He had invited Horolong for the next episode.
He was a webtoon artist who had debuted four years ago, but his performance hadn't been very good. Perhaps due to the nature of the genre, it quickly faded into obscurity. It had ended early and was currently marked as completed.
There was a comic platform called "Artoon" on the Soul Link app. If one serialized their work on the platform, it could be viewed in Arsilan, and once a full volume was completed, it would be published as a standalone book. It could be owned as a physical book in Arsilan and was added to all libraries.
“Yes, uh..., I received a rejection notice…”
Author Horolong shrank back.
“W-Was the content a bit too dark? I can revise everything if you’d like.”
Jinwoo shook his head.
Just as disappointment began to flood into Horolong’s eyes.
“I’d like to incorporate your work into Arsilan Saga.”
"What? A-Arsilan Saga?"
“It’s a character that fits perfectly with the next episode. And while it can’t be serialized on Artoon, we’ll publish it as a standalone volume. It’s not general publishing but will be provided as internal content, so it’s a bit special…”
Tears welled up in Horolong’s eyes.
“I-I’ll do it! I’ll do it even without pay!”
Jinwoo immediately took out and handed over the contract.
“A million, ten million..., wha, a hundred million?!”
Jinwoo purchased the character and also signed a separate publishing contract. When he saw the amount in the hundreds of millions, Horolong’s expression filled with shock. The contract terms were also extremely favorable.
“I liked the scene where the demon girl awakens as a Magical Girl and brings hope to the despairing demons.”
“Th-thank you.”
“You set it in Arsilan’s Demon Realm, right?”
“Yes, uh..., I found books about the Demon Realm in the Alusion Grand Library. I got inspired and started working on it.”
Jinwoo nodded.
It was a compelling character.
The situation in Levannas was similar to the Demon Realm in the story. The Demon Race had fallen into despair. Even if Heroes came and saved them, that wouldn’t be enough to restore them. They might end up living with the emotional burden of an unpayable debt for the rest of their lives.
He needed a demon character that could give hope to the Demon Race, and right at that moment, Horolong’s "Demon Magical Girl Sera" caught his eye.
From that point on, Jinwoo began seriously planning with Belzerad.
Magical Girl Serazade, the flower, hope, and savior of the Demon Race!
‘Too perfect to be a coincidence.’
Coincidentally, the name even overlapped with Serazade.
She was older than typical Magical Girls, but that didn’t matter. The Magical Girl was originally a hidden class that transformed the user into a girl form. However, due to various realistic regulatory issues, it had been sealed away. But since such restrictions didn’t apply to the Demon Race, they could now unseal it and proceed with development.
It also matched beautifully with the landscape of Levannas.
‘Hohoho! My Sera was so adorable when she was young. Even the Heroes of Arsilan will fall head over heels for her.’
‘That would be ideal.’
Belzerad actively helped.
When materials were handed over to Tiris, she immediately began work, wearing an expression that showed deep fascination.
“Magnificent.”
“Sniff…”
Author Horolong burst into tears. He was so overwhelmed to receive praise from none other than Jinwoo. He too was a Hero and held the Creator God Lee Jinwoo in deep admiration.
Jinwoo took out documents and showed them to Horolong. Since they had signed an official contract, it was fine to share details about the next episode.
The documents contained an outline of Levannas’s overall setting and current state. He hoped Horolong would create a compelling comic based on this. Something like Belzerad’s fairy tale, a story that could inspire hope in the Demon Race.
“I’ll do my best! I’ll draw until I die!”
“We’ll provide you with tools for working in Arsilan. We’ll even lend you a workshop, so please work comfortably.”
“Huuhuhk! Thank you! Sob!”
Horolong cried so much his eyes swelled up.
“This is a gift.”
“Gwah!”
Jinwoo handed Horolong a box filled with the latest Soul Link, Soul Glass, and various other products. Just when his tears had finally stopped, they erupted again.
“Well then, I’ll be counting on you.”
Long live the Creator God!
Horolong vowed to stake his life on this project.
Seeing his soul shine brightly with talent, Jinwoo nodded with a satisfied expression.
Everything was coming together smoothly.
“Ah!”
Jinwoo realized he had forgotten to tell Serazade about the role she would be playing.
Well, things would work out somehow, wouldn’t they?
As he looked out the window, the weather was especially nice today.