novelraw Chapter 203: Descent of Heroes (4)
Chapter 203: Descent of Heroes (4)
Chapter 203: Descent of Heroes (4)
Translator: Dreamscribe
Now! Let's go!
Jinwoo's party, which knew little of love, pressed forward toward their goal without hesitation.
The Hologram Center had a separate exhibition space where new products and technologies could be announced. The main building was the Hologram Center itself, but a large-scale exhibition hall stood right beside it.
Hero Tech, which had been growing just as rapidly as FS Games lately, hosted the presentation as the main organizer. Hero Tech was a company founded on the technology from Jinwoo's research lab.
Every time Hero Tech announced new technologies and products, the world was stunned, so naturally, corporations around the globe and countless others were paying close attention.
The presentation could be watched via broadcast on Arsilan Worlds and even from within Arsilan itself, and anyone who paid an admission fee could travel to the audience seating through the Dimension Gate.
All admission fees were to be donated.
The exhibition hall was already packed with people.
Not only executives from the world's famous corporations, but heavyweights whose names alone would make anyone gasp had personally visited Korea and arrived at the exhibition hall ahead of time.
Those with physical difficulties participated via hologram. Hologram technology, now commonplace, had spread to the point where many companies held hologram meetings.
It had been over three years since Arsilan Saga launched.
During that time, the various technologies Jinwoo had introduced had already embedded themselves deep into everyday life on Earth.
'It should be fine to show them anything now.'
Starting from the moment he unveiled Arsilan Saga, Jinwoo had been gradually releasing technologies that blended science and magic, and by now he didn't even bother being cautious about it.
The world's greatest company was his, and over a hundred million Heroes were on his side. On top of that, ever since surpassing the hundred million mark, the number of active players had been climbing even more steeply.
After stepping out of the car, Jinwoo entered the exhibition hall escorted by bodyguards. Halon, Hasman, and Tia held the status of Hero Tech researchers. Technologies in fields Jinwoo had never publicly been involved in were filed under their names.
New products were on display throughout the exhibition hall. These weren't included in the main presentation, but they were naturally so outstanding that industry professionals in the relevant fields were left in shock.
"Well then, I'll be off to carry out my duties."
"There are so many people. Hahaha!"
Halon and Hasman headed toward the exhibition floor.
As the throngs of waiting journalists and businesspeople approached, the two flashed beautiful smiles and even waved at them. They were nothing more than researchers explaining the technology behind the displayed products, yet they enjoyed popularity as if they were celebrities.
Recently, they had even been appearing on NTube talk shows.
'Hmm....'
Still, seeing them laugh and enjoy themselves, Jinwoo couldn't bring himself to say anything.
They had suffered plenty for a long time, after all.
"Ugh, this is the worst."
Tia, however, was merciless. She actually dry-heaved watching them. The sight of them smiling so pleasantly overlapped with their true selves in her mind.
Jinwoo entered the waiting room of the exhibition hall together with Tia.
The moment they entered the waiting room, visitors arrived. It was his brother and sister-in-law.
"Oh? Is it okay for you to be moving around?"
"Yes, I need to get some moderate exercise anyway."
"You didn't have to come...."
Seeing his sister-in-law's condition made Jinwoo worry.
"This is the first event since I became part of the family, you know."
"Aren't you grateful? Your Noona said she's too busy to come. See? It's only us who've got your back, right? Hehe!"
Just as Jinwoo was feeling moved by his sister-in-law's words, his brother asked that with a sly grin.
"Well, I'll give you that one for today."
When Jinwoo nodded in agreement, his brother looked slightly surprised before breaking into a smile. He hadn't expected Jinwoo to admit it so readily.
Once his brother and sister-in-law left the waiting room, Han Yong-seon came in.
"These are gifts and fan letters."
"Hm? Did you bring them from headquarters?"
"No. Heroes were gathered outside the Hologram Center carrying loads of gifts and fan letters. So we invited them inside the Hologram Center and are letting them look around."
"Good call."
Jinwoo had come through the back entrance, so he hadn't seen them.
Han Yong-seon gave a polite bow and headed back to the exhibition floor. FS Games was also showcasing new products, so Han Yong-seon and some of the development team were stationed at the exhibition.
Jinwoo read through the fan letters. Some said that meeting Arsilan Saga had made their lives happier, while others wrote that they had been saved thanks to Hero Tech.
'Nice.'
All the hard work going back and forth between Earth and Arsilan had been worth it.
Tia gazed quietly at the letters from beside him, then nodded.
"So there are Heroes on Earth too."
"Heroes? Are you talking about me?"
"Yes. You're working so hard to save Earth, after all."
She meant Jinwoo.
He shrugged and folded the letter. He simply wished that everyone who believed in and followed him could be happy. Just as he was thinking that...
Tia looked at Jinwoo and jumped in surprise.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Q-Quickly, look in a mirror!"
It didn't seem like a joke.
Jinwoo conjured a mirror with magic and floated it in the air. Upon seeing his reflection, he too leapt to his feet in shock.
"Wh-What is this?"
A Halo was shining behind him.
It wasn't that his pupils had dilated and let in a sudden surge of light, making it look that way. A genuine Halo, swirling with a kaleidoscope of colors, sat brightly behind his head.
Aureola might have been the more fitting term.
It wasn't magic.
There was no Mana consumption whatsoever, and above all, no magic that Jinwoo didn't know existed. Moreover, it was a brilliance far too radiant to replicate with magic, requiring an enormous amount of Mana and computational power.
Tia cautiously approached and reached out to touch the light.
"It's warm. Something, something feels like it's welling up inside me. Inspiration is flooding in!"
Tia suddenly looked recharged with motivation. Fortunately, this light was having a positive effect.
What could this be?
More importantly, there was little time left before the presentation.
"How do I turn this off?"
If it were magic, he could control it more easily than breathing, but this wasn't responding to his control. As Jinwoo closed his eyes and struggled to rein it in, an energy distinctly different from Mana surged into his soul.
If Mana felt like a refreshingly cool ocean, this gave off a scorching sensation, like a blazing star.
"Could this feeling be...."
As if Tia had realized something, she immediately summoned Ella. Ella, who had been spending her leisure time in Seoul, appeared by tearing through space.
"Do you know what this is?"
"Oh! It appeared."
In response to Jinwoo's question, Ella nodded as if she had expected it.
"The prayers, hearts, and will of your followers have transformed into Sacred Power."
"Sacred Power?"
"Yes."
"Why would something like that come to me...."
Ella found it strange that Jinwoo hadn't anticipated this.
"You became an Archmage and broke through your limits to become a Transcendent Being. That's how you were able to create the Soul Gate with that authority."
"That's true."
"You're worshipped as the Creator God, and there's even a church in Arsilan dedicated to you."
A church that actually worshipped the Creator God had emerged in Arsilan.
FS Games had even released a dedicated class for the Creator God Church. Jinwoo had opposed it, since having the game company's CEO worshipped to such an extent was something to be wary of, but he had no choice but to comply with the Heroes' demands.
"And your accomplishments are more than sufficient, they're overflowing. You saved Arsilan and are even making Earth a better place. You also fully absorbed the power of the Lord of Despair."
Saving Arsilan hadn't been entirely his achievement alone. However, it was undeniably he who had created the opportunity and laid the groundwork.
"Wow! You've become a god!"
Tia gazed at Jinwoo with sparkling eyes. She wasn't particularly surprised. To Tia, there wasn't much difference between an Archmage and a god.
Since Ella and Helby were also divine beings, it wasn't strange at all that Jinwoo, who rivaled them, had become a god.
Tia walked up to Jinwoo, knelt down, clasped her hands together, and began to pray.
"O God! Full of ruin and desolation..., ow!"
Just as she was about to make that kind of wish, Jinwoo grabbed her by the head and stopped her. It looked like a joke, but he had a feeling something might actually happen.
"How do I turn this off?"
"Until a Sanctuary forms in your soul to contain the Sacred Power, it's going to be hard to control."
"Hmm...."
"Let me take care of it for now."
Ella showed the composed demeanor of a senior.
Was she going to regulate his energy the way they did in martial arts stories?
Ella rolled up her sleeves and concentrated Sacred Power into her hands. Once a golden glow formed in both hands, she strode forward and seized the light emanating from Jinwoo.
"Hraaah!"
Ella let out a spirited shout and pulled with force.
Pop!
With a sound like a cap being popped off, the light came free.
She had simply ripped it off by force.
Jinwoo blinked and stared at the light held in Ella's hands.
"...That thing was detachable?"
"Think of it like molting. Helby periodically sheds her scales too."
"Hmm...."
...The realm of gods sure is complicated.
Jinwoo couldn't quite wrap his head around it. Evidence of his sudden godhood had appeared, but he honestly couldn't believe it.
Knock knock!
A staff member rapped on the door. The presentation was just around the corner. Jinwoo pushed aside his chaotic thoughts and decided to focus on the presentation.
* * *
Hero Tech's presentation had begun!
Everyone who had come to the exhibition hall took their seats. Separate seating areas were prepared for those attending via hologram or who had entered from Arsilan.
Since there had been no Episode 5 showcase event, many Heroes had come to the presentation hall through the Dimension Gate. The space kept generating itself, so there was no capacity limit. A live broadcast was also underway, and many people in Arsilan were watching it with their Information Windows open.
"What kind of technology will they unveil this time...."
"I'm dreading it."
"Mmm...."
Any company with even the slightest overlap with Hero Tech's fields couldn't help but be nervous. The technological gap was so immense that they couldn't even dream of keeping up. By now, they just hoped something within the realm of common sense would come out. At least then they'd have a chance of catching up.
When Jinwoo stepped onto the stage, applause erupted.
-Long live the Creator God!
-Kyaaah!
-It's been so long!
With Jinwoo making a public appearance for the first time in a while, the atmosphere heated up intensely.
"Hello. I'm Lee Jinwoo. Since this is an event to showcase all the new technologies and products developed by Hero Tech, I'll move through things quickly."
Jinwoo greeted the audience and swiftly proceeded with the presentation. There was a lot to cover. Reporters readied themselves to jot down his every word, and the businesspeople tensed up and focused.
-The Creator God's gotten more handsome.
-Looks like he's been taking care of himself?
-I love you! I love you!
The Heroes didn't have much interest in Hero Tech's announcements. They were simply happy to see the Creator God in person. Seeing his even more dashing appearance filled them with pride as Heroes of Arsilan. Quite a number of Heroes had even brought Creator God light sticks. These were official merchandise sold by none other than the Creator God Church.
'Hmm....'
Jinwoo flinched when he looked toward where the Heroes were seated, but he didn't let it show and continued the presentation.
When Jinwoo gestured, a hologram appeared. It showed Prosthetic Arms and Prosthetic Legs. People with physical disabilities had been helped to live lives nearly as normal as anyone else's.
The technology and quality were easily worth tens of millions of won, yet the price never exceeded five hundred thousand won. Support programs were even provided for low-income households. People were saying the company made no profit at all and actually took a loss on every unit sold.
"Many people have benefited from our products."
Through the holographic footage, people wearing Hero Tech's Prosthetic Legs and Prosthetic Arms appeared on screen. They were smiling brightly and had stopped hiding their disabilities.
"Someone once asked me why I do this. Isn't it hypocrisy? Don't you have some ulterior motive? The truth is, I do have a purpose."
Jinwoo nodded and smiled faintly.
"I believe all disabilities should cease to exist."
The hall stirred at Jinwoo's words.
"I don't like that people have to live with disabilities. When the body suffers, the mind gets sick too. As you know, I run Arsilan Saga. I'd like everyone to enjoy Arsilan Saga without worries, without discomfort, and spend their money freely."
Laughter came from the Heroes' section.
A great many Heroes were earning money through Arsilan Saga. There was even a growing trend of people relocating their jobs entirely to Arsilan. The remark about spending money freely struck them as amusing.
"Through technology, we will eliminate every disease and disability in this world. That is Hero Tech's ultimate goal."
When Jinwoo gestured, a model walked onto the stage. She was a model who had lost her arm several years ago. Thanks to Hero Tech's Prosthetic Arm, she had been able to return to modeling.
However, the prosthetics available until now had been visibly mechanical, and while she could feel some sensation, they were nothing compared to a real hand. Having to attach and detach them was also inconvenient.
Staff members brought a new Prosthetic Arm onto the stage. It was indistinguishable from a real person's arm. If someone hadn't known better, they would have thought an actual arm had been brought out.
"We've applied our newly developed Artificial Skin to the prosthetic arm."
When the model put on the Prosthetic Arm, the seam at the junction naturally vanished. Even up close, it was impossible to tell. Furthermore, in terms of sensation and functionality, there was no difference from a real arm. If anything, it was superior.
The model moved her arm, and her eyes reddened with emotion. She had known about it, but this was her first time actually wearing it. It felt as though she had gone back to before her accident.
"It can be used continuously without charging or detaching."
When he explained that it could operate solely on the body's electrical signals without any external energy source, the businesspeople were visibly shaken.
'Hm?'
Jinwoo sensed light swelling within the model's soul. Her broken heart, which had recovered somewhat when she first received her prosthetic, was now fully restored here.
"Thank you."
The model clasped Jinwoo's hand tightly and expressed her gratitude. She had come to carry Jinwoo's light within her. The intensity in her eyes was extraordinary.
Following that, Artificial Eyes and Artificial Organs were also introduced.
Now, major organs could be replaced with Artificial Organs instead of needing transplants from other people. Even severed spinal nerves could be naturally reconnected through transplantation.
Cancer had been conquered, and so had dementia, almost entirely. Dementia had been the most devastating disease for elderly Heroes who enjoyed Arsilan Saga.
-Wow....
-That's insane.
-Isn't that just straight-up magic?
-When does it release?
Jinwoo provided additional details about Artificial Skin. When transplanted onto damaged skin, it naturally connected with all surrounding tissue, leaving no scars. Recovery was about five times faster than with conventional transplants. Once fully bonded after transplantation, it became completely identical to the patient's own skin.
Naturally, it had already passed every procedure required for market release.
Every government agency in South Korea had been highly cooperative with Jinwoo.
Jinwoo could feel particles of light, imbued with hearts and wills, streaming toward him from all directions. He felt he was beginning to understand, just a little, what it meant to be a god.
"The Artificial Skin assimilates rapidly with surrounding tissue. We've created multiple types of Artificial Skin for facial reconstruction, but there is one minor side effect."
Those in the audience nodded. It was only natural that there might be side effects.
"When scalp skin is transplanted, hair grows back more densely than the surrounding hair. You may experience slight awkwardness...."
"Whaaat?!"
"Ohhhhh!"
"Woaaah!"
Before Jinwoo could even finish, exclamations of awe erupted.
The reaction was far more enthusiastic than it had been for the Prosthetic Arms or Artificial Organs.
-No way!
-AAAAAH!
-He IS a god!
-Long live the Creator God! Please release it soon, please!
-It's a new product launch event, so the release date must be set, right? Please say yes.
This was no side effect. It was a blessing.
'[Breaking] Lee Jinwoo, conquest of hair loss complete.'
'All major organs may be replaceable going forward.'
'Arsilan's Creator God creates hair.'
As reporters furiously typed and churned out articles on the spot, the news spread rapidly across Earth and Arsilan.
'Ngh!'
The light was blinding.
Dazzlingly radiant light rushed toward Jinwoo. It was a light rippling with euphoria, something he had never seen before. Jinwoo suppressed his flustered emotions and introduced the next product.
With many people on Earth dedicating themselves to Arsilan Saga, a labor shortage had emerged. Since an environment had been created where people could make a living through production activities in Arsilan, the trend was only accelerating.
So they had built humanoid robots that could perform labor in place of people. They were actually Bio-Golems, their interiors disguised as robotic through illusion magic.
A white, humanoid robot naturally walked onto the stage and performed numerous complex tasks that even humans would struggle with. Its movements were remarkably natural.
-Huh?
-If you put Artificial Skin on it and link it to Arsilan...
-Pets can already be synced to reality via hologram, so...
-Gasp!
It had been created to supplement the labor force, but that kind of speculation quickly followed. Most of the businesspeople were also Heroes who enjoyed Arsilan at least casually.
Murmur murmur!
The businesspeople arrived at the same thought.
Light exploded from all directions and poured down onto Jinwoo.
Flash!
An intense Halo, incomparably stronger than the one that had appeared in the waiting room, blazed behind Jinwoo, and silence fell.
'Oh no....'
Clap clap clap
The businesspeople and Heroes broke into applause and cheers all at once.
-Look at the Creator God's production value!
-His showmanship really is something else.
-It suits him so well!
-Oooh!
Fortunately, thanks to all the theatrical staging they had done in the past, it seemed to pass as part of the show. Jinwoo struck a pose like a god descending upon the earth and tried even harder to make it look planned.
"Wow! Nailed it! Just like a real god."
"The number of followers is growing!"
The voices of Ella and Tia, watching from backstage, reached his ears. Jinwoo squeezed his eyes shut.