novelraw Chapter 205: Descent of Heroes (6)
Chapter 205: Descent of Heroes (6)
Translator: Dreamscribe
As more and more Heroes flooded into Levannas, the economy began to flourish. Countless goods from Levannas were supplied to Arsilan, and things that couldn't be obtained in Levannas, including Magic Stones, spread throughout the demon realm as well.
Arsilan's Magitech Engineering was advancing at a rapid pace. They had analyzed the Airships and automobiles brought in from Levannas, and even imported Mana Engines themselves for examination. The Technology Exchange Center established in front of the royal palace actively shared its technology.
Jinwoo deployed the magic developers to assist with technological development.
A large number of quests had been created in Levannas, with more scheduled to be added. Jinwoo created spaces in a gate format and positioned Erosion Insect dungeons and tunnels in front of the Protective Barrier.
The Erosion Insect Queens that had undergone training in the Spirit Realm were now perfectly reformed, finally able to produce Erosion Insects freely.
They were set to be unveiled alongside this update.
[I will do my utmost until my dying breath!]
[I am nothing but a tool of Arsilan!]
[I'll work hard..., no, I'll do well!]
The Erosion Insect Queens saluted before Jinwoo, trembling all over. Their forms had also changed under the Spirit Realm's influence, shrinking somewhat in size and taking on a bipedal ant shape.
When he glanced at Leviathan, she flashed a bright smile and gave a thumbs up.
"Pretty impressive, right?"
"I trained them well enough to serve as maids!"
"That's a bit much...."
When the other Summons cleared their throats and looked at Leviathan, she glanced around nervously before sidling even closer to Jinwoo.
Leviathan fidgeted with her fingers as she stared at him intently. She clearly wanted something. Looking around, the other Summons were also perking up their ears and watching closely. Alraune even looked anxious.
'They've done such great work, so....'
It seemed like a good idea to hear them out and grant what they wanted as a reward.
"Is there something you want?"
At Jinwoo's words, Leviathan nodded vigorously.
"You know how the Spirit Realm appeared recently, and dragons have been showing up too?"
"That's right."
The third-generation Reincarnated Heroes had already spread across Arsilan. The number of Heroes who had contracted with Spirits had grown considerably, and photos of dragons that had grown rapidly in Starlight Valley were being posted on Arsilan Worlds.
"Don't you think our summoning conditions could be relaxed now too?"
"Hmm."
He had been planning to do that anyway.
No Hero had managed to summon an Upper-tier Summon yet. When Jinwoo nodded, all the Summons erupted in cheers. The Erosion Insect Queens watched the mood carefully before joining in with applause.
"That was already in the works, so..., hmm, I'll also let you freely travel between Arsilan and Levannas in your Lower-tier Summon forms."
"R-really?"
"Wooooo!"
Until now, the Summons had visited Arsilan either by mimicking the appearance of Arsilanians or in forms that gave off a strong NPC vibe. Those who weren't good at such disguises had to sneak around, wary of being spotted by Heroes.
Spirits were a common enough sight these days, so it wasn't fair to discriminate against the Summons alone.
They would go with a setting where the dimensional walls had weakened, allowing Summons to appear in Arsilan and Levannas.
"I'll push the update today, so sit tight."
An enormous cheer shook the Spirit Realm.
The Mid-tier and higher Summons, who had been spending their days in gloom because no one summoned them, were especially thrilled.
"Long live the Creator God!"
"Long live!"
"Kyaaaaa!"
They struck the "Long live the Creator God" pose, having picked it up from who knows where. Light generated from the Summons' souls streamed toward Jinwoo. A flood of emotions washed over him as Sacred Power surged rapidly. It had been quite some time since he created the Spirit Realm, but only now did it feel like he was finally being recognized.
Jinwoo relayed the update details to FS Games, then turned his gaze to the Erosion Insect Queens.
Perhaps because he had become a god, the Authority inscribed within their bodies was now far more visible.
'The Lord of Despair still holds ownership over them.'
Originally, when the Lord of Despair awakened, the collars were supposed to explode and automatically eliminate the Queens. After that, the plan had been to absorb the Authority through the Soul Gate and put it to use, but his thinking shifted for a moment.
Couldn't he sever it with Sacred Power?
Jinwoo channeled Sacred Power into the collars around the Erosion Insect Queens' necks.
Formulas computed by the Magic Tower etched themselves into the collars and burrowed deep inside the Queens. The Erosion Insect Queens trembled violently before collapsing to the ground.
CRACK!
As the Sacred Power reached the deepest point, the connection to the Lord of Despair was severed. Now the Lord of Despair could no longer exert any influence over these Erosion Insect Queens.
Jinwoo went further and bound the Erosion Insect Queens to the Soul Gate. Shackles made of light coiled around their legs.
He had openly stripped away the Authority of Reproduction that had been granted to the Erosion Insect Queens.
"Oh."
Monster production flowing through the Soul Gate sped up considerably, and he could now design a wider variety of monsters on the spot.
For boss monsters, he had previously had Slime King inhabit and control them, but that was no longer necessary. He could now bestow self-awareness through the Soul Gate and Magic Tower.
"You'll have to work for Arsilan forever from now on."
They had to pay for devouring Arsilan and Levannas for all eternity. Now that they belonged to the Soul Gate, even if they died, he could keep reviving and using them.
Jinwoo deployed the Queens at the Erosion Insect gates in Levannas and returned to the realm.
The Demon Race were laughing and chatting as they prepared for the festival.
They no longer flinched at the sight of Heroes. They had grown close enough and comfortable enough to share a drink and trade jokes. Arsilanians visiting Levannas had joined in the atmosphere as well.
Heroes, demons, and Arsilanians could all be seen together.
They were drinking at a bar with a terrace. Traditional Levannas liquor was quite popular and had become a trend among Heroes. Infused with the essence of True Magic Stones, a single sip sent a tingling sensation coursing through the entire body.
A Hero paused mid-drink and looked at a demon.
"Hey, I'm heading out to do a quest. Wanna come? I need to gather some herbs."
"Me? What help could I be?"
When the demon hesitated, an Arsilanian looked at him.
"Well, the Hero will handle it somehow."
The Arsilanian said this with a wry smile.
With the Hero taking the initiative, the three of them ended up heading off on the quest together.
Jinwoo watched their retreating figures for a moment.
Before the Erosion's invasion, Jinwoo had believed that Arsilanians and the Demon Race could never coexist. The temperament of the Demon Race was fundamentally at odds with the Arsilanians, and he had assumed they would ultimately fail to integrate and spiral toward catastrophe.
Ella had tried several times, and none of the results had been favorable.
But with Heroes inserted between them, it was as if the perfect bonding agent had been added to the mix.
They blended together with an exquisite balance.
"Nice."
Seeing the light that was gradually rising from Levannas as well, Jinwoo felt a great sense of responsibility. But that responsibility didn't weigh on him. If anything, it fired up his motivation. Satisfying people with enjoyable content was what Jinwoo, as president of FS Games, was supposed to do.
"A god."
He would become a god worthy of their expectations.
Since things had come to this, becoming the greatest god in the world wouldn't be half bad either.
The God of Games!
God of Arsilan and Earth!
Jinwoo clenched his fist and made that vow.
He was lost in thought for a moment before striking the "Long live the Creator God" pose, the one that had started among the Heroes and spread even to the Arsilanians.
"What are you doing by yourself?"
"Ah...."
Helby appeared behind Jinwoo, watching him with her head tilted.
Jinwoo felt embarrassed.
Helby stared at him as he let out an awkward laugh, then handed over the bag of snacks she'd been holding.
"Looks like you've been overworking yourself. You should rest."
Helby gazed at him with eyes full of pity.
Receiving that kind of consolation only made him feel more pathetic.
* * *
Episode 5 was released and the first major update was implemented.
[Content Update]
*Fury of the Erosion Insect Queen!
'My children! Devour everything!'
The Erosion Insect invasion is not yet over. Erosion Insect gates have appeared outside the Protective Barrier of Levannas. Erosion Insect gates range from small to ultra-large.
*The sealed Lord of Despair has shaken the dimensions, weakening the dimensional boundaries. As a result, countless Erosion monsters now threaten Levannas, and a monster wave may occur!
*But not everything is bad news. Thanks to the weakened dimensional boundaries, summoning conditions for Summons have been lowered, and Lower-tier Summons can now visit Arsilan and Levannas!
[Festival Announcement]
*A joint festival between Arsilan and Levannas is underway!
*During the festival period, 200% experience points and 150% rare item drop rates are in effect.
*During the festival period, you can visit Levannas regardless of level restrictions.
.
...
....
Beyond this, the update notes spanned dozens of pages.
Along with countless quests in Levannas, 1,500 new monster species and 50 new gates and dungeons were added.
The land beyond the Protective Barrier was territory tainted by Erosion. Since the demons of Levannas never ventured outside, it could be utilized however they pleased.
Alongside the update, the joint festival period between Arsilan and Levannas began!
The demons had prepared for the festival, but most of what they'd arranged were stage performances. Having suffered under the Erosion Insects for so long, they had never properly held a festival before, so everything felt unfamiliar.
But there was no need to worry.
The Heroes of Arsilan had experienced multiple grand festivals by now and were seasoned festival experts who had organized countless celebrations on their own.
The moment Tiris designated the grounds, they began construction with practiced skill, as if they'd been waiting for this. Multiple stalls were erected and vendors moved in.
This time, unlike before, Summons, Spirits, and Reincarnated Heroes also participated.
When small Spirits fluttered through the air, the demon children's eyes lit up as they chased after them.
"W-wow!"
"So cool!"
The Spirits looked back at the demon children, gave them a wink, and flew away. The children ran after the Spirits and crashed into something enormous. It was a large plant carrying a box.
Its torso was made of stems, and its head was a flower bud. The bud had large eyes and a mouth bristling with sharp teeth. Several vines of varying sizes served as its arms and legs.
It was a plant-type Lower-tier Summon.
"Ah...."
"Eek!"
"Ugh!"
The demon children were frightened by the Summon's appearance.
The Summon looked at the scared demon children and grinned.
That only made things worse.
When tears began welling up in the demon children's eyes, it stretched out its vines, lifted the fallen children off the ground, wrapped them all in its tendrils, and sat them down on the chairs at its stall.
It poured soda into cups and offered them, and the demon children hesitated before taking a sip.
"Wow!"
"Yummy!"
"Hehe!"
The demon children's guard dropped. They gazed at the Summon with sparkling eyes.
"Mister, what's your name?"
"My name is Rentura. I came from the Spirit Realm."
"Mister Rentura!"
Rentura grinned and flexed his body. Cucumber-like fruit sprouted all over him.
"I'll make you something tasty. If I opened a shop with these, it'd be a huge hit."
"Ooh!"
"Wow!"
The demon children were brimming with anticipation. He roasted the fruit over a flame and applied various sauces. The fruit had faces that looked like skulls, so they didn't exactly look appetizing. When he skewered them on sticks and handed them to the demon children, their expressions turned uncertain.
"It's kinda scary."
"Yeah...."
"L-let's try it."
CRUNCH!
They all mustered their courage and took a bite.
"Wow!"
"It's delicious!"
It tasted incredibly like meat. As the demon children devoured them happily, Rentura nodded in satisfaction. Creating fruit like this was the only ability he had. Because of that, he was never summoned and had spent his difficult days doing odd jobs around the Spirit Realm.
Rentura the Weed.
That was what the other Summons called him.
Now, those days steeped in shame and humiliation were over.
He would rake in money like it was fertilizer!
Those hopes were shattered immediately.
He had started his business full of confidence, but not a single customer came. Even the demons were startled enough to avoid his stall. Other stalls were packed with people, yet his remained empty.
"Ugh..., am I really just a weed after all?"
Water poured from Rentura's body, soaking the ground.
"Mister Rentura."
"We'll help you."
"Let's go!"
Before Rentura could stop them, the demon children vanished in a flash.
The demon children were more proactive and energetic than the children of Arsilan. They spread the word and gathered their friends until dozens had assembled.
They drew a picture of Rentura on paper and scouted for Heroes who looked like they had money.
"Over there!"
"Let's go!"
They ran up to a Hero who was livestreaming.
When a demon child looked up at the Hero with the most pitiful expression it could muster, the Hero was flustered.
"What's the matter?"
-You scared the kid.
-Can't blame them.
-ㅋㅋㅋ Gonna get banished from Levannas
The Hero, flustered, carefully crouched down and spoke to the child. The demon child, who had been putting on a frightened face, cautiously held out the paper.
On it was a rough drawing of Rentura along with the location of his stall.
"Here? Got it! I'll check it out. Hold on...."
The Hero pulled a few candies from Subspace and handed them to the demon children. When the children popped the candies in their mouths and beamed, the Hero looked deeply satisfied.
-The Levannas kids are seriously adorable.
-The little horns are cute too ㅋㅋ
-The drawing is cute
-A Summon that crossed dimensions?
-Summons running stalls now. That's something.
When the Hero arrived at the stall, he flinched.
A fearsome-looking Summon was guarding the stall with a gloomy expression.
"Uh, um...."
It was worlds apart from the cute drawing on the paper.
Still, this was good content for the stream.
"Oh, hello?"
"Oh! Welcome!"
"What are you selling?"
Rentura produced some fruit and explained. The Hero flinched again at the sight of the fruit. When Rentura grilled it on the hot plate, a deflating sound hissed out. It sounded almost like a scream.
-Think he walked into a trap.
-Hmm...
-This is... a no-go.
The Hero accepted the grilled fruit Rentura offered.
The demon children were watching from nearby, eyes gleaming.
At first, the Erosion Insects had been hard to stomach because of their revolting appearance, but once he got used to them, they just looked like delicious food. Recalling that, the Hero opened his mouth wide and took a heroic bite.
"Huh? Ohhhh!"
The Hero's eyes went wide as he began wolfing down the grilled fruit.
"This is insanely good! It'd be amazing with drinks. Give me 10, no, 20!"
-For real?
-Hmm?
-Guess I'll take the bait.
The Hero placed a massive order for grilled fruit on the spot. Word of mouth spread and customers began showing up, until a long line formed. The more fruit he produced, the more Rentura's body shrank, but he kept grilling away with a beaming smile.
Business was booming!
Even the Summons who usually looked down on Rentura watched him with envious eyes.
Rentura stretched out his vines, scooped up the demon children, and hoisted them up on his shoulders like giving them piggyback rides.
"Yaaay!"
"Hehe!"
As the sun set, the demon children headed home loaded with gifts Rentura had packed for them.
A child's mother was startled as she looked at her child.
"Wh-what is all this?"
"Mister Rentura gave them to us. He looks like a plant monster, but he's super nice."
The mother tilted her head, puzzled.
When she still didn't understand, the child explained again.
"I see."
The mother still didn't quite understand, but she smiled and hugged her child all the same.
It didn't matter if she didn't understand.
After all, Levannas was overflowing with happy things that defied understanding right now!
For the first time in a long while, the demon children and their families enjoyed a lively party together.
* * *
The joint Arsilan-Levannas festival continued in high spirits. There were minor incidents here and there, but things were progressing smoothly. Leon, the Emperor of Sillion, was scheduled to participate in the festival's main event.
Belzerad and the high-ranking officials of Levannas made preparations to receive the Emperor. Countless knights and soldiers lined up before the Dimension Gate, and welcoming crowds gathered as well.
Jinwoo stood before the Dimension Gate in the form of Leon.
Heina and the Knight Order escorted him, and city representatives including Garsha and Luceren joined the procession. Ella and Helby also stood on either side of him.
Garsha and Luceren were surprised when they saw Jinwoo.
Luceren approached.
"Your Majesty?"
"Hm?"
"Something seems different about you. It's making my heart race."
Perhaps because he had become a god, it was affecting Leon's physical body as well. A subtle glow emanated in response to Leon's exceptional physique, making him look even more handsome than before.
"Oh! Did I not mention it? I became a god."
"What?"
"You became a god?"
Luceren and Garsha were stunned.
"Your Majesty! Congratulations. This should be declared a national holiday!"
Heina even had tears welling in her eyes.
Now that was a proper reaction!
Everyone else had been so unfazed that Jinwoo had started to think it was no big deal, but seeing their reaction made him genuinely happy.
"Let's go. We'll be late."
Jinwoo passed through the Dimension Gate with everyone and arrived in Levannas. When the Knight Order came into view, the demons cheered.
Belzerad nodded and clapped.
The moment Jinwoo appeared, silence fell.
The demons stared at him in a daze.
Jinwoo, God of Arsilan and Earth, Emperor of the Sillion Empire, and the great Archmage, had descended before the multitude of demons.
"Hmm...."
Even if a Succubus and an Incubus were to merge into one being, they could never radiate that level of allure.
Belzerad couldn't help but feel tense as his people's hearts tilted rapidly toward Jinwoo.
"So this is what the writer Tia called NTR. What an unbearably heavy form of love." [TL: NTR (netorare) is a Japanese term for a story genre involving having one's loved one stolen; Belzerad uses it to describe his people's hearts being "stolen" by Jinwoo.]
It was something Belzerad had never experienced before. Serazade flinched upon hearing his murmuring.
She couldn't understand a single word Belzerad had said.