The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game

Chapter 220: Growth (3)

Translator: Dreamscribe

Arsilan had reclaimed its peace.

Levannas adapted quickly as well, enjoying the beauty of Arsilan. The Demon Race was granted access to Arsilan Worlds, and the Soul Link app was made available to them. Before long, they began conquering the games offered on Arsilan Worlds one by one.

"Thank you! Come again!"

"Heh heh, you really do fine work."

The demons worked remarkably hard at the shops run by Arsilanians and Heroes. As a result, more and more merchants started hiring them.

"I'll give you a bonus. But what are you saving up all that money for? Heh heh, maybe treating your parents to something nice..."

"I'm spending it on microtransactions."

"Ah...."

Nearly every demon said the same thing with a bright grin on their face.

Anyone who fell behind in the rankings wasn't treated as a proper demon!

The demons' instinct for competition found its perfect outlet in games. Whatever the reason, their enthusiastic participation in economic activity was a tremendous boost to Arsilan's economy.

In Levannas, many demons were founding companies to make games of their own. Jinwoo provided them with a free game engine. He looked forward to seeing what would come of it.

In Alusion, meetings continued.

Without Jinwoo even having to ask, Arsilan had independently begun holding content meetings aimed at fostering the Heroes' growth. The battle against the Lord of Despair had left a deep impression on everyone.

They had barely managed to defeat even the Lord of Despair.

It was only possible because of extensive preparation and meticulous planning. When word spread that Jinwoo had been willing to sacrifice himself, everyone leading Arsilan Saga and the Sillion Empire was shaken to the core. The story even reached the people of Arsilan in a slightly altered form, that Leon had been willing to give up his life.

What if an entity on par with the Lord of Despair launched a surprise attack?

"The casualties would be devastating."

Tiris was giving an impassioned presentation in Jinwoo's office. Every member of FS Games' Erosion Headquarters was seated in the chairs arranged there. Serazade, Karin, and Mira had also been brought into Erosion Headquarters.

"That's why we need to prepare thoroughly. Progress in Magitech Engineering is going smoothly, but it will take time to independently reach the level we demonstrated in Arsilan Defense. The Magic Tower can't keep providing support forever."

Jinwoo sat in his chair, listening to Tiris's presentation.

He was using the Lord God's Authority and the Holy Sword to maintain a massive Barrier protecting Arsilan. Even an entity on par with the Lord of Despair would have difficulty breaking through. However, against something beyond that level, it was hard to predict the outcome.

'She's exaggerating a little, but she has a point.'

Complacency was not an option.

Defensive installations were being erected across the Sillion Empire and the Kingdom of Levannas, but there were limits.

"The fastest way to increase Arsilan's fighting strength is through the Heroes' growth."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

To help the Heroes grow, they had been designing fun quests and deploying boss monsters packed with concentrated experience points. Levels and stats had gone up, but that was all.

The beautiful light the Heroes possessed.

Their potential still lay dormant.

'Even my becoming the Archmage was...'

Because he had properly unlocked that potential.

The king he had followed like a father had brought every spellbook to Arsilan, and Ella had helped him along the way. The hardships he shared with Hanu and the constant bickering with Helby had all played their part.

'Looking back, they were fun experiences.'

Arsilan Saga had become part of the Heroes' daily routine. Entering gates to hunt monsters was no different from taking public transit.

'Writing scenarios, creating quests...'

Everything they had been doing up to now had become the baseline.

To reach the stage of growth Jinwoo himself had experienced, they needed a wider variety of experiences.

"I propose the Hero Growth Project."

Tia, who had been standing beside Tiris, handed documents to everyone. Jinwoo reviewed the materials and nodded.

"Let's start with a small group to gather data. We need a proper understanding of how much growth is possible before we can make a plan."

Once Jinwoo gave his approval, Tiris nodded. He could see that she was pleased. Tia, on the other hand, made no effort to hide her excitement.

"This seems way more intense than what was written in the proposal."

"It's basically an early access run with a small group, right? Since it's a test version, I prepared a variety of things."

"Well...."

Since this was a test to observe exactly what kind of effect these experiences would have, it was understandable. The retainers, apparently inspired by the documents, began discussing among themselves.

When the meeting ended, Jinwoo took Tia and Tiris with him and teleported away.

It was a newly acquired stretch of land. No one outside of Erosion Headquarters could access it, as it had been set aside for use in content. Ella and Helby, curious as well, had followed Jinwoo and watched from the side.

"Alright, shall we get to work?"

Jinwoo intended to make use of every Authority he had acquired so far.

First, he created a new space over the wide expanse of land. He could have made the space completely independent, but having solid ground as a foundation was more convenient. He could create a space approaching infinity and anchor it there.

The surrounding scenery changed.

The sky and the ground vanished as if swallowed by ink, and an empty black void appeared.

When Jinwoo extended his hand, the ground formed and a sky appeared. Through the Soul Moon, he created and placed various structures. Following the blueprints Tiris had provided, he built the city and the central building that would serve as the stage.

A main hall, an annex, a training ground, and a garden appeared.

It was Sion Academy.

Originally, an academy for the Heroes' education had been planned for Alusion but was later scrapped. Those blueprints had been repurposed.

Ella marveled at the sight.

"Wow! As expected of the Lord God...!"

A beautiful academy building that looked as if it could rival the Imperial Palace, surrounded by a city resembling Alusion.

As long as Sacred Power was available, the Lord God's Authority made it this easy to create and arrange everything. It was a magnificent Authority that even Helby could not help but admire, yet to Jinwoo, it was just a game tool.

"This could accommodate a great number of Heroes."

To Helby's remark, Tia shook her head.

"No. This is a stage for only one Hero."

"One Hero?"

"Yes! Think of it as a single-player game!"

Just as Tia said, it was a personalized game.

To maximize the experience, single-player was the way to go. Of course, elements connecting to Arsilan would be woven in so the flow of experience remained uninterrupted.

"...I'm glad I retired from being a trial-giving Magic Dragon."

That was Helby's brief review.

Jinwoo gazed at the empty city and academy, then drew upon his Sacred Power.

He created and placed a variety of NPC characters.

Many had been designed by FS Games, and some scrapped characters were slightly modified and included as well. Then, when he ran "Random Character Generation" through the customization system, NPCs with all sorts of unique appearances came to life.

"I'll connect them to the Magic Tower."

Tiris linked the NPCs to the Magic Tower.

Jinwoo used the Lord God's Authority to create and bestow distinct personalities. He generated a miniature Magic Tower beneath the academy, from which everything could be controlled.

'I just need to put extra care into the key characters so they can move convincingly.'

Meticulously planned and controlled freedom would actually feel more liberating. Once the NPCs began to move, the city came alive as if people truly lived there.

"Nice!"

Ella beamed as she wandered around the city.

The more he built, the more fun it became. A forge, shops, a cafe, a department store, a library... Jinwoo focused and crafted each one. The finer details could be filled in by the angels later.

"Phew...."

Jinwoo gathered his concentration.

Tia watched him with sparkling eyes. The most important task still remained. The creation of the key NPCs who would be placed in Sion Academy and provide the Heroes with rich experiences.

"Sixteen students, each with their own unique personality and charm."

"We had experts review everything."

Tia and Tiris explained to Ella and Helby.

Jinwoo carefully crafted the characters, guided by Tia and Tiris's input. Since they were modeled after Arsilanians, every one of them was strikingly good-looking.

Ella stood before a handsome male character and let out a sound of admiration.

"Oh? This student council president, his name is Kael, right? He has a similar vibe to Leon."

"Yes, since this stage is set twenty years in the future of the Sillion Empire, he's the second prince!"

Ella flinched at Tia's words.

That meant he was Leon's son.

"The second prince harbors an inferiority complex toward the impossibly perfect Crown Prince. He constantly puts himself down and pushes himself harder, but nothing improves. And then the Hero comes along and soothes that pain...!"

"But who's Leon's wife?"

"Ah! We didn't set that."

Ella's expression brightened. She took Tia's hands in hers.

"Is there anything you'd like to eat?"

"Huh?"

"Just name it!"

Ella was suddenly very kind to Tia.

"Hmm, it might not be bad to add a setting where he has dragon blood mixed in. If the concept is that he can't accept his true self, wouldn't that really bring the character to life?"

"Oh! Helby! That's actually good!"

When Helby casually dropped the suggestion, Tia's eyes lit up.

"You...."

"Heh."

Ella glared at Helby, but Helby merely smirked.

After creating all the characters, Jinwoo carefully bestowed each with a personality and connected them to the Magic Tower. They were still a bit rough around the edges, but optimization would smooth things out.

Lastly, he used Time Acceleration to alter the flow of time. He adjusted it so that one day inside equaled roughly one hour outside.

'Good thing I announced this technology ahead of time.'

Anticipating he might someday need to use the Authority over time, he had presented it to Earth dressed up as virtual reality technology.

When full-scale testing began later, he planned to set the time flow at three times faster than Earth's.

Jinwoo surveyed the space he had created.

Thanks to the Lord God's Authority, the pace of construction had been absurdly fast.

"The broad framework is complete. We'll move on to fine-tuning."

At Tiris's words, Jinwoo nodded.

Once the fine-tuning was done, they could begin testing right away without any issues. The miniature Magic Tower beneath the academy was linked to Arsilan's Magic Tower and the Soul Moon, and would guide the overall scenario.

Jinwoo spent a while concentrating on adjustments to the miniature Magic Tower.

When he input a demo's worth of scenario, the miniature Magic Tower hummed to life.

"The uniforms are cute."

Ella eyed the uniforms the characters wore, then snapped her fingers. Light shimmered over her body and a uniform appeared on her.

It was a uniform FS Games had designed as premium attire.

"Could I try it too?"

"I wouldn't recommend it, but...."

Jinwoo trailed off at Ella's words.

Not only Ella but Helby also looked interested.

Volunteers emerged from Erosion Headquarters as well. Since testing was needed to confirm everything ran properly, Jinwoo granted access to everyone.

Tia produced a megaphone from somewhere.

"Feel the burning passion of love! Share the beauty of friendship!"

Love and friendship.

Those were the themes of this game.

For those who knew nothing of love, love!

For those who already had a partner, friendship!

"The Heart-Pounding Sion Academy of Love and Friendship! Commencing the first internal test!"

Everyone except the volunteers was moved outside.

The name of the game created for this test was "The Heart-Pounding Sion Academy of Love and Friendship!"

The first internal test by FS Games' Erosion Headquarters was underway!

"Hmm...."

Jinwoo returned to his office.

He read through posts on Arsilan Worlds and observed the various activities taking place across Arsilan. That alone was enjoyable.

'About half has been restored.'

Arsilan's borders were expanding little by little.

With the powerful Higher Beings of Erosion gone, the Lower Entities that had occupied Arsilan were getting nervous and quietly withdrawing. Since Jinwoo had placed a Barrier over the entire planet, the Lower Entities couldn't even escape beyond Arsilan.

They were nothing more than rabbits trapped in a cage of predators.

Just as Jinwoo was contemplating various plans...

WHOOSH!

Ella tore through space and appeared.

Her face was a mess. Tears were streaming down as she rushed toward Jinwoo.

"You have to save our Miel! Sacred magic isn't working on her!"

"Huh?"

Ella clutched Jinwoo and sobbed uncontrollably.

Miel was a cute-looking female student. Had she forged some kind of burning friendship?

One by one, the others who had volunteered for the test came charging into the office. Every single one of them appeared to be deeply, dangerously invested, and it was a sea of tears. Helby also appeared silently behind Jinwoo.

Helby gripped Jinwoo's shoulders tightly.

Tia and Tiris watched Jinwoo from a distance.

Swish!

The two flashed satisfied smiles and gave a thumbs-up.

"Save Miel!"

"Radan died because of my mistake. He seemed like the kind of guy you'd want to keep as a pet...."

Jinwoo's body was being shaken back and forth.

Ella and Helby had grabbed him and were shaking him, and others joined in.

"Your Majesty! I am a sinner! Hrk...!"

"What about the next part of the story? What about the next chapter? It just suddenly says the demo version is over!"

Heina and Luceren's voices drilled into Jinwoo's ears.

'Is it really okay to go ahead with this test?'

Jinwoo stared out the window with unsteady eyes.

The weather in Arsilan was perfect. It had been a long time since the weather was this nice. Maybe, like the good weather, everything would work out just fine?

Jinwoo entertained the thought for a moment.

* * *

Back at FS Games, Jinwoo gathered the company's key employees. It was for the second internal test of "The Heart-Pounding Sion Academy of Love and Friendship". If the response to the second internal test was poor, the project would be shelved.

Once all the core developers who had been building Arsilan Saga together were assembled, Jinwoo projected a holographic information window.

"You remember when I presented on time manipulation in virtual reality? Erosion Headquarters used that technology to create a mini-game."

"Is it a tech demo?"

"It's a test game designed to provide Heroes with richer experiences."

Everyone nodded at Jinwoo's answer.

Jinwoo was about to display the game's title on the information window when he hesitated.

"CEO-nim? What's wrong?"

When Han Yong-seon tilted his head and looked at him, Jinwoo let out a long breath and put the game's name on the display. The moment "The Heart-Pounding Sion Academy of Love and Friendship!" appeared, silence fell over the meeting room.

There was a short tagline as well.

A journey of love and friendship at Sion Academy!

Come enjoy the thrill!

We are not responsible for any exploding hearts!

"Uh...."

"Um, well...."

The employees exchanged glances, unsure how to react.

"Please evaluate it objectively after you've experienced it. Be absolutely ruthless. The afternoon will be devoted entirely to the internal test."

The team leads looked uncomfortable.

It was obvious just from looking at it that it would be painfully cheesy. Their rivalry with Erosion Headquarters only made them more skeptical.

But this was still work.

They had to give it their best.

A total of forty people pushed back their afternoon schedules and committed to the internal test. Han Yong-seon was among them. The employees gathered in the Soul Link room at the office and put on their Soul Links.

And so, a leisurely afternoon passed, and quitting time arrived.

"Ngh, NOOOO! A demo?!"

"N-next chapter!"

"Our friendship isn't over yet."

"No! Miel! You promised we'd eat cake together. Why...!"

All forty participants took time off, and for the entire duration of their leave, they never went home, never left the Soul Link room. Even though it was only a demo version, they replayed it over and over.

Watching their state, Jinwoo carefully spoke up.

It seemed like it might be better to push back the schedule and work on stability a bit more.

"There are still a lot of unstable parts, so it might be better to delay...."

"CEO-nim."

"Absolutely do not delay this."

The moment Jinwoo saw the bloodshot eyes of Han Yong-seon and the staff, he stopped mid-sentence.

"...We'll proceed on schedule."

Under everyone's watchful gaze, Jinwoo had no choice but to post a recruitment notice for testers on Arsilan Worlds.