The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game

Chapter 226: Open the Door (3)

Translator: Dreamscribe

A Side Story for Arsilan Saga had just been announced during what was supposed to be a casual community broadcast. The many Heroes who had been speculating about the next Episode during the stream couldn't help but be shocked.

Arsilan Saga itself had become a massive virtual reality platform. Positive reviews poured in, praising how it had been executed without contradicting the established lore and how it laid the groundwork for the game industry to grow alongside it.

There were some voices of concern that it might ruin the atmosphere of Arsilan Saga, but the prevailing opinion was that given Arsilan Saga's track record, it wouldn't be handled so carelessly.

Jinwoo was naturally paying attention to that aspect as well.

New experiences were important, but continuity with Arsilan Saga was equally critical.

'For the time being, I need to focus on helping the Heroes grow....'

The land they had reclaimed and restored was vast.

There was still plenty of land left to reclaim, but all the most important regions had essentially been secured.

Jinwoo periodically ventured beyond Arsilan's borders to hunt down any remaining Erosion entities. Ella and Helby accompanied him.

"Erosion detected!"

Ella flew forward and drove her fist into a rather large fortress.

KRAKOOOM!

The fortress exploded in a single blow, and everything inside was annihilated. The aura of Erosion swirling around the fortress was engulfed in golden light and vanished without a trace in an instant. Unless it was a higher entity of Erosion, nothing could withstand Ella's goddess punch while she was linked to the Soul Moon.

"She should have been called the Goddess of Destruction, not the Golden Goddess. And yet she's supposed to be a symbol of peace and prosperity...."

Helby shook her head at the sight.

A single punch carrying the same destructive force as an ancient dragon's breath, the reaction was well-deserved. Every time she swung her fist, a golden light like a solar explosion burst forth and incinerated everything in the vicinity. It was, quite literally, a nuclear punch.

"Everything becomes peaceful in the face of overwhelming force, you know."

"Hmm, fair point. In that sense, she is certainly worthy of symbolizing peace."

Helby agreed with Jinwoo's remark.

When Ella demolished the fortress, things composed of Erosion came pouring out. They were creations hastily formed by the Erosion entity that had built the fortress and ruled over this area, desperately pouring its Authority into them.

Helby folded her arms and watched with interest. She instantly saw through the Authority possessed by the lesser Erosion entity.

"An Authority that inflicts nightmares..., not bad, actually."

"When it comes to nightmares specifically, it's better than illusion magic."

Jinwoo gave a generous assessment.

It could materialize nightmares and give them physical force.

That was a domain impossible for illusion magic to reach. From the ruined fortress, hundreds of thousands of black monsters came flooding out in an instant. They looked like black smoke at first, but gradually began taking shape. They were the materialization of Ella's nightmares.

Ella's nightmares.

What could they be?

Helby seemed curious too, watching alongside Jinwoo with great interest.

The black smoke transformed into the shape of a woman.

A being with horns made of starlight. It was Helby. But she looked a little, no, very different from the real Helby.

"Urgh, grr!"

Ella glared furiously at the black smoke that had taken Helby's form. It was a figure like a tall, slender model with an explosive body.

"Th-this is a nightmare! A Helby like this doesn't exist in this world!"

Ella screamed as if throwing a fit and began obliterating the nightmares.

CRACK!

Helby's face was mercilessly crumpled.

"That little...."

The two were still getting along as well as ever.

Golden light surged like a tidal wave, incinerating every last nightmare in an instant.

The Erosion entity, having witnessed that overwhelming destruction, quietly slipped out of the ruined fortress and started to flee.

The Erosion entity had a distorted human shape.

Gripped by terror, it elongated its legs and desperately spewed Erosion. It sprinted with everything it had, but unfortunately, it could not escape Ella's reach.

GRAB! WHAM!

Ella seized the back of its neck and slammed it into the ground.

[Guh, gakh!]

Its body was driven halfway into the earth.

The impact split the ground, and every withered tree in the surrounding area toppled over.

[How dare you lay your hands on my....]

THWACK!

Ella punched it in the head, and it went quiet.

Since she was immune to Erosion's energy, lesser Erosion entities were nothing more than cannon fodder before Ella. This one was slightly weaker than the very first Erosion entity they had faced in Arsilan Saga.

"Got it!"

Ella beamed and waved at Jinwoo. Jinwoo moved toward her along with Helby.

The lesser Erosion entity, its head half-shattered, trembled violently. The agony of having its soul cracked seemed to have left it deeply shocked.

Jinwoo examined the entity's Authority in detail.

"This would be a great addition to the Lord God Engine."

It was the perfect tool for making horror games. The lesser Erosion entity couldn't comprehend what Jinwoo was saying.

[L-let's negotiate. If you let me go, I'll give you all my land and treasures. I'll even tell you where the other entities are.]

Since Arsilan's barrier now encompassed the entire planet, lesser entities could not escape. Higher Erosion entities had been detected in Erosion-tainted lands, but they were far below the Lord of Despair's level.

There was no need to hear their locations. He intended to absorb every single one the moment they were detected. And everything that creature had stolen had belonged to Arsilan in the first place.

Jinwoo gripped the entity's face.

CRUNCH!

He crushed its face, its body disintegrated, and its soul floated up. The Soul Moon, which had been hidden behind the dark sky, revealed itself. The moment the light pouring from the Soul Moon illuminated the soul, that light transformed into countless blades, needles, scythes, and skewers, and tore the soul apart.

[GYAAAAAAARGH!]

Leaving only a scream behind, the soul was dragged into the Soul Moon.

The entity's Authority was registered in the Soul Moon. Jinwoo immediately added it to the Lord God Engine. Arsilan's borders gradually expanded, absorbing the land the entity had claimed. A domain the size of a small city was added to Arsilan.

As blue sky appeared, sprouts began emerging from the withered earth.

'The fact that it offered to reveal the others' locations means they've been in contact with each other.'

There was no need to rush.

Having gone through the Lord of Despair, Arsilan was thoroughly prepared. He would grow the Heroes, reclaim every inch of land with certainty, and absorb it all.

Once Arsilan was fully reclaimed, then....

'The real revenge can begin.'

The moment he had only dreamed of was becoming a reality.

Everything up until now had been restoration, not revenge. Not just Jinwoo, but everyone in Arsilan longed for true revenge.

"It's today, right?"

"Yeah."

Ella looked at Jinwoo with an expression full of excitement.

After the last community broadcast, countless development studios had reached out. The responses ranged from massive corporations whose names everyone knew to tiny indie studios.

Companies from countries where Soul Links couldn't be used, or companies with ownership stakes held by such countries, were all rejected. Once companies caught on to FS Games' policy, they began cutting ties with those nations.

If you can't beat them, join them.

If you can't cut ties, you can't join.

It was simple logic, and about as close to universal truth as it got.

Today was the day for the meeting.

There was no need for anyone to come to FS Games' headquarters in person. By wearing a Soul Link, any number of people could gather in one place regardless of distance. Those without a Soul Link could visit an overseas branch to borrow one.

Ella smiled brightly as she gazed at the expanding Arsilan.

"I can't wait to see how strong the Heroes will become."

"Give it just a hundred years, and there could be tens of millions of Transcendent Beings, don't you think?"

Jinwoo entertained the thought. It was entirely plausible.

"At this rate, I can't afford to fall behind."

Helby seemed to feel a sense of urgency watching the Heroes grow ever stronger. It wasn't out of jealousy or anything like that. She was worried that if the Heroes in the Helby Fan Club surpassed her in strength, it would cause all sorts of annoying problems.

Helby fell into thought for a moment.

"Our Authority is connected to the Soul Moon, so...."

"If the Soul Moon grows stronger, we grow stronger too."

Ella finished Helby's sentence.

Since they were linked to the Soul Moon, the more Erosion it consumed, the stronger they became. Of course, both of them were also growing through various experiences as well.

The two resolved with renewed determination to crush every last Erosion entity.

After chatting for a while, the time had come.

"Well then, I'm heading out."

Jinwoo returned to FS Games.

When he entered the situation room, Han Yong-seon approached with a list of participating companies.

"That's quite a lot."

He could see every major game studio from around the world on the list. Since only game development studios were eligible to participate, companies unrelated to games were absent from the list.

"Haha, it's been a while since I've been this swamped with work."

"I'll need you to tough it out."

"Of course. I'm curious myself to see what kinds of games will come out of this. Oh! As you instructed, we've also formed game development teams internally. The overseas branches are especially enthusiastic."

Development teams had been assembled within FS Games as well. They were in the middle of hiring large numbers of new staff.

Jinwoo moved to the Soul Link room at headquarters and put on his Soul Link. The meeting was to take place at the Grand Temple of the Creator God.

Applying didn't guarantee becoming a Second Party. Not only would each company be thoroughly vetted, but he intended to peer into their very souls as well.

An environment identical to FS Games' headquarters was created inside the Grand Temple. A spacious conference room contained desks and chairs, and the view of Seoul could be seen through the windows.

When the time came, developers from the game studios logged into the Grand Temple. Quite a few of the developers were Heroes themselves, and they looked comfortable using the Soul Link.

"This way, please."

Angels from the Celestial Realm, dressed in secretary attire, guided the arrivals to where Jinwoo was.

Everyone looked exactly as they did in real life.

The only thing they were allowed to freely change was their outfits.

"Is this the FS Games building?"

"I honestly can't tell the difference from reality."

"Is this your first time using a Soul Link?"

"Yeah, I was... too busy with game development..., but then one day I looked up and realized nobody was playing PC games anymore, hahaha. Four years down the drain...."

Since these were core developers from each company, they hit it off immediately over development talk. Even though only key developers had been invited, the number exceeded tens of thousands.

"Oh! Mr. Ito Masaru?"

Ito Masaru had been the most famous game developer in the world until Arsilan Saga appeared. He was also the CEO of the company that made the console gaming systems that had once dominated the world, and he had created several landmark titles that defined the 20th and 21st centuries.

"Kevin, is that you? It's been a while."

"Yes, five years, sir."

"You've always been bursting with creativity."

"Haha..., and in the end I went completely bankrupt. But I managed to release on Arsilan Worlds, so the company's at least limping along."

His game had been harshly criticized at the time for excessive grinding and aggressive competitive mechanics. Even when he registered it on Arsilan Worlds, it didn't sell. But recently, sales had surged in a bizarre turn of events. It had become quite popular among the demons.

Masaru nodded at Kevin's words.

The two walked side by side, following the angel. Developers who had never experienced a Soul Link kept looking around in wide-eyed wonder. Quite a few developers had stubbornly refused to buy a Soul Link out of misplaced pride.

From a game developer's perspective, it was only natural to resent everything about FS Games. They had appeared out of nowhere and scorched the entire industry.

It was a nuclear bomb with no way to fight back.

Before Soul Links became widely distributed, games had still sold reasonably well, but once the number of Heroes exceeded tens of millions and then surpassed the hundreds of millions, sales had plummeted.

"...I should've tried this sooner."

"No wonder we went under."

"Hahaha...."

"We were stubborn for nothing."

The developers said these things while simply walking down the corridor. They had clung to the belief that as long as they made good games, virtual reality or whatever else wouldn't matter, but the moment they arrived here, every last bit of that conviction had shattered.

Masaru's company had already joined Arsilan Worlds long ago.

"By the way, why are you wearing a robe...?"

"Heh heh, it's more comfortable. I'm actually a mage with three class advancements."

"Wow! What level are you?"

"I just hit 160 recently."

"You're hardcore."

Masaru was uniquely in his real appearance but wearing a robe. Speaking in Arsilan's common language felt completely natural to him.

Following the angel's guidance, they arrived at the spacious conference room.

Everyone took their assigned seats. Despite the tens of thousands in attendance, the space was comfortable. That was because the spaces were overlapping.

"Is this a channel system?"

"Incredible."

"What kind of technology...."

The developers were too busy being amazed.

Once all the developers were seated, Jinwoo made his appearance. He greeted them with a smile.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Lee Jinwoo. It's an honor to meet you all like this."

Applause erupted. When the developers who were Heroes started clapping, the rest followed suit.

The atmosphere was naturally positive. This was a lifeline dropped from the sky at the moment they thought they were done for. Just announcing their intent to join FS Games' Second Party program had been enough to send their plummeting stock prices shooting straight up.

"The reason I've gathered you all today is to introduce the technology for creating virtual reality games and to answer every question you might have."

The developers nodded at Jinwoo's words.

Their excitement was palpable. They were dying to know exactly how Arsilan Saga was being built.

"Once you join FS Games' Second Party program, you'll receive a dedicated development server along with the Lord God Engine."

The Lord God Engine.

The developers were immensely curious, yet also anxious. Learning a new engine was extremely difficult. On top of that, this was in an entirely different dimension from any game engine they had used before. They weren't even sure if the concept of a programming language would apply.

Jinwoo was aware of that anxiety.

He was a developer himself, after all.

"Learning a new game engine isn't easy. Hmm, how about you try learning it right here, right now? I'll grant you full access to everything the Lord God Engine has to offer."

Everyone looked stunned at Jinwoo's words.

When Jinwoo snapped his fingers, the surrounding environment began to change. The floor dropped away beneath them, and the walls and ceiling disassembled and vanished.

A moment ago the view through the windows had been Seoul's skyline, but in an instant everything went black, and they were in outer space.

"Wh-WHOOOA!"

"AAAH! Wh-what the hell!"

"HURK!"

Developers experiencing this for the first time screamed and flailed about.

Those who had lived as Heroes remained calm.

"Heh heh, watching the newbies react never gets old."

"Right?"

Masaru and Kevin watched the panicking developers with amused expressions. A massive moon was approaching them.

"D-dodge!"

"H-how do we dodge?!"

"AAAARGH!"

It looked like they were about to crash right into the moon.

The developers squeezed their eyes shut and braced for impact.

WHOOSH!

The approaching moon suddenly stopped, and everyone's bodies gently descended to the surface. The developers looked around with dazed expressions.

Earth was visible in the far distance.

"This is a space I created with the Lord God Engine. It'll be a bit different from the actual moon. I imagined quite a lot of it myself."

When Jinwoo looked to the side, moon rabbits appeared. The moon rabbits stared at the developers for a moment, then scampered off elsewhere.

"D-did you make those too?"

"Yes. The Lord God Engine is connected to FS Games Erosion Headquarters' AI. It's possible to give animals and monsters their own personalities and self-awareness."

Jinwoo answered the developer's question kindly.

"I'll grant you access to the Lord God Engine."

The moment Jinwoo's words left his mouth, symbols were inscribed on the developers' hands. It was a Mark of Creation that Jinwoo had fashioned to look impressive.

"Using the Lord God Engine is simple. Imagine what you want to create. Then think of what you want to connect it to. The AI will read your thoughts and support you."

Masaru studied the Mark of Creation and then extended his hand. A small orb blazing with intense light materialized. Once he got the general hang of it, he adapted quickly. Masaru built a massive castle on the moon's surface. It was an object from a game he had developed in the past.

"Heh heh..., I never imagined it would be this easy."

The interior of the castle was empty. If the developers gathered to fill it in, it would be completed in no time. Since specific imagery needed to be envisioned, an art team would be essential too. It seemed like they could apply the existing structure of a game studio as-is.

"Ooh!"

"No way! My character, it... it's alive!"

"Guh!"

An indie developer created a character from the game they had made. Because they had poured all their love into it, the result was remarkably polished.

[Hello? Dad.]

"Huh, HURK!"

When the game character they had created smiled and greeted them, the indie developer clutched their chest and collapsed to the ground. The expression on their face looked as though they had ascended to heaven.

"Th-then can I too...."

"Does this work too?"

"Everything works! It even fills in the parts I didn't think of...."

It read even the subconscious and provided support.

The developers dove into creating. Countless objects appeared around the moon in an instant, and various landscapes emerged.

"I'm going to try building an entire continent. Want to help?"

"Hmm, why don't we make one together?"

"Heh heh! Sounds fun. I haven't been this excited in ages!"

Developers spontaneously formed teams and began creating all sorts of things as if working on a project game.

Jinwoo watched the developers.

He still had more to introduce, but it was impossible now.

"Heh heh! If we place a pillar here and put a monster there, that should do it."

"That's devious."

"If we add magic here...."

The developers' eyes sparkled like children. After thinking for a moment, Jinwoo changed the schedule.

"Since things have turned out this way, how about you all try making a project game over the next three days? The winning team will receive various perks, prize money, and other rewards. This is a personal competition, not a company-level one."

When Jinwoo said that, the developers blazed with motivation.

Everyone was captivated by the Lord God Engine.

They had irreversibly become unable to go back to the old way of developing.