The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game

Chapter 231: Open World (1)

Translator: Dreamscribe

The moment the last remaining Higher Entity of Erosion departed beyond the dimension, all the Erosion that had been devouring Arsilan vanished. Jinwoo looked out over Arsilan from atop the Barrier.

Countless emotions surged through his chest.

This was what he had always dreamed of, from the moment Erosion had consumed Arsilan until now. Even if he had to endure hundreds of millions of terrible nightmares, he would have gladly borne all that suffering if it meant seeing this sight just once.

That was how desperately he had wished for it.

'This isn't a dream, is it.'

It was not a dream. It was reality.

The entire dimension of Arsilan had been perfectly liberated from Erosion. Far in the distance, the sun radiating golden light shone even more brilliantly, and the moon of Arsilan sparkled like a mirror. The Soul Moon could finally embrace all of Arsilan.

"Arsilan's boundary is disappearing."

"There's no need to maintain it anymore."

Ella and Helby stood beside Jinwoo, gazing at Arsilan together. Tiris brought everyone from Erosion Headquarters via spatial teleportation.

Everyone felt the same way Jinwoo did.

It had taken far too long, and immense suffering had followed, but in the end, they had reclaimed their precious homeland.

Golden currents flowing from the sun illuminated Arsilan as if bestowing a blessing.

FWSSH!

As Arsilan's boundary vanished, all traces of Erosion's energy began to dissipate as if fog were lifting. Every part of Arsilan that had been shrouded in darkness was revealed.

Every region where Erosion had taken root was devastated.

The once rich and beautiful land had been pierced, slashed, and gouged out.

All that remained was a rough surface that looked as though it had been gnawed at, scorched, and hacked to pieces. The blue oceans had all dried up, leaving only black swamps behind.

Everything in Arsilan had been ravaged.

Even Jinwoo, who had traveled every corner of Arsilan, could not find any trace of what it once was. In human terms, it was no different from recovering only a few bone fragments.

"It's a devastating sight."

"I never expected them to preserve anything, but the damage is far too severe."

Tia's and Tiris's expressions hardened.

The homeland of the elves had already been lost. Luceren accepted it calmly, as if she had anticipated it. The homeland she had longed to see even just once now existed only in her memories.

Jinwoo let out a deep breath and raised his head.

"I can't show it looking like this."

If everyone had shared the moment of Arsilan's liberation together, the joy would have been doubled. But Jinwoo chose not to do that. He wanted to stop showing them an Arsilan covered in nothing but terrible scars. Arsilan was still regenerating with its powerful resilience, but it would not be able to hide the scars.

Even if it involved a touch of deception, he would use staging to let everyone enjoy a joyful moment of liberation.

"Tiris."

"Yes, I've Informationized all the old data and registered it in the Soul Moon."

A perfect restoration to the way things were before would be impossible, but he intended to do his very best. After all, Jinwoo now possessed the abilities he had gained upon becoming Lord God and the Authority he had seized from Erosion.

Jinwoo downloaded all the Informationized data and loaded it into his mind. Everything from massive landforms to tiny plants came to him in vivid detail.

"Hoo."

Jinwoo drew upon all of his power.

The Soul Moon blazed with brilliant light, and the Barrier surrounding Arsilan rippled with a kaleidoscope of colors.

Arsilan was now his domain.

He could create everything as if forging a world anew. The light of Arsilan dwelling within the Soul Moon would breathe life into everything he shaped.

A holy magic circle rose above the Barrier.

The crest symbolizing the Archmage, the crest symbolizing the god of Arsilan, and the crest symbolizing Earth merged into one, forming the new crest of the Lord God.

His computational ability had ascended to a level that even the multiple Magic Towers built across Arsilan could not match. He continued to accelerate his cognitive processing, even employing the Authority of time.

FLASH!

The Authority of the Lord God, far surpassing that of any Transcendent Being, spread over the scarred surface of Arsilan. Light fell from the Barrier enveloping Arsilan. It was a breathtaking spectacle, as if countless comets made of light were raining down.

Where the comets struck, great changes occurred. Mountain ranges that had been sheared away rose up from the earth, and as the black swamps vanished, clear seas filled in their place.

Vast forests, deserts, and glaciers were formed.

It looked as though Arsilan had returned to its primordial state, untouched by anyone's hand.

Having expended all his power at once, Jinwoo slumped down on top of the Barrier. Everyone watched the overwhelming act of creation, utterly spellbound.

The one who had performed this very miracle wore an expression as if it were nothing at all.

"Now we just need to fill it with various content for a dramatic reveal."

All he was thinking about was how to turn it into content.

He had launched the Arsilan Saga Side Story Episode, but naturally, the main story could not be neglected.

Tia sat down next to Jinwoo with a cheerful smile.

"Then I guess it's time to prepare Part 2 of Arsilan Saga?"

"Officially it'll be Episode 6, but calling it Part 2 is more fitting."

Part 2.

It was a good way to put it.

Jinwoo smiled with satisfaction and nodded.

The fourth anniversary was approaching.

From early access through Episode 5, it had been a journey to reclaim Arsilan. Thanks to the Heroes, they had overcome a Lesser Entity for the first time and absorbed all three Higher Entities.

So what would Part 2 be about?

Even Jinwoo did not know that yet.

"There is something I'd like to report."

Tiris sat down beside Jinwoo and brought up an information window. Everyone nearby gathered around and sat down as well. Tiris enlarged the information window so that everyone could see.

"I will designate the Higher Entity implanted with the Parasitic Egg as the Larva. I've marked the locations the Larva has traveled to."

Countless bubbles floated on the information window, and the Larva had passed between them. All of those countless bubbles were Bubble Dimensions. The Larva was moving ceaselessly through the gaps between them.

"This is the scale we've observed so far."

When Tiris zoomed out from the enlarged view, the Larva shrank to smaller than a grain of millet. At the same time, the entire screen was filled with Bubble Dimensions.

"All of those are empty?"

"Yes. Each one is at minimum the size of a star system, or even larger. They may look small, but the space is extremely compressed."

Bubble Dimensions.

Nothing existed within them.

Even light flowing from Arsilan decomposed and vanished upon reaching a Bubble Dimension. Helby, who had been watching the information window, seemed to realize something and spoke up.

"It's the Abyss."

A massive wall of the Abyss, composed of countless Bubble Dimensions, surrounded Arsilan.

"So the place where I was born was merely the surface of the Abyss. That's how I was able to see the starlight of Arsilan."

Helby was a Magic Dragon born from the starlight that had gathered after fading helplessly upon touching the Abyss. Perhaps that was why she had always yearned for the brilliant golden light.

The wall of the Abyss was thick.

Now he understood the question the Lesser Entity had asked, whether they had crossed the Abyss. The only beings capable of independently traversing such an absurd expanse of space were the Higher Entities of Erosion.

Most likely, a Higher Entity had carried the Lesser Entities along when it crossed over.

Jinwoo noticed that Tiris's hands were trembling.

"Tiris?"

"...I'm sorry."

She took a moment to steady her breathing, then enlarged one of the countless Bubble Dimensions that formed the Abyss. A faint light remained there. A single dying star sat there all alone.

It looked like the remains of something that had been consumed and discarded.

"I'll show you Arsilan as observed from the outside. Please compare it with that dimension."

Arsilan, as observed by the Parasitic Egg from outside the dimension, appeared on the display.

What surrounded Arsilan was a border made of starlight. At its center was a golden sun, and together they formed Arsilan. It looked almost like a crown. Its fundamental shape was identical to those countless Bubble Dimensions.

Jinwoo understood what Tiris was trying to say.

"So those places were originally the same as Arsilan?"

"Yes, the Abyss is...."

"A graveyard of dimensions."

Silence fell.

Everything had been devoured, leaving behind only the hollow shells of dimensions. Whether Erosion had consumed all of them was unknown, but Arsilan had very nearly become one of those Bubble Dimensions itself.

Ella's expression was awash with confusion.

"That's an incredible story. It feels like my understanding of the world has just massively expanded. My head hurts!"

"It's the perfect scale for Arsilan Saga Part 2."

When Jinwoo responded to Ella's words like that, she blinked a few times before breaking into a smile.

Right, it had to be at least this scale to work as a main Episode. The tragedy of those dimensions was heartbreaking and sorrowful, but it would become content that brought joy to the Heroes. In return, one thing would be made absolutely clear.

'Revenge.'

Arsilan would carry out vengeance on behalf of the fallen dimensions.

Tiris seemed to have calmed down, returning to her usual composure.

Jinwoo grew curious about Earth as well.

"Where is Earth's location? We should be able to determine it now, right?"

"Even the Parasitic Egg connected to the Soul Moon was unable to observe it. However, we may be able to infer its location based on the faint dimensional wavelengths generated when the Heroes' souls travel to Arsilan."

Jinwoo gestured for her to continue.

"We speculate it is either the Higher Dimensional Plane or the Outer Realm."

The basis for this was that light generated from Earth could influence Arsilan, but Arsilan could not exert any influence on Earth.

It could even be the Outer Realm, entirely beyond all dimensions.

'Then could the Heroes become Outer Gods?'

Considering the madness and growth potential the Heroes possessed, perhaps that was possible.

In any case, the Soul Moon that connected Earth and Arsilan was a remarkable Authority. Something to take pride in!

Tiris reviewed the real-time information the Parasitic Egg was transmitting and nodded.

"A dimension the Larva is heading toward has just been detected. I'll display it on the information window."

A blurry image appeared.

It was information sent by the Parasitic Egg, which was quietly feeding on the Larva and utilizing its Authority. Several stars were visible, and the energy of Erosion had settled in like a nebula.

It did not seem to be Erosion's home.

Perhaps it was an occupied territory the Larva was passing through, or a dimension currently under invasion?

Perhaps wanting to change the somber mood, Hasman looked at Jinwoo with a slight smile.

"As expected! You foresaw all of this and planned the Arsilan Saga Side Story Episode accordingly!"

"Oh! Come to think of it, the Heroes are already accustomed to traveling between dimensions. They'll continue gaining even more experience."

Halon immediately followed up with that remark.

Heina and the others gazed at him with eyes full of admiration.

Considering how the Side Story had actually come about, it was clearly a lucky coincidence, but Jinwoo immediately put on a shameless face.

"Of course. I planned it all a hundred years ago."

"Master...."

Tiris's gaze stung, but the great Lord God Jinwoo brushed it off with ease.

This was what it meant to be the Lord God of Arsilan!

A plan for what to do next had taken shape.

He would interfere with everything Erosion was doing.

He would torture and absorb Erosion in the most painful ways.

He would grow stronger and devour all of Erosion.

If there were beings suffering under Erosion, he would seek them out and offer salvation. He would calmly work on building up to the point where Arsilan could venture beyond its borders and provide "dimensional aid." Of course, the details would be finalized after a field survey.

Tia seemed to have thought of something and shot her hand up.

"Then that makes us a Dimensional Liberation Army, right?"

"Oh, I like that."

The Arsilan Dimensional Liberation Army.

It was a pretty good name.

Then, the Arsilan Dimensional Liberation Army!

Deploying now!

Jinwoo raised his fist high with gusto.

"Yeah!"

"Woo!"

Clap clap clap!

Everyone, well accustomed to reacting by now, responded with great enthusiasm.

Jinwoo found it very satisfying.

* * *

However, shouting "Arsilan Dimensional Liberation Army! Deploying now!" right this moment was out of the question, given the amount of buildup that still needed to be designed. The land Jinwoo had restored with his Lord God Authority was sealed away inside a generated space. He planned to use it as the stage for the buildup toward Episode 6.

Time passed amid preparations, and Arsilan Saga reached its fourth anniversary. The number of Heroes had also surpassed 300 million and was climbing even faster. It would have been faster still without the Hero screening process, but Jinwoo never allowed evildoers to come to Arsilan. Souls that could not contain light were unable to become Heroes.

A grand fourth anniversary festival was held in Arsilan, and several games were released to coincide with it! The Heroes were growing stronger while happily gaining diverse experiences.

Horror, FPS, action, and more, the genres were so varied that they would not be caught off guard no matter what kind of dimension they landed in.

Of course, Jinwoo was not only preparing for the next Episode. He held a newbie welcome event and ran a growth event for existing Heroes. He created plenty of content in Levannas and various other locations so that no gap would be felt.

"And so, I plan to conduct a Dimensional Survey."

When Jinwoo said this from the stage set up in the Grand Temple, the people seated in the audience snapped out of their dazed expressions.

They were the Reincarnated Heroes.

Recruitment for Reincarnated Heroes had reached its fourth cohort by now, and their numbers had grown considerably.

"Um, isn't this story on a pretty insane scale?"

"Right?"

They had all been overjoyed when told that Arsilan had been fully reclaimed, but once the Bubble Dimensions came up, they had gone completely slack-jawed.

Jinwoo decided to take the Reincarnated Heroes along as the survey team. Once they left the dimension, they would be unable to receive backup from the Soul Moon. Even though the souls of Arsilan's people had grown powerful, the consequences of being separated from the Soul Moon were impossible to predict.

The Reincarnated Heroes were strong.

They were still growing stronger.

It would be no exaggeration to call them the beings closest to Transcendent in all of Arsilan.

They were reliable companions who would walk alongside Jinwoo.

A Hero who had reincarnated as a dragon cautiously raised a hand.

"Um, Lord God."

"Yes, go ahead."

The Reincarnated Heroes addressed Jinwoo as Creator God or Lord God.

"Going to another dimension would be extremely dangerous, right?"

Jinwoo nodded.

"Yes. There's no telling what dangers await. And there's no guarantee we can make it back safely, either. That's why I plan to recruit volunteers."

If no one volunteered, Jinwoo intended to go alone. He did not want to force the Heroes to do anything.

When Jinwoo gave that answer, the Reincarnated Heroes looked at one another.

"It's dangerous and we might not make it back from some unknown world...."

"That's...."

"Hmm...."

Hearing the murmuring among the Heroes, Jinwoo nodded.

Thinking about it, it was far too unreasonable a request.

Maybe he should just go alone after all....

"Me! I wanna go!"

"How many volunteers are you taking?"

"I volunteer!"

"Finally getting some dopamine! Now THIS is real dopamine!"

"Back off! I'm going!"

Ever since facing the Lord of Despair, the Reincarnated Heroes had been unable to feel that intense rush of excitement. The Side Story games had been fun, but they did not make the dopamine explode. Because it was not a real situation.

A Dimensional Survey was a real situation.

A place that even the Lord God of Arsilan himself had called dangerous!

It might turn into the kind of razor-thin scenario where they gambled their lives in an unknown dimension.

RUMBLE!

The Reincarnated Heroes swarmed toward Jinwoo without hesitation.

Every one of them began making their case, desperate to be included in the survey team.

Jinwoo was taken aback, but he did not let it show.

'Hmm....'

The Reincarnated Heroes were beings who had become what they were by dying as Heroes consumed by madness.

Very reassuring indeed.

'Reassuring, sure, but....'

At the same time, he felt uneasy and worried.

It was probably just overthinking, right?