novelraw Chapter 232: Open World (2)
Chapter 232: Open World (2)
Translator: Dreamscribe
A Dimensional Survey with the Lord God!
The competition to become a survey member was incredibly fierce. Jinwoo decided to take only one person from each race. Since there was no telling what kind of world awaited them, he wanted a flexible team that could adapt to anything.
Selecting members on the spot could breed complaints, so Jinwoo decided to administer tests across various fields.
They were divided into practical and written exams.
The practical exams covered combat ability, mana application, physical endurance, and willpower measurement, while the written exams included aptitude tests, general knowledge assessments, intelligence tests, and multi-stage situational adaptability evaluations.
'Pretty demanding, as befitting Heroes.'
Reincarnated Heroes were even worse than regular Heroes.
Having died as Heroes to reach their current state, they were like the concentrated essence of all Heroes distilled into one. Only with this kind of professional setup would they take things seriously and show their true abilities.
Jinwoo created a massive school in the Celestial Realm and issued school uniforms and gym clothes to everyone. Since the majority of Reincarnated Heroes were still of Korean origin, the response was quite positive.
"Ooh! This takes me back."
"Back, you say..., hmm! It reminds me of fleeing during the Korean War."
"Ah..., I died of illness at twenty-two."
"Oh dear, you must have suffered so much."
"It's fine, grandma."
"You wanna die?"
Since classrooms were divided by race, numerous exam proctors were needed. The colleagues from Erosion Headquarters volunteered to serve as proctors. When the bell rang throughout the school, Heina walked into the classroom wearing a suit.
"Everyone, attention. Each subject is a forty-five-minute exam. If you're caught cheating, you're disqualified, so be warned."
"What if we don't get caught?"
"That's fine, right?"
Heina pressed her hand to her forehead.
"You people...."
Their way of thinking really was something else.
Heina thought it was fortunate she didn't have to deal with Reincarnated Heroes often.
Even after the exam began, nobody moved, as if waiting for something. Jinwoo smirked at the sight and snapped his fingers.
[Prove Your Worth] Prove your value!
Only the strongest from each race, excelling in both mind and body, may become a Dimensional Survey member. Prove your qualifications through these exams and earn your place on the survey team. Your dedication and sacrifice will be eternally etched into Arsilan Saga.
*Condition: Reincarnated Hero
*Reward: Prizes awarded based on exam results
*1st Place per Race Reward: Join the survey team, A-Rank Title
The moment the quest window appeared, the Reincarnated Heroes' eyes changed.
Now all the conditions were perfect!
With the right staging to set the mood, the Reincarnated Heroes tackled the exams with deadly seriousness.
The exams proceeded smoothly. Once the practical exams, fierce enough to destroy the schoolyard, were over, everyone gathered at the Grand Temple once more.
All eyes were on Jinwoo, tension written across every face.
This was the first competitive content among Reincarnated Heroes since their reincarnation. Since the records would last forever, it was only natural they'd be hungry for it.
The first-ever Dimensional Survey members to visit an unknown dimension!
How cool was that!
It satisfied both their dopamine cravings and their desire for glory.
"Now, I'll announce the exam results."
When Jinwoo snapped his fingers, a massive information window appeared. Naturally, he didn't just post the results plainly. He converted everything into composite scores and revealed them in a scrolling format, starting from the very bottom and climbing up to first place.
"Gah?! I'm dead last!"
"What an idiot."
"Ugh, you're embarrassing our whole race."
A last-place reward was issued.
[F] Dead Last
Do not despair.
The only way left is up.
*Reward: Alusion Grand Library Free Admission Pass (1 year)
The person who received the last-place reward crumpled to the ground in despair. Various rewards were issued based on rankings. The Reincarnated Heroes immediately took verification screenshots of their rewards and posted them to the community.
The community had been created for communication among the growing number of Reincarnated Heroes. Unlike Arsilan Worlds, it had a rough, unmoderated feel to it.
The only beings besides Reincarnated Heroes who could access it were Summons.
Title: I'm 4th gen btw
Made it into the top 20 overall.
The 1st gen seniors obviously scored higher than me, right?
Behemoth: Honestly the 1st gen guys seem kinda overrated?
└Leviathan: They are pretty lazy tbh. Charge way too much per hour for what they do.
└Anon1: Fr. 2nd gen is def the best.
Anon2: All 2nd gen report to Starlight Valley immediately
└Anon3: stfu
└Slime King: Report to this lmaooo how bout you get your face to report to the right places first
└Ignis (1st gen, Dragon): I think I know who this is. Still at it, huh.
└Leviathan: Yo Iggy Iggy, you do well on the exam?
└Ignis (1st gen, Dragon): It was easy tho?
Everyone was posting frantically, pretending to look for their own scores. Jinwoo gave generous gifts to the first-place finisher from each race.
Every single first-place winner was a formidable warrior.
Given about a hundred years, they might even open the path to becoming Transcendent Beings.
Jinwoo awarded the survey member Title and badge to each race's top-ranked Hero.
"Thank you all for your hard work. Those who've been selected as survey members will be summoned separately once preparations are complete. Ahem, since this is the first time we've all gathered, maybe a get-togeth..."
Before Jinwoo could even finish his sentence, everyone had already returned home.
"...Fast, as expected of Heroes."
Perhaps it was because they'd been reincarnated, but they seemed about three times faster than regular Heroes.
Jinwoo gazed at the empty Grand Temple with a wistful look.
* * *
Jinwoo stopped by FS Games, cleared out all the backlogged work, and put in for vacation. Naturally, it wasn't a real vacation but time off for the Dimensional Survey.
With the connection to Soul Moon severed, he wouldn't be able to monitor Arsilan Saga.
"I'll be out of contact for a while. Please keep things running smoothly."
"Yes, sir! Have a safe trip!"
While Jinwoo was away, Han Yong-seon would be in charge of FS Games. By now, the FS Games development team could independently create and add large-scale content on their own. He had laid out all the plans before leaving, so barring any unexpected issues, everything should proceed on schedule.
Jinwoo moved to Soul Moon.
The moment he arrived at Soul Moon, he summoned all the Reincarnated Heroes who had been selected.
From dragons to elves, orcs, dwarves, and spirits, it was a considerable number. Not every race in Arsilan was represented, however. The races that Reincarnated Heroes had been reborn into were limited.
Jinwoo provided them with the finest equipment available.
"Alright, I'll speak casually from now on."
"Yes, sir!"
"It's an honor!"
Jinwoo looked at Ignis.
"Ignis, you're the vice-captain."
"Oh! Th-thank you! I'll do my best!"
The survey captain was Jinwoo, of course.
He appointed the Red Dragon Ignis as vice-captain.
"I dunno about that...."
"A Red Dragon as vice-captain?"
"If he's bad at the job, can we swap him out?"
"Hmm...."
There were quite a few complaints, but the overall mood was one of acceptance.
They agreed that during the survey, everyone would address Jinwoo uniformly as "Captain."
Ignis looked at Jinwoo and raised his hand.
In his human form, Ignis was a rather handsome young man with red hair.
"Captain, how exactly are we crossing dimensions? Are we boarding some kind of spaceship?"
"Something like that."
The mention of a spaceship sent a wave of excitement through the group.
The thought of an adventure cutting through starlight was quite romantic.
Jinwoo had entrusted Tiris and the Magic Developers with building a device capable of traversing the Dimensional Rift. Thanks to the Parasitic Egg transmitting all of the larva's data, it hadn't been difficult to construct. They had already figured out the method of crossing dimensions through the larva.
When Jinwoo waved his hand, the surface of Soul Moon split open and enormous towers surged upward.
They were beautiful white towers radiating an aura of sanctity. Between those white towers, a massive structure emerged. It was a giant ring-shaped construct that looked like a warp device straight out of a sci-fi movie. Light flowing from the towers infused the great ring and lifted it into the air.
The ring settled into Soul Moon's orbit.
The crew members marveled at the magnificent sight.
"Ooh!"
"As expected of the Creator God!"
"Wow! And we're the only ones who get to see this...."
"Too bad for the regular Heroes."
"Glad I died first!"
"If you're jealous, die and get reincarnated!"
Unfortunately, this was a sight the Heroes of Arsilan could not witness. Of course, Jinwoo planned to put on an even grander display when Episode 6 rolled around.
Ella, Helby, and the rest of the Erosion Headquarters staff came out to see them off. Tiris appeared last. She approached Jinwoo and informed him that all preparations were complete.
"Then, I shall summon the Dimensional Transit Ship."
As Tiris said this and raised her staff, the crew watched her with eager anticipation. Ella and Helby's eyes were filled with curiosity as well.
The Dimensional Transit Ship.
A vessel that would carry hope across dimensions. The first ship to spread Arsilan's light.
Surely it would be beautiful to the point of being sacred.
Judging by the confidence brimming on Tiris's face, that assumption couldn't be wrong.
An astonishingly intricate summoning circle appeared before Tiris.
Jinwoo nodded with a pleased expression as he watched her.
'She's gotten good.'
Having now reached the Archmage's domain, Tiris's spellcasting was flawless and unhesitating. It was all but confirmed that the next Archmage would be Tiris. When Tiris struck the ground with her staff, the summoning circle activated.
FLASH!
Light erupted from the summoning circle and the Dimensional Transit Ship revealed itself. The crew members, who had been about to clap and cheer, froze the moment they saw it.
"Uh...."
"Um...."
"That's...."
The crew stood completely petrified. The Erosion Headquarters staff were no different.
Ella's gaze went blank and her jaw dropped.
She collected herself from her dazed expression and turned her eyes toward Tiris.
"Why is it an o-octopus...?"
"Ella-nim, it is not an octopus. It is simply a larva-shaped body fitted with dimensional detection devices. It is the most efficient form."
Tiris's words dripped with pride.
An elliptical body with massive tentacles attached. Each tentacle was outfitted with highly advanced magical devices designed to detect dimensions.
SLITHER!
The enormous tentacles writhed in the air.
The sight was something from another dimension entirely, beyond what could merely be described as grotesque.
"It is equipped with automatic repair and upgrade functions. Levannas assisted with that."
When Jinwoo looked at Serazade, she avoided his gaze.
"I-it wasn't that much help. Our Magitech engineers prioritize efficiency, so..., um..., just a bit of advice..."
Serazade wanted to deny it entirely but couldn't.
By using Informationization to convert Levannas's Magitech Engineering technology into data and storing it in Soul Moon, Tiris had been able to use it freely.
The Dimensional Transit Ship's armor looked like the skin of a living creature.
If damaged, it would automatically regenerate like biological skin, and if energy ran low, the tentacles could absorb and replenish it. The tentacles could also break down matter to convert into energy.
It was, without question, an outstanding Dimensional Transit Ship.
Stability, mobility, and exploration capability, it lacked nothing.
'It is impressive, but....'
'Y-yeah, it's amazing, but....'
'That's true, but..., it's just....'
A brief silence fell. Everyone had plenty they wanted to say, but no one spoke up.
Ignis glanced around, reading the room, then opened his mouth.
"C-can we actually... board that thing?"
"Yes, excellent question."
Tiris whipped her head around and locked eyes with Ignis. He flinched at her intensity and took a step back.
"Please approach and press that black button."
"Huh? Th-that one? It's, like, spinning around? And it's covered in some kind of gooey stuff?"
Ignis looked at the other crew members.
"As expected of our vice-captain."
"You got this."
"Truly befitting of our vice-captain."
The crew members who had complained about Ignis being appointed vice-captain now wholeheartedly acknowledged him as such.
Ignis turned and looked at Jinwoo with pleading eyes.
Jinwoo nodded.
"As expected of the Red Dragon who placed first among all Reincarnated Heroes! The decisiveness befitting a Dragon Lord candidate!"
Perhaps it was because numerous Authority of Erosion abilities had been heavily modified and imbued into it? The revulsion was incomparable to mere Erosion Insects.
"It feels like my mind is being contaminated."
Even Helby complained of a headache and assessed it that way.
Ignis cautiously approached the body of the Dimensional Transit Ship.
As he drew near, the writhing tentacles stopped and parted to the side.
Countless black spheres were embedded in the hull. They were devices designed to precisely analyze the surrounding environment.
HISSSS!
A sticky liquid oozed from the hull's armor. It was a modified form of the Authority of Erosion that allowed adaptation to any environment. Even if sucked into the sun, it could endure to a certain degree.
Ignis gulped and carefully placed his hand on the largest sphere.
CREAK! CLICK!
The sphere sank inward with a strange sound. The viscous liquid seeping from the ship's skin dripped onto Ignis's hand.
"For your information, it is excellent for skincare. It has powerful healing properties. It's also highly caloric, so in emergencies, you may eat it."
"Ah...."
Tiris provided that explanation.
A moment later, the body of the Dimensional Transit Ship began to tremble violently. Then,
RRRIIIP!
The hull tore apart as if being ripped open, and the entrance to the Dimensional Transit Ship appeared. It looked exactly like some monstrous creature opening its maw.
Jinwoo studied the sight and a question arose.
"I get that that's the entrance, but..., why does it have what look like teeth?"
"A security measure. If an unauthorized being approaches, it can grind them up instantly. Additionally, I have installed laser mining capabilities, guided missiles, and various other functions."
Was all this really necessary?
There were clear signs that enormous care had been put into safety.
Meeting Tiris's eyes, he understood the reason. She had plastered it with safety features out of worry for her master heading into dangerous territory.
Understanding that sentiment, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
The more he looked at it, it was almost kind of cute... well, not cute exactly, but he was getting used to it.
"Excellent work. Well done."
"...Yes."
At Jinwoo's praise, Tiris's ears flushed red.
HISSSS!
When the entrance opened, the interior was revealed.
"Whoa! This is luxury hotel level!"
"Oh, we each get our own rooms?"
"It's huge!"
The crew marveled as they looked inside the Dimensional Transit Ship.
The interior was vast.
It had been expanded with spatial magic and was packed with every conceivable amenity. There was a swimming pool, a banquet hall. The cargo hold was loaded with all manner of goods from Arsilan.
"Everyone, board up."
At Jinwoo's command, the crew filed into the Dimensional Transit Ship. Once Jinwoo boarded, the door closed automatically.
Piloting the Dimensional Transit Ship was extremely easy.
It was synced with Jinwoo's senses and moved according to his will. He could also set an auto-navigation course through the information window.
"Oh, you can see everything outside?"
"Now this is a ship!"
"The Dimensional Transit Ship..., it might actually be pretty nice...."
"Looks aren't what matter! What counts is what's on the inside...."
"Well, beings from other dimensions might have different aesthetic standards, so the appearance shouldn't matter, right?"
The crew seemed to have taken a liking to the Dimensional Transit Ship.
From the bridge, they could see outside as though the walls didn't exist.
HISSSS!
The Dimensional Transit Ship did not run on a Mana Engine.
The Authority of Erosion imbued in the tentacles allowed it to move as if defying gravity. This was possible thanks to the mass absorption of lesser entities.
Everyone at Erosion Headquarters waved at the Dimensional Transit Ship as it ascended.
The Dimensional Transit Ship came to a stop before the great ring floating in Soul Moon's orbit. Holy Magic Circles were carved into the ring's surface, and space split apart to reveal the Dimensional Rift.
"Let's gooo!"
"Go go!"
"Dimensional travel, baby!"
"Can't wait."
Amid the crew's cheers, Jinwoo drove the Dimensional Transit Ship straight forward.
FLASH!
The Dimensional Transit Ship vanished into the Dimensional Rift, leaving behind the dimension that Arsilan belonged to.
* * *
Nova, the Hero who loved the stars, observed Arsilan's sky every day. He had been a renowned astronomer on Earth with many accomplishments to his name. However, controversial remarks about "dimensional theory" and "extraterrestrial life" had cost him his professorship, and he retired.
Despite the many criticisms he faced, his interest in the cosmos never waned in the slightest. If anything, his passion exploded even more when he started Arsilan Saga.
The stars surrounding Arsilan were breathtakingly beautiful.
He lived between the Alusion Grand Library and the observatory, and published a book cataloging Arsilan's constellations. In recognition of that achievement, he was appointed Royal Astronomer of the Sillion Empire.
"Phew! Finally made it."
Loaded down with equipment, he arrived at the summit of the tallest mountain in Arsilan.
Ever since the Lord of Despair, observing stars properly had been difficult due to the barrier covering Arsilan. After devising various methods, he discovered that the barrier's transparency increased at higher altitudes.
Nova pulled out his telescope and examined the barrier.
"Ooh!"
Coming to the highest point in Arsilan had been the right call. It was as clear as glass, and proper observation seemed possible. He assembled and set up his equipment, then began his observations.
The beautiful sight drew nothing but gasps of admiration.
The celestial body that interested him most recently was the second moon that had appeared after the Lord of Despair was defeated. It was a strange satellite that emitted its own light. Its surface was obscured as though hidden behind something, but its orbit was observable, so he had been studying it.
"Hm, huh? What's that...? What?!"
Nova's eyes went wide, filling with shock.
Something of an utterly horrifying shape he had never seen in his life was floating in the orbit.
"Urgh!"
A headache surged through him and nausea followed.
That thing was a monster!
A monster beyond imagination!
Had a new Episode begun? No, what he felt was something fundamentally different from that.
He couldn't calm down for a long while.
His stomach churned as if he'd eaten something bad.
Fortunately, he had left the recording function on. He couldn't bring himself to look again, but he mustered the courage to check the footage. It was blurry, as though something were interfering, and hard to make out clearly.
He cut the footage frame by frame and extracted the clearest photo.
"Uurgh?!"
Just looking at the photo made him dry-heave again.
'Th-this is....'
I can't be the only one to see this!
I have to tell everyone! A sense of duty washed over him.
Title: Arsilan is in danger!
Observed from the mountain.
[Photo attached: Unidentified monstrous object]
What even is this?
Anon1: Huh?!
Anon2: Ugh! My stomach feels weird! Something's off
Anon3: Insane.
Anon4: What is that? Almost threw up.
Heroes who saw the photo complained of headaches and nausea.
"You guys see that photo?"
"I kept staring at it and passed out a few times."
"Same here. Had nightmares after I fainted."
"Urgh! Something feels wrong!"
Contrary to Nova's intentions, the photo became famous as a cursed image!