Translator: Dreamscribe

The employees of FS Games gathered in the situation room with expressions full of excitement. Only team leaders and key developers were allowed in the situation room, so the rest of the staff took seats in the company’s theater.

That was because Mary, the Princess of Erosion, who they had voluntarily worked overtime to develop with all their might, was set to make a grand debut today.

“The lava canyon area near the northern underground labyrinth seems like a good choice.”

“It’s also the place with the most vanguard heroes.”

A map of the Empire appeared on the situation room screen. The area where the capital of the Empire was located had turned black, and general information about the northern and southern regions was displayed. Places where the heroes had passed were shown in more detail, but other regions were only marked by large terrain features.

The map displayed the current positions of the heroes as red dots and numbers. Battles were taking place across various parts of the Empire, and follow-up units were continuously advancing.

As the staff in the situation room had said, the lava canyon area was just right. The underground labyrinth was nearby, and the atmosphere was fitting.

‘It was a good call to have it prepared.’

Jinwoo wiped out the area around the lava canyon and claimed it as Arsilan’s territory. The weakened nobles could no longer offer heroes even a hint of dopamine, let alone any excitement. Their experience points were meager, so they were of no use. Thus, he absorbed their power and propped them up like folding screens. The nobles were left trembling, forced to await the hell that was to come.

“Alright. Let’s send her out at the right time.”

At Jinwoo’s words, the employees beamed with delight.

The staging of Mary’s debut was left entirely to the development team’s planning. It would probably be the greatest entrance scene ever.

Mary, the Princess of Erosion, had been updated in secret. Of course, it had been listed in the update notice.

*A new boss monster has been added.

Since boss monsters were continually being added to Arsilan or the underground labyrinth, no hero paid attention to that notice.

“The Legion of Vengeance has entered deep into the canyon!”

“They’re faster than expected, probably because they’re riding skeleton Horses!”

When Jinwoo nodded, a red holographic button floated up in front of the employees. Pressing that button would summon Mary, the Princess of Erosion, to the location displayed in the situation room.

The honor of dispatching the Princess of Erosion belonged to Han Yong-seon.

No one was more intensely immersed than Han Yong-seon, who took a deep breath. The surroundings dimmed, and various information windows appeared along with a red light.

[Upload starting. 10%, 30%, 50%, 65%….]

The gauge rose gradually as the holographic information window floated up.

Han Yong-seon stood before the holographic switch.

[70%, 90%, 100%]

When it reached 100%, the red light that had filled the situation room turned green, and the message ‘Awaiting Descent’ appeared in the information window.

“Upload of Mary, the Princess of Erosion, complete! Awaiting Descent!”

“The heroes have reached the designated location!”

The employees’ voices were filled with tension.

Han Yong-seon nodded and placed his hand on the holographic switch. Resistance could be felt across his entire palm.

Gulp!

The employees swallowed hard and kept their eyes on the screen.

“Mary, the Princess of Erosion! Descend!”

Boom!

As Han Yong-seon shouted and pressed the holographic switch, it shattered, and electricity surged in all directions, engulfing the entire situation room. The flashing lights made it seem as if the room had been hit by a massive bombardment.

Kaboom!

A loud explosion rang out in the situation room, and Mary revealed herself between the canyons.

“Mary, the Princess of Erosion, has descended successfully.”

“Waaah!”

The employees hugged each other in joy, as if they had just succeeded in launching a rocket. Jinwoo looked at the atmosphere, let out a faint chuckle, and turned on the lights.

The scene from just moments ago vanished like a dream.

“Hehe!”

“It’s childish, but this kind of thing is fun.”

“It kind of feels like a movie….”

It was a scene prepared based on the employees’ suggestions. Events like this were good for relieving their stress. The situation room scene was also being recorded as a video to be used for behind-the-scenes footage after the episode ended.

A similar presentation was shown at the headquarters’ theater. The new employees sitting in the theater were not informed that it was staged, so they would probably be fooled for quite a while.

As the atmosphere returned to normal, the employees returned to their respective seats.

“Then I’ll bring up a consolidated display of the heroes’ screens, broadcast chat windows, and posts on Arsilan Worlds.”

“All Soul Shops are also broadcasting it.”

Multiple holographic information windows appeared in the situation room.

Just in time, HohoGamMan and several other well-known heroes were streaming. The current situation began to be broadcast to Soul Shops around the world as well.

On the screen, the figure of Mary, the Princess of Erosion, appeared.

“Whoa!”

“Ooh!”

“She’s moving!”

Although the developers had seen Mary’s modeling before, it was their first time seeing her move like this. As Mary’s hand moved, everyone rejoiced. It felt like they had returned to the early access days of Arsilan Saga.

‘I could entrust all main content to them.’

Jinwoo felt proud of the FS Games employees who had grown over the past two years. FS Games and the Magic Tower were generating incredible synergy.

“I’ll switch the situation room to a holographic environment!”

When the employee pressed a button, the surroundings darkened again, and the entire situation room transformed into the lava canyon area. It felt vivid enough to make them feel like they were right there with the heroes.

The heroes’ expressions were stiff.

They hadn’t even seen how the attack came. The space merely wavered, and in an instant, more than a thousand heroes vanished, and the legion’s soldiers were swept up by the slash and melted away.

The knights, who had never known defeat, twisted in agony and collapsed.

‘Nice.’

They were performing better than expected.

[K-Krgh!]

[Ugh!]

[Huh? Ugh?! Cough, krhm! Argh!]

Though their reactions were a bit exaggerated, the slash was so powerful that it only made it feel more real. Looking into their souls, Jinwoo saw they were enjoying it.

After enduring long suffering, an event like this, something they encountered for the first time, couldn’t help but be enjoyable.

[That’s….]

[A knight…?]

[Ah….]

But the heroes couldn’t enjoy it.

A knight imbued with erosion was walking toward them, filling the canyon with their overwhelming presence.

All sounds disappeared, and only the clashing of rusted armor could be heard. The figure was so overwhelming that even the Lord of Erosion seemed like a minor mob by comparison.

Mary, the Princess of Erosion, had finally revealed herself before the heroes!

Grkkk!

Mary raised a massive two-handed sword with one hand. The sword, nearly three meters long, was lifted as lightly as a feather. However, the energy contained within it was anything but light.

Plop!

From the two-handed sword, the power of erosion began to condense, and a thick, ashen swamp started to pour out. The ashen swamp bubbled and spewed countless screams.

The ashen swamp flowed around Mary’s feet.

Grahhh! Graah! It hurts, it hurts! It hurts! Save me! Kill me!

It wasn’t bubbling from heat. It was countless hands and faces. Their writhing efforts to escape made the surface appear as if it were boiling.

Screams filled with pain echoed eerily through the canyon. It felt like they had stepped into hell. If that was true, then perhaps this being was the one who opened its gates.

Goosebumps spread.

The heroes shivered involuntarily.

[W-What is that!]

[Crazy…!]

-What is that?

-What the hell is this all of a sudden?

-Is it a boss mob?

-I’m just watching on screen but I feel like I’m gonna piss myself.

Ssshhk!

As Mary lightly twisted her two-handed sword, the countless souls that had been screaming in pain and struggling to escape the swamp were dragged back into it and vanished.

The canyon became eerily silent, as if sound itself had died.

Mary looked at the heroes, then slowly swung her two-handed sword with ease. To the named heroes, it appeared so slow it felt like slow motion.

However, the moment the sword stopped.

Whooosh!

All surrounding air became corrupted. Even the space was dyed ashen, violently rippling as if it were being torn apart. The ripple extended in an instant, reaching the heroes, then further beyond to the canyon, and even the volcano spewing that thick, acrid smoke.

A sense of danger.

A full-body alarm went off.

Named heroes who had surpassed level 90 instinctively sensed an unavoidable catastrophe approaching.

[Avoid….]

He tried to shout for them to dodge.

But the words wouldn’t come out. His body wouldn’t move, as if it were no longer under his control. The heroes barely managed to lower their heads and look at their own bodies.

A line had been drawn across the heroes’ bodies.

A thick ashen line, about the width of a palm, had somehow appeared on their bodies. And soon, lines appeared across the canyon area and the volcano behind them as well.

Huh?

What is this?

It wasn’t some kind of magic.

It was a slash formed from erosion. The ashen line carved across the heroes’ bodies began to writhe, and something started to emerge from within.

Swoosh!

Wriggling fingers began to pop out from the ashen line one by one, gradually growing as they clung to the heroes’ bodies. It looked as if they were struggling to break free from the line.

[U-Ugh!]

[Guhk!]

[What is this?! Argh!]

The fingers multiplied into tens, hundreds, thousands.

Puaaah!

Then burst out, tearing through the heroes’ bodies.

Let me out! Let me out!

Kill me!

Such screams spilled out from the cracks in their torn flesh. The fingers that burst forth gathered together into a mass, becoming a swamp of erosion.

Kuguguguk!

The line carved across the canyon behind the heroes did the same. As the swamp of erosion flowed out, the massive canyon collapsed, and half the volcano split open, erupting with the magma it had contained.

-N-No way….

-She split a mountain.

-What did I just see? Is this real?

Just once.

She had simply swung her sword lightly once.

The slash of erosion, which had corrupted even space itself, melted half of the Legion of Vengeance and altered the entire geography of the lava canyon area.

A portion of the massive volcano that had blocked the heroes’ advance was sliced on an angle, triggering a landslide.

The surviving heroes were left dumbfounded by the overwhelming sight. That went not only for the viewers watching the stream but also the FS Games employees who had planned the staging.

“We’re the ones who planned this, but….”

“Actually seeing it implemented… it’s insane.”

“Wow….”

-Ah.

-This really is dark fantasy.

-That man-eating flower was just a joke compared to this.

-Half of them were wiped out in a single hit.

Everyone who witnessed this scene realized the same thing.

To that being, even this grand landscape of nature was nothing more than an egg she could hold in her hand and crack whenever she pleased.

Mary raised her two-handed sword high.

A monstrous energy of erosion, incomparable to what had come before, began to gather.

Kugugugugu!

From the underground labyrinth near the lava canyon area, a black pillar began to shoot up. The same happened at other underground labyrinths in other regions. The sky turned black, forming a thick ashen vortex.

The massive energy of erosion condensed on Mary’s two-handed sword surged violently. The power of erosion continued to spread, corrupting the surrounding space. It extended and twisted like blood vessels forming in midair.

That’s dangerous.

A disaster that couldn’t be stopped no, not even resisted.

We have to run! Get away now!

[Retreat!]

[Everyone fall back!]

The knights leading the Legion of Vengeance shouted as they began to retreat quickly.

[S-Shit!]

[S-Something’s wrong!]

[Just run for it!]

[Hero’s Flower can’t be used?!]

-Run!

-T-That thing is terrifying.

-Aah! It’s coming!

Neither the Hero’s Flower nor the Flower of Vengeance responded. The dense energy of erosion filling the surroundings was interfering with them.

[Die.]

A voice echoed, resonating with the rusted helmet, a sound like metal being scraped. A twisted voice, its origin impossible to guess.

Mary slammed down the two-handed sword she had raised high.

KWAGAGAGA!

A massive wave of erosion erupted.

The ground split in a straight line, sweeping away the retreating heroes and the Legion of Vengeance.

JJEJEJEJEK!

The ground cracked into two, magma gushing upward. A new canyon was carved below the existing one, stretching far into the distance. The crust fractured and rose, and the entire canyon before her trembled and collapsed.

A natural disaster.

The slash of erosion was a calamity of nature.

The map of the area displayed on the information window had completely changed.

Most of the heroes were turned to dust in an instant, and the relentlessly advancing Legion of Vengeance was annihilated as well.

[U-Uwaaaah!]

[I-I survived… guh?!]

The few surviving heroes fell through the cracks in the ground and met their deaths. Magma surged upward and filled the entire canyon area.

Mary gazed at the remnants of the Legion of Vengeance, then turned her back without hesitation. Countless hands that had burst out from the ashen swamp grabbed Mary and pulled her inward.

Just like that, Mary vanished into the ashen swamp.

[Ah.]

[…you said it was boring, right?]

[Sorry.]

HohoGamMan and a few heroes stood on a rock floating above the lava with blank expressions.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say only a handful had survived.

Out of all those heroes, barely around fifty made it out alive.

-What the hell… that was terrifying…

-Is that a new boss?

-No, this is something entirely different.

-The presence was insane.

-This wasn’t in the patch notes, was it? Creator God-nim?

-It was, technically. “A new boss monster has been added.” Just that one line.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋseriouslyㅋㅋㅋ that’s so unfair!

An enemy capable of causing this level of devastation was something they’d only seen during the Great War, like the Gate of Invasion.

Compared to that being, the giant man-eating flower looked like a sprout, and the centipede from the summoning quest now seemed like nothing more than a slightly gross monster.

Until now, no single entity had ever shown such overwhelming presence.

-But like, how do we even beat that?

-We’re just fucked, that’s all.

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I don’t even know anymore! Just enjoy it!

-Still, that dopamine hit! Hey, heroes! You guys were hype, weren’t you?

-HohoGamMan ajusshi’s gone insane? But how did he even survive?

The first defeat.

The Legion of Vengeance suffered their first loss without even getting a proper fight in.

“Woooow!”

“Yesss!”

“That’s what I’m talking about!”

“This is our Mary!”

The staff were thrilled by Mary’s spectacular debut. It was the ultimate entrance performance, completely overwhelming from start to finish. As proof, even the most experienced named heroes were still in shock.

“Alright, alright! This is just the beginning!”

“This is rock bottom! Hehehe!”

“I can’t wait to see Mary’s face under that helmet!”

“Ah! The reactions are going to be so delicious!”

“Ah… why am I tearing up right now?”

The staff boiled with excitement as they imagined the story yet to unfold!

Jinwoo smiled in satisfaction and nodded.

Who could possibly imagine that this horrifying, utterly concealed entity was actually Mary?

‘First, she needs to show overwhelming presence.’

To complete this narrative, she had to become etched in the heroes’ minds as their most terrifying enemy. She had to show a presence comparable to the Empress of Vengeance, who was currently ranked third in popularity.

He would torment the heroes until they cursed out loud. And if Mary’s true identity were revealed to the very heroes who had cursed and resented her?

Chills!

Jinwoo shivered slightly.

The impact would be absolutely enormous!

He had prepared so much for this.

This was only the beginning.

And so, Mary, the Princess of Erosion, made her debut in Arsilan Saga, and as expected, Arsilan Worlds exploded.