Translator: Dreamscribe

The pace of conquest in the Land of Erosion was progressing far faster than Jinwoo had expected. The endlessly appearing content was driving the heroes crazy. Both raid parties and production workers were completely immersed in Arsilan Saga.

[Connected users: 144,877]

From after work until the next morning, the login rate was phenomenal. The game rooms were packed, and all broadcasts related to Arsilan Saga were hits.

With news that overseas service might begin soon, the pace of deregulation also sped up. To revive struggling small businesses, various economic policies that could be implemented in conjunction with Arsilan Saga were being proposed. Some even claimed it had the potential to replace Bitcoin.

Of course, it was still just in the review stage and could only proceed with Jinwoo’s approval. Jinwoo was currently exploring ways for Arsilan and Earth to coexist.

Because Earth must be happy for Arsilan’s salvation to come closer.

Title: Found a place that looks important.

It looks like a castle, but it’s collapsed.

Seems like there’s some backstory to it.

[Attachment: Ruined Castle]

Wouldn’t this be perfect to use as a base camp? The land is decent too, could we maybe add a Teleportation Magic Circle or something?

Anonymous 1: Feels like something’s going to show up.

Anonymous 2: The scenery is insanely beautiful.

As soon as Jinwoo heard news that a ruined castle had been discovered in the Land of Erosion, he headed straight there. As the Erosion energy covering the vast land began to weaken, what had been hidden started to reveal itself. With widespread destruction caused by 140,000 heroes, even the strongest Erosion Core could not hold out.

The distance from the Magic Barrier to the ruins was extremely far. Heroes would have to walk nonstop for several days to get there.

Using teleportation, Jinwoo arrived quickly, and the crumbling castle came into view. It stood precariously within the Erosion Forest, which stretched out like thorny vines.

“……”

Jinwoo couldn’t speak for a moment.

He had thought he’d never see that castle again after it had been consumed by Erosion. But now that it was before his eyes, he felt strange. It wasn’t sadness, but a curious feeling that overwhelmed him.

He couldn’t yet identify the nature of that emotion.

“Huh? Priest nim?”

“Hello?”

The heroes recognized Jinwoo.

Jinwoo was a rather famous Priest. He had joined many parties under the pretext of monitoring the situation and had demonstrated exceptional skills.

Because of the heroes’ creative use of the Land of Erosion, he had to remain active far longer than expected.

Even now, that was the case.

In front of the castle, many heroes had gathered, digging trenches or setting up tents.

“Kieeeek!”

“Kiiiik!”

They were roasting a Corrupted Goblin tied to a tree, turning it around like a barbecue. Since it would disappear if killed, they were roasting it alive with flames infused with divine power.

Grilled Troll parts were quite popular.

The heroes simply grilled everything on the fire, and if they found any plant-like things, they made kimchi out of them.

To Erosion, it was a cruelly savage K-food culture.

“Ah, now this is what I call traveling!”

“So relaxing.”

“The best trip you can take from your room. Why go abroad? Hehe!”

The heroes looked as though they were on a camping trip.

Jinwoo approached the castle gate where the heroes had gathered. While the rest of the structure was in ruins, the door leading into the castle remained tightly shut.

“This won’t open.”

“Hmm…”

“Breaking it down feels a bit wrong.”

It was the sealing magic Jinwoo had cast a long time ago, when the castle was consumed by Erosion.

Aaaah!

The screams from back then seemed to echo in his ears. Jinwoo stared at the door for a moment before quietly releasing the sealing magic.

Creak!

The door began to slowly open.

“Oh! It opened.”

“Let’s go in.”

Jinwoo entered together with the heroes. Thanks to the sealing, the interior remained just as it was before. Broken furniture, scattered weapons, and even a crookedly hung portrait that looked ready to fall from the wall.

Jinwoo's eyes widened.

'Haha, mage nim is quite eccentric.'

‘What exactly is a game?’

‘Hmm! A traditional RPG sounds very interesting. A hero saving the world... it sounds like a fairytale, and I like it. Could this Arsilan become like a game too?'

Along with auditory hallucinations, something blurry passed by him. Jinwoo froze in place and then turned around with a surprised expression.

...But there was no one there.

“Phew.”

Jinwoo took a deep breath and shook his fingers.

Any further emotion would only interfere with his spellcasting. As a magic circle engraved on his chest to maintain reasoning. Until he achieved his goal, he had to become a mage who moved like a machine.

It was easy for him.

Because he had endured for a hundred years like that.

“Ah…”

“This is…”

The heroes discovered a large photo lying on the floor. It showed people with blond hair and a child. The child was smiling brightly, and the heroes momentarily lost their words.

“Leon nim?”

"Is this from when he was young?"

“Then this place is…”

"Kheuk...."

“We found something like this? This is too much…”

The atmosphere among the heroes turned solemn.

The boy in the photo wasn’t actually Leon, but Jinwoo remained silent.

The heroes who had been outside also came in, and when they saw the photo, they were consumed by rage. The destroyed interior and bloodstains here and there told them exactly what had happened.

Jinwoo looked at the heroes for a moment.

Reality and fiction overlapped subtly, painting this scene.

Jinwoo picked up the fallen picture frame and wiped off the dust with his hand. Inside the cracked glass, he saw himself smiling with his companions.

Yeah, this is how we looked.

So damn ugly.

This was the memory he had longed to recall when creating the tombstones.

“Aaaah!”

"Really, that fucking erosion bastard...!"

“Leon nim had to endure everything alone as a child..., ugh!”

“This is just too cruel!”

Leon’s tragic past was being freely interpreted!

Some heroes were enraged, others were frustrated. Some shed tears.

Seeing this, Jinwoo felt reassured in one corner of his heart.

‘There are many misunderstandings..., but still, I brought heroes who’ll get angry on your behalf. This is what I meant when I talked about "that game." Isn’t it cool?’

Fantasy and romance.

A game filled with dreams and hope.

The Hero’s Game.

That was the kind of game he had wanted to create.

Jinwoo laughed aloud.

He remembered how exhausting it had been to explain what a game developer does.

The heroes looked at one another and nodded.

“Let’s take it to the Evanth Cemetery.”

“Ah… that sounds good.”

“Right. It’s a little lonely here. And there’s a risk it could get destroyed.”

The heroes began gathering all the portraits, photos, and items.

Jinwoo helped beside them.

It was just as they had neatly collected the items and stepped outside the castle.

Whooosh!

From far off, a wave of Erosion energy surged in. But it was different from usual. No swarm of monsters came, and the environment didn’t change. Someone was merely walking through the darkness.

The Lord of Erosion, in other words, the true Erosion Core, revealed itself before the heroes.

[Greedy invaders. Great blasphemers.]

The Erosion Core made its appearance while building a menacing atmosphere.

It was exactly the same appearance that had attacked Arsilan. It was no different from that time. Because Jinwoo had perfectly imitated it.

Though the Erosion Core that appeared was only an avatar and not its main body, it still looked very similar to the real thing.

The Core’s will passed through a filter and reached the heroes, and in their ears, it sounded in Korean.

Just as Jinwoo had anticipated, the Erosion Core had approached directly. Temptation and corruption were powers possessed by the Core of Erosion.

Jinwoo could have stopped it, but he chose not to.

Because the expressions on the heroes’ faces were ice-cold. Their fury had surpassed its limit and now seemed to stabilize into a state of eerie calm.

Jinwoo erased his presence and observed the situation.

Flinch!

The Erosion Core appeared to be flustered. The heroes couldn’t sense it, but Jinwoo could clearly see it.

“Kieeek!”

“Krkk!”

A goblin was being roasted alive, and an ogre was tied to a log and smoked.

Troll meat was slowly roasting.

A Paladin looked at the Lord of Erosion while chewing on a troll’s liver. A Wizard was searing a goblin’s face alive. A Knight was licking blood off his axe.

Swish!

In that state, their gazes fixed on the Erosion Core.

[...I don't know what kind of beings you are, but let's negotiate]

The Erosion Core had mistaken the heroes for another faction of invaders. It couldn’t possibly believe these terrifying entities were allies of the weak Arsilan.

The people of Arsilan had been foolishly good-natured. Just a little breath of corruption had led them into pain, into collapse.

There was no way those Arsilan people could be allied with such nightmarishly cruel and incomprehensible invaders.

The Erosion Core recalled the words left by that annoying mage.

‘Those who come next won’t be as kind as I am.’

He definitely said something like that.

Arsilan's destruction was predetermined.

The Magic Barrier was weakening with each passing day, and there was little time left.

Falling into despair wasn’t unreasonable.

That mage had taken away a great number of Erosion monsters.

Had he used them along with the people of Arsilan to summon these dreadful invaders?

It was a reasonable deduction.

What the Erosion Core saw in these monsters was this:

1. They tear apart everything they see, dismantle and torture everything that moves. All this is done within a calm and peaceful atmosphere as if it's normal.

2. Each individual is weak, but they are immortal. Even when killed, they reappear endlessly and eventually grow stronger by killing Erosion monsters.

3. They suddenly scream like lunatics or burst into tears, then go berserk in a fit of rage. Their behavior transcends the common sense of any living creature, pure madness.

4. Yet they challenge their opponent obsessively, as if trying to analyze everything about them, and ultimately bring them down perfectly.

5. Then they grow even stronger.

Predators!

Crazy monsters!

If Erosion was a force that corrupted everything, then these invaders were entities that refuse death and blasphemed everything.

These terrifying invaders were jaws that even devoured Erosion itself.

[I will grant you part of my land. Everything left in Arsilan is yours. Whether you devour it or torture it is up to you. I won't interfere.]

Thus, what the Erosion Core chose was appeasement.

The Erosion Core had gathered items it thought those invaders would like. They were mementos and remains from the ruins. These were gifts the Erosion Core had selected after “studying” the actions of the heroes up to now.

[They were specially prepared, so I do hope they are to your liking....]

The Erosion Core was being submissive.

It had conceded an enormous amount.

However, the reaction was too horrible.

Tremble tremble!

What the hell did that bastard just say?

Something snapped in the heroes’ minds.

"Has this fucking bastard gone crazy."

“Is that son of a bitch mocking us right now?”

"Fucking son of a bitch...."

Screeech!

All manner of weapons and magic flew toward the Erosion Core.

[If... if you don’t like it, we can negotiate different terms....]

“Get ready to die thousands of times.”

“Yeah, we’ll rip you apart down to the last piece.”

Fury and madness!

They weren't people who could be reasoned with from the beginning.

The Erosion Core flinched in shock and vanished to where its main body was located.

‘Hmm.’

For the first time, Jinwoo thought Erosion looked pitiful.

And when he saw the heroes exude murderous intent while muttering Leon’s name, a chill ran down his spine.

‘Being too perfect was the problem.’

The narrative, the buildup, the hidden backstories, and even the provocation from an irredeemable enemy.

It was all too perfect.

If he had to do it again, he was certain he couldn’t pull it off.

What if Leon couldn’t be resurrected?

He couldn’t help but think that the fury originally aimed at the Erosion Core might somehow turn toward him.

...Should he reenlist?

Jinwoo squeezed his eyes shut.

*****

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