The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game-Chapter 90: Comfortable Expedition Team (1)

The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game-Chapter 90: Comfortable Expedition Team (1)

Translator: Dreamscribe
The morning of invasion had dawned.
Large expedition teams had devoted themselves to invasion preparations as if in a competition, and had almost simultaneously completed their fleets. Dozens of ships lined up in front of the Magic Barrier, awaiting the launching ceremony.
Expedition teams of large scale typically organized fleets of more than five ships, and some fleets consisting of over thirty ships appeared through alliances between expedition teams.
“I am here at this historic site! It’s truly magnificent. Even just watching it makes my heart swell, so how must the heroes preparing for the expedition feel?”
Kim Seok-jun and the news bureau were present at the scene.
Kim Seok-jun, at the request of the expedition teams, was hosting the launching ceremony. This ceremony was not an event planned by FS Games, nor was the Sillion Kingdom involved. It was an event created by the heroes themselves.
“It just feels wrong to leave without something like this.”
“Right. We have to make the launching ceremony grand!”
“That’s what being a hero is about!”
“I can’t do anything anymore if there’s no presentation.”
The heroes were already addicted to Jinwoo’s presentations and events. Their bodies had become so used to it that they couldn’t stand proceeding without an event. As a result, even heroes specializing in planning events were beginning to emerge.
Countless heroes came to watch the launching ceremony. Jinwoo too, in the form of a Priest, was observing the ceremony.
“Now we have a celebratory performance! These are the very ones who played a great role on the battlefield and lit up the grand festival!”
Bards took their places with the majestic fleet as a backdrop. They were heroes from the bard guild who were frequently called upon to perform at various events.
“Everyone! Please give them a big round of applause! The idols of the battlefield! It’s Lumina!”
Beautiful women appeared in front of the bards.
They were dressed in attire suitable for the desert.
They had modified swimsuits into shrine maiden outfits, and it suited them quite well. Their character customization seemed to have been done with great care, and their appearances were also beautiful. All four had their unique charms clearly expressed.
‘Ah! That is noona’s company.’
Jinwoo checked their information.
They had all started during the Great War, and every one of them had reached level 50. Their growth had been astonishingly fast.
~
[Lv.50] Jung Se-rin
Title: [C] Idol of Arsilan
Race: Human
Class: Dancer
[Possessed Traits]
[A] Late Bloomer
A flower that blooms late contains the light of the heavens.
Though possessing versatile talents, they begin too faintly to stand out. However, when the flower bud starts to bloom, everyone will marvel at its beautiful form.
~
Indeed, the aura she exuded was different. Talent could be felt from deep within the soul. It was probably pure effort that had drawn out that talent.
She was shining in Arsilan.
Though he did not know their exact pasts, Jinwoo could sense that their wounded hearts were being healed. They were achieving the dreams they had given up on Earth here in Arsilan.
Heroes should be happy.
They not only had the right to be happy, they deserved more than enough of it.
If the heroes were unhappy, Jinwoo would forcibly make them happy.
Just like stuffing events down their throats.
‘Nice.’
Lumina began singing and dancing. It was a performance that matched beautifully with the splendid Arsilan.
Jinwoo looked toward the expedition team standing at the front row. The NorthernGrandDuke of the Northern Expedition Team nodded as she watched the stage. She seemed quite satisfied with Lumina’s performance.
“That was an incredible stage! Not only were our eyes and ears delighted, but we even received an E+ rank buff!”
All the heroes who watched the performance received buffs. Even without Jinwoo’s support, Lumina was already enjoying great popularity.
“Next is a special video prepared by the news bureau.”
A large screen bearing the emblem of the news bureau appeared.
“Oh!”
“His Highness Leon!”
Leon, who was sitting in his office, looked straight ahead with a smile.
[Unfortunately, I cannot be with the heroes this time, but I am always cheering for you. I pray for a successful expedition.]
After speaking, Leon bowed his head. The heroes, receiving Leon’s encouragement, wore content expressions.
Next appeared Heina, the captain of the guards. She stood awkwardly in armor.
[I don’t need to say that the basics are important anymore, right? Show the enemies the fearsome power of Arsilan. And… always make sure to eat properly. Come back safely! That is all!]
[I’ve invested a lot too! So make sure to return safely!]
Tia appeared after Heina, waving her hand as she spoke. Everyone who ranked in the top 10 of the popularity vote came out to cheer for the expedition team. Lastly, Helby appeared.
[Look forward to the gift.]
Helby said that and let out a faint smile.
“Khuh!”
“If this expedition fails, we’ll be a laughingstock!”
“Let’s rake it all in!”
The morale of the expedition team rose. With that, the various prepared events proceeded, and finally, it was time to launch the ships.
Kwa-ga-ga!
As the pillars supporting the bottoms of the ships were destroyed, the ships slid forward. The sight of dozens of vessels heading toward the Magic Barrier was enough to stir the soul.
From now on, many more ships would be built here, and countless heroes would cross the desert toward the Empire of Evil. As time passed, wouldn't their numbers surpass ten million?
Ten million plunderers.
A catastrophe that devours and burns everything in its path.
If heroes established territories in the Empire of Evil, they would be able to travel through the Hero’s Flower, but plundered goods or large cargo still had to be transported manually.
In Arsilan, trade wagons traveled between cities and villages, and even heroes specializing in transporting cargo were emerging. This was also why heroes were working hard to develop trains. Therefore, the demand for ships would continue to rise.
“All right! Let’s move!”
“Load everything up!”
Once the ships passed beyond the Magic Barrier, worker heroes hired by the expedition team began moving the cargo. For heroes who had just reached level 40, it was a sweet part-time job.
“Well then...”
Jinwoo also wanted to enjoy Episode 3. By experiencing it alongside the heroes, he would create an even richer Arsilan Saga.
‘I’ll be able to feel firsthand what the heroes want.’
In Arsilan, he could observe everything, but it was difficult to do so beyond that point.
Jinwoo looked at the Soul Gate.
Though the Soul Gate was about to grow, Jinwoo temporarily suspended its growth. It was because he wasn’t certain about what he truly wanted.
‘This feels like a game too.’
It was similar to holding onto skill points without investing them, just like in a game.
Jinwoo (Priest Comfortable): I’m heading out. Take good care of the newbie heroes. Keep running events for them too.
└ Tia (Solis Adventurer’s Guild Receptionist): Yes! Don’t worry. Bring a gift when you return!
└ Heina (Captain of the Knights): Understood! I’ll dispatch knights to Evanth.
└ Tiris (System Administrator): Good.
└ Helby (Guardian Dragon): If you come back in that form, I’ll kill you.
Everyone was full of motivation.
“Comfortable nim!”
Haebyul ran up with a bright smile. In her gaze toward Jinwoo, honey practically dripped. Her feelings of “so cute I could die” were clearly visible.
It was a reaction different from when she faced Leon.
The emotional distance had closed dramatically. After all, there were things to be cautious about when dealing with Leon.
-Pfft!
-Priest nim!
-Kya! Our Priest!
Haebyul prostrated herself flat on the ground in front of Jinwoo.
As expected of a streamer, her reaction was over the top. UruBear came carrying a flower basket and scattered petals to create a flower path.
In that case, let’s play along!
Jinwoo waved his hand as he walked down the flower path.
Jinwoo crossed the Magic Barrier with the two. A ship was visible among the many vessels.
“Our ship’s been upgraded too!”
“We dumped our entire fortune into it.”
Haebyul and UruBear said that.
In front of the ship stood the heroes who had gone on the previous expedition together, as well as new recruits. Even HandGenius, who had been spending very busy days recently, was there.
It was surprising to see him here, considering even the large expedition teams were scrambling to scout HandGenius.
“HandGenius nim, aren’t you busy?”
“I came in pursuit of romance!”
When Jinwoo asked that, HandGenius replied immediately.
HandGenius was a famous figure known by all, and the other heroes were all notable names too. While they weren’t quite on the level of NorthernGrandDuke or LifeHunter, they were always ranked high among the heroes.
It seemed Jinwoo’s words when rejecting the scouting offers had deeply moved their hearts.
Romance!
The moment you start calculating profit and loss, romance disappears!
Thirty heroes had gathered here in search of romance!
“Thanks to Comfortable nim, we had a flood of applicants. We only selected those who truly understood romance!”
At Haebyul’s words, everyone nodded.
Though their team was smaller in scale compared to other expedition teams, they had many spectators. The viewers of Haebyul and UruBear had surpassed a million.
Thanks to the real-time translation service, there was effectively no language barrier. Most of the foreign heroes who participated in the Great War could already speak the common language of Arsilan, and the newbie heroes were quickly getting used to it.
‘All Arsilan broadcasts must be done in the Arsilan common language!’
‘Ahem! Do I hear a foreign language somewhere? You are disqualified as an Arsilan broadcaster. Begone at once!’
Heroes were extremely strict with streamers. The Korean heroes didn’t say much, but the foreign heroes made a big fuss instead.
All the heroes looked toward Jinwoo.
Haebyul smiled and handed a captain’s hat to Jinwoo.
“Comfortable nim is our leader! Please name the expedition team!”
Jinwoo had intended to just blend in with the expedition team like last time. But with everyone staring at him with sparkling eyes, he had no choice but to accept the captain’s hat.
[Please name your expedition team. Once the name is decided, it can be registered with the Patriot Company at the discretion of the expedition leader.]
Jinwoo paused to think for a moment.
-Thump thump! Something big is coming!
-What will our expedition team name be?
-I just woke up my parents.
-Even my grandma is watching. It's gonna be an amazing name, right?
The deliberation didn’t last long.
“Comfortable Expedition Team.”
[Congratulations! The Comfortable Expedition Team has been established!]
The heroes nodded as they looked at the information window that popped up. It felt a bit plain, but it wasn’t a bad name.
“It’s going to be a comfortable journey. Hehe!”
“As expected of Priest nim.”
Haebyul and UruBear skillfully played along with Jinwoo’s mood.
“That's romantic.”
“Now that’s a proper expedition team name!”
“Kya! That’s killer sense!”
“Wow! You’re a naming genius!”
The heroes and even HandGenius joined in with the praise.
Of course, it wasn’t a name that deserved such exaggerated compliments.
‘Hmm...’
Still, Jinwoo felt... kind of good.
Praise from Arsilan natives always felt heavy, because it came with a sense of responsibility. But the flattery from the heroes? That, he could simply enjoy.
With a smile on his lips, Jinwoo put on the captain’s hat.
It seemed like it wouldn’t suit his cleric outfit, but once he put it on, it looked surprisingly fitting.
“Let’s set out on a romantic and comfortable adventure!”
And Jinwoo would truly make it that way!
***
The fleets of many expedition teams departed. In their rush to be the first, they all launched as soon as their preparations were complete. The sight of dozens of ships crossing the desert was a grand spectacle that could only be seen in Arsilan Saga.
“Comfortable nim, when do we depart?”
All of Arsilan’s expedition teams had already set off toward the desert, but Jinwoo still hadn’t moved his ship.
“We’ll just follow slowly behind.”
“That’s true. We’re heading toward the shared coordinates anyway, so there’s no need to rush. We can travel comfortably.”
At Jinwoo’s words, HandGenius responded like that. There was no need to measure coordinates, just follow the fleets ahead.
“Let’s set off now.”
As soon as Jinwoo spoke, HandGenius activated the ship’s magic engine. Magic engine technology had rapidly developed recently. It showed quite stable output. The Comfortable Expedition Team’s ship followed behind the fleets at a leisurely pace.
The ship had been upgraded and was quite pleasant. There was space to lie down and rest, as well as areas to store plenty of treasure. There were ample supplies of alcohol and food too.
Uoooh!
Mummy soldiers, making zombie-like sounds, burst from the sand, but the dozens of ships simply passed right through them.
And it wasn’t just a simple pass-through.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga!
Flames shot out from both sides of the ship, burning all the surrounding mummy soldiers to ashes.
-Arsilan’s magic engineering is the strongest in the world!
-They really prepared a lot.
-Look at those mummy bastards burn ㅋㅋ so satisfying
The soldiers burned like dry firewood.
‘They look flustered, don’t they?’
The soldiers rushing toward the fleet suddenly flinched and hesitated. The Lord of Greed seemed flustered.
The Lord of Greed sought to ascend to the sky by feeding on greed and pain. The decisive element in that plan was none other than a mountain of treasure.
‘If they scrape it all away...’
All his plans would crumble.
Sensing danger, the Lord of Greed gathered his strength to create a sandstorm. With heroes swarming like a horde of starving locusts, the panicked Lord of Greed was now pouring out the divine power he had only just managed to recover.
“Kya! Now this is an adventure!”
“Ooh! A sandstorm!”
“Even natural disasters, now? Oh, Creator God!”
“A sand tsunami is coming! Hold on tight!”
From the fleets up ahead came shouts of admiration. Natural disasters and interruptions were merely events for entertainment.
‘He probably didn’t realize he could get smacked too when he struck first.’
And this was just the beginning.
They leisurely followed the fleets ahead. Before long, night had fallen over the desert, and the surroundings grew dark. The heroes spent their time comfortably, playing board games or logging into Arsilan Worlds.
“I’ll sing a song!”
Haebyul raised her hand and shouted.
A dark desert night.
Under the light of the lamps, Haebyul settled in with a guitar. The heroes paused what they were doing and looked toward her.
-I hate to admit it, but she sings pretty well.
-That guitar playing’s kind of fresh.
-Idol Haebyul, let's go!
As expected of a popular streamer, she seemed to sing well.
Jinwoo watched with interest.
Just as Haebyul began to strum the guitar and opened her mouth to sing.
“...Where is... the dream... of despair...?”
A strong singing voice echoed from far away, rendering Haebyul speechless. Thinking she had misheard, she cleared her throat and tried to sing again.
“Has the dream lost its light~. Off in search of love~!”
Again, that utterly awful singing voice rang out.
The lyrics were so cheesy they made everyones fingers curl. The performance was polished, which somehow made it even creepier.
“That wasn’t me.”
Haebyul instinctively said.
Of course, it wasn’t her singing.
The voice was coming from behind the ship. In the distance, a single light could be seen. It looked like a lantern, swaying as if it could go out at any moment.
HandGenius fired a flare toward the back.
The flare burst into light and shot into the sky. Jinwoo and the other heroes followed the arc of the light with their eyes.
“Huh?”
“What is that?”
The heroes were dumbstruck by the bizarre sight.
There was a lone rowboat. A rowboat with a magic engine attached. Around it swarmed mummy soldiers, pitch-black and dense.
The rowboat looked like it would sink at any moment. It seemed like the soldiers would trample it instantly. But the soldiers either froze mid-movement or tangled and fought among themselves.
On the rowboat stood a hero playing a guitar and singing. He was giving it his all, even putting on a flashy performance as if the soldiers were his audience.
“Haha! Thank you, everyone! So many fans have come to see me!”
He said this to the mummy soldiers who were raising their weapons.
Kreeeeehh!
The mummy soldiers opened their mouths wide and clung to the rowboat, trying to kill him.
“Thank you so much for your passionate support! I’ll sign autographs later! The next song is ‘A Lonely Meal’! I composed it while eating dinner alone in an empty restaurant!”
The song continued.
It didn’t suit Arsilan. No, it wouldn’t suit Earth either. Even the demons of hell would probably find it unbearable.
“Cold rice eaten alone~.”
Kreeeek!
Even the soldiers controlled by the Lord of Greed twisted their bodies in agony. Covering their ears was useless. It was a song that shook the soul.
The talent that had blossomed after coming to Arsilan was displaying terrifying power.
“Ah...”
“Mm...”
The heroes realized who was on that rowboat.
He was a named hero.
Of course, famous for bad reasons.
“U, uweeeehk!”
"Suddenly I'm, I'm seasick!"
Heroes who heard the song began vomiting over the side of the ship. Haebyul also covered her mouth, her face pale.
“Wh-why can I still hear it even with my ears plugged?!”
UruBear covered his ears, but the song was instead felt throughout his entire body, making it even more unbearable.
-Aaargh!
-Fuck! Stop it!
-Please, spare me!
-Muted.
Even Jinwoo’s mind went blank for a moment.
‘Hyung…?’
RomanticBard had grown far stronger than when Jinwoo had last seen him in Evanth. The debuff from ‘Song of Solitude’ was ranked C+. It was insane talent. The problem was that talent came in the form of a debuffer.
“I’ll blow him up with magic. I’ll kill him and go serve some time in jail.”
“No, I’ll shoot him down! If we just destroy the boat, it’ll just end with a fine.”
The mage prepared to fire a spell, and Haebyul drew her bow.
RomanticBard was sincerely singing for the soldiers. He was treating them as if they were his concert audience and giving it his all.
His trait allowed him to recover health and mana while singing. He wouldn’t get tired even if he sang all day.
This was exactly why RomanticBard wasn’t welcomed.
Haebyul aimed her arrow at the rowboat. The mage was already ready to cast.
“Wait a moment.”
Jinwoo stopped Haebyul and the mage.
During the days when fulfilling his promises had worn him down, his hyung had been the only one to comfort him. Seeing him so hated like this tugged at his heart.
Jinwoo opened his sacred spellbook.
Among the intermediate sacred techniques, there was a spell that could selectively block effects from a specific target. It was a C-rank sacred spell called ‘Baptism of Light’. Though difficult to use even among intermediate spells, it was still within Jinwoo’s ability.
Jinwoo cast ‘Baptism of Light’.
Particles of light rained down above the heroes’ heads, cutting off RomanticBard’s singing voice.
[Active Buff List]
* [C] Baptism of Light (3 hours)
RomanticBard’s song was completely muted.
Caster: Comfortable
As the buff activated, the bodies of the heroes glowed softly.
When the song was cut off, the heroes looked at Jinwoo with astonished expressions.
“Y-you really are Priest nim!”
“Wow, now that’s sacred magic!”
“C-rank buff? That’s insane!”
“He’s our Priest! That’s our Priest right there!”
The heroes rejoiced as if they’d just won the Great War. Haebyul and UruBear’s eyes glowed even more passionately as they looked at Jinwoo.
Jinwoo looked toward the mage.
“Mage nim, have you by any chance learned a sound amplification spell?”
“Oh! That? Yeah, I learned it. Used to use it a lot when doing part-time gigs.”
“Cast it on RomanticBard.”
Jinwoo pointed toward RomanticBard as he spoke. The mage’s face turned to one of horror.
“Huh? Uhh... That’s a terrible thing to do...”
“We’re immune, aren’t we?”
“T-that’s true.”
Barely reassured, the mage raised his hand toward RomanticBard. A magic circle formed in the air and fired toward him. RomanticBard’s singing became even louder and immensely amplified.
Kieeeek! Kek!
The heads of every soldier around the rowboat exploded on the spot.
Boom!
A few ships in the fleet ahead tilted drastically and collided with one another. Fortunately, none sank.
“Wow…”
“That’s a tactical weapon.”
-Now that’s a nuke!
-Holy shit ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ they all exploded to death
-Is that even magic?
-You need at least intermediate sacred buffs to survive this nuke, even as an ally…
The surrounding soldiers quickly burrowed back into the sand.
When Jinwoo instructed the ship to approach RomanticBard, HandGenius steered them that way. All the heroes clearly understood Jinwoo’s intention.
The ship stopped in front of RomanticBard.
Clap clap clap!
The heroes applauded.
“That was a song like a bomb.”
“Nice.”
“Truly… it was incredible.”
At the overwhelming praise, RomanticBard’s expression went blank.
Was this a dream?
He had the look of someone who simply couldn’t believe it. Then, realizing it was real, he burst into tears, overcome with emotion. Jinwoo reached out his hand to him.
“RomanticBard nim. Let’s go pillage together.”
“Sniff! Yes! Wahahaha! I finally have comrades…!”
At Jinwoo’s words, RomanticBard collapsed on the spot and sobbed.
A nuclear weap... no, a bard had been recruited into the expedition team.

.
!
Chapter 90: Comfortable Expedition Team (1)