The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game-Chapter 95: Offline? (1)

The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game-Chapter 95: Offline? (1)

Translator: Dreamscribe
For the Heroes, the Empire of Evil was a lawless land where everything was permitted.
The nobles and ruling class of the Empire of Evil mostly had bloated physiques that resembled monsters, and their soldiers were so close to mummies that they looked like another race. The more greed accumulated in their souls, the more they showed such appearances. Both in terms of appearance and in-game setting, they were corrupted and mutated beings, so it was fair to consider them as another race.
In just two weeks, over hundreds of thousands of Heroes had entered Episode 3. It was a much faster pace than expected.
Although this number was extremely small in perspective of the entire Empire of Evil, the power and potential each Hero possessed were tremendous.
From the enemy’s point of view, they were disasters incarnate.
Cities and villages bordering the desert were completely devastated. The treasures offered by the Heroes were stored in the Soul Gate, and after absorbing the energy of Erosion and power imbued in the treasures, they were sent to the warehouse.
‘This is truly automatic hunting.’
Even without doing anything, the Soul Gate was being filled with power. Jinwoo was slowly stealing the strength built up by the Lord of Greed through the Heroes.
“A new Domain has been created!”
"Oh, that's already the fourth one."
Jinwoo was in FS Games’ control room, checking various indicators.
Including Romance, four Domains had been established.
Even without Jinwoo adding any extra content, the Empire of Evil itself became content. Routes were connected between each Domain, and trade ships actively came and went. Many Heroes even specialized entirely in sailing.
Whatever one did, it was free. Just by pursuing fun, the Heroes greatly helped Arsilan.
Arsilan Saga was a game available only to adults.
The adult content that was supposed to be added in Episode 1 had been delayed until Episode 3. It was postponed due to various regulations and the need to coordinate with the circumstances of multiple countries.
There had been a movement in several Korean organizations to impose restrictions, but it was quietly buried. The number of Heroes was simply too large for such minor public opinion to sway anything. Arsilan Saga had now grown far too massive to be limited by regulation.
Finally, adult content that could be engaged in with consent in Safe Zones was added. At the same time, various paid items were released, and the stat “Libido” was added to the system.
“Adult content revenue is... truly incredible.”
“It easily surpassed the sales of the Platinum Coin Shop.”
As soon as various paid items for adult content were released, sales exploded. Even with relatively high prices, they sold very well.
Arsilan Worlds was also heated with talk related to this. Jinwoo checked the responses on Arsilan Worlds.
Title: Found an effective Libido Potion.
Right now in Arsilan, everyone's going crazy trying to get green horn eels, acid poison snakes, and lake carp, right? The competition is too fierce and the prices have risen more than ten times, so it'll be hard to get them.
While researching alchemy, I created a potion with libido-boosting effects.
[E+]Throbbing Potion
An unknown power surges forth.
*Health, Libido +3
*Effect duration: 3 hours
I've shared it in my workshop, so subscribe right away and try making it.
The essential ingredients are Orto fruit that comes from beyond the desert and Neshu spice. They say it doesn’t grow in Arsilan due to climate, but apparently it’s abundant in Romance.
Anonymous1(KR): You’re a hero of Arsilan!
Anonymous2(US): Bless the great Hero!
Anonymous3(JP): Take my money! Subscribed right away!
└Sage’sKidneyStone (Author): Thank you! You’ve grown stronger! Rise up!
Anonymous4(EN): Buying Orto and Neshu in bulk.
Anonymous5(FR): Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
└Sage’sKidneyStone (Author): Enjoy to your heart’s content.
This was one of the main reasons why the number of Heroes crossing the desert had increased. Currently, demand for Neshu and Orto was exploding, and trade ships were moving actively.
Ingredients in Arsilan that affected the Libido stat were drying up. Even though the staff was working hard to distribute them, supply couldn’t keep up with demand.
Jinwoo nodded.
‘You guys..., you were really holding back a lot.’
Heroes were truly sacred.
Aside from the adult content, the most attention-grabbing content right now was the Underground Labyrinth. The city deep within had heard word of the invasion and was now heavily fortified. It had become difficult to conquer even with an expeditionary unit, but since rare treasures could be found in the Underground Labyrinth, many Heroes were gathering there.
Most of all, soloing and party hunting were both possible, so Heroes who weren't fond of invasion, occupation, or plundering could enjoy it without pressure.
The Underground Labyrinth stirred the spirit of adventure in the Heroes.
From the perspective of the Lord of Greed, it was like immortal insects entering his mouth and cutting his teeth and gums. The defensive mechanisms hastily activated by the Lord of Greed only created an even more impressive labyrinth.
The structures created to feed off the pain of slaves also turned into very entertaining traps.
‘Wow, the response changes based on the number of people.’
‘Found a hole leading to the second floor, but missed it right in front of my eyes.’
‘Only tricky monsters appear. It feels like they’re reading my gear and reacting accordingly?’
‘The traps keep changing. Seriously, the design is insane. Praise the Creator God!’
‘The Underground Labyrinth... my dopamine...’
From a game design perspective, the structure was excellent. There were even aspects that Jinwoo hadn’t thought of himself.
The air vents dug open by the Lord of Greed to manifest his power had become paths leading downward, and the continuous traps that approached to kill the intruders provided great thrills to the Heroes.
The path leading further down in the Underground Labyrinth opened periodically.
It operated on a similar principle to the Lord of Greed trying to block his nose and mouth to stop the invasion, but eventually being unable to endure and opening his mouth, allowing the invaders in.
Up to this point, Jinwoo had thoroughly observed the Underground Labyrinth and uploaded it to the update log.
“Sir, some content not listed in the update log has appeared.”
“It was uploaded as a video... you should take a look.”
There was something Jinwoo hadn’t anticipated.
“Play the video.”
A video uploaded to Arsilan Worlds began playing on the situation room’s display. It was currently ranked in the best section.
A party of Heroes who had just reached level 50 and arrived at Romance was heading excitedly toward the Underground Labyrinth.
The party’s name was 'Lucky'. They had been together since their beginner days, and fortunately had acquired decent equipment and leveled up quickly with some help.
[The detail is insane.]
[Looks like they really put effort into this.]
From the stone stairs descending underground to the walls, horrific patterns were carved everywhere. Some passages even looked like they were entering the inside of an organ. At the end of the corridor, a wide-open space appeared.
There, many Heroes had gathered with excited expressions.
Grrrgggkkk!
The entire floor vibrated with a strange noise.
The Heroes of the Lucky party shivered as goosebumps rose. The expressions of the other Heroes on the screen looked like children waiting for a ride at an amusement park.
Thud!
[It opened!]
[Run!]
[Everyone, run! You have to get in before it closes!]
As the gap in the floor opened, Heroes leapt toward it. The Lucky party followed them.
Inside, it was dark. The Heroes in front of the Lucky party used Light Magic or pulled out lanterns.
[Oh? Is it your first time here?]
[Yes.]
A high-level Hero approached the Lucky party and grinned.
[There are a lot of traps here, so be careful. They're really malicious.]
[Really?]
[I'll guide you. Just trust me and follow.]
The high-level Hero was friendly.
At a fork in the path, the high-level Hero looked around expertly, then turned to the Lucky party with a refreshing smile.
[This way.]
He stepped confidently into the left corridor.
Swoosh! Slam!
Like a hammer crashing down, the ceiling dropped and crushed the high-level Hero on the spot. When the ceiling lifted again, the high-level Hero had completely vanished.
[......]
[......]
[Um....]
The Heroes of the Lucky party stood there with blank expressions for a moment.
[...Let’s mark this spot.]
[Yeah.]
The paid item "Light Pen" was taken out, and a message was carved onto the floor.
-This is a trap! Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely do not enter! If you go in here, you just die!-
They emphasized it several times.
When written with the Light Pen, the message lasted for three hours.
Originally, it was a paid item intended for drawing ads or pictures, but it was being used mainly in the Underground Labyrinth.
Another Hero party appeared behind the Lucky party and, upon seeing the message, smirked.
[So this is the path.]
[You can totally tell they’re trying to trick us. Ugh, look at that nasty attitude.]
[Strong denial is confirmation!]
Before the Lucky party Heroes could stop them, they went in that direction.
KWAANG!
They were flattened instantly.
[Um… I didn’t kill them, right?]
[Probably not.]
After a brief silence, the Lucky party Heroes proceeded into the labyrinth. A distorted-shaped monster appeared, and they barely managed to defeat it and move forward.
The walls began to close in to crush the Heroes, but luckily the Lucky party discovered a small tunnel and entered it.
[Huh?]
[What’s this?]
In the small room, there was a black, wavering crystal.
The moment Jinwoo saw it in the video, he recognized it as the still-unshaped Power of Greed. That was what would eventually transform into treasure and incite greed. The Lucky party Heroes grabbed it and immediately escaped using Hero’s Flower.
[Huh? This is changing.]
[Oh....]
Upon arriving at Romance, the black crystal was purified and shimmered in rainbow light. It had been transformed into an Arsilanized form by Jinwoo’s Power.
Only the pure power remained, and it began transforming into various forms. It shifted into weapons, accessories, or artworks, before finally settling into a beautiful staff.
[Oh! This is....]
[Like a random box!]
[Wow! A C-rank staff!]
The Heroes who witnessed the transformation were amazed, and the video ended.
The staff members at FS Games looked at Jinwoo with eyes full of admiration. They believed the genius who had implemented such a complex and sophisticated system was none other than their CEO, Lee Jinwoo.
‘Hmm....’
Jinwoo was both an Archmage and a game developer.
The additional content he had prepared had already been updated, but it had been overshadowed by the Underground Labyrinth.
His pride was slightly wounded.
‘Well, it’s something that consumes the enemy’s Power...’
It was still a good thing.
Han Yong-seon, who had been watching the video with him, spoke up.
“That definitely wasn’t in the update log.”
“I originally set it up to be added a little later, but it seems it got revealed early due to a bug. Maybe there was a glitch in the coding from the Research Lab.”
Jinwoo responded nonchalantly to Han Yong-seon’s comment.
“Ah! Sir, you did plan a random box a while ago, right? Is that what you implemented?”
“Hmm.”
“It fits perfectly with the Underground Labyrinth! So that’s why you put it on hold back then!”
“That’s... right.”
Jinwoo averted his gaze as he answered.
“Sir, are you going to retrieve that item?”
“No. I’ll contact the Research Lab to manage the situation. It’s okay to release it now. It’s not a big deal.”
“Aww, you’re being too modest. That’s like the core update of Episode 3. The response is already insane.”
“......”
Jinwoo returned to Arsilan, added various information, and adjusted the presentation.
[??]Small Crystal of Greed
A crystal infused with endless greed.
Once you escape the Underground Labyrinth and reach a Safe Zone, it is purified. The purified crystal transforms into a random item.
He added that item description. Depending on the magnitude of the Power contained in the crystal, the item’s name and description would differ. The presentation was also changed to resemble a proper random box. Like a slot machine spinning, it would flash different item forms before finalizing.
Jinwoo posted a patch notice.
[Emergency Patch Notice]
A bug has been discovered in which the 'Crystal of Greed', scheduled for release next week, was revealed early. It has been applied immediately without server maintenance. You can check the update details on Arsilan Worlds.
“Oh! So it was a bug!”
“When does the Creator God ever rest?”
"Buying Crystals of Greed in bulk! I'll kill anyone who tries to cut in line!"
Jinwoo had been resting quite well lately. As always, the Heroes praised Jinwoo after reading the notice. It felt a little unsettling, but in any case, it was a good thing.
‘I’ll need to try harder.’
That was Jinwoo’s resolution.
* * *
Lumina was a girl group enjoying massive popularity in Arsilan. Songs released in Arsilan reached number one on real-world charts, and the music videos filmed in Arsilan racked up countless views. They were performing well on international charts too. The saying that fame in Arsilan equated to international fame had become a reality.
Lumina rented an entire building in International City Marogo for use as their practice studio. Inside the building, it was filled with letters and gifts sent by fans.
“Finally!”
Lumina’s leader, Jung Se-rin, was filled with excitement.
Today, she was finally going to meet the CEO in Arsilan. Up until now, instructions had only come through the real world, but now that things seemed to be on track, their CEO had said she would be coming here.
What would she look like?
Jung Se-rin imagined the CEO’s appearance in Arsilan, thinking of the person she so deeply respected.
“Maybe she’s a Cleric?”
At the youngest member Harin’s comment, Jung Se-rin nodded. She was such a pure and elegant beauty that the Cleric class would suit her well. If she had become an actress, she would’ve made countless men’s hearts flutter.
“She’s probably really pretty! I bet she looks like a Saintess.”
“I’m excited.”
“I think it’d be nice to go to a cafe in Marogo with the CEO!”
“Oh! That fruit that came from across the desert... what was it again? Anyway, I heard the cake made from it is insanely good!”
Jung Se-rin and the members of Lumina smiled brightly as they chatted.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang.
“She must be here! I’ll go check.”
Jung Se-rin quickly ran over and opened the door.
“CEO..., nim...?”
Jung Se-rin froze when she saw the person standing in front of her.
There was a strong scent of blood.
Holding a bloodstained double-edged axe, the person glared at Jung Se-rin.
“Kyaaa!”
Jung Se-rin was so startled she ran back into the practice room.
Step! Step!
With heavy footsteps, the figure entered.
It was someone well known to both Jung Se-rin and Lumina’s members.
“N-NorthernGrandDuke!”
"Ahhh!"
“The number one ranked Hero...”
She was a Hero with a level of fame incomparable to Lumina’s.
NorthernGrandDuke looked at them.
“Pack your things.”
She spoke briefly.
“Huh?”
"Wh-why suddenly?"
“T-This is... i-illegal trespassing!”
The Lumina members gulped and timidly resisted. But when NorthernGrandDuke’s eyebrows twitched, they all cowered in fear.
“Kim Bok-ja, Park Se-ra, Kim Eun-young, Choi Sa-rang.”
As NorthernGrandDuke called out their real-world names, they froze on the spot. Jung Se-rin’s mouth dropped open. Kim Bok-ja was her name before she changed it.
“N-No way... C-C-CEO?”
Only the CEO knew her original name, Kim Bok-ja.
“You’re asking the obvious. Isn’t it clear just by looking?”
Jung Se-rin and the Lumina members all had blank expressions in response to NorthernGrandDuke’s reply.
“O-Of course! Surprise! It was a hidden camera prank!”
“We recognized you as the CEO-nim right away!”
“Only our CEO has this kind of pure charm!”
“How could anyone not recognize you! Hehehe!”
The Lumina members changed their attitude with lightning speed.
NorthernGrandDuke nodded in satisfaction.
“We’ll be boarding a ship. Get ready.”
The Lumina members hurried to prepare.
“Um... CEO-nim, what’s that?”
“A Grayhorn Bear I caught on the way here.”
NorthernGrandDuke placed the bear’s head, which she had been carrying on her back, down on the floor.
“I didn’t want to come empty-handed, so I brought this. Take it.”
It was indeed a valuable ingredient.
It was also known to be good for Libido.
Still, was it really a suitable gift for a girl group?
Jung Se-rin tightly shut her eyes and embraced the bear’s head in her arms.
“T-T-Thank you. I-I absolutely l-love it. It’s c-cute... yes.”
“Mm.”
The Lumina members shut their eyes tightly as they watched their leader’s sacrifice.
Truly, she was their leader!
* * *
It was the day of the Comfortable Expedition Team's offline gathering.
Jinwoo had told UruBear that he would think about it, but in truth, he hadn’t planned on attending. However, slander about the identity of the Priest "Comfortable" had started to spread little by little.
It was the kind of backlash that followed fame.
‘If he doesn’t show, it’s 100% because he’s a total loser.’
‘Probably some shut-in. Otherwise, how would a Priest get to that level?’
‘It’s obvious without even seeing him.’
‘I saw that Priest in a game room once, his manners were shit. Looked like he weighed over 200 kilos.’
Though these posts were blocked on Arsilan Worlds, they were circulating on other communities.
Even UruBear’s chatroom had become polluted. Those who had their Soul Link use suspended led the chaos, and the chatroom atmosphere got swept up in it.
Numerous baseless conspiracy theories were being born.
[I apologize. It’s entirely my fault that Comfortable-nim has been affected. I think it would be best to cancel this offline meeting. I truly apologize again.]
Even though the venue had been booked and many preparations had been made, UruBear was willing to take all the losses and cancel it.
Jinwoo thought for a moment, then replied to UruBear.
[I’ll participate.]
[Huh?]
[It’d be a waste of all your preparations. Besides, if we cancel like this, it’ll only make them louder.]
Jinwoo grinned.
The concept for his offline physical form had been decided.
*****
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Chapter 95: Offline? (1)