The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game-Chapter 131: Karma (3)

The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game-Chapter 131: Karma (3)

Translator: Dreamscribe
‘Empress of Vengeance’ was content Jinwoo had been planning ever since acquiring the underground labyrinth. The best-case scenario was for the Heroes to build their own army and march toward the Empire of Evil, but that would require a lot of time and effort.
Jinwoo intended to create immersive content that would lead the Heroes to participate naturally.
For this update, there wasn’t much Jinwoo had personally prepared.
When he went to check on Airi in preparation for the update, he found that things were already mostly in place. The domain had expanded massively, and the Duke’s castle had been remodeled into a royal palace for her.
Perhaps due to rumors, many nobles had escaped from the Empire of Evil and pledged themselves to Airi. Jinwoo thought that although Airi was competent, she had a soft heart and wouldn’t be able to treat them harshly.
‘I should help her maintain her footing for now.’
With that thought, he entered the castle, but the scene he saw was different from what he expected. Airi was sitting on the throne with an expressionless face. To Jinwoo, she just seemed dazed, but the nobles around her didn’t appear to think so.
Rattle rattle rattle!
Countless nobles were kneeling with their heads to the ground, trembling violently. None of them dared to look up at Airi. Jinwoo observed the situation for a moment before revealing himself in front of Airi.
“You’re doing well.”
As soon as Jinwoo arrived, life returned to Airi’s previously unfocused gaze. Her face lit up with a bright smile.
“How dare you!”
“Do you know where you are, you barbarian!”
“Knights! Strike that man down at once!”
The nobles jumped to their feet, yelling as if competing for her loyalty. They were all criminals who had lived well in the Empire of Evil.
Though they had failed to gain the favor of the Lord of Greed and therefore hadn’t been granted authority, the fact remained that they had betrayed Arsilan. Regardless of the size of their sins, they were still guilty.
While Arsilan suffered, they had indulged in every pleasure the world had to offer within this enormous breeding ground. Their bodies had grown plump, simply waiting for the day they would be devoured by the Lord of Greed.
With a snap of Jinwoo’s fingers, all the surrounding nobles were transported to the lowest floor of the underground labyrinth.
Jinwoo (Aren): Astel, I’ve sent the sinners. They’re needed for the content, so handle them accordingly.
Astel (Archangel): Yes! I’ll do my best.
Jinwoo left the lowest level of the underground labyrinth to the staff members who were growing anxious due to the lack of large-scale projects like the underwater city or the final battlefield. Their role was to torture the sinners who were dropped there or to guide the tormented souls to the Soul Gate.
The staff diligently and relentlessly tortured the sinners, gradually turning the underground labyrinth into a true hell. Jinwoo had taken a quick look, and the lowest floor had already grown larger than the labyrinth itself.
It seemed they were creating multiple layers of hell.
‘It should be fine.’
In any case, it was good that the staff had a new space where they could keep working.
Jinwoo sat beside Airi and spent some time with her. She calmly recounted everything that had happened so far, and they talked about the books she’d been reading lately.
“Thank you.”
“Hm?”
“For saving me, a demon, and accepting me.”
Caught off guard by her sudden words, Jinwoo let out a small chuckle.
“Do you know why Ella and Hanu didn’t eliminate the Demon King?”
“Why?”
“When I went to the Demon Realm, I saw there wasn’t much difference. They were just born in Arsilan and split off later. In the end, they’re still Arsilanians.”
There had been various conflicts, but they had been settled well.
Ella had acknowledged that the demons were also Arsilanians, and Jinwoo felt the same way. Of course, even if they hadn’t been Arsilanians, Jinwoo would have still saved the demons.
“Anyway, your role is important.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Jinwoo handed Airi the lorebook Tia had written. It contained the backstory of the Empress. As soon as she received it, Airi eagerly began to read. Though Airi’s acting skills weren’t particularly good, Jinwoo thought it would be passable with the help of illusion magic.
“I’ll connect you to the Magic Tower. Just do it without pressure.”
Jinwoo placed his hand on Airi’s shoulder to connect her to the Magic Tower. At that moment, a white spark flew, and part of Jinwoo’s magic power was drawn into her.
“Hm?”
Airi trembled. Slowly, her gaze changed, and a seductive smile formed on her lips. For some reason, the authority of the Succubus Queen was awakening. Her physical form also transformed into an even more alluring appearance.
Crossing her legs, Airi looked at the lorebook.
“I like this setting.”
“R-really? That’s good.”
“I’ll do it properly. After all, I’m a succubus who does everything well.”
“…Reassuring.”
Airi, now in full serious mode, performed so well she didn’t even need assistance with her acting. No, she had become the Empress from the lorebook itself.
‘Succubi usually play many roles in dreams, after all…’
With the authority of the Succubus Queen awakened, Airi could be considered the pinnacle of method acting. Jinwoo fell into thought for a moment. Since it had come to this, why not use her authority to create a video?
“Airi, do you mind if I borrow your power for a bit?”
“Of course, Master.”
Jinwoo was flustered by her calling him ‘Master’, but in any case, he borrowed her authority and began working. Once Tia and Tiris joined in to help, a video far better than his original concept came to life.
After some time, Jinwoo summoned the nobles he had sent to the underground labyrinth. Having come to understand their fate, they obediently followed his orders.
Ssshhk!
Airi looked at the nobles and smiled suggestively. The moment she pulled out her whip, Jinwoo took a step back.
“…Well then, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes, I’ll make sure to turn these lowly mutts into something useful.”
Crack!
As Airi whipped the nobles, they groaned and twisted their bodies in pain. Jinwoo teleported away from the scene.
‘Is it okay to leave her like that?’
Once the authority of the Succubus Queen settled down, Airi would surely become overwhelmed with embarrassment and lock herself in her room.
‘Hmm.’
It seemed best to maintain her current state until the episode wrapped up.
Anyway, with this, the Empress of Vengeance content was ready, and Jinwoo could update it at just the right moment.
* * *
Jinwoo returned to FS Games.
The situation room at FS Games had been perfectly set up to monitor the Heroes’ reactions.
The employees of FS Games all looked relieved.
When the Divine Punishment Quest was released, some concerns arose that FS Games might be rushing updates due to the GN incident. On top of that, self-proclaimed “experts” jumped on the bandwagon to criticize them.
“FS Games, the carefully built tower could collapse.”
“Now is the time to respect the diversity we offer. Why are there only beautiful men and women in Arsilan?”
“How Arsilan Saga can be enriched even further.”
“Why censorship is necessary in Arsilan Saga.”
All sorts of experts praised and worshipped GN. That was because GN had listened well to the demands of various organizations in order to secure investment. But after GN was dismantled, perhaps out of urgency, those same forces turned their attention to FS Games and started interfering.
Naturally, the Heroes didn’t welcome such meddling. It threatened the core identity of Arsilan Saga.
Jinwoo left a short message on Arsilan Worlds.
‘FS Games exists to provide Heroes with emotion, romance, and enjoyment. We will only do what is best for the Heroes.’
And with that message, Jinwoo initiated the update.
He brought up the teaser video in the situation room. Though the video had been uploaded, it hadn’t been made public yet.
[Empress of Vengeance]
15 minutes until video release!
(Recommended to access Arsilan or wear Soul Link)
It was currently on standby for release.
The teaser video for Empress of Vengeance was unlike other teaser videos. It would be more accurate to call it her story rather than a teaser.
Thanks to Airi’s excellent acting, there wasn’t a single part worth cutting, so Jinwoo made the video long.
“10 minutes until the video goes live!”
“We’ll now open the chat window!”
A chat feature was added so Heroes could communicate as they watched the video.
-Oh!
-Something feels different? Doesn’t seem like a typical teaser video.
-Wow! The video hasn’t even started, but already 8.31 million viewers?!
-I’m doing the Divine Punishment Quest right now, what is this?
-Is something big coming?
-Praise the Creator God! Long live the Creator God!
The Heroes were buzzing with excitement. Fulfilling those expectations wouldn’t be easy, but Jinwoo was confident. This wasn’t just an ordinary video.
If they accessed Arsilan Saga or wore a Soul Link while watching, they could enter the video and experience it directly.
As the release time approached, the situation room dimmed the lights and activated the hologram player. The staff’s eyes were full of anticipation. Only Han Yong-seon and the team leads had seen the video beforehand, this would be the first time for the others.
“The video is starting!”
At last, the video went public.
As screams echoed, the atmosphere in the situation room changed. The staff members trembled. That sound felt all too real.
The devastated land of Arsilan appeared. A black swamp of Erosion surged forward, devouring people as it spread.
A woman, her body covered in wounds, was leading the people.
She had once been a noble, but had long lost her luxurious appearance. She didn’t care about such things anymore. She was doing everything she could to evacuate her family and the people of her domain.
“If we can reach the Duchy of Mord, we’ll be able to make it safely to the fortress wall where the Giants are holding out!”
She encouraged everyone.
But her expression only grew darker.
The number of Erosion forces pouring in was overwhelming. The air was so polluted it felt like their lungs were hardening, it was painful just to breathe. Even fleeing was no easy task.
Together with her knights, she fought desperately, doing everything she could to protect her family and domain citizens. She lost one eye, and her body was burning up, but she didn’t even bother wrapping herself in bandages. She just kept fighting.
Heroes who were watching through Arsilan or wearing Soul Link trembled.
Their viewpoint lowered.
Their arms and legs had shortened.
Before they knew it, the Heroes had become her younger sister. They couldn’t move their bodies, but everything felt vivid. It felt as though they had been possessed.
-Ugh, I can feel the touch!
-Something about this feels really strange.
-Creator God, what kind of technology is this now?
It was a video made by using the authority of Airi, the Succubus Queen. It went beyond illusion magic, it was a power of dreams. Not only physical sensations but emotions could be felt, making immersion inevitable.
For those watching through smartphones or PCs, a different version of the video was provided, but even so, they could feel a portion of the experience.
“Unnie…, your wounds….”
“I’m fine. Mary, you’re not hurt, right?”
The Heroes had become Mary.
They saw what Mary saw, and the emotions she felt were transmitted as-is.
-Unnie! That’s my unnie!
-Uwaaaah! This is heartbreaking!
-Erosion, you bastard!
-Mary wouldn’t curse! Erosion, you fucking bastard!
The Heroes were completely immersed in Mary.
“We see the Duchy of Mord!”
“Waaah! We’re saved now!”
As the Duchy of Mord came into view, the citizens of the domain cheered.
The Duke of Mord had gathered everyone within the duchy.
From there, they planned to head to the fortress wall protected by the Giants. That was because they had heard that Prince Leon was fighting desperately to protect the people of Arsilan.
“Unnie, are we going to survive now?”
At Mary’s question, she hugged Mary tightly.
“Of course. We’re going to Prince Leon. He’ll protect us with the Holy Sword.”
“Yaaay!”
Mary rejoiced in her sister’s embrace.
-Is this… during the Final Battlefield era?
-Ah… there’s no hope, no dream left.
-Unnie! You have to run!
-Uwaaaah! I can’t even speak!
The Heroes, immersed in Mary, tried to call out to her sister, but they couldn’t. They were only able to experience everything from Mary’s perspective.
Knights were dying one by one. No, to say they were ‘dying’ was too kind. The most loyal knight who had followed her became corrupted and rose again, as a Death Knight.
-Run!
-Aaargh! Erosion you fucking piece of shit!
-We’re almost there!
They barely made it inside the Duchy of Mord.
But something was off about the atmosphere in the Duchy of Mord. Even though the Erosion was advancing, it was eerily quiet. It even felt peaceful.
“What is this?”
She and the citizens were bewildered.
There was no one inside the city, and only an eerie song could be heard.
“Duke?”
In the city center, the Duke and the nobles were doing something. As she got closer to take a look, they were immersing themselves in the Erosion as though they were receiving some kind of baptism.
That eerie song.
It wasn’t a song.
It was a scream, grotesquely distorted by the violent wind. It was the scream of all the duchy’s citizens, devoured by Erosion, echoing throughout the city.
“This is insane! Run, now…!”
She shouted, but the forces of Erosion had already surrounded them.
The citizens were seized by the Duke’s soldiers and dragged away, thrown carelessly into the massive swamp of Erosion in the city center.
“Welcome.”
The Duke of Mord and the nobles following him looked at her with a vile grin.
“You’ve brought many offerings. Excellent!”
“What are you doing?! Why are you… embracing Erosion?!”
“Do you really believe that Prince Leon can save Arsilan? What could a mere boy, not even a grown man, possibly do with a Holy Sword?”
The Holy Sword was the light of hope.
She had been desperately struggling toward hope. Duke Mord trampled that hope without mercy.
“You should follow the tide, shouldn’t you? That’s the most basic rule of politics.”
Duke Mord spread his arms with leisure as he said that. His arms were twisting and transforming. His face had already turned into that of a monster, and his body was gradually growing grotesquely large.
“Traitor! You will be struck down by divine punishment!”
“Divine punishment? Hahaha! Ella, that woman seems busy these days, doesn’t she? You’re quite pretty, so I’ll make you my personal slave!”
Thud!
Duke Mord approached and kicked her. After so many battles, she no longer had the strength to lift herself.
As Duke Mord drew closer to her, Mary spread her arms and stood in front of him.
“Oh, you’ve grown quite a bit.”
-Ugh!
-Fuck!
-This is horrific.
Duke Mord patted Mary on the head. Then, grabbing her by the neck, he carried her toward the swamp of Erosion.
The heroes’ viewpoint changed.
“No, stop!”
Now, instead of Mary’s view, it was her own. She looked at Duke Mord and Mary.
Crawling along the ground, she reached out toward Duke Mord, but he simply smiled triumphantly and lifted Mary’s body over the swamp of Erosion.
“P-Please, I’m begging you, I don’t care what happens to me, just please…!”
Duke Mord shrugged his shoulders.
“Why should I?”
Ignoring her desperate plea, Duke Mord let go. As Mary fell into the swamp of Erosion, she screamed and lunged toward him. But she could barely stumble, she couldn’t even walk properly.
“I’ll never forgive you… I’ll tear you apart, piece by piece!”
Duke Mord grabbed her, who was raging and screaming, and dragged her away before throwing her into the swamp of Erosion.
In that moment, her vision was dyed in black.
Everything slowly began to blur and fade. Buried in the darkness, she reached out, trying to grab hold of something, but it all slipped away. Warm memories with Mary, her family, the smiling faces of her happy citizens, all of it vanished as if disintegrating.
When she rose from the Erosion, she had become a slave.
-Ah…
-This is too cruel.
“Hic….”
“Sob.”
Not just the Heroes, but even the FS Games staff watching through the hologram shed tears. It felt as though they had just woken up from a vivid nightmare.
The video moved into its second half. In this part, the immersive possession feeling was gone, it was more of a spectator’s perspective.
She had lived as a slave under Duke Mord for many long years, suffering abuse. She had lost her identity, her will, and was nothing more than the Duke’s plaything. That life would likely continue forever.
But then, something unexpected happened.
The screen shifted to the Giant Realm.
Heroes were shown battling the Dark Priest.
-Oh, it’s the advance team.
-That was a fun time.
-Yeah.
The chat reactions were calm. They were still caught up in the lingering emotions. When the Dark Priest was defeated and began to vanish.
Flash!
Light burst into the vision of the woman who had been a slave.
Light appeared in the darkness that had clouded her sight, and she began to see her surroundings again. Her will returned, and the hazy memories came flooding back.
She clenched her fist.
Grief and rage surged through her, flooding her soul and leaving no room for any other thoughts.
Kill, kill, and kill again.
She would exact her revenge in the most horrific way possible.
Was it because of those dark emotions?
A storm of black energy surged before her, and the nearly dead Dark Priest appeared.
“Ghhhk! Slave! Give me your body! Give me your soul! Now!”
The Dark Priest, seeing her, screamed in desperation.
He reached out to her with a face that had just glimpsed hope.
Hope?
Her expression twisted. She had nothing left. She was just an empty shell moving on rage.
She grabbed a gardening sickle beside her. Without hesitation, she approached and swung it wildly at the Dark Priest. Then, she split open his chest, pulled out his heart, and devoured it on the spot.
“You think a worm like you can handle the darkness?”
The Dark Priest sneered at her.
The power of darkness tried to drag her back into the void, but she resisted. The unrelenting fury rising within her kept her mind from collapsing. Rather, the power of darkness burned even more fiercely, using her rage as fuel.
“H-How… how is my power…! Aaaaaargh!”
Darkness surged, and everything of the Dark Priest was absorbed into her.
The darkness now belonged to her.
When she extended her hand, all those who had been corrupted became her slaves.
Step. Step.
She walked toward Duke Mord.
“P-P-Please, have mercy…!”
The moment Duke Mord saw her, he trembled all over and tried to flee. But when she reached out, his body was pulled toward her.
“Why should I?”
With an expressionless face, she tore Duke Mord’s body to pieces.
She didn’t kill him.
Now a mangled wreck, the Duke was kept alive and put on display in the garden.
-Wow…
-That was satisfying!
-That’s it! That fucking bastard!
The scene changed again.
She sat on the throne, and countless nobles who had become her slaves couldn’t even lift their heads, their foreheads pressed to the floor.
She burned her own soul with the power of darkness to forge a crown. When she placed it on her head, her soul began to rapidly collapse, but she did not stop.
“I was once a human of Arsilan.”
A human who had wished for peace.
“My retainers fell because of my incompetence, and the knights perished due to my weakness. I couldn’t even protect my family, let alone my people.”
She had harbored vague hopes.
Because of that helplessness and weakness, she lost everything.
“Let the power of darkness consume everything I am. Even if I am buried in eternal agony for turning my back on the light, I don’t care. If I can bring the same pain upon them, I’ll fall into hell without a second thought.”
She despises the Lord of Greed who stole everything.
She rose from her seat.
“And so, I am vengeance.”
Crrrk!
At her declaration, countless soldiers rose up, breaking through the ground. The soldiers knelt, driving their weapons into the earth and bowing their heads.
Enshrouded in darkness, she had become the Empress of Vengeance.
“Give us your command!”
At the soldiers’ cry, the Empress raised the same scythe that had butchered the Dark Priest.
“Send them all to hell!”
Darkness wrapped around the scythe, turning it into the reaper’s blade that reaped the lives of the corrupted.
“Leave no one behind!”
The moment the Empress turned her gaze toward the Empire of Evil, the video ended.
Silence fell over the situation room.
Even the chat window stopped for a moment.
“Wow!”
“Damn! That was insane!”
-Ooooooh!
-So we broke her mind control by defeating the Dark Priest!
-Whoa! This was the real reward for killing the Dark Priest!
-What even is that level of storytelling?
-Now we’re not just watching, there’s possession in VR. That’s next-level tech.
-The Dark Priest’s power now belongs to unni!
-The Empress unnie!!!
-That’s our unnie!
-Our unnie! That’s our unnie!
Some Heroes still hadn’t snapped out of the immersion. That was a minor side effect, but Airi’s authority had worked incredibly well.
“Unnie!!”
When Han Yong-seon shouted that, everyone turned to look at him.
“Ahem…”
Realizing what he’d just done, Han Yong-seon cleared his throat and averted his gaze.
The experience-style video, which felt just like a vivid dream, created a massive stir. Many Heroes watched it over and over again. And they felt a strong sense of pride for having defeated the Dark Priest and released her from her chains.
This was the Arsilan they were building together!
*****
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Chapter 131: Karma (3)