The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game-Chapter 19.1: Early Access (5)
Translator: Dreamscribe
Jinwoo looked at the Magic Barrier.
Rainsword was the last to the remaining land of Arsilan, and the Magic Barrier was enveloping the entire Rainsword, protecting it from the Erosion. If the Magic Barrier were to collapse, Rainsword would not be able to withstand.
That meant...
'The destruction of Arsilan.'
Destruction by Erosion wasn’t simply a matter of vanishing. It wasn’t just plain annihilation.
Sssrk!
Jinwoo passed through the Magic Barrier and stepped outside.
The Erosion blocking the front of Evanth.
Among the lands taken over by Erosion, this place had the lowest concentration of it.
If Erosion were the sea, then this place was like a shallow beach. If Jinwoo tried, he could eliminate the core here. But it would be difficult to maintain. Before he could even expand the Magic Barrier, the Erosion rushing in from all sides would devour it.
As he entered the land of Erosion, his body felt heavier.
The sunlight was strangely refracted, dyeing the sky red. It was a sickening color that made it feel like blood might start pouring down at any moment.
A world full of nothing but hostility.
Everything in sight was twisted grotesquely by Erosion. Trees were shriveled up, and flowers crumbled into dust without strength.
“Still such a unpleasant place.”
A sense of discomfort swept over his entire body, as if he had stepped into thick jelly filled with bugs.
Jinwoo rotated his arm as if warming up, then raised his hand while looking straight ahead.
A blue light shimmered, and a small Magic Circle appeared.
He grabbed the Magic Circle with his hand and twisted it.
Fwaat!
With a burst of blue light, magical formulas erupted and colored everything in front of him. The precisely crafted Magic Circle looked just like a giant door.
If one was visiting, it was proper etiquette to say hello.
Of course, before that, one needed to ring the doorbell or knock.
“Ding...”
Jinwoo clenched his fist.
From the tightly clenched fist, massive Magic Power surged. The condensed Magic Power that distorted even space was a realm no one but an Archmage could imitate.
Grkkrk!
The ground cracked, and the sky disappeared.
The solid earth melted helplessly, becoming a bubbling liquid, and the sky, as if it had crashed to the ground, swirled into a storm right in front of his eyes.
Just like a sea parting, the melted land was pushed aside to both sides.
That was merely the prelude to the spell.
Jinwoo struck the giant door made of Magic Circles with his fist.
“...Dong!”
Clang! Krrraaaang!
The Magic Circle burst apart, and a massive flame spewed out.
Was this what a stellar wind released by a brilliant star looked like?
A storm of fire and wind filled the front, annihilating everything in a straight line.
It surged forward as if to reach the end of the horizon.
It was the 'Doorbell' spell developed by Jinwoo.
Think of it as a doorbell announcing a visit.
The Doorbell spell created a massive canyon. It had swept away everything in front of it.
But the space rippled and then returned to its original state.
"So you've come."
Jinwoo stared straight ahead.
Grgrg!
The sticky air ominously wavered.
From a far distance, a sinister noise echoed.
[Ahh! This wretched smell of soul..., Mage..., hehehe, you’ve finally come to offer your soul.]
The master of Erosion that had devoured this entire area.
The being possessing the core of Erosion mocked Jinwoo.
[Ah! I can hear it! The sound of your disciple calling your name and crying out for futile salvation, the sound of your comrades screaming and cursing you!]
The ridicule and criticism poured at him on Earth were nothing compared to this. That voice of Erosion had gnawed away at Jinwoo for a hundred years.
If you die in the land of Erosion, your soul becomes corrupted and turns into a monster. The races that were once classified as monsters were no different.
[The priest who cried out Ella’s name, the noble paladin, they all fell and became slaves. They shall scream as they are tortured at the end of that Erosion for an eternity. Until their souls are torn to shreds and corrupted.]
And the people of Arsilan, the comrades who were with him, were the same.
"......"
That was so.
This wasn't a simple extinction. They would be tortured until they were swallowed by Erosion and corrupted, and once corrupted, they would become slaves unable to escape from that core.
That was why he had to fight alone.
It was an incredibly lonely and solitary battle, and he ultimately lost.
The space rippled once more.
[Accept your fate. You’ve already lost. How long do you think that pathetic barrier will protect you? Ah! You writhing like that looks just like a worm!]
Your defeat is inevitable.
It is fate.
That’s what the thing was saying.
Pfft!
Jinwoo couldn't help but laugh.
[What’s so funny?]
“No matter how much you go on about it, you can’t even move from there anyway.”
The master of Erosion who possessed the core typically couldn’t move away from the center of their land. If they had devoured a great expanse and their rank had risen, maybe they could, but that didn’t apply to this one.
For the first time, Jinwoo felt delighted hearing the voice of Erosion.
While listening to that voice, Jinwoo moved further inward.
A foul stench wafted from nearby.
He spotted a monster consumed by Erosion.
Kieeeek!
It was a Goblin, originally meant to have a small body. Even Goblins, monsters that had once existed in Arsilan, had been devoured and corrupted by Erosion.
[Lv.10] Corrupted Goblin
A Goblin consumed by Erosion.
Fully corrupted and full of hatred toward all living things.
The Magic Tower had assessed the danger level of Goblins and expressed it in levels.
Its small body had grown larger, and its green skin had turned a purplish hue. Sharp teeth pierced through its lips like ivory tusks, and from the rusty weapon in its hand, a vicious energy emanated.
A monster corrupted by Erosion.
It was no longer a living being.
When killed, it simply turned to ash.
It was nothing more than a completely subjugated slave whose life force and soul had both been stolen by the core. It was a being that could be replicated anytime once the core’s power was charged.
[It’s useless. Meaningless. There is nothing you can do.]
Even if this place were wiped clean with powerful magic, it would return to its original state after some time. That applied not only to monsters subjugated by the core but also to the entire environment.
Erosion created a hostile environment for the people of Arsilan, forcing them to fight under disadvantageous conditions. That was why every race in Arsilan had suffered continued defeat and lost most of their territory.
Despair that could not be overcome.
The doom that was drawing near.
“That’s right.”
Jinwoo acknowledged it outright.
“On my own, that’s true.”
Erosion couldn’t understand Jinwoo’s words at all.
Jinwoo looked at the corrupted Goblin village.
It was a fairly large village, composed of around 200 members.
“Just perfect.”
Perfect material for the growth of the Heroes.
After Early Access began, Jinwoo had placed Goblin-shaped monsters in the forest.
They were fakes created with magic. Puppets controlled by the Magic Tower, and he had named them ‘Normal Monsters’. The Heroes first needed to become familiar with Goblins.
It seemed like now was the time to proceed to the next phase.
[I will devour everything of yours. I’ll savor their screams as I slowly sever your disciples from head to toe.]
“Hm.”
When Jinwoo snapped his fingers, Magic Circles were drawn all over the Goblin village. They were Teleportation Magic Circles.
He planned to rip up the entire village and drop it into the forest.
The only time something could pass through the Magic Barrier was when Jinwoo allowed it. Even if it got torn out like this, it would soon regenerate exactly the same thanks to the core’s power.
A hunting ground to tear apart and savor endlessly!
‘What a perfect hunting ground this is!’
Jinwoo’s gaze sank low.
A twisted smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
“I’m just going to borrow this for a bit.”
[What are you scheming?]
“Refill it later. You’ve got nothing better to do anyway.”
For the first time, Erosion was confused.
“Ah!”
Jinwoo was about to go into the Magic Barrier but paused and looked back. He had almost forgotten to tell that bastard the “role” it had to play.
“Congratulations. You're now the mid-boss of Episode 1 of the main quest in Arsilan Saga.”
Jinwoo leaned his back against the Magic Barrier.
“I’ll even pay you in advance. Make sure you take it well.”
Jinwoo clenched his fist.
Was there something in his fist?
The moment he felt the Erosion Core focusing intently on it.
Sssrk!
Jinwoo’s middle finger rose.
This was the best reward he could offer to the Erosion Core.
As he stepped backward into the Magic Barrier, his body sank into it.
[...How dare you...!]
That's how he maintained his middle finger until the very end as he disappeared beyond the Magic Barrier.
.
!
Chapter 19.1: Early Access (5)
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