The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game

Chapter 257: Arsilan's Conspiracy (5)

Translator: DreamscribeThe reaction had been far too extreme to chalk up to mere flattery. How had this situation come about?

Wondering if the snack was something special, Jinwoo had tried it himself, but to him it tasted perfectly ordinary.

Recently, thanks to Arsilan Saga, Korea was doing insanely well. So much so that Korean-nationalist content was constantly popping up on Arsilan Worlds. At this point, it wouldn't be a stretch to say Korean had become the international common language.

Since connecting to Arsilan Saga forced a person to learn Korean, which in Arsilan was called the Arsilanian common tongue, the day when the world would be unified under Korean was not far off. On Arsilan Worlds, if Korean wasn't used, conversation was no longer possible.

At any rate, this snack had been released with Korean elements added to capitalize on that reflected benefit.

'Has the flavor gotten a bit richer?'

Changes occurred when items from Earth were brought into Arsilan.

The giant chickens and ducks seen all over Event lately were hatched from eggs brought over from Earth. They had grown to absurd sizes, easily surpassing level 50 just from growing up. At the time, he had assumed they had simply experienced overgrowth from absorbing mana. But it seemed there was something fundamentally different at work.

Until now, he had just let it slide.

Since it was good for Arsilan, he had not bothered making it an issue.

'Worth looking into.'

He recalled the things NorthernGrandDuke had handed to the Avatar and his companions. The moment they had consumed the water or food, they had shown a reaction similar to Erosion, and they had all become devotees of the Constellation. The sight of them weeping profusely came to mind.

He pulled up an information window and examined their status.

[Just one sip and I'm not thirsty for a whole week….]

[Because it is Holy Water bestowed by the Constellation.]

[Aaah!]

Their condition was excellent.

The gaunt, skin-and-bones appearance from long periods without food had vanished completely. Their previously dry, flaky skin was now smooth, and they had filled out to a healthy weight. It was a dramatic change, as if they had been placed under some kind of spell.

'Faint, but Sacred Power has accumulated as well.'

Was that also an effect of the food?

It did not seem to be a result simply of believing in the Evil God.

All the faith directed at the Constellation was flowing into the Evil God. Believing in the Constellation did not in itself increase Sacred Power. They did worship the Evil God, but their faith in him was weaker than in the Constellation.

Jinwoo had taken several measures to carefully manage Earth items that had been released into the dimensional realm. He had prevented them from falling into others' hands and had cast spells so that they would be hidden away into Subspace if Erosion or Kalsus Dimensional Empire forces came near.

Jinwoo looked around.

"Fast."

The central planet of this territory where Jinwoo had appeared was rapidly being dyed with Erosion, and the aftershocks were spreading to the surrounding planets. A hole had been punched through the dimensional barrier of the Kalsus Dimensional Empire that had been sealing off the Fog Domain.

This place was now practically Jinwoo's.

"Blade of Terror! I too have brought rare things!"

"Things rarer than this must be few indeed!"

"Me too…!"

The Servants came rushing over.

Each one brought something that looked rare or valuable; the variety ran from gold, silver, treasures, resources, and food, all the way to mansions, military bases, warships, and military equipment. They carried their offerings very carefully to avoid damaging them.

Quests and rewards!

Perhaps experiencing this kind of joy for the first time, they were all brimming with excitement. Among their offerings, one thing stood out the most.

The trembling slaves. Though Erosion regarded them as trivial, they had scraped every last one together just in case.

"Good."

Jinwoo looked at the Servant who had brought the most slaves. That Servant seemed not to have expected anything, but upon receiving sudden praise, he flinched in shock and dropped to his knees.

Jinwoo took out a convenience store kimbap and bestowed it upon the Servant.

Trembling as though handling a precious treasure, the Servant carefully tore open the wrapper. He placed a single piece of kimbap cautiously in his mouth.

"Mmph! Th-this feeling…! Aaaah!"

He rolled around on the ground, feeling ecstasy so deep that his body nearly dissolved.

Beyond the taste, he seemed to be sensing something else. The other Servants swallowed hard, looking at him with envy.

"What does it feel like?"

When Jinwoo asked, the Servant, barely coming to his senses, managed to rise to his feet.

"A feeling of being filled from within…, this satisfaction, this sensation…, I have never felt anything like it before."

A feeling of being filled from within.

Jinwoo contemplated the Servant's insides.

Normally, the moment Erosion swallowed something, it was broken down and accumulated into whatever Authority or soul it possessed. That was the process of digestion.

They were always starving, and to fill that ceaseless hunger they devoured everything. Moving upward eased that hunger even slightly. It was why Servants wanted to become Higher Entities, and why Higher Entities wanted to awaken into godlike beings on par with Lords.

The reason they never let it show was that it was their 'weakness', and a powerful inhibition had been placed on them that prevented them from ever speaking of it.

'Satiety?'

What Erosion had momentarily felt.

The feeling of a belly being filled.

It was a satiety that Erosion could never feel. And that satiety worked on Erosion like a narcotic.

As the single piece of kimbap was digested and disappeared, the Servant reached for another with trembling hands but held himself back. Using his Authority, he stored the kimbap deep within his soul. He planned to savor it.

Jinwoo examined the slaves.

'I'll need to put on a convincing show first.'

Jinwoo nodded and extended his hand. Blue flames shot up around the slaves.

"N-no!"

"P-please, spare…."

"Aaagh!"

They all screamed in terror.

"I do rather like these kinds of screams. Are they not beautiful?"

The Servants glanced around hesitantly before nodding vigorously.

The blue flames engulfed the slaves.

To the Servants' eyes, the slaves were devoured by the flames and vanished. It would appear they had been reduced to screaming for all eternity. But what the slaves themselves saw was different.

Just before the flames swallowed them, a black current rose up and wrapped around their bodies. The form of the Evil God appeared before the slaves and blocked every flame.

"The Evil God…!"

"Oh, Evil God!"

"Aaah!"

Some of the slaves knew of the Evil God.

They were mostly slaves who had been shipped here from the central regions of the Kalsus Dimensional Empire. It meant that the Evil God's infamy had reached the deepest parts of the Kalsus Dimensional Empire.

Jinwoo transported them inside the body of Erosion, then opened a dimensional rift and sent them directly to Luzen. He had given Luna a heads-up, so she would look after them well.

When the blue flames vanished, nothing remained in that spot.

"Bring me more slaves like these. Bring them intact. I wish to make them scream for eternity."

[Erosion] A Refined Hobby

Rank 4's hobby is listening to the screams of slaves.

Bringing slaves in perfect condition will yield additional rewards. Soldiers or equipment of the Kalsus Dimensional Empire also qualify as items for additional rewards.

Reward: 150% of existing rewards

Duration: Until Rank 4 is satisfied

Such a quest surfaced in the Servants' minds. All of them began tearing through the planet like madmen, scraping together slaves, Kalsus Dimensional Empire soldiers, and equipment.

Perhaps because of the 'slaves in perfect condition' condition, they even used their Authorities to repair injured slaves before bringing them in.

Jinwoo took food out of Subspace and distributed it as rewards.

He infused the food with Sacred Power formed from Evil Karma. Once they digested the food, his Sacred Power would take root within their souls.

It was a method similar to how he had used the Parasitic Egg, but more subtle, with no chance of being detected.

Jinwoo observed the Servants' interiors.

He could see that the Servants were being affected by the Sacred Power made from Evil Karma.

'If I corrupt them slowly….'

A laugh escaped Jinwoo on its own.

If he slowly took over their souls and rotted their minds from within, he would likely be able to turn them into fanatics who followed only him.

Jinwoo converted the Sacred Power dwelling in the Servants' bodies into the energy of Erosion, expanding his influence little by little.

"Aaah!"

"Th-this can't be!"

"What have I been feeling all this time!"

"There's no going back now."

The moment the Servants put the food in their mouths, they displayed tremendous reactions.

That kind of reaction for a single piece of snack!

The talent that GukppongTV needed was right here.

Jinwoo recorded all of Erosion's reactions on video and gathered information.

He was curious what would happen if he brought out things that could provide a full measure of satiety, but checking Erosion's condition came first.

'Going smoothly.'

The infection was spreading perfectly smoothly!

"Blade of Terror! We have discovered their Dimensional Portal!"

A Servant had torn out an entire Dimensional Portal.

"Well done."

Jinwoo praised him and bestowed an energy drink upon him. The Servant who drank it displayed an even more violent reaction, tearing around wildly.

"M-my body is overflowing with strength! Rraaaghh!"

It seemed to be less the nutrition and more some 'concept' that made up the energy drink affecting him. Moreover, the Servants who ate the food were gradually growing in strength.

'I'll fatten them up and eat them later.'

Fattening them up and butchering them seemed like it would be quite delicious.

When Jinwoo reached out his hand, the Dimensional Portal activated, connecting to another location. It led to another territory owned by a noble.

Jinwoo did not need to go in person.

"Scrape everything clean."

At Jinwoo's command, the Servants screamed like madmen and charged into the Dimensional Portal.

Truly splendid auto-hunting.

'Now then….'

Jinwoo moved inside the body of Erosion.

The noble who had been the owner of this place was sprawled carelessly in one corner. He had been trembling, and when Jinwoo approached, he startled.

"A s-slave! S-serve me! If you get me out of here, I'll keep you well-fed for the rest of your life!"

He spoke that way upon seeing Jinwoo's body.

When Jinwoo simply stared at him in silence, the noble seemed to sense something was wrong and retreated, trembling. When Jinwoo snapped his fingers, the noble's body floated up into the air and was dragged before him.

Jinwoo lightly poked him with a finger, stimulating a nerve.

"K-kyaaaaagh! Aagh!"

His pain response was no different from an Arsilanian's.

Apart from a crest symbolizing nobility engraved on the inside of his body, it was a perfectly ordinary anatomy.

When Jinwoo poked him again, the noble's body went limp. Panting, he wet himself. With the pain gone, the strength had drained from him.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Hmm…."

Jinwoo extracted information from him.

A very usable high-ranking noble.

Since Jinwoo had burrowed so deeply into the Erosion side, he needed a similar arrangement on the Kalsus Empire side. Jinwoo decided to use this one.

"The Evil God's Sorcery isn't to my taste, but…."

It was extremely useful at times like this.

When Jinwoo extended a finger, a tentacle burst from its tip. The tentacle transformed into a worm with sharp teeth and rose into the air.

The worm slowly approached the noble's face.

"Gh-gyaaagh! N-no! No!"

When it attached to his face, the noble screamed and thrashed. But the worm did not come off. The suckers along its body were clamped firmly onto his skin.

SLITHER, SLITHER!

The worm crawled across his face and stopped right in front of his eyeball. From its mouth down along its body, it split wide open.

KRRSPLRCH!

It poured out several thousand tiny spiders. The spiders crawled into every orifice on his face.

"Uck! Hurkgh! Aagh!"

The noble made some rather amusing sounds, then froze in place.

His body, which had collapsed onto the floor, slowly rose to its feet. The spiders had devoured the entire brain and begun to take its place. The spiders melted down and reshaped themselves into the form of a new brain. At the same time, even most of his soul was seized.

Now, that brain could produce spiders.

"This lowly slave, Kalgul Molrus, greets the greatest master in the dimensional realm."

He bowed with the elegance of a noble.

Jinwoo nodded and snapped his fingers. A small warship used by nobles and a military force were summoned. The legion commander he had brought along with Kalgul also appeared.

"Pretend you barely managed to evacuate. And infect any useful individuals."

"I shall do my utmost to achieve complete corruption."

As Kalgul boarded the small warship with a crisp, disciplined motion, the legion commander and soldiers saluted Jinwoo before boarding after him.

Jinwoo sent the small warship outside.

He had taken measures so that the Servants could not detect it, so it would slip through the Dimensional Portal to the rear without any trouble.

"This will be fun."

This, more than anything, was the Evil God's game, and it was one that could not be yielded to the Heroes.

* * *

The Servants who had moved on to other locations had scraped up everything.

Jinwoo stored it all in his warehouse and sent the slaves to Luzen in the same way as before. When he bestowed food items like snacks and drinks on them, their loyalty and morale shot up insanely.

A Servant who finished his snack experienced withdrawal symptoms and an unbearable thirst. He could never go back to his previous life, when he had not even known the concept of satiety.

"Blade of Terror! Wh-when, when will the next sortie be? I shall devote my everything in service!"

"Wherever the Blade of Terror goes, we shall follow!"

They were desperately hoping Jinwoo would invade somewhere else. But now it was time to return.

Jinwoo plunged the Erosion Sword deep into the ground, leaving behind a mark of Erosion. The earth cracked open, and an enormous dimensional rift formed. This place was now an unclosing passage linking the Fog Domain and the Kalsus Dimensional Empire.

Jinwoo strode boldly into the dimensional rift and returned to the Fog Domain.

The Lord of Fear had come out personally to welcome him. She had watched everything through the Erosion Sword and already knew what had happened.

Not only the Lord of Fear, but members of other factions were visible as well. That was how significant the event was.

"Oh, ohhh! My most loyal blade!"

Jinwoo stepped before the Lord of Fear and knelt.

"The mission is complete."

"Yes, I saw. With your boundless loyalty, you have fulfilled my desire."

The Lord of Fear had clearly seen her loyal blade endure even as his Authority and soul were carved away. The emotion she felt was beyond words.

The Servants stood proud and imposing as well.

Everyone was taken aback by how much their stature had risen compared to before.

Thanks to this affair, the Lord of Fear's standing had risen greatly, and she was able to reap enormous benefits. Anyone wishing to cross into the territory Jinwoo had seized needed the Lord of Fear's permission.

The Lord of Fear lifted Jinwoo to his feet and turned him to face the crowd.

"Tell everyone of your exploits."

Lords, Higher Entities, Servants.

All of Erosion was focused on Jinwoo. Jinwoo clenched his fist and raised it up to his chest.

Many words were not needed.

"I came! I saw! I conquered!"

That was enough.

All of Erosion shuddered at the force of Jinwoo's powerful will contained in those words. The Servants who had gone with Jinwoo all knelt in crisp, disciplined motions.

"For the Lord of Fear!"

"The Blade of Terror leads us!"

The Servants cried out.

The other Lords felt envy and greed at the sight. Witnessing this, the Lord of Fear's mood soared to the heavens, and her shoulders rose infinitely high.

"Well then, I must have a private chat with my blade."

The Lord of Fear moved to another place together with Jinwoo.

Once the Lord of Fear and Jinwoo had disappeared, the Servants began boasting about what had happened out there to the other Servants.

Jinwoo arrived at a domain that served as the Lord of Fear's home. It was a desolate land with nothing but a single chair sitting on it.

"My loyal blade. You possess a curious item, do you not?"

"I apologize for not telling you in advance."

Jinwoo bowed his head.

He had already prepared an excuse.

"When I reached the edge of the dimensional realm, I discovered a certain passage. That passage ended up lodging itself within me. From then on, I was able to gather things that came through the passage."

Jinwoo took out a snack and offered it to the Lord of Fear.

The Lord of Fear was so enormous that the snack was barely visible to her. She immediately created a human-form body and received the snack. Jinwoo also shrank his body and stood before her.

The Lord of Fear, who had tasted the snack, trembled.

"This is…, a Higher Dimensional Artifact."

Higher Dimensional Artifact.

It was a concept he was hearing for the first time.

"Occasionally there are things that flow in from the Higher Dimension. They bear complete concepts and are treated as artifacts."

That said, they could not exert great influence over the dimensional realm. They merely possessed complete concepts; they had no particularly special abilities. But for that very reason, they were special to Erosion.

Erosion was a being made of symbols and concepts.

Their weakness, the concept of hunger, could be satisfied with Earth food.

"I understand now why you grew so rapidly in power. Having digested such a passage, your stature was bound to rise. How much flows in?"

"It flows in periodically, but in very small amounts."

Jinwoo explained that he had gathered them for a hundred years yet it still did not amount to much. Then he quietly pulled out a bottle of soju and presented it to the Lord of Fear.

"What is this?"

"It is something called liquor."

"Ohh? So you have acquired information from the Higher Dimension."

"Yes, I was able to learn naturally through the passage I absorbed."

He also took out shrimp-flavored snacks.

When he made a cup on the spot and poured for her, the Lord of Fear grasped it awkwardly. Jinwoo demonstrated by drinking first.

The Lord of Fear drank, copying Jinwoo.

"Mmm! This is…! Exquisite!"

"I gathered it to offer to my lord."

The concept of 'becoming intoxicated' embedded in the liquor was seeping into her weakness of hunger, affecting even a Lord. Eating the shrimp snack alongside it, a satisfaction that made her whole body feel like it would float washed over her.

He poured her another cup.

"If we clink cups like so, the satisfaction rises."

"Clink?"

"Yes. And then you must drain it in one go."

Jinwoo taught her step by step.

"This artifact is more precious than anything. Is it truly alright to offer something like this to me?"

"Your joy, my lord, is my joy."

"Hahaha! You truly are a loyal retainer!"

Jinwoo took out more bottles of soju and kept pouring.

Feeling satiety and intoxication at the same time, the Lord of Fear experienced an ecstasy of the highest order.

"Hic! I like you! I like you so much! Another cup!"

"Yes, one-shot this one too."

"Yes! One-shot! A Lord does not back down!"

Oh, she's drunk.

Amazingly, a genuine drunken reaction was coming out!

Jinwoo recorded the information in detail.

The Lord of Fear had become an excellent test subject.

*****

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