TRWMG 18

Chapter 18

Early Access (4)

Translator: Dreamscribe

FS Games was originally an unlisted company wholly owned by Ohsung Group.

Now, Jinwoo owned all of its shares.

That was because he had completely acquired FS Games, which was on the verge of collapse, through legitimate procedures. At the time, it was worthless, but now it had become a game company with enormous potential.

The prevailing opinion was that it would surpass not only Ohsung Electronics but the Ohsung Group itself.

It was justified.

Because they had created a fully-fledged virtual reality game. Arsilan Saga was a complete sanctuary, and Lee Jinwoo was the Creator God who had created that sanctuary.

It had now gone beyond praise to reach the realm of worship.

Even the largest game community in Korea had already become a dedicated community for Arsilan Saga.

[Title: Got an Item.]

Received a request from the Adventurer’s Guild to eliminate a monster that suddenly appeared. The client claims to be the Village Chief, but looks a bit suspicious.

Went to the forest, found a goblin.

Killed it and it gave me a sword?

Paid 2 gold for an appraisal:

[F-] Durable Longsword

A sharp sword with durable endurance.

Picked up a sword with an actual rank.

Went back to Evanth and blew all my money to request an enchant.

[F] Durable Longsword+1

A longsword imbued with fire attribute.

Reacts to the user’s Magic Power and emits flames.

*Added flame attribute

Fuuuuuck! It succeeded on the first try!

Now heading out for grinding.

TankThief: Wow, awesome. What skill did you learn?

└Flame Swordsman (OP): Learned the basics and Bash at the Training Center.

WalkingTheMagePath: Look at those flames. The romance is insane.

Anonymous1: Planning to spend all my money on the 2nd batch of Soul Link. Is that sword for all classes?

CriticZ: The game is just perfect. You don’t need to worry about class or advancement, you can just learn what suits your taste. No penalties. Just do what you want.

└BowGuy: For real. Try different stuff and keep doing what suits you best.

PleaseSellItToMe: The only downside is that the 2nd batch of Soul Link hasn’t been released! Lee Jinwoo, sell the Soul Link now!

└GoatMan: You think the Creator God is your buddy? You little shit?

└Flame Swordsman: This bastard’s gone crazy because the God is being lenient? You wanna die?

└PleaseSellItToMe: I’m sorry.

Just by players entering, the entire area around Evanth was cleaned up. Animals affected by Erosion were nearly extinct, fields were cultivated, and buildings increased.

The Heroes tackled every Quest they could find, regardless of type.

“Anyone want to team up for a building Quest? Daily pay is 10 gold.”

“Looking for a herb gathering party. Let’s meet at the village central plaza.”

“Any Orc tanks going to hunt wild boars?”

“Anyone with 100 Contribution Points? Can you accept the Village Chief Quest now?”

“Sewer maintenance pays 20 gold a day! First ten only!”

Rewards included gold, items, and Contribution Points.

Contribution Points were awarded each time a request was completed. Higher Contribution Points allowed access to quests with better rewards.

It all depended on one’s mindset.

Players found even tough tasks fun because they thought of it as a game. Since the Quests weren’t repeatable and mostly disappeared after completion, they were all the more passionate.

‘Since it’s reality, that part can’t be helped.’

It was a part that couldn’t be implemented because it wasn’t a game, but rather reality, and yet it was praised for adding extreme realism.

Jinwoo smirked and nodded.

If you think positively, everything looks good. Now, everything he did would look that way.

After checking out the situation in Evanth, Jinwoo went to work at FS Games and attended the morning meeting.

“More than half of the Heroes now have skills ranked F or higher and are actively going out to hunt.”

“How about renting out the land around Evanth in exchange for Contribution Points?”

The growth rate of the players was incredibly fast.

They truly deserved to be called Heroes.

At FS Games, players were being referred to as ‘Heroes’.

“Sir, is this possible by any chance? The Salvation Headquarters is curious about this too….”

“About what?”

Han Yong-seon cleared his throat and quietly handed a document to Jinwoo. It looked like a proposal, and it even had a carefully crafted and impressive cover.

What could warrant such effort?

“This is…”

As soon as Jinwoo saw the contents of the proposal, he understood why Han Yong-seon had behaved that way.

“It’s adult content. We’ll have to make it available when we officially launch the service.”

With the Bio Golem body, anything was possible, but for now, it was locked. Regulations related to adult content could easily be resolved using the grandfather card.

An employee participating in the meeting suddenly spoke up while thinking about something.

“If we make it paid access, I think we could rake in a lot of money?”

Jinwoo, along with everyone in the meeting room, looked at him.

No one said a word, as if telling him to continue.

Startled by the sudden attention, he cautiously opened his mouth.

“Uh…, if we monetize things like stamina or size, shape…, wouldn’t that be… good? Or maybe a light…lightsaber that goes zzing! and pops up? Ha… haha! S-sorry!”

He quickly bowed his head.

Ah!

Ideas for monetized content were exploding in everyone’s minds.

To FS Games employees, Arsilan was a world where anything was possible.

‘…Strawberry-flavored…’

‘It might even have a socially beneficial effect…’

‘Various things you can’t do in reality…’

‘What if we introduced a unique battle system?’

‘Strong vibration up, down, left, and right…’

‘Create something like a tentacle slime…’

As everyone remained silent, lost in various thoughts, Han Yong-seon cleared his throat and spoke.

“Come on, let’s give him a round of applause! Employee of the month!”

Clap clap clap!

As Han Yong-seon playfully said it, everyone chuckled and clapped. In any case, the atmosphere in the meeting room was good.

It was hot and lively!

Time for a topic change.

“Sir, did you see the trucks in front of the building?”

“Yes, I did.”

In front of FS Games’ headquarters, the street was filled with protest trucks equipped with electronic displays. No game company had ever amassed this many trucks.

Their demands were simple.

“Please, release Soul Link!”

“We’re willing to pay more! We even brought a coffee truck today. Tomorrow it’s lunch boxes, and the day after it’ll be a buffet truck!”

“We worship you. O Creator God, please grant your holy grace (Soul Link) to us, your sinful followers.”

“All gamers in Korea support FS Games and CEO Lee Jinwoo. We will always stand by and love you!”

Messages like those were everywhere.

It was a protest, but a good kind of protest.

The art team leader sighed.

“Not just me, even our youngest team member has turned off their phone. We keep getting contacted by people begging us to get them Soul Link.”

“I see.”

Jinwoo nodded.

At the moment, everything was functioning without issues, and the plan was proceeding smoothly and steadily.

It seemed like it was time to increase the workforce.

As long as Soul Chips could be supplied, they could be mass-produced quickly.

Jinwoo was deliberately controlling the production of Soul Chips. He needed to pace things until they could secure more Magic Stones and upgrade the Magic Tower’s capabilities.

‘Good thing I prepared the temporary villages in advance.’

They weren’t as large as Evanth, but there were several small villages. NPC placements had already been scheduled. The structure was designed so that players would naturally flow from temporary villages into Evanth.

Due to the players’ influence, Evanth would develop from a village into a larger city. That’s why it was designed with scalability in mind.

Once players filled up the village, the background NPCs would be removed. If you combined Evanth and the temporary villages, they could easily accommodate around 50,000 people.

“We’ll proceed with the second pre-order as scheduled. The supply is 50,000 units, but that number could increase.”

“Understood!”

Fifty thousand heroes.

That was enough to begin the First Erosion Subjugation.

Now it was time to slowly build things up.

When Jinwoo mentioned that,

“Is Leon finally making an appearance?”

“Oooooh!”

“Leon-nim, at last!”

The meeting room became noisy.

Even though he hadn’t properly appeared yet, fans of Leon were already emerging inside FS Games! Ever since the video of Leon in motion was shown, even more fans had been growing.

Leon mugs, Leon cushions, Leon figures, Leon bromides, life-size Leon standees, and so on, they were already planning to make related merchandise.

‘Leon…, is he really that much special?’

Jinwoo recalled Leon’s appearance.

Ah! He is that special.

Anyway, it was nice to see people working with such passion and joy.

Once the meeting ended, Jinwoo returned to the CEO’s office.

‘Leon…, guess I have to?’

He was prepared to do anything if it was for saving Arsilan. Even the people of Rainsword’s domain were doing their part, so there was no way the lord himself would refuse.

Still, a sigh naturally escaped.

Jinwoo returned to Arsilan and inhabited Leon’s body.

He stood up and looked into the mirror. A stunningly handsome man stood before him, enough to draw admiration.

He took off the flashy armor, put on the traveler outfit designed by the art team, and draped a worn robe over it. With an ordinary sword at his waist, he stepped out of the Magic Tower.

This too was part of the build-up process for the first main story’s progression. As he was about to leave the Magic Tower, Tiris quietly appeared.

Such stealth skills from a place with no shadows?!

‘But, Tiris, you’re a mage….’

It was such incredible stealth that even Jinwoo was startled.

“Are you finally starting to move? Prince Leon, or rather…, mysterious swordsman hiding your identity.”

“Haa.”

“O sorrowful traveler. That wistful gaze of yours tells me you carry a story.”

‘Is she making fun of me?’

Jinwoo stared at Tiris intently. She just continued to gaze back at him without flinching.

As Jinwoo ignored her and tried to pass by, her form blurred and blocked his path again.

Even when he tried to move to the side.

Swoosh!

She appeared, leaving afterimages.

“…….”

“O sor.row.ful tra.vel.er. Tha.t wi.st.fu.l gaze.”

“Hoo.”

Tiris would not back down.

She was telling him to follow the character setting.

Jinwoo tried to think of something sad. That alone deepened the look in Leon’s eyes.

“Good job.”

Tiris, seemingly satisfied, gave him a thumbs-up.

He didn’t know where she had learned that gesture, but somehow it felt refreshingly natural.

“…I’m going.”

Jinwoo moved to the sky above Evanth.

His eyes widened slightly.

Evanth was bustling. New life was sprouting in the decaying Arsilan, and it was regaining its vitality. The world once filled with gray tones was now glowing with warm colors.

Those who create miracles were called Heroes.

Yes, the players were Heroes.

They would color Arsilan with hope….

“Bleeeurgh!”

“How’s the taste?”

“Tastes like shit.”

A miracle…

“Have you eaten shit before?”

“To achieve Immunity to All Poisons…!”

“Hmm, let’s keep going until we find the spicy herbs.”

“Yeah! I can’t resist kimchi.”

Jinwoo’s thoughts came to a complete halt.

He saw heroes picking and eating poisonous herbs blooming across the fields.

They looked incredibly serious about it.

“……”

…Anyway, they were having a good influence on Arsilan.

In fact, Evanth’s food culture, which had only hard bread or watery gruel, was greatly changing.

Thanks to wild boars and wild animals caught in the forest, meat distribution increased, and surplus food resources flowed into various regions of Rainsword through Evanth.

Spices discovered by players through human experimentation with their own bodies also quickly spread and became trendy in Rainsword.

‘I was worried there might be a lack of content like cooking and such…’

But they were actually enjoying it.

Players were introducing various dishes and foods with the attitude of “Ah, so this is what cooking is.”

It was a typical isekai trope—where the culture is backward, so whatever the protagonist makes is considered amazing.

That very scene was unfolding in reality.

Though it was headed in a slightly different direction.

‘Ah, this is what they call a hamburger. You eat it by placing meat and vegetables between bread.’

‘N-no way, such a luxurious dish exists?! I could survive three days on just a piece of bread, and you’re saying you put meat in it?! A hamburger! What an extravagant name!’

‘Ah, this is what they call green tea.’

‘T-that, that precious herb… you dissolve it in hot water and drink it?! I’m scared it’ll appear in my dreams! Green tea!!’

NPCs often forgot their roles and were genuinely surprised.

Arsilan had once been a land that blossomed with a brilliant civilization on par with modern Earth.

But it had been 100 years since the Erosion began.

Much of the culture had been lost, left only in records.

It was the result of focusing solely on survival all that time.

…Jinwoo reflected on that as the lord.

“Hmm.”

Jinwoo looked at the heroes and flicked his hand.

[Title: Kimchi Researcher]

A researcher who shows passion for kimchi.

If you successfully make kimchi, you might receive a hidden reward.

*Contribution Points +10

“Oh, ohhh?”

“I got a titleeeee! Ten Contribution Points! This is crazy!”

“Let’s go, Arsilan Kimchi Man!”

The heroes who were researching kimchi cheered with great excitement. The FS Games dev team had created many titles with care, and it wasn’t hard to implement them.

When a certain action was taken, the Magic Tower would grant a title.

Of course, Jinwoo creating and granting a title on the spot like this was no big deal.

As players equipped the title, the words [Kimchi Researcher] floated above their heads. It was glowing text created with a minuscule amount of Magic Power.

The players’ bodies constantly drew ambient Magic Power into their bodies, creating surplus mana. Eating food also replenished magic power, which in turn caused hunger.

Since the title floating above their heads was also created from surplus Magic Power, it could be sustained continuously.

‘It’s completely useless in battle or life skills, but…’

It belonged in the realm of romance and emotion.

But even something like this could serve as motivation, making it quite important.

Looking elsewhere, Jinwoo saw players catching Horned Rabbits out in the fields of Evanth.

Horned Rabbits, despite their cute appearance, were monsters. They ate anything and everything indiscriminately and reproduced quickly, making them a classic pest that ruined farming.

In Evanth, there had once been so many Horned Rabbits you’d trip over them.

“Ah, I only caught one today.”

“They’re extinct.”

Now, they had become incredibly rare!

“FS Games, spawn more Horned Rabbits!”

“FS Games, spawn more Horned Rabbits right now!”

As if performing some ritual, the players shouted while roaming the fields.

Jinwoo nodded.

‘Maybe they’ve dug underground burrows?’

Jinwoo stretched out his hand and used magic to create strong vibrations underground.

Dudududu! Kwaaaaa!

Then the earth split open, and a massive Horned Rabbit appeared.

It was the Queen Horned Rabbit!

‘Ah, my bad.’

Just as Jinwoo thought that,

The Queen Horned Rabbit, perhaps enraged, charged straight at the players.

“Guh!”

“Argh!”

Players were flung in all directions.

One player, launched into the air, landed in front of another player at the entrance of Evanth.

Thud!

The fallen player’s limbs were twisted in all directions, and the others blinked at the sight.

Would they scream?

They didn’t.

“Whooooo! It’s an event!”

“Guys! An event mob just showed up in front of Evanth!”

“Kyahhh! Look at those chubby cheeks! So cute! Let’s kill it quick!”

Players rushed in with weapons in hand.

Squelch! Splat! Crunch!

“Ehehehehe!”

“Hahahaha!”

“Kya-hahaha!”

…Let them enjoy themselves.

Thinking that, Jinwoo checked the number of logged-in users.

[Summoned Heroes: 2,910.]

Currently, 3,000 units of Soul Link had been released.

Except for 90 people, everyone was logged in. Ever since the launch date, this had been consistently maintained. It was nothing short of an astronomical login rate.

In Arsilan, players could sleep, but they didn’t need to.

That was because their real bodies were in a sleeping state.

As a result, a phenomenon was occurring where login rates reached nearly 100% from evening to the following morning.

Work during the day, log into Arsilan at night!

The sleep quality was so excellent that related studies were underway. In fact, among the currently logged-in players, there were those who had struggled with insomnia.

[E] Hard Worker

A talent to work without rest.

Memories of days when even sleep was rejected awakened this Trait.

*Health Potion Efficiency +5%

Such Traits had begun to blossom within them.

Jinwoo looked at the lively Evanth, then passed the fields, forests, and lake until he stood before the Magic Barrier.

A quality hunting ground was needed for the growth of the heroes.

But there was no need to go through the trouble of building one.

‘Should I start moving?’

Because he could just steal it from the Land of Erosion.

And within it were plenty of excellent creatures perfect for marking Leon’s grand debut.

A counterattack against the Erosion.

Let’s start with something small!