bookpower Chapter 247: Because I’m Used to Being the Villain (6)
Chapter 247: Because I’m Used to Being the Villain (6)
Translator: Dreamscribe
The situation in Luzen grew more and more serious. Of course, it wasn't truly serious; it was being driven toward crisis through extremely flashy staging.
The Heroes themselves could be resurrected if they died, but the Luzen people could not. Jinwoo had designed things so that the Heroes could feel "camaraderie", "friendship", or "affection" toward the Luzen people.
He implemented unfamiliar cultures, villages, and customs that couldn't be found in Arsilan. With Luna's help, he had recreated Luzen's traditions.
Luna, having become a Dark Elf, had cast aside everything of Luzen, but she still sent her thanks that Luzen was being carried on, even if only as a fake.
[Heh, hehehe! Offerings, we need more offerings! A living sacrifice…!]
The Dark Elf, who had shown insane growth while climbing the Evil God's Tower, had captured a huge beast of Luzen and offered it as a living sacrifice.
Her thanks felt heavy. Jinwoo had been immediately releasing the offerings he received.
Title: Aren't the Luzen people way too kind?
I helped LifeHunter save a village and evacuate the Luzen people to the city. The Luzen people in the city welcomed us super warmly.
They're all genuinely simple and kind-hearted.
They try to give you every single thing they can.
We performed the Harmony Ritual together in the city, and they attached a red gem to my forehead.
[Attached: my appearance]
Got a whopping 20% boost to Nature Affinity.
There's a priestess here, and her beauty is insane.
[Attached: Harmony Ritual]
Dancing and singing together was fun.
Seems like if your affection is high enough during the Harmony Ritual, you can pair up with a Luzen person. Jamshik paired with a Luzen sorcerer, and his physical abilities, mana, and affinity all got a huge boost.
Anon1: Oh, feels like some kind of soul-bonding thing.
└Anon2: My heart's fluttering.
Anon3: Healing in the middle of a war… which makes it sadder.
HoHoGamMan: I'm going to give it a shot too.
└Anon4: You good, dude?
└HoHoGamMan: I've buried my memories and my heart. She would want that too.
└Anon4: Quick recovery for some reason.
Once a Hero's heart connected with a Luzen person, the two could fight together. The setup was that through the Luzen people's Harmony Sorcery, they could share emotions and thoughts and move as one.
Jinwoo nodded.
This was probably a sensation the Heroes were experiencing for the first time.
"Unity" was something that couldn't be properly felt before becoming a Transcendent Being. Jinwoo had granted the Heroes a little cheat code for their growth.
'Once they're paired, the Magic Tower grants a complete self-awareness, so….'
They would be able to immerse themselves even more deeply.
After this, depending on affection levels, the plan was to allow them to invite their partners to their real-world homes via hologram, or to be together through various devices like Soul Glasses, watches, and smartphones, like spirits.
Jinwoo looked at the paired Heroes and Luzen people.
It was Jamshik and a female sorcerer, who were sitting in the shade of a tree, eating a lunchbox the female sorcerer had packed. The female sorcerer was feeding him bite by bite and even wiping his mouth with a cloth.
'Was the self-awareness too strong?'
Self-awareness assignments were random.
That female sorcerer had been given a self based on the keywords "kindness", "tenderness", "caring", and "affection". Though it was a mechanical self born through magic, it was infused with every bit of Earth's acting craft, making it feel even more alive than the real thing.
-We need Lax. We need Lax.... [TL: Lax is a Korean bleach brand, used here as internet slang for when something is so cringey you want bleach to scrub it from your eyes/brain.]
-Fuck... turn off the stream.
-This guy turned it on just to flex.
-Hero Jamshik, I'm disappointed. You showed so much interest in me, and yet....
Jamshik was streaming, and public sentiment was harsh.
The amusing thing was that the people of Arsilan were also watching the broadcast and leaving chat messages like crazy.
'I could also make androids….'
Jinwoo had already published a ton of research papers on this. Prosthetic hands indistinguishable from real ones were now a common sight, and artificial organs had become widely available.
With fusion power plants on the verge of going online, it wouldn't be strange at all if androids appeared.
If he just mentioned that androids could be synchronized with Luzen people, wouldn't the Heroes go absolutely crazy?
'Someday, a real heart might even be born.'
Though the probability would be about the same as a miracle.
The Heroes who had arrived in Luzen successfully protected the city and launched their attack.
They were communicating with the Heroes who had rescued the people hiding in the cave, and advancing rapidly toward that location. Haebyul's group of Heroes was fleeing with the rescued people, trying to avoid pursuit, but the process wasn't easy.
Executioner Ignis was leading a unit in pursuit.
As time passed, the staging built toward its climax, and finally the day came to set everything off at once.
'Since this is going to be the ending of the prologue, I should show them General Gord.'
He would show them overwhelming power and cruelty the Heroes would never be able to forget.
Jinwoo grinned and prepared to sortie.
He put on his armor, equipped his weapons, and stepped outside.
'Where did they go?'
He had meant to give them roles of their own, but Ella and Helby were nowhere to be seen. It seemed they were still with the Dark Elves.
They had been absolutely smitten with Luna, so weren't they probably having a good time?
Jinwoo moved to the battlefield.
He could see the Heroes fleeing with the rescued people. They had commandeered several large vehicles from the Kalsus Dimensional Empire Army and were speeding along like mad. They were military vehicles stolen from the base in front of the cave. Behind them, the large unit led by Ignis appeared.
'They're a bit late.'
The Hero and Luzen unit that had gathered in one spot and was heading this way was slightly delayed.
Jinwoo (General Gord): Buy some time
Ignis (General's Bloodied Spear): Yes sir! Can I ad-lib?
Jinwoo (General Gord): yep
Having received Jinwoo's signal, Ignis revealed himself to stall for time.
He approached quickly on a small ship and blocked the vehicles' path.
When he stretched out his hand, all the vehicles' tires burst at once, the chassis sinking to the ground.
The Heroes tensed up and got out of the vehicles.
The Heroes' numbers weren't large. They had scattered in all directions as bait to buy time. That was how they had managed to hold out until now. Of course, Jinwoo had been adjusting things appropriately to give that tight, thrilling tension.
Haebyul and the other Heroes stepped out of the vehicles.
They confronted Ignis, breaking out in cold sweat. Inside all those vehicles were terrified people. They had tried to reach the rendezvous point somehow, but the moment Ignis appeared, that became impossible.
-Emergency....
-We're fucked.
-Where's the main force? When are they coming!
-We spent a whole week running like dogs....
-Honestly finding food and a place to rest was a miracle.
-Our guild just hit the level requirement and arrived in Luzen, where are we supposed to go?
The Heroes who hadn't reached the required level and couldn't come to Luzen gathered in the cities of Arsilan and watched the broadcast. Remembering the sheer force Ignis had shown in the asteroid belt, this could easily end in total annihilation.
"To have survived Dimensional Incineration…. I thought you were vermin, but it seems you were warriors after all."
When Ignis reached out his hand, a haft flew into his grip and formed into a spear. Bloody aura gathered on the blade and ignited.
He slowly raised the blade and pointed it at the Heroes.
"Show me your strength."
When Haebyul and the romance Heroes couldn't focus because they were worried about the vehicles, Ignis shook his head.
"I'll make you a promise. Until I've wiped every last one of you out, those will remain unharmed. So come at me with everything you've got."
"...You're really promising that?"
"I have no reason to concern myself with such trifles."
To Haebyul's question, Ignis answered with surprising seriousness. He seemed uninterested in anything but the fight itself.
-There's always one like this.
-He's a villain but he's kinda cool.
-Stop running the washing machine! [TL: "Running the washing machine" is Korean slang for redeeming a villain, i.e., washing them clean/making them sympathetic.]
Ignis had a certain romantic flair.
Haebyul, the romance Heroes, and several hundred Named Heroes on the scene charged in with everything they had. Spirit arrows, spells, and techniques poured down, but none of it could pierce Ignis's armor.
KRAAASH!
Every time Ignis thrust his spear, a massive flame exploded and swept the surroundings.
"He's fuckin' strong!"
"He's an enemy, but he really does look cool."
"Let's counter with water-type magic!"
Ignis pressed the Heroes even harder.
Jinwoo chuckled quietly.
'He's having fun.'
Ignis looked extremely pleased by the Heroes' words. His form blurred, and he appeared right in front of a Named Hero. He grabbed the Hero by the throat and burned him away on the spot.
"Hmm…."
He tossed the debris that was dissolving into particles of light aside and looked at the Heroes. The moment the Heroes tensed up and gripped their weapons, Ignis vanished.
KRAAASH!
Leaving afterimages behind, Ignis appeared in multiple places at once, swinging his spear and spewing flames. They barely managed to block it with the Holy Method of Comfortable controlled by the Magic Tower, but dozens vanished in an instant.
Ignis nullified the Heroes' barrage of magic and arrows with a light swing of his spear.
"Is this all you've got?"
Just as the Heroes gritted their teeth.
Someone attacked from behind. Ignis flinched and quickly dodged to the side. A two-handed axe slammed into the ground, cracking the earth open.
NorthernGrandDuke had arrived with many Named Heroes.
"Unnie!"
"We ran ahead. The main force will still take some time to arrive."
NorthernGrandDuke hefted her two-handed axe and glared at Ignis.
SCHLUCK!
A dagger lodged in Ignis's neck. LifeHunter had emerged from the shadows to strike. Ignis pulled the dagger out casually and flung LifeHunter away.
The composition was quite good.
Jinwoo watched with great interest.
Ignis (General's Bloodied Spear): Captain! I have a good idea.
Jinwoo (General Gord): What is it?
Ignis (General's Bloodied Spear): First, I'll....
Hearing Ignis's proposal, it was actually pretty good.
Jinwoo accepted the proposal and immediately revised the scenario.
A unit made up of Arsilan's top Named Heroes began the raid on Ignis. Haebyul drew her bowstring and glared at Ignis.
"It's okay if you call us cowards!"
"It is not cowardice for the weak to swarm in numbers."
Ignis answered while swinging his spear.
The Heroes were far stronger than they had been in the asteroid belt. They had leveled up rapidly by taking down soldiers. NorthernGrandDuke alone had reached Level 207.
The wounds on Ignis's armor multiplied, and gaps appeared.
Haebyul's arrow struck home as spells poured down simultaneously. LifeHunter's shadow spike pinned Ignis's feet, and NorthernGrandDuke's two-handed axe carved through his shoulder. At the same moment, the Named Heroes unleashed their most powerful techniques.
CLATTER-CLATTER!
Fragments of his armor fell away, and magma spilled out like blood. Ignis staggered backward, using his spear as a cane to stay standing.
"Splendid. I didn't expect you to grow this quickly."
Ignis raised his spear and radiated an overwhelming aura.
Haebyul and the Heroes tensed up and glared at him.
"This is my ultimate technique. If you block this, victory is yours."
Power so immense that the spearhead began to melt gathered at Ignis's spear. Even space itself warped, and the surroundings shook as if in an earthquake.
"Looks like something insane is about to come out?"
"Let's block it and counterattack."
"Grit your teeth and hold on!"
The Heroes braced themselves, mustering every last bit of strength.
Just as Ignis was about to unleash his ultimate on the Heroes,
KRAAA-KRAAA-KRAAAM!
A beam flew in from the sky, sweeping across the earth all the way to the distant mountain range, cleaving it in two.
FWAP-FWAP-FWAP!
Space tore open, and a fleet appeared in the sky.
Tanks and war machines, along with soldiers, materialized beneath the fleet as if summoned. Their numbers were so immense they filled the vast land.
The soldiers alone numbered in the tens of millions, and the noise from the tanks and war machines was deafening.
"Holy shit…."
"We wasted too much time."
"Th, that thing again…!"
A cannon barrel emerged from the most ornate ship at the very front.
It was the same ship they'd seen in the asteroid belt. Without giving them any time to prepare, it immediately fired its beam.
The Heroes already knew the power of that beam.
Not only the Heroes and all the vehicles, but the entire surrounding area would be completely vaporized.
That was when it happened.
In an instant, Ignis stood in front of the Heroes and thrust his spear toward the beam. Instead of using the power gathered at his spear to kill the Heroes, he used it to block the beam.
KRAAA-KRAAA-KRAAAM!
When the beam and the spear collided, an enormous shockwave erupted, flinging all the vehicles and Heroes outward. The spearhead shattered, and the beam grazed across Ignis's body. He had deflected the beam with his ultimate technique.
SSSZZZT!
Ignis dropped to his knees. His right arm was gone entirely, from the shoulder down, and cracks ran through his whole body.
"Huh?"
"Wh, what the…."
"Why?"
The Heroes were bewildered.
Ignis lifted his head and looked at the Heroes.
"...I haven't defeated you yet. So I'll keep my promise."
The Heroes stared at Ignis blankly.
-Whoa...
-No way....
-He's a villain but....
The washing machine kept spinning!
Haebyul and the Heroes approached Ignis.
"Cut off my head."
At Ignis's words, NorthernGrandDuke raised her two-handed axe to bring it down on his neck, but she hesitated and lowered the axe.
"I hope we can fight again someday."
At her words, the Heroes nodded. Ignis looked at the Heroes as if he couldn't understand, then shook his head.
"Go, before the attack starts up again. Luzen is going to disappear anyway. Whether you die now or later makes no difference."
Haebyul nodded and approached the vehicles.
Flinch!
Haebyul and the Heroes flinched.
Someone was standing on top of the vehicles.
A being clad in black armor. He felt as if he weren't of this world at all.
He simply stood there, still.
But he radiated a presence so overwhelming it couldn't even be compared to Ignis.
It was Jinwoo, appearing at just the right timing by releasing his concealment.
Ignis trembled as he looked at Jinwoo.
"My spear has grown weak."
Jinwoo lightly descended to the ground.
When he waved his hand, all the Heroes were pushed toward Ignis.
"Wh, what is that."
"Ugh!"
The Heroes froze in place.
Jinwoo didn't even spare the Heroes a glance. He looked at Ignis and reached out his hand. Ignis's body began to float into the air.
"The Kalsus Dimensional Empire Army has no need for weak officers."
As Jinwoo slowly closed his fist, Ignis's armor began to crumple.
"General Gord…!"
Ignis spoke Jinwoo's true identity aloud.
CRUNCH!
Ignis's body shattered into pieces and fell anticlimactically to the ground.
The Heroes swallowed hard. Pressed down by Jinwoo's overwhelming aura, they couldn't even lift a finger.
When Jinwoo reached out his hand, all the vehicles shot up into the sky.
"St, stop it!"
"No!"
As the surfaces of the vehicles began to crumple, screams rang out.
All the Heroes, including Haebyul, LifeHunter, and NorthernGrandDuke, poured out attacks, but none of them got anywhere close. The barrier surrounding Jinwoo deflected them easily.
When he flicked a single finger, one of the vehicles crumpled and was crushed into a ball.
-They died...
-That crazy motherfucker!
-What do we do...
The Heroes screamed and charged, but they kept getting pushed back.
"Pleasant sound. They say when insects cry, it's a mating call…."
Jinwoo was deliberately digging at the Heroes.
The Heroes clung to the vehicles and tried to rescue the people. The people stretched their hands out toward the Heroes, but they couldn't save them all. The vehicles were crumpling too quickly.
Through the gaps in the vehicles, the people handed the children out first to the Heroes.
"Don't grieve."
"...You're Heroes of Arsilan, right? Thank you… for sharing your light with us."
"Please look after the children."
"W, we weren't going to live long anyway."
The people said this, forcing smiles at the Heroes. At the same moment the Heroes were flung away and fell to the ground, every single vehicle vanished cleanly.
"Did you breed and lay eggs in that brief time? Your fertility, at least, is impressive."
Jinwoo said this while looking at the children cradled in the Heroes' arms.
"You fucking bastard…."
"Urgh…."
The Heroes felt a rage more intense than anything they had ever felt before in their lives.
His attitude was exactly as if he had squashed a bug.
He clearly had no understanding whatsoever of the Luzen people or the other slaves. He regarded them as equivalent to insects.
"I'll compliment you. That was interesting. Even insects can be amusing, it seems."
At Jinwoo's words, the Heroes exploded.
General Gord.
It became a name they would never be able to forget.
"We're too late!"
"Damn it…."
"Attack! We have to save the ones who are left!"
The unit of Heroes and Luzen people that had belatedly arrived poured out their attacks. Every single Hero watched this situation through their information windows.
Jinwoo's figure blurred and vanished just like that.
At the same time, every unit that had been standing by began their advance. The Heroes clenched their fists and gritted their teeth.
They couldn't lose.
Not this time. They absolutely couldn't lose this one.
The Kalsus Dimensional Empire had become Arsilan's perfect enemy, and a rage that would never fade had been born within Arsilan.
The first dimensional war had begun.
A great war that heralded the end of the prologue.
* * *
Ship bombardment!
The advance of Magic Armors!
The Heroes' airships crashing down, and salvos of shells raining across the entire vast land!
The Heroes charged forward, roaring battle cries.
The Luzen people fought alongside them.
It was a war on a scale so massive that just watching it sent shivers up the spine. This prologue war would continue for quite a long time.
Jinwoo returned to the Dimensional Transit Ship.
Ignis had arrived before him.
"Hah, my ad-libbing was pretty good, wasn't it?"
"Not bad."
"Hehe, the Heroes are going to tremble with rage at the name 'General Gord', aren't they?"
The rescued people hadn't been imbued with selves; they were just Bio-Golems controlled by the Magic Tower.
"Originally, most of them were supposed to survive…."
The scenario had been changed because of Ignis's proposal.
Jinwoo stared at Ignis.
"You really are wicked."
"Huh? N, no, we did it together, why are you saying that?"
"Keep it up and you'll become an Evil Dragon."
"Ah, come on, don't jinx me. My goal is to be a Holy Dragon. Evil Dragon, my ass…."
Jinwoo looked at Ignis with pitying eyes and patted his shoulder.
KRAA-BOOM! KRAA-BOOM!
The noise and vibrations created by the war reached even the Dimensional Transit Ship.
Jinwoo opened his information window and controlled the war to make it even more thrilling. A Hero's attack set a ship's engine ablaze, and it plummeted to the ground.
He could see the Heroes aboard the airship crashing into the ship and breaking through to the inside. Originally, they were all supposed to die in an explosion the moment they collided, but Jinwoo had made a slight adjustment so that the ship's armor got pierced.
Just as Jinwoo was concentrating on inspecting Luzen as a whole,
'Hm?'
Jinwoo sensed a lot of presences in the Evil God's Tower. He wondered if it was the Dark Elves, but the presences were completely different.
'What is this?'
Jinwoo opened an information window that let him view the inside of the Evil God's Tower.
In the waiting area in front of the door on the first floor, a great many people had gathered.
[Where y'all from?]
[Olrun.]
[Heh, must've had it pretty rough.]
[Well, yeah.]
They were diverse races Jinwoo had never seen before.
The guide he had programmed into the Evil God's Tower appeared. It had been made based on Ella.
[Praise the Evil God! Come! Those who seek opportunity! Souls burdened with resentment and rage! Are you prepared to risk death and climb the tower?]
[Can we really grow stronger by climbing the tower?]
[Yes! The Evil God's Tower is a very enjoyable game! Level up fast and achieve what you desire!]
The people nodded, their expressions turning grave.
[A game… such a terrifying place, nothing more than a game.]
[We have nowhere to return to anyway.]
The door on the first floor opened, and a dungeon appeared.
The people knelt before the tentacled monster statue in the first-floor waiting area and bowed their heads.
[Floor 1 Beginner Dungeon (Difficulty: Very Easy)]
The people immediately entered the first floor.
Ignis watched this scene and marveled.
"Wow! What kind of content is this now? Looks fascinating!"
"...I don't know either."
"What?"
Jinwoo wondered what on earth was going on.
[Evil God's Followers]
5,320,000
Excluding the Dark Elves, the Evil God's Followers had grown by 320,000.
"Why is this happening?"
Why had things turned out this way?