The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game

Chapter 248: The Evil God's Constellation (1)

Translator: Dreamscribe

Jinwoo and Ignis examined the Evil God's Tower.

When Jinwoo told Ignis that he had installed the Evil God's Tower behind the Dark Elf city, Ignis gave him a look that said, "You've gone and done it again."

"No, I just recycled some content."

"For something recycled, this is awfully elaborate."

"Just copy-pasting recycled content would show no effort."

"This is overflowing with effort, though."

"Hmm, I did make it well, didn't I."

When Jinwoo nodded with a satisfied expression, Ignis let out a sigh.

From the moment he became a Reincarnated Hero, no, every time he watched one of Jinwoo's showcases, he had felt it. The main god of Arsilan was subtly unhinged.

'This guy would stage a production even while eating…'

It was a good thing for a game developer to be crazy about games. The problem was that this particular developer was the main god of Arsilan and the Evil God of the dimensional realms.

"What's done is done."

Jinwoo was remarkably quick to accept things.

First, let's analyze this properly.

The Evil God's Tower was strongly linked to the Soul Gate, and the Evil Karma flowing in from various dimensions was converted into Sacred Power and channeled back into the Soul Gate. That flow reached countless dimensions, serving as a passageway.

It was a phenomenon created by an exquisite overlap of coincidences.

Only those with awareness and recognition of the Evil God, along with a powerful motivation to ride this current, could reach the Evil God's Tower.

"It's a good thing I put in Life Coins."

In case the Dark Elves' faith wavered and they couldn't receive the Soul Gate's protection, he had generously placed 3 Life Coins. Since the Evil God's Tower was a game, he didn't want to create the tragedy of actual death.

Right before dying, a challenger would be summoned to the 1st floor, where they would receive a powerful healing Sacred Spell and recover completely. On top of that, he had installed a double safety mechanism.

'If all 3 coins are used up…'

They would be expelled to the entrance.

Jinwoo examined the tower's interior. Most were below the 10th floor, but there were some who had reached the 20th floor.

Jinwoo used the Magic Tower to analyze the information.

[Lv.11] Jerry

Race: Palanian

Title: [F] One Who Does Not Give Up

Dimension: Pursalan (Extinct)

*Pursalan was a dimensional realm overflowing with abundant minerals and resources. It had achieved an Interstellar Civilization, but was subjected to Dimensional Annexation by the Kalsus Dimensional Empire, and everything except for 200,000 Palanians was incinerated.

The Palanians, with their mouse-like large ears, can use their sensitive hearing to detect the locations of water and resources, and their dexterous hands allow them to perform ultra-fine processing with only simple tools.

[Possessed Skills]

[F] Evil God's Lowest-tier Sorcery

The lowest-tier sorcery that borrows the power of the Evil God.

Can harden skin or transform and reinforce muscles.

[F] Evanth's Basic Swordsmanship

Basic swordsmanship that can be learned at the Evanth training grounds.

Swordsmanship designed for newbie Heroes. It will serve as an excellent foundation for mastering higher-tier swordsmanship.

His appearance was like that of an adorable Beastkin.

He was an adult, but he had the appearance of a boy, with large ears on top of his head. Apparently, Palanians had very little difference in appearance between males and females.

Jerry the Palanian was growing, but it looked like it would take quite a while for him to break through the 20th floor. He struggled just to handle a single Corrupted Goblin.

'His growth rate is kind of slow, though.'

Heroes were the unusual ones.

From the very beginning, the quality of their souls was different. A Hero's soul felt complete in itself, whereas the souls of Arsilanians or those from other dimensional realms felt so weak they seemed like mere sprouts just beginning to bloom.

Of course, ever since Arsilan had been made whole, the souls of Arsilanians were also growing rapidly.

"More and more are coming in."

"Yeah."

Ignis watched those desperately swinging their weapons.

"They look desperate. What will you do? If you leave things as they are, they'll keep coming in."

They were weak, but they gritted their teeth and overcame their fear.

They charged at Horned Rabbits with desperation, grappling with them in a frenzy. Their eyes belonged to those who had lost much, and were losing even themselves. But they were trying to rise again.

That courage felt utterly radiant.

'It is a bug, though…'

The Evil God's Tower being connected to other dimensions was a bug Jinwoo hadn't anticipated. Fixing it would be simple. He just had to block it off. But looking at their expressions, their eyes, their desperate struggles, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Their dimensions had been devoured by Erosion, or destroyed by the Kalsus Dimensional Empire.

Those entering the Evil God's Tower were all people who had suffered such tragedies.

"Games should be something anyone can enjoy."

"Right. That's what games are for."

Jinwoo had saved Arsilan through a game.

Spreading the greatness of games across the dimensional realms wouldn't be a bad thing. As a game developer, having more players was a joyful thing.

If they could carve out their own destinies with the power and abilities gained from the Evil God's Tower, that too would be like a miracle.

If there was a problem…

"Should I do a Balance Patch?"

The Evil God's Tower had been made by recycling content originally intended for Heroes, and it was calibrated to the standards of Dark Elves. So even a Horned Rabbit would pose a major threat to them.

For now, he had perfectly separated the entry routes for the Dark Elf side and the dimensional realms side. The two would never encounter each other.

"Rather than doing a Balance Patch, it would be better to just build it from scratch."

That was just how Balance Patches were.

Touching one thing wrong could bring the whole thing crashing down, that was the nature of a Balance Patch. Game companies didn't struggle with Balance Patches for no reason.

By the standards of Heroes or Dark Elves, the Evil God's Tower was perfectly balanced. It was difficult to adjust anything here. It would be faster to just build something new.

"How about we help out?"

"Placing items and skill books would be decent. Blessing totems too…"

They might provide a flash of help early on, but they weren't a fundamental solution. Ignis fell into thought for a moment.

"Captain, I've been reading web novels for over 10 years now."

"Web novels?"

"Yes, and I've come up with a device that fits this situation perfectly."

Confidence overflowed from Ignis's expression.

When Jinwoo gestured for him to speak, he built up the atmosphere and spread both arms wide.

"It's the Constellation Genre."

RRRRRUMBLE!

Just then, noise drifted into the Dimensional Transit Ship.

It was the result of a massive explosion happening outside, where the war was raging.

Constellation Genre?

Jinwoo was familiar with the concept.

He had read various web novels while producing games based on web novel originals.

"You become the Evil God's Constellation and help those with talent! Giving them your own weapon, bestowing abilities on them!"

It was a decent idea.

Those close to being Transcendent Beings, like Heina, Luceren, and Garsha, currently had nothing in particular to do. If they watched over the Evil God's Tower and became Constellations to help, the balance would fit perfectly.

"If Arsilanians or Heroes could also become Constellations…"

Intervening and twisting fate!

He could also enjoy the fun of raising them, like an Idle Game.

If the Constellations could receive various rewards like Achievement Points whenever their Avatars grew or accomplished feats, they would feel even more fulfilled.

A plan quickly took shape in his head.

"I think I should make it possible for Heroes starting at Level 200."

"Of course, they'd have to earn Constellation qualifications through a difficult quest!"

Level 200 was roughly the level of a high-ranking knight by Arsilan's standards.

They had enough combat power to destroy a small Kalsus Dimensional Empire warship on their own. That should be enough to qualify as a Constellation, wouldn't it?

"Level 200 would start as the lowest-ranked Constellation, and they could be given chances to rank up whenever they level up or accumulate Achievement Points?"

"Yes, the stronger and more famous their Avatars become, the more points they get."

The rough framework came together immediately!

It wouldn't be a bad mini-game for Episode 6: Dimensional War. It would help the Heroes understand the situation of the dimensional realms.

The more they came to cherish their Avatars, the greater their hatred for the Kalsus Dimensional Empire and Erosion would grow.

"Ignis, absolutely excellent."

"Thank you! It was a very Holy Dragon-worthy idea, wasn't it?"

"Hmm…"

Jinwoo averted his gaze and nodded.

"So, is there something you want?"

"Make me the first Constellation!"

Jinwoo nodded and patched a Constellation list into the Evil God's Tower. The Constellation system itself would need to be properly designed, so it would take some time, but just registering names was no problem.

Once the information was registered, the Magic Tower would analyze it and assign a name that gave off a proper Constellation feel.

[Ignis's Constellation registration has been completed.]

*[Rank 1] The Wicked Breath of Flames

That's what it came out as.

Ignis flinched upon seeing the name.

"Why am I wicked?"

"…Yeah. Is it a bug?"

"I can change this, right?"

Jinwoo turned his gaze aside and looked outside.

The land of Luzen was filled with flames.

A Large Warship engulfed in flames was dyeing the fire red as it fell toward the land.

The sight of that enormous body slowly descending toward the ground felt majestic.

"War is indeed a terrible thing."

"Excuse me? Captain?"

"Hmm…"

"Creator God? Evil God? Please answer me…"

Jinwoo gazed at the devastation of war with a wistful look in his eyes.

* * *

The war grew fiercer as time went on.

Beams fired from the warships scorched the land and swept away the Heroes. But the Heroes continued to revive and fight back against the Kalsus Dimensional Empire Army.

"Drmin! No!"

"Ugh!"

When the Luzenian caught in an explosion collapsed to the ground, a Hero ran over and embraced him.

"Luzen, please…"

In the Hero's arms, the Luzenian crumbled into earth and vanished.

"Aaaagh!"

The Hero clutched the soil and wailed.

Among the mound of earth, a single ornament could be seen.

It was the Keepsake a Luzenian left behind in this world when returning to nature. This Keepsake was crafted in a pair during the coming-of-age ceremony, and one was given to a precious person.

A butterfly-shaped ornament.

The Hero pinned his ornament next to the butterfly ornament already on his own chest.

The Hero lifted his weapon and looked at the enormous Tank charging toward him. The Tank, massive as a house, crushed every obstacle in its path as it unleashed shells. Just as it was about to flatten the Hero,

KRAKOOOM!

A Magic Armor charged in and struck the side of the Tank, sending it sliding to the side and then tumbling wildly.

[Kuhehehehe!]

The Magic Armor lifted something up.

It was a round Core far larger than the Magic Armor's own body. The Magic Armors held the Core together in multiple arms and faced forward.

The Magic Armor ripped out its own Mana Engine and attached it to the Core.

[Kuhehehe! With overwhelming power!]

[My life, for Arsilan!]

[For His Majesty the Emperor!]

At the moment they activated the Core while delivering lines they had heard many times somewhere,

KRAKABOOOOOM!

A blue beam shot forward.

It split the ground as it extended outward and in an instant, it grazed past several Tanks. At first, the Tanks showed no reaction. Then the parts the beam had touched began to bubble and boil, and promptly exploded.

The beam shot up into the sky, slicing through multiple fleets.

KRAKOOOOOOM!

The Cores exploded, and the Magic Armors were annihilated on the spot.

The Hero, pushed back by the explosion, raised his head and looked forward. Before he knew it, many other Heroes had gathered around him.

"There's no end to them."

"Same goes for us, though."

The problem was firepower.

The firepower pouring out from the warships, Tanks, and distant Self-propelled Artillery far surpassed that of the Heroes. The only reason they were fighting on even footing was thanks to each Hero's individual capability.

"I wish something could be done about the Fleet."

"I know."

"It's impressive that the Airships are holding out as much as they are."

The Helby Fan Club's Airships were too few in number, and even those had mostly been shot down. HandGenius and the Helby Fan Club were gathering the wreckage of the warships that had crashed to the ground and transporting them back to Arsilan.

The Fleet had finished charging its energy.

"Put up the shields!"

"Everyone, gather!"

Over dozens of Large Warships aimed at the land in unison. Just as a massive bombardment was about to begin,

The sound of birds came from somewhere.

The Heroes turned their heads and looked toward the opposite sky.

"That's…"

"Oh!"

A shadow fell across the land.

Luzenians appeared riding giant birds, blanketing the sky. They had come to lend their strength upon hearing the news.

Before the beams could reach the ground, the birds plunged down toward the surface at tremendous speed, snatched up the Heroes, and soared back into the sky.

"Whew! Thank you!"

"We heard from the Priestess! We shall be your wings."

"Can you get us close to those warships? If we can just get inside, I think we can tear them all apart."

The Luzenian nodded and whistled. Then several birds approached.

"Their defense systems are pretty tight, will it be alright?"

"We'll arrive before those warships can react!"

"Oh-ho!"

The birds carrying the Heroes flew toward the Fleet at tremendous speed. When a Hero who had arrived near a warship gave the signal, the bird hurled the Hero at the warship.

KRAKOOM!

He broke through the warship's shield and reached its surface directly.

Arriving on top of the warship, the Heroes gave a thumbs-up to the Luzenians. The Luzenians on the birds nodded and awkwardly mimicked the gesture.

"Let's goooo!"

"Looked like there was a lot of good stuff in there…"

"Hehehe!"

The Heroes punched a hole in the surface and entered the warship.

Moments later, the warship exploded and began crashing down to the ground.

From the air, Jinwoo watched the scene with a satisfied smile. Each Hero, each guild, each territory had its own Narrative. That alone made for a truly excellent film.

'Now, it's about time…'

Jinwoo moved the Erosion and had it join the battle.

When the Erosion appeared, the nature of the battlefield changed. The Kalsus Dimensional Empire Army's warships became corrupted and crashed down, while soldiers melted away. The Heroes were also busy dealing with the Erosion.

"Fuck! It's Erosion!"

"The shitty bastards showed up again!"

- Whoa, this is insane.

- The whole horizon is dyed black?

There were tens of millions of Heroes here, but the Erosion and the Kalsus Dimensional Empire Army far outnumbered them. The prologue concluded with the Kalsus Dimensional Empire Army and Erosion retreating after suffering massive losses here.

Ella(???): I have a proposal!

Ella proposed a scenario change.

Having worked on various things together with Luna, Ella seemed to have found her role. The proposal was to have the Evil God make an appearance.

It wasn't a bad proposal.

In order to explain the Evil God's Tower and the Constellation system, the Evil God's existence had to be revealed.

Once Jinwoo gave his permission, Ella immediately began preparations. Helby was with her too. Jinwoo handed over control of the Dimensional Transit Ship to the two of them.

The Evil God's appearance wasn't entirely without plausibility. Posts about sightings had even appeared in Arsilan. When Jinwoo had departed from the Soul Moon on the Dimensional Transit Ship, a Hero observing the sky had witnessed it and posted about it on Arsilan Worlds.

He waited until the battlefield situation reached its climax.

In a situation where Luzen looked like it was about to be destroyed, all noise suddenly vanished. The Kalsus Dimensional Empire Army and the Erosion alike came to a standstill.

The Heroes were bewildered by the sudden situation.

KRRRRRRUMBLE!

The soiled sky opened.

As the Dimensional Rift split open, the Fleet floating in the air was sucked inside and disappeared.

At the same time, a woman shrouded in black currents revealed herself. She was an enchanting woman. Her black hair swayed like tentacles, and a shroud concealed her explosive figure.

When she opened her eyes, a red light spilled out, instantly staining the sky dark. Even though the sun was up, it became night.

"Wh-what is that…"

"Ugh, ugghh…"

The Heroes felt their bodies stiffen.

The thickened air felt like water. Beside the woman, something of enormous size appeared. It wore armor rippling with malice, and countless jewel-like red pupils were studded across the armor.

It looked like a knight.

As the woman and the knight, both cloaked in darkness deeper than the abyss, descended to the ground, a chilling Hymn echoed forth.

It was a Hymn wailed by the Dark Elves.

Jinwoo paused for a moment at the sight.

'…They prepared a lot.'

There were traces of effort made to appear even cooler than the Executioners. Come to think of it, this was the first time Ella and Helby had created content and participated in Arsilan Saga. He felt touched, and also a little worried.

Jinwoo observed Ella and Helby closely.

They were borrowing Jinwoo's Sacred Power through the Soul Gate. They were blending the Evil God's Sorcery with Sacred Spells and magic in an exceptionally intricate way. No being other than Jinwoo would be able to see through it.

'Since they each have their own symbols, they don't get mixed up.'

However, it could be worn over the soul and body like armor. Based on that, they had generated physical bodies and descended in this form. They were probably immune to Erosion as well.

The Kalsus Dimensional Empire Army tried to move.

"Who said you could move?"

Ella's icy voice rang out.

Her voice was in an unknown language, but it was translated and heard in the Heroes' minds.

When Ella extended her hand, numerous soldiers swelled up on the spot and burst.

Helby looked at the Erosion.

She raised a finger and drew it horizontally. Space split apart, and the Erosion was all cut in half, falling to the ground.

"What the…"

"Th-that's…"

"What on earth…"

Ella and Helby looked toward the Heroes. But they did not attack. Rather, they gazed at them with benevolent eyes.

"Ones who have come from afar! You possess the qualifications."

"Congratulations. The Evil God is watching over you."

Qualifications?

What did that mean?

Ella and Helby delivered the lines Jinwoo had asked them to.

From the Dimensional Rift, the Dimensional Transit Ship, no, the Evil God revealed itself. It did not show itself fully, only partially. If it revealed everything, the sense of mystery would be lost.

As tentacles whose form could not be guessed from visual information alone extended out and touched the ground, something strange occurred.

"Ugh, uuuaaaagh!"

"Aaaah!"

KRAAAAAAGH!

The Kalsus Dimensional Empire Army and the Erosion began screaming and bursting apart. The fleet led by General Gord hurriedly opened a Dimensional Rift and escaped through it.

The Erosion vanished on the spot, as though devoured by the earth.

"That's nuts…"

"Even other dimensional realms are dark fantasy."

- Whoa... there's a new god too.

- Arsilan has Ella though.

- Evil God... holy shit

At those reactions, Ella's shoulders twitched.

Helby also seemed very satisfied.

When Ella raised a single finger, something heavily laden with static poured out and settled into Luzen.

The Heroes couldn't understand what it was.

"Still-immature ones. We shall watch over your journey."

"Do not break the balance of dimensions."

Swish!

Ella and Helby melted into the tentacles and vanished. As the tentacles retreated out of the Dimensional Rift, Luzen's sky brightened once more, leaving only the devastating traces behind.

It was the ending of Arsilan Saga Episode 6, Prologue Part 2.

"It ran longer than expected, but we introduced everything we needed to."

Jinwoo was quite satisfied.

Well then, it was time to complete the Constellation system.

The Heroes were surely going to be in for a shock!

*****

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