The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game

Translator: Dreamscribe

He went to sleep, and when he woke up, the world had changed!

Near-infinite energy had begun flowing into Seoul and its neighboring cities. Since this was the first activation, the existing power plants were still running alongside it for the time being, but a swift switchover to fusion plants was planned.

There was the issue of having to replace various pieces of equipment from the power plants all the way down to individual households, but it was going smoothly. Jinwoo had personally handled a lot of it through magic.

'Is this even okay?'

'I've got my windows open and my AC running full blast.'

'With industrial electricity this cheap, Korea's basically the ideal place to build a factory?'

'They're taking foreign companies on a first-come-first-served basis right now. It's absolute chaos.'

'Turns out the Creator God was the singularity.'

Within the regions receiving power from the fusion plants, residents could check their electricity bills in real time through an app released jointly with the government.

On the spot, Jinwoo had also announced radiation removal technology, waste recycling, and carbon capture technology. It had been slightly overshadowed by the plant activation performance, but once the announcements were picked up as articles, the entire world was turned upside down.

A Nobel Prize?

Why would he accept something like that?

Instead of nominating him for a Nobel Prize, people were now saying it would be better to create a "Lee Jinwoo Prize". In fact, Jinwoo had been turning down the Nobel Prize every year. The terms required him to give an acceptance lecture within six months, and he simply couldn't spare the time.

Having taken care of his backlog in one go, Jinwoo returned to Arsilan and checked the status of everything. Jinwoo had used the Wall of the Abyss to create Arsilan's barrier. Without passing through the intermediate dimension Jinwoo owned, no one could breach the Wall of the Abyss and the barrier to reach Arsilan.

'They're growing up nicely.'

He could see the newbie Heroes enjoying everything Arsilan had to offer and leveling up. Watching them brimming with excitement, anticipation, and joy made him feel warm inside.

[Remnants of Erosion have invaded through the Dimensional Gap!]

The sky suddenly turned pitch black, and corrupted monsters burst up through the ground. As an army numbering in the millions marched toward the city, the newbie Heroes and the veteran Heroes leading them headed into battle with grim expressions.

"For Arsilan!"

"RAAAAAH!"

"Ha, haha! I'm, I'm shaking."

The newbie Heroes charged at the monsters while letting out battle cries.

Battles on a scale reminiscent of the Great War were unfolding on a regular basis.

FS Games had grown alongside the Heroes.

Since most of Arsilan's operations had been left to FS Games, Jinwoo was now able to focus on the dimensional realms.

'Earth's problems are being solved too...'

Energy, the environment, even disease; none of them were concerns anymore. Things like aging and lifespan would also be gradually improved. He wanted them to keep being Heroes for a very long time, after all. However, there was one issue that remained unresolved.

Ever since Arsilan Saga's release, wars had decreased significantly, but they still hadn't stopped. Conflicts were constantly erupting in more regions than Jinwoo could intervene in one by one.

'If at all possible, I'd like them to do their fighting in the dimensional realms instead...'

Madness, rage, and war.

They felt inseparable from humanity, almost like part of its very soul. Out of all the dimensional realms he had observed so far, the only beings he had ever seen this belligerent were the Kalsus Dimensional Empire and Erosion.

But if it could be steered in the right direction, it could become light. Just as Arsilan had been saved.

Jinwoo moved over to the Dimensional Transit Ship.

Tiris had set up a workshop aboard the Dimensional Transit Ship, and Tia and various others had carved out their own spaces as well.

[You have acquired a massive amount of Evil Karma.]

[You have acquired a massive amount of Evil Karma.]

.

...

....

The Evil Karma count kept piling up day by day. Even the things Ella and Helby had done were being credited to Jinwoo's tally. Overflowing Sacred Power was a good thing, but knowing it was the product of Evil Karma left him feeling a bit strange.

"Master."

"Hm?"

"There's something I'd like to show you."

Tiris looked at Jinwoo with a confident expression. Jinwoo accompanied her to her workshop.

Tiris's workshop was still as cluttered as ever.

Countless bodies filled the space, and items were laid out across the floor. Thankfully it was well organized, so it didn't come across as messy.

There were some new changes, too.

"Is that..."

"I tried to make them give off the most Evil-God-like impression possible."

Horrific monsters were hung up and displayed like slabs of meat in a slaughterhouse. It seemed to have become Tiris's new hobby.

"What I wanted to show you is this."

Going deeper inside, there was a large orb floating in the air.

The orb was filled to the brim with the aura of Erosion. At its very center, Jinwoo's Sacred Power formed the core.

"Sacred Power born of Evil Karma turns out to assimilate very well with the aura of Erosion."

To be more precise, it felt almost as though the aura of Erosion were a subordinate energy to the Sacred Power born of Evil Karma. That was why they mixed so well, and why it could be handled efficiently aboard the Dimensional Transit Ship.

"Using the Authority and information we extracted from the Larva as a base, I tried to create an artifact that lets the user take on the attributes of Erosion."

Jinwoo examined the orb carefully. If embedded into his soul, it would let him handle the aura of Erosion as if he himself had become Erosion. It was something only possible because of his Sacred Power born from Evil Karma. Only Jinwoo, the Evil God, could use it.

"Impressive."

Jinwoo marveled at it.

Tiris was already at a level where it wouldn't be inappropriate to call her an Archmage. Measured by crafting skill alone, she even surpassed Jinwoo. At his praise, the tips of Tiris's ears reddened slightly.

"I referenced your magical formulas, Master."

"And you advanced them several levels beyond that."

"...It just sort of turned out that way..."

Jinwoo broke into a wide grin and ruffled Tiris's hair roughly.

"Truly excellent work."

"Thank you."

The corners of Tiris's mouth twitched.

It was so subtle that others wouldn't have noticed, but to Jinwoo, who had been with her for so long, it was plain as day.

When Jinwoo extended his hand, the artifact drifted toward him. He absorbed the artifact and installed it within his soul.

FWAAAASH!

Jinwoo was now able to perfectly convert his Sacred Power into the aura of Erosion. Since it was fully transformed into the aura of Erosion itself, not even a higher being would be able to see through to its true nature.

The Soul Moon, in tandem, had Erosion's aura registered as one of its attributes as well.

"Now let's think about how to put this to use."

First of all, Arsilan's barrier could be made even more perfect. If he layered an Authority made from the aura of Erosion over the exterior of the barrier, Erosion wouldn't even be able to find Arsilan in the first place.

"How about making use of the Parasite?"

"Originally I was planning to just use it for reconnaissance and then dispose of it, but..."

The Parasite's purpose had been scouting Erosion's Domain. To find out whether they had a home dimension, how many of them there were, and what their weaknesses might be.

Naturally, somewhere along the way the Higher Entities would catch on.

Though it had grown by feeding on Authority and the aura of Erosion, its foundation had been crafted in Arsilan.

"At this point, I think I could go there myself."

"To Erosion's Domain, you mean?"

"Yeah. I could use the Parasite as a body."

After all, seeing and judging things with his own eyes would always be the most accurate approach.

If he played his cards right, couldn't he actually infiltrate Erosion's society?

The appearance gave him pause, but he could always customize it.

Tiris's eyes sparkled.

"I'll design it."

"Well..."

Seeing how eager she was, Jinwoo couldn't bring himself to stop her. This opportunity was one she had created, so it was only right to let her do it the way she wanted.

"Mind if I help out from the sidelines?"

"Yes!"

He'd just step in to make sure the design didn't veer too far off course.

Having settled on that approach, Jinwoo assisted Tiris with her work from beside her. A lump of clay floated up in front of Tiris. She conjured magic circles and began shaping the clay.

"More elaborate than I expected."

"Being outdone by any other Erosion is simply out of the question."

Erosion came in a wide variety of appearances.

The Lord of Greed had looked somewhat like a fallen angel, while most other Lesser Entities had been human-shaped. Tiris concentrated for a long time as she finalized the form.

A body that looked as though it contained starlight and galaxies.

The section where the eyes should be was split by a cross shape that emitted a blue glow, and three pairs of wings made of Erosion blazed, wreathed in blue flame. The size had been set slightly larger than the average Higher Entity.

By converting Jinwoo's Sacred Power into the aura of Erosion, it wasn't impossible.

"Not bad."

"Based on the information extracted from the Erosion, I tried to embody the most dignified appearance possible."

He was relieved it had turned out better than expected.

Evil God aesthetics did seem to run in a unique direction.

Jinwoo immediately transferred the form Tiris had designed to the Erosion Insect, which was in the middle of devouring the Larva. Holy magic circles were inscribed onto the Erosion Insect's surface, and the information settled fully into place.

[Ugh, uguh... uuugh....]

The Larva couldn't even speak properly anymore. All its Authority, soul, and mind had been utterly consumed, leaving only a husk behind. Jinwoo linked the Dimensional Transit Ship to the Parasite, opened a Dimensional Gap inside the Chrysalis, and sealed the hollowed-out Larva inside the Soul Moon.

All that awaited it now was eternal suffering.

The Parasite, having devoured every last bit of the Larva, began to melt its body and reshape itself into the form that had been inputted. Jinwoo poured a tremendous amount of Erosion's aura through the Dimensional Gap. He converted his seemingly-limitless Sacred Power into Erosion's aura and stuffed it in until he could feel the bottom of his reserves.

'Let's put it all in.'

He also copied and injected every Authority of Erosion he had collected up to that point.

Once he had crammed in everything to the absolute limit, the Chrysalis grew several times larger than before. Inside it, the form Tiris had designed settled into place perfectly.

'Good thing I have some time to spare.'

There was more than enough time for him to go and come back in person.

He set his goal as fully embedding himself among the Erosion. It also wouldn't hurt to scout out new content to fold into the main episodes.

Leaving the Dimensional Gap open for too long was a bad idea.

The Chrysalis would block it off, but leaving it open for an extended period risked being detected.

"I'll be back."

Jinwoo immediately moved through the Dimensional Gap into the Chrysalis. He then slipped straight into the completed body.

His senses expanded explosively, and he could feel an enormous power coursing through him. This Erosion body, finished by packing in everything that could possibly be packed in, held enough strength to crush a higher being with ease.

'I wish I could mass-produce these, but...'

Unfortunately, since the process required implanting a Parasite and fully digesting a host, it wasn't going to be easy. Jinwoo's soul settled perfectly into the Erosion body. It was a body whose compatibility with the Evil God's power was excellent.

When Jinwoo extended his hand, a sword that seemed to contain the cosmos itself materialized. When he sliced the Chrysalis open with it, the Chrysalis shriveled and vanished.

Jinwoo slowly rose to his feet.

'Oh.'

It was an extraordinarily unusual space.

It looked something like the gap between dimensions, but it also felt as though he were inside some colossal dimension. It was like countless dimensions had melted together into one massive swimming pool.

Enormous landmasses drifted about, and atop them countless Lesser Entities of Erosion had gathered.

'There are a lot of them.'

There was an enormous number of such landmasses.

As expected, the ones that had made their way to Arsilan had been only a tiny fraction.

He could feel gazes upon him.

Higher Entities were looking at Jinwoo. They had been half-submerged, as though buried in the water, and now they surfaced and fixed enormous eyes on him.

"Remarkable. What did you consume, that you have become this mighty?"

A massive, bird-shaped Erosion approached.

It seemed to have known the Larva. That wasn't a real problem. It was common enough for Erosion that when they evolved, even the very concepts that composed their souls changed.

"As you are now, you would rank in the single digits. By fortune, the Lord summons us, so you are sure to be granted an appropriate position."

Erosion had a hierarchy.

The Erosion that had come to Arsilan had each dreamed grand dreams of conquering the world, but they amounted to no more than a tiny kingdom on the fringes.

'Strong.'

Even just the bird in front of him looked incomparably more powerful than any Higher Entity Jinwoo had faced before. Along with a symbol, a number for Erosion was engraved upon it: seven.

That meant it was seventh among the Higher Entities that served under this being called the Lord.

'He's being surprisingly friendly, though?'

Was there some sort of familial affection between Erosion?

Jinwoo silently followed the bird. The bird symbolized "Vitality". It seemed to possess Authority capable of healing damage and infusing others with strength.

Wherever Jinwoo and the bird passed, the Lesser Entities on the landmasses bowed their heads. Quite a few of them carried appetizing Authorities, but for now, he had to hold himself back.

Cutting through the space like that, he eventually saw a gathering of beings.

Thirty Higher Entities, and then,

'So that's the Lord.'

A Lord was radiating the most overwhelming aura of all.

The Lord was colossal. Its size likely surpassed that of a planet with ease. It wore a crown composed of many lights, and a veil tied to that crown concealed its face.

Its body was wrapped as though in cloth woven from the cosmos itself, so its actual form couldn't be made out, but it appeared to be feminine.

'Hmm....'

It was strong enough that even if all of Arsilan attacked at once, victory couldn't be guaranteed. If Jinwoo were willing to throw everything away and go all-in, he might manage it somehow, but he wasn't confident he could win.

It looked every bit the part of a being called a Lord.

Everyone turned to look at Jinwoo and the bird.

The Lord gazed at Jinwoo for a moment, then turned its head to look at an empty stretch of space.

FWAAASH!

Another Lord and its Higher Entities appeared there.

It seemed to be a negotiation.

"Lord of Fear, cede the territory."

"You have not kept your end of the bargain. There is no reason for me to do so. Lord of Destruction, review the contract once more."

"The contract has already been fulfilled. Your feeble subordinate simply failed to accomplish his aim."

So Erosion even had factions.

The Larva's faction belonged to the Lord who symbolized Fear.

The faction that had now run into trouble with the Fear camp was the Lord of Destruction's camp.

'So the ones that came to Arsilan couldn't even be called Lords.'

They were nothing more than low-ranking subordinates serving under a Lord.

Listening carefully to the conversation, he learned that the true Lords of Erosion numbered seven in total. And only the one who subjugated all the other Lords could become the Emperor of Erosion.

As the standoff continued, voices began erupting from the Lord of Destruction's side.

"Enact the contract at once! We fulfilled our end of the deal faithfully and provided tremendous support! The failure rests entirely on the fault of the Lord of Fear's subordinate!"

One of those standing behind the Lord of Destruction was shouting loudly.

They were exchanging words through some higher-dimensional medium, but it was indistinguishable from humans squabbling over politics.

'Hmm...'

The Lord of Fear was displaying patience, but its aura was rippling as though it might erupt at any moment.

'I suppose I'll just have to make things worse.'

If Lord fought Lord, it would benefit every dimensional realm.

Besides, he could go wild without any consequences. Just like playing a game under an anonymous account, he could put on a mask and stir up chaos!

'I'll be the troll.'

Smiling inwardly, Jinwoo turned his gaze toward the Higher Entity who was shouting frantically at the Lord of Fear.

In an instant, he drew his sword, and,

SHLICK! KRAKOOOOOM!

He cleaved him clean in half.

The Higher Entity, split in two, stared at Jinwoo with an expression of utter disbelief. The moment the Higher Entity tried to regenerate, Jinwoo's wings stretched out long and plunged into him.

The feathers of his wings transformed into sharp fangs and began devouring the Higher Entity's body whole.

"Gu, guaaah! I'm, I'm being eaten..., kyaaaah!"

It was only after most of its body had been consumed that the Higher Entity barely managed to tear itself free and flee.

A silence descended at the sudden turn of events.

Everyone stared at Jinwoo.

Jinwoo slowly raised his sword and pointed it at the Lord of Destruction.

"I shall hold you accountable for failing to properly manage this worthless rabble."

Killing an opposing faction's subordinate during a negotiation. He hadn't actually killed him, but most of his power had been stripped away, so it was practically the same thing.

That should be more than enough to plant the seeds of conflict.

Jinwoo waited for the Lord of Destruction to erupt in fury and attack. He intended to naturally pin the blame on the Lord of Fear.

But the reaction was completely different from what he had expected.

"Hahahaha!"

The Lord of Destruction let out a booming laugh and nodded.

"Lord of Fear, it seems you had a worthy sword after all. I shall consider this contract null and void. I hope we may continue our cooperative relations in the future as well."

"Understood. I shall not press the matter either."

The Lord of Destruction looked at Jinwoo one more time, then withdrew without any fuss. Once the Lord of Destruction's entire entourage had vanished, the Lord of Fear turned its gaze on Jinwoo.

'What?'

He had thought a fight would break out, but they'd just pulled back graciously.

Jinwoo noticed that the Lord of Fear's gaze was brimming with an emotion that could only be described as utter adoration. The Lord of Fear rose from its throne and approached Jinwoo.

"Well done. My loyal servant."

PAT!

The Lord of Fear tapped Jinwoo's shoulder and offered praise overflowing with affection.

"So you have ascended in rank and become a new concept. What power did you obtain?"

"The sword, and absorption."

"Oho! A truly excellent higher concept! Can you wield the power you absorb?"

"I can."

The Lord of Fear nodded and extended its hand.

"I hereby appoint you as the Fourth Symbol. To show such loyalty with your very annihilation on the line! Let all take this, my faithful sword, as your example."

Huh?

This wasn't supposed to happen...

He'd gone and gotten himself a promotion!

*****

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