wavenovel Chapter 239: Prelude to the Dimensional War (3)
Chapter 239: Prelude to the Dimensional War (3)
Translator: Dreamscribe
Jinwoo quickly installed everything he had prepared across Luzen. The world that had been thoroughly destroyed by the Kalsus Dimensional Empire's forces was now abundantly restored.
He also renovated the areas tainted by Erosion.
They had been nothing more than gray deserts where nothing could grow, corrupted beyond repair, but Jinwoo deliberately made them even more horrifying.
"How's it look?"
"Oh! Pretty good? I think people will instantly understand without needing anyone to explain the connection between Erosion and the Kalsus Dimensional Empire."
He had created several Erosion entities and arranged the armor and equipment of Kalsus Dimensional Empire soldiers in convincing positions. It looked as though the two sides were fighting over ownership of Luzen.
It was important to showcase the cruelty of the Kalsus Dimensional Empire while also revealing the power dynamics of the dimensional realm.
"Want to run a rehearsal? Can you handle mana control?"
"Obviously. I'm the next Dragon Lord, you know. I'll become a wise and enlightened Holy Dragon and go down in history!"
"Good goal. Sounds like you reincarnated well."
"Hehe! The reincarnation cheat is basically the golden rule. If I level up just a bit more, I think I'll reach Ancient Dragon tier."
Aside from the Erosion Headquarters personnel, Ignis was probably the strongest. He was the one who had survived Helby's hellish training, after all.
Jinwoo handed over control of the Erosion units deployed in Luzen to Ignis.
"Charge!"
[Hehehe! Turn to ashes!]
The Kalsus Dimensional Empire soldiers and the Erosion Lesser Entities clashed in a realistic battle. Since it was just a rehearsal, there was no actual damage, but with a touch of illusion magic to dress it up, it looked convincing.
"Not bad? Maybe I have a talent for game design...."
"The scale's a bit lacking, though."
"Well, the troop numbers are kinda low, right? I wish it was a massive battlefield, the kind that really gets the blood pumping."
It looked even more sparse because Jinwoo had held back about half the forces gathered in the Intermediate Dimension. Even if he deployed every soldier aboard the Dimensional Transit Ship, it would still feel a bit empty.
'I did duplicate and deploy them, but....'
He had duplicated and deployed them, but increasing their experience had consumed a lot of True Magic Stones. Heroes above level 150 couldn't grow their souls with ordinary amounts of experience.
He still had some True Magic Stones to spare.
He had been producing them from the energy extracted from Higher Entities. However, since Erosion had disappeared from Arsilan, he could no longer extract it from the land. That was one more reason to hunt down Erosion.
'I'll need to use them sparingly.'
Jinwoo nodded.
But this was the grand prologue heralding the start of Episode 6. It absolutely could not be underwhelming.
Jinwoo pondered for a moment, then pulled up the information window.
The situation in Arsilan was being broadcast.
[UGGGH! We finally made it to the end!]
[Baron of the Labyrinth! Let's get that first clear, let's gooo!]
[If we beat it here, is it a first clear?]
[Yeah, about ten million people are attempting it right now. Hurry up and clear it!]
The labyrinth was among the more difficult of the thirty Lesser Entity domains. The Lesser Entities didn't have names, but the Heroes had taken it upon themselves to assign them.
Having experienced the Lord of Despair, they couldn't bring themselves to use the title "lord" for these inferior Lesser Entities. So they gave them appropriate noble titles instead.
The labyrinth's scale was enormous.
An entire domain was the labyrinth itself.
The maze's corridors shifted periodically, and the theme changed along with them. There was a wide variety, from ice zones, deserts, forests, swamps, to grasslands, and the monsters varied just as much.
Defeating the Baron of the Labyrinth at the center of the maze meant clearing it.
"Looks fun. Oh, they died."
"The traps are what make a labyrinth, after all."
Ignis was envious that he couldn't enjoy Arsilan Saga himself.
The Hero party that had been closest to the first clear was flattened by a wall closing in on them.
CRRRRUNCH!
The entire labyrinth shook, and the corridors began to completely rearrange. The maze's desert theme also shifted to a swamp. A swamp brimming with poison.
[AAAAGH! It changed again!]
[Maps are useless at this point.]
[The Episode 6 content volume is insane.]
They were having a blast.
There were spaces at various stages within the labyrinth, and many Heroes gathered there to set up temporary camps.
[Selling skewers! Selling 12-person tents! Selling mana burners! Selling bottled water!]
[Selling hamburgers!]
[Sword sharpening service! Selling all weapon types!]
The Demon Race had brought loads of goods and were selling them to the Heroes. The Demon Race was also enjoying the Episode 6 prologue. However, they couldn't be allowed to cross dimensions for the time being. Erosion immunity disappeared outside areas with a Soul Moon or Soul Gate.
"The Count of the Deep Sea is great too. You get to fight alongside merfolk. And this is just the prologue..., they'll probably think Episode 6 wraps up once the Higher Entity is defeated. I'd think the same thing in their shoes."
It was that much content.
The clearing speed was faster than expected, but it would still take roughly the length of one full episode. There were also expectations that the first Hero to reach level 200 would emerge.
"That's exactly why the prologue's finale can't be half-baked."
"Hmm, you're right."
Ignis nodded.
The Lesser Entities were being cleared faster than anticipated. Many Heroes had awakened their potential through the side stories. Their growth rate was steep.
When a Lesser Entity was cleared, statues of the top ten finishers, first through tenth, were erected. Special items were also awarded, and they could obtain mechanical devices from the Kalsus Dimensional Empire.
It was all breadcrumbs building up to the Kalsus Dimensional Empire's appearance.
On Arsilan Worlds, people were starting to speculate about the mechanical devices.
Ignis had been thinking for a moment when something occurred to him, and he looked at Jinwoo.
"If we're short on numbers, we just need to fill them up."
"Fill them up?"
"Yeah, what if we just pop over and kidnap some?"
"Ah."
Jinwoo nodded.
The dimensional passages had been sealed, so the Kalsus Dimensional Empire's forces couldn't cross over here. But Jinwoo could travel to other dimensions using the Dimensional Transit Ship.
"I'm naming you the top crew member of the year."
"Thank you!"
He bestowed a title upon Ignis.
Jinwoo moved to the Dimensional Transit Ship. The other crew members were nowhere to be seen. They were all helping Jinwoo with various tasks on Luzen, distributing food and supplies to the people of Luzen and providing medical treatment.
The crew members were being called the Evil God's demons.
Among the food supplies were octopus fried rice made from octopus caught in the Hanu Sea, and when Luna saw it, she was deeply moved.
[The Evil God has bestowed upon us His blood and flesh! We too, as part of the evil....]
Luzen's seas had no cephalopods like octopus.
The people of Luzen believed the Dimensional Transit Ship was the Evil God's true body, and that the octopus in the fried rice was a part of the Evil God's physical form.
The people of Luzen ate the octopus parboiled slices and octopus fried rice, then were so overwhelmed with emotion that some even fainted. Demand for octopus skyrocketed.
Jinwoo pulled up the dimensional map.
Thanks to information obtained from the Kalsus Dimensional Empire's forces, he could see the current situation in detail.
It seemed best to connect through the Dimensional Portal and cross over to the Kalsus Dimensional Empire's frontier region. That was where the 99th Legion's military base for invading Luzen and several other dimensions was located.
[Connected to the Kalsus Dimensional Empire's Dimensional Portal.]
[Commencing dimensional transit.]
KWAAAAAH!
Upon crossing dimensions, a massive planet came into view.
"Oh, that's pretty impressive."
The 99th Legion's military base was visible.
There was a terminal-like area with multiple Dimensional Portals, as well as a Transfer Gate that allowed spatial movement from deep within the Kalsus Dimensional Empire all the way out to this frontier. Countless warships passed through the Transfer Gate and descended to the surface, with troops moving various supplies.
"Lots of expensive-looking stuff."
"No kidding. If all that goes into the staging, it'll be spectacular, right?"
A smile tugged at the corner of Jinwoo's mouth.
A fun idea had come to mind. Ignis nodded after hearing Jinwoo's plan.
"Captain, you're becoming the Evil God for real."
To Ignis's ears, it was a truly wicked plan.
"So what do you think?"
"Love it! Let's do it right now!"
The Dimensional Transit Ship was silently cloaked, undetectable by the Kalsus Dimensional Empire's forces. Since moving or using mana would give them away, Jinwoo and Ignis stepped outside directly.
They didn't forget to cast concealment magic for the plan.
They climbed atop a massive warship hovering in the air. It was a vessel housing multiple transport ships inside, giving it the feel of an aircraft carrier. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a moving city.
"Oh, they even gilded the surface."
The hull of the large warship was engraved with the emblem of the Kalsus Dimensional Empire's 99th Legion.
"The Heroes are gonna lose their minds."
"How could anyone resist this? They'd want to buy it even if it costs a fortune."
It seemed to be quite rare, as only a few were visible even here, and each one had escort ships attached. Jinwoo smirked, then descended to the area where the Dimensional Portals were clustered.
Across the wide expanse of land stood multiple Dimensional Portals, and far from them was a massive Transfer Gate stretching from deep within the Kalsus Dimensional Empire to this frontier. They were separated to avoid interference between them.
It was likely connected to the 99th Legion's main headquarters.
Jinwoo crafted several chips and handed them to Ignis. Ignis grinned and shoved a chip into every single Dimensional Portal there.
[Interfering..., complete.]
[Anyone passing through the Dimensional Portals will now be automatically transported to the ship's prison hold.]
Anyone crossing through those Dimensional Portals for an invasion would be transported inside the Dimensional Transit Ship instead. The Kalsus Dimensional Empire was waging dimensional invasions extremely aggressively, and the 99th Legion was dispatching large numbers of troops and equipment to this location.
Jinwoo and Ignis perched atop the Dimensional Portals and watched the situation unfold for a while.
"Oh, Captain, they just keep marching right in! This is a game at this point!"
Just as Ignis said, troops and equipment kept entering the multiple Dimensional Portals one after another.
It appeared they were attacking several dimensions simultaneously. They knew the connection to Luzen had been severed, but there was no sign of heightened alert.
[The Evil God's Evil Karma Points (Kalsus Dimensional Empire) have increased.]
Jinwoo's Evil Karma Points were going up!
Seeing that even harassing the enemy accumulated Evil Karma Points, playing the role of the Evil God didn't seem half bad.
Jinwoo began searching for the commander of this base. He found him surprisingly easily. Because there was a lavish mansion in plain sight. Countless taxidermied specimens stood in the yard, and the mansion's interior was filled with paintings and art pieces.
It had a classical feel.
"Hm?"
Jinwoo examined the paintings.
They depicted humanoid figures with blue skin. They appeared to be people of the Kalsus Dimensional Empire, but they weren't in armor. They looked like high-ranking nobles.
"Oh? A golden ceramic piece. Can I take this?"
"What are you talking about."
When Jinwoo sighed and said that, Ignis flinched.
"We're taking everything here."
"Hehehe! Of course! As expected of you, Captain. Then if you don't mind, I'll just help myself to this...."
Ignis grabbed the golden ceramic piece.
[Ignis's Evil Karma Points (Kalsus Dimensional Empire) have increased.]
Jinwoo headed for the room where the base commander was. When he entered the room, he saw the commander stroking a taxidermied specimen. He was tending to it with the same care and devotion one might give to a bonsai tree.
The gruesomely modified specimen still had a will clinging to it.
There was no possibility of returning to its original body.
Its soul had already been shattered to pieces.
'Kill me. Kill me. Please....'
Ignis seemed to sense it too, as his expression twisted.
FWOOM!
When Jinwoo extended his hand, the body instantly disintegrated into dust. It would not have felt any pain.
"Wh-what?! What happened!"
When the taxidermied specimen suddenly vanished, the commander was so startled he fell backward. Jinwoo and Ignis dropped their concealment and approached him.
"H-huh?! AAAAAAHH!"
Jinwoo had expected something like 'How dare you touch me!' or 'Do you have any idea who I am!', but the commander just screamed as if he had seen a horrific monster.
Unfortunately for him, his mighty screams didn't escape the office. Jinwoo had put up a barrier.
"What's his deal? I'm kinda offended, actually."
"Right?"
Jinwoo shrugged and extended his hand toward the commander.
CRRRK!
A Magic Circle was inscribed on the inside of the commander's armor, linking him to the Dimensional Transit Ship. Jinwoo now had complete control over him.
"Keep sending support requests to the 99th Legion. Feed them false intel, something juicy enough to make their mouths water. If you don't deliver results, I'll make you feel eternal pain."
When Jinwoo tapped the commander's armor and spoke, the commander could only nod frantically.
The commander immediately contacted the military base.
Jinwoo stepped out into the mansion's garden and transferred all the taxidermied specimens to the Dimensional Transit Ship. Those with any chance of survival, he planned to save and send to Luzen. They were all different species, but the people of Luzen would welcome them warmly.
Probably.
Jinwoo returned to the Dimensional Transit Ship and headed to the cargo hold.
In the vast, empty space, troops and equipment began piling up in neat rows. The soldiers panicked and floundered about, then froze in place.
"Nice."
You're all content now!
An automated hunting system where prey piled up on its own without him lifting a finger was complete.
* * *
While the Heroes were defeating the Lesser Entities Jinwoo had prepared one by one, everything the 99th Legion sent kept accumulating in the Dimensional Transit Ship.
The commander continued to send support requests, and the 99th Legion continued to send troops and supplies.
That flow continued for quite a long time.
Because the commander kept reporting things that the legion commander would find irresistible.
'We've nearly captured all the Dimensional Predators.' 'With just a bit more support, we might be able to capture a Dimensional Predator alive for the first time in history.' That sort of thing.
"Easy pickings! Nothing beats getting stuff for free."
Ignis marveled at everything stockpiled in the cargo hold.
Jinwoo remained on the Dimensional Transit Ship, monitoring the progress of the Episode 6 prologue.
Title: Yep, that's a main episode alright.
All 30 domains are absolutely top-tier quality.
No exaggeration, each one is on par with the side-story games that were just released.
I was blown away by the Count of Crystals domain.
The visuals are unreal. They sing like it's a musical, and it felt like watching a dark fairy tale. It was great that bards could be the main carry.
Is the Creator God actually a god?
How do you invent fusion technology AND still have time to prepare all this?
Beating all 30 doesn't even end it, there's still a lord waiting.
Can't freaking wait.
Anon1: They seriously went all out making this.
└Anon2: Did FS Games get nervous because the side stories were so good?
└Anon1: That's how they push each other to improve, I guess. The Creator God's master plan is just built different.
Anon3: The news is all about fusion technology, but on Arsilan Worlds there's not a single mention.
└Anon4: Just shut up and enjoy the blessed electricity rates our Creator God has bestowed upon us.
└Anon5: At this point He's handing out blessings in the real world too.
How heartwarming!
The response was overwhelmingly positive.
The Heroes were all looking forward to the Episode 6 finale. It would be the day they fully reclaimed Arsilan, so it was only natural. Even though it was just the prologue. Jinwoo was excited for the day Episode 6 would be fully revealed.
As time passed, the number of troops coming through the Transfer Gate dropped significantly.
"Time to leave."
The troops that had just arrived at this location weren't following the commander's orders. An inspector sent to investigate was also spotted.
It was time to clean up and leave.
Jinwoo shut the Transfer Gate and moved the Dimensional Transit Ship into the sky above. When the cloaking was lifted and the Dimensional Transit Ship revealed itself, chaos erupted. Burning through the clouds as it appeared, the Dimensional Transit Ship's form was catastrophically terrifying.
"Let's take everything."
[Executing command.]
The massive tentacles split apart, multiplying into hundreds, then thousands. Magic Circles formed at the tips of the tentacles, teleporting everything nearby into the cargo hold.
FWAAASH!
Countless drones were launched, combing through the entire area.
[GYAAAAAAH!]
[A-AAGH! AAGH!]
[GURK!]
The soldiers didn't dare even think about fighting back.
All that could be heard were their screams. Jinwoo was able to secure a satisfying amount of supplies. The 99th Legion had likely suffered devastating losses.
[The Evil God's Evil Karma Points (Kalsus Dimensional Empire) have increased.]
[The Evil God's Evil Karma Points (Kalsus Dimensional Empire) have increased.]
[The Evil God's Evil Karma Points (Kalsus Dimensional Empire) have increased massively.]
His Evil Karma Points kept climbing.
He wasn't particularly concerned about that part.
Once everything was loaded into the cargo hold, Jinwoo looked at Ignis with a satisfied expression.
"Alright then, let's head ba..."
"Let's go! Huh? What's wrong?"
Dark red flames were seeping from the tips of Ignis's hair. The flames morphed into tentacle shapes and writhed in a grotesque manner.
[Ignis's Evil Karma Points (Kalsus Dimensional Empire) have increased, bestowing a new power.]
[Evil God] Evil God's Evil Dragon
An Evil Dragon that shares evil with the Evil God.
As the Evil God's power rises, the Evil Dragon's strength rises as well.
"What? Did I get something on me?"
Jinwoo recalled Ignis saying he aimed to become a Holy Dragon. When Ignis tried to cast a mirror spell, Jinwoo quickly dispelled it.
"...It's nothing! Come on, let's hurry back!"
"Huh? Oh, yes sir! Let's gooo!"
For now, let's keep this a secret from Ignis.
It'll work out somehow.
Jinwoo dodged all responsibility!