Chapter 295: Creator God Almighty! (6)

Translator: Dreamscribe

The Heroes who stepped out of the stadium had no choice but to lose themselves the way Haebyul had. The scenery unfolding before their eyes was that spectacular.

No, come to think of it, it wasn't all that spectacular.

It was scenery they had seen all the time in Arsilan.

If this had been Arsilan, they would have simply taken it in stride. But this place wasn't Arsilan; it was Earth.

There were a great many people waiting for the Heroes.

At the very front of them stood a figure everyone in the world knew.

"Greetings, Heroes."

Wearing a smile that radiated warmth, he greeted the Heroes just as he always had. That smile was fantastic no matter when one saw it. Seeing it on Earth made it even more so.

"L-L-Lord Leon?!"

"Gah! Your Majesty!"

"Lord Leon?!"

Oh my Creator God!

None other than Leon, Emperor of Silion, stood right before the Heroes' eyes!

Leon was dressed in an outfit completely unlike the one he wore in Arsilan. He had on modern clothing along with sponsored products. His base looks were such a cheat that anything suited him, but he looked remarkably stylish.

He gave off an aura that suggested every single thing he wore would sell out instantly if he shot a commercial right then and there.

-Whoa...

-Lord Leon came too?

-Man, I wanna be over there.

-The advance party is getting insane treatment.

The chat exploded.

Famous Arsilanians were arrayed behind Leon. Heina, commander of the Imperial Knight Order, was there, and Saintess Airi had come along too. Ella and Helby were browsing the shops from a spot some distance away.

People who couldn't easily be spotted even in Alusion had all gathered in this place. They had come all the way from far-off Arsilan to Earth just to give the advance party a proper welcome!

Once every last Hero had come out, Leon nodded and took a moment to drink in the sight of them. Deep pride in the Heroes filled Leon's gaze.

"The Grand Festival is not far off now."

Leon's calm voice reached the Heroes' ears as if seeping into them.

Hearing Leon's voice in the real world left the Heroes unsure whether this place was reality or Arsilan, but they only chuckled and let it pass. That sort of thing didn't matter.

It was fun and it was delightful.

It was moving!

All they had to do was be true to the feelings of this moment. Right here and now, the boundary between reality and Arsilan crumbled away.

"It would be a loss not to enjoy yourselves here."

When Leon stepped aside, the Arsilanians behind him smiled and withdrew as well. The countless shops and street stalls prepared around the stadium opened at last.

Soulmates were cooking food and selling goods, and preparing Grand Festival events. The grounds the stadium sat on were so vast that even with every Hero out there, it never felt crowded.

"Now then! Let the sizzling night of the Grand Festival begin!"

The moment Leon declared it, beautiful fireworks shot up from the stadium. The fireworks painted the night sky in a form different from the ones in Arsilan.

The Heroes began to enjoy the night of the Grand Festival together with the Arsilanians. Crowds of Heroes swarmed along wherever Leon went, though they never got in the way of his steps.

The advance party Heroes had spent a long time with Leon and were used to him. Even so, even they couldn't hold themselves back from giving him gifts.

"Lord Leon! Try this."

"What is this...?"

"It's hotteok."

"It's smaller than the hotteok in Arsilan."

Smiling, Leon tried the food the Hero had handed him. The Heroes watched him with sparkling eyes, eager for his reaction.

"Hmm, there's definitely a difference in flavor. It feels a bit sweeter. Personally, I think Arsilan's hotteok tastes better."

Leon gave his verdict in complete seriousness.

Heina and the other Arsilanians spent time with the Heroes as well.

The Heroes looked quite different from how they did in Arsilan.

In the early days they had tried to hide their identities, but these days that mood had largely faded. Since Arsilan could be considered reality anyway, how they looked in the real world was hardly a flaw.

That tendency was even more pronounced among the Named Heroes. Of course, there were still plenty of Heroes who hadn't revealed their faces.

Heina looked at Haebyul, who was beaming beside her.

"Haebyul, are you eating properly?"

"I'm eating just fine! Everyone's been saying that to me today. If anything, I've put on a little weight lately...!"

Haebyul was pleased, since it sounded like she was being told she looked thin.

Heina looked her over carefully. Her face itself wasn't much different from in Arsilan. It only felt like her racial stats had changed.

If there was anything besides the face....

Heina looked at her, and her eyes widened slightly, as though she had realized something. Heina's gaze, which had been aimed at her upper body, slid off to the side.

"...I see."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Ahem! It's nothing."

Haebyul tilted her head.

-Ah!

-Oh!

-Mm!

-Ahhh, I see!

The chat window filled up with posts like that too, without telling her the reason.

"What? What is it? Huh?"

Nobody answered Haebyul's question.

As she moved along with Heina, Haebyul spotted Arsilanians running street stalls. The Arsilanians were earning Arsilan Gold with stalls of their own.

"Oh?! Lady Garsha?"

"Lady Haebyul, it's been a while."

Garsha, who was selling chicken skewers, smiled and greeted her as she came over. Garsha held one of the skewers out to her.

"Have some."

"Ah! The money...."

"It's fine. It's a gift."

"Thank you!"

Garsha grilled her chicken skewers with great diligence.

Watching her, Haebyul tilted her head. It was strange to see her, the representative of a great city and the chief of the Beastkin, running a tiny street stall.

"It's amazing to see you selling chicken skewers yourself, Lady Garsha!"

"I had originally intended to enjoy the festival too, but...."

Garsha's wolf ears pricked up.

She glanced at a stall a little way off. Luceren was selling fruit juice.

"We made a bet over sales, you see."

"Ahh, I get it!"

Luceren was mobilizing elves and promoting his stall aggressively.

"Lady Garsha! I brought more meat!"

Mia of the Feline Race came running with an armload of meat. Then she spotted Haebyul, and her expression turned to one of shock.

"Mia! It's been so long!"

"Big sis!"

Mia set down the meat and threw herself into Haebyul's arms. Out of the habit she'd formed in Arsilan, Haebyul rubbed her face all over the top of Mia's head. Cat ears twitched this way and that, tickling Haebyul's cheeks.

Feeling that warm body heat, Haebyul was moved beyond words. Meeting Mia in the real world, the girl she had adventured through Arsilan with for four years and who had become a precious friend, made her heart overflow.

Because they had only ever met in Arsilan, there had always been a certain distance between them no matter how close they got. But in this moment, holding Mia in her arms, the wall in her heart came down completely.

"Wow! Your ears and tail move just fine, huh?"

"Yes! They're exactly like usual. Though I can't use magic, and I think I've gotten a bit weaker."

"Well, that can't be helped."

Haebyul hugged Mia one more time.

She noticed someone standing beside Luceren. They looked like a Named Hero, but their face was covered with a mask. It was one of the masks handed out before coming to the stadium, for Heroes who wanted to keep their identities hidden.

'They look pretty cozy.'

Haebyul took a moment to look around.

She saw dwarves scrunching up their faces as they drank Korean beer. Orcs had their arms slung around Heroes' shoulders, laughing away. They grilled samgyeopsal and talked in a noisy, cheerful racket.

A few Beastkin were crouched down, marveling at a cat that had wandered in.

Overall, an affectionate mood ran through the whole place.

-This is making me happy somehow.

-This is what real life is all about!

-Nobody skipped the VIP sub, right? You've gotta see this up close.

Haebyul stepped over to Garsha's side.

"I'll help out too!"

"Are you sure that's all right? Then for your wages...."

"Could you give it to me as a quest?"

"Understood."

Garsha closed her eyes and nodded, and a notification popped up on the Soul Glass Haebyul was wearing.

[Earth]Let's Do Business!

Garsha and Luceren have made a bet over today's sales. Let's help Garsha sell her chicken skewers. If she wins, a fine reward may be waiting.

*Reward: ???, Garsha's Affection Level, a share of the sales profits

The reward was far more generous than she'd expected, and Haebyul's motivation caught fire.

-Wait, we're doing quests in real life now?

-I mean, I'd do it too lmao

-That looks fun.

UruBear watched Haebyul for a moment, then headed over to Luceren and started helping out. And so all sorts of events took shape, created by Heroes and Arsilanians together.

Jinwoo, appearing on Earth in Leon's form for the first time, enjoyed the Grand Festival right alongside the Heroes.

'Nice.'

Now that the Soulmates had been unveiled, it seemed fine to be active on Earth as Leon. Advertising offers had already been pouring in through FS Games, and now that he had a body as well, the interest was bound to explode.

Wouldn't that help expand his influence as a god?

"Ohh...."

The boundary between Earth and Arsilan had crumbled only the tiniest bit, and yet he could feel his influence growing at a rapid pace.

Watching Heroes and Arsilanians mingling and having fun together, a deep smile spread across Jinwoo's lips. A sight like this would become a great power that stretched out toward the Dimensional Realm.

The 4th anniversary Grand Festival, which had set both Arsilan and Earth abuzz, came to a close in that warm, affectionate atmosphere.

* * *

Soulmates!

The release of the Soulmates turned Earth completely upside down. Almost every media outlet covered news about them, and coverage was plastered everywhere.

There were outlets that raised the ethical problems of household Soulmates, but they were buried under a mountain of criticism. The tide of the times couldn't be stopped, so most sent nothing but praise toward Jinwoo's course of action.

Since he had squared things with the government in advance, there were no obstacles whatsoever to the release and operation of the Soulmates. Legislation concerning androids was passed at breakneck speed.

Good news came pouring down.

The world's leading conglomerates came flooding into Korea, scouting factory sites and signing investment contracts.

Industrial Soulmates were on a completely different level from cheap labor. There was an initial investment cost and a monthly operating cost, but those felt like a very small part of it.

Industrial Soulmates were scheduled to be released only in Korea for the time being, so the conglomerates had no choice but to come rushing over in a frenzy.

Nobody called it national pride.

It was the grace of the Creator God.

If the Soulmates had been released without Arsilan Saga in place, society would have suffered a great many side effects. Thanks to Arsilan Saga, though, those side effects were greatly reduced, and FS Games was running various support programs that absorbed displaced workers.

A review of the household Soulmate, which had been released first, went up on Arsilan Worlds.

Title: It's warm.

My parents died when I was little, so I've lived alone ever since.

Thanks to Arsilan Saga I don't get lonely, but whenever I logged out there was this hollow feeling in my chest.

Because of my nutritional status I sometimes get locked out of access for a few hours, and every time that happened something felt off. Lately there were times I actually got scared of logging out.

I got lucky and managed to snag a Soulmate this time, and it showed up a few days ago, right?

(Photo attached: the Soulmate)

The second I turned it on, it started taking care of everything, starting with my room and going all the way to the state of my body.

I just got scolded a minute ago.

But even getting scolded feels good ㅋㅋ

Right now I'm being forced to work out.

Logging out doesn't feel so bad anymore.

Anon1: You actually got one? Insanely jealous.

Anon2: I saw a fully loaded Soulmate and it was nuts. There's no way you don't get attached.

Anon3: Apparently you can even request remote medical consults, so minor illnesses get handled on the spot.

└Anon4: That's wild, holy cow.

Anon5: Guys, there was an update this time, and Soulmates can log into Arsilan Saga with you. Supposedly it floats beside you like a hologram? Looks like you can have it inhabit a spirit or a pet too.

└Anon4: For real? Why wasn't that announced?

└Anon5: The Creator God never announces the small stuff.

└Anon4: This counts as small?

└Anon5: You new here? ㅋㅋ Get used to it.

Soulmates had now become 'companions of the soul' not just in reality but in Arsilan as well.

They could stay beside their owners in the form of an apparition or a soul, and they could be made to inhabit a pet or a spirit. They could even serve as the mental body of a golem. When they weren't inhabiting anything, their appearance could be freely altered through customization.

Jinwoo traveled around Arsilan, observing the Heroes.

The Heroes were preparing to push toward the Dimensional Realm once again. The complete liberation of the southern region of the Dimensional Realm was close at hand, so they intended to throw everything they had into it.

He spotted a Hero walking through the shopping district with a Soulmate.

"Should I buy now? Potion prices seem to have gone up a lot, though...."

"The market price has risen 3% since yesterday, but given your current funds, it is a manageable level."

"They could drop tomorrow, you know."

"They will never drop as far as the stocks you purchased, Master."

"Wow, that's brutal."

"It was a joke."

They served as conversation partners for the Heroes, and they read overall trends and offered advice. Since each one was tailored precisely to its Hero's disposition and could be told anything on their mind, there was a psychological stabilizing effect as well.

'His soul has gotten brighter.'

The Hero's soul, which had felt a little rough around the edges, had been nicely smoothed out. The cracks were gone too, leaving it healthier than before.

It was all so radical that any number of problems might surface, but it was for the Heroes' happiness, so Jinwoo would push boldly forward.

"Well then...."

The Heroes had finished putting their bodies and minds in order through the Grand Festival.

The natives of the Dimensional Realm had gained strength too.

Jinwoo moved to the Soul Moon and gazed out past the Dimensional Realm. The time had come to wrap up Episode 6 and declare that Arsilan had arrived in the Dimensional Realm.

Now, the time had come.

I will make you understand what true madness is, what true violence is.

We will become the hope of the Dimensional Realm, and we will become your terror.

We are Arsilan.

*****

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