Translator: Dreamscribe

The grand sports festival had officially begun!

The heroes, who had recharged at the athlete village, were burning with enthusiasm. With this level of treatment, they couldn't afford to participate half-heartedly. On top of that, there was news that ignited every hero’s fighting spirit.

Before the first match began, Jinwoo left a notice through the world announcement.

[The official sponsor of the Arsilan Sports Festival is cheering for you.]

*If you achieve outstanding results, you may receive sponsorship offers. Through contracts, you can attach company advertisements to your team uniforms and receive monetary support.

*The Kingdom of Sillion will also provide Arsilan Gold.

*Become a star athlete!

The heroes, upon checking the announcement, gasped in admiration and shouted in excitement. Originally, corporate sponsorships weren’t part of the plan, but once the sports festival was announced, countless proposals came flooding in.

Representatives of companies whose names were known by all visited FS Games in person, carrying products rebranded to match Arsilan. The proposals were accepted to fill the heroes’ pockets and boost their motivation.

“Corporate ads...”

“Keh! Praise the Creator God!”

“Seriously, they’re doing everything for us.”

“They’re even making things happen that we only imagined.”

Fortunately, the response was good.

Jinwoo smiled with satisfaction as he watched the heroes' reactions.

Jinwoo installed multiple large stadiums in Arsilan. Though the number of stadiums was far too few compared to the number of events, it didn’t matter.

The stadiums were duplicated and layered over space, and with assistance from the Magic Tower, the matches proceeded automatically. Thanks to that, numerous matches could be held simultaneously.

[Current players: 42,001,657]

The number of connected users had far exceeded 40 million. Naturally, the number of heroes participating in the matches was immense. In reality, it would’ve been impossible for so many heroes to participate, but Arsilan was different.

‘This is pretty useful.’

The authority absorbed from the Lord of Greed allowed him to run numerous matches at the same time. Now, even a hundred million heroes could be easily handled.

Soon, with the release of the new Soul Link product, even more supply would be available. The goal was to hit 100 million users by the end of the year. To repopulate the reclaimed land, a population in the hundreds of millions was essential.

It was also the driving force for progressing the next episode.

Jinwoo looked at the Soul Gate.

The Soul Gate was preparing for a new phase. Jinwoo had delayed reinforcement until the next Episode progressed. The authority held by the Soul Gate was never meant for himself.

It had to be used for all of Arsilan.

“Well then...”

[The match is starting!]

The Magic Tower activated, and the matches began!

Ella and Helby were watching the matches from a room in the Sillion royal palace. They focused on key events with high points at stake. Though neither showed it, both were watching with tension.

Jinwoo moved to the room where they were.

“That’s it!”

Ella jumped from her seat and clenched her fist.

The first points went to Ella’s team. Ella grinned and looked at Helby.

"Isn't this too easy?"

At Ella’s words, Helby’s eyebrow twitched. Then, as her team began stacking up points in succession, they overtook Ella’s team.

“Yes, far too easy.”

Helby crossed her legs with ease and raised her chin. There were an enormous number of matches, and the two were using their authorities to monitor everything.

[Goddess Ella sends encouragement to the hero ‘SojuKimbap’ participating in the Hell Climb. (Emoticon: Ella’s radiant smile)]

“Hero! You can do it! March toward the light!”

[Due to Ella’s encouragement, stats temporarily increase by 10%!]

[‘The Goddess is watching! I can win!’ Hero SojuKimbap begins to take the lead!]

With Ella’s buff, the hero SojuKimbap began to move ahead.

[Helby threatens hero ‘Helby'sFootrest’ participating in the Hell Climb. (Emoticon: Angry Helby)]

“If you don’t get first place, don’t even think about seeing me.”

[Due to Helby’s encouragement, Magic Power temporarily increases by 20%!]

[‘Uoooooh!’ Hero Helby'sFootrest unleashes miraculous strength and overtakes the lead.]

Ella and Helby both jumped up at the same time and clenched their fists. Hero Helby'sFootrest was the first to escape from the depths of the underworld.

“Hmph! Is that all your hero can do?”

“...Well, it’s just the beginning.”

At the Lake of Tears in the underworld, medals were awarded on the spot. There had been countless matches, but Jinwoo wanted the heroes to feel like the main characters.

The moment Helby'sFootrest stepped onto the podium, Helby’s flag was raised, and the song requested by Helby'sFootrest began to play. It was the ‘Hymn of Helby’. Aren, appearing through Illusion Magic, personally awarded the gold medal.

[This is... my first time receiving an award....]

Helby'sFootrest, moved, seemed to tear up.

[Guardian Dragon Helby praises you.]

“Continue to improve.”

Helby'sFootrest pledged to become an even better footrest.

Ella chugged water and gnashed her teeth. The next match was a victory for Ella’s team. When Ella smiled brightly, Helby’s expression crumpled.

Their expressions kept changing.

They went through this process dozens of times, yet showed no signs of exhaustion. Rather, they seemed even more excited, as divine power and magic surged around them.

“Hmm.”

Jinwoo looked at the two for a moment.

They could have watched separately, but chose to watch together like this...

‘Could it be that they actually get along?’

That thought crossed his mind.

The two of them, watching the matches with tense expressions, looked quite alike. Saying something like that to them would obviously cause a fight.

Jinwoo quietly left the spot, watching the two bicker while sitting side by side.

***

As time passed, the atmosphere of the Divine Dragon Great War heated up even more. Key matches with a lot of points on the line were broadcast live, and matches with entertaining scenes were replayed as recordings.

The response was far better than expected.

[Shot! Goal! What amazing technique.]

[Yes, that’s a move rarely seen in real life. That aerial ball duel was incredible.]

[We may be witnessing the beginning of a new era in sports!]

Jinwoo had brought in commentators and casters from football broadcasting stations. Though he had carefully prepared ball sports as well, he hadn’t expected much. However, Arsilan Combat Soccer unexpectedly gained huge attention.

[Tackle lands hard!]

[If you look closely, a powerful tackle just struck the back of the head, right? A clean tackle strong enough to break the neck. Truly an amazing technique.]

[Player RainQ dies from the tackle and is off the field for 3 minutes! With the team’s ace gone, the game will inevitably tilt! Three minutes is too long! They’ll need to cover that gap well!]

[Striking vital points must be done aggressively. That’s the spirit of combat soccer! No hesitation!]

There were no such things as red cards.

When bodies collided, shockwaves erupted, and the ball glowed red. The ball continuously absorbed the shock. When a hero kicked it hard.

Ziiiing! KWAANG!

The ball, engulfed in flames, shot toward the goal at incredible speed.

[It’s player SoccerGodReturns’ ‘Meteor Strike’!]

The goalkeeper caught the ball with both hands. Though he was a high-level tanker, it seemed hard to endure as his body was being pushed back. The striker ran in at the same time and thrust a foot forward, unleashing magic power.

Boom! Thud!

The defenders blocked with their bodies.

[Defense! Defense!]

The spectators shouted in unison.

“Uaaaaah!”

The goalkeeper raised his hands, gripping the ball with all his strength.

BOOM!

As the ball, engulfed in flames, soared into the sky, cheers exploded.

-So intense ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Is this even soccer?

-After a few passes, the ball stores energy and the tempo gets insanely fast.

-I’ve been watching since the qualifiers, it’s crazy fun. My dopamine is off the charts.

-Even after the sports fest ends, they should play this occasionally.

Even the heroes participating in the sports festival made sure to watch combat soccer.

It was a feast for the eyes, and more importantly, the tempo was so fast that it never got boring. The rules were well-designed, so it never felt sloppy. On top of that, scenes that triggered dopamine kept coming one after another, so it couldn’t help but be popular.

“Hm....”

It’s fun.

Jinwoo watched the match and nodded. It was an event planned by a new employee in the FS Games planning team.

[Goddess Ella feels anxious.]

“Why is the extra time so long?”

[Guardian Dragon Helby suggests a defensive tactic.]

“Block it at all costs!”

Ella and Helby were also intensely focused as they watched. Players in Combat Soccer were already receiving sponsorships from major corporations. The companies, with their sharp noses for money, were eyeing the scene eagerly.

It felt like the culture of Arsilan had become even richer.

[Scoreboard]

*Helby: 7,216 points

*Ella: 7,213 points

Jinwoo hadn’t paid attention to balance, yet it was neck and neck. Perhaps because of that, the atmosphere continued to heat up. Jinwoo went to Hanu’s Sea.

A major match worth 300 points was underway.

It was a swimming competition involving a staggering 100,000 participants simultaneously. The objective was to reach an island floating in the middle of Hanu’s Sea and return, with ranking-based points awarded.

“A tidal wave...!”

“Hold on!”

Mermaids created a massive tidal wave that crashed down over the heroes. When heroes barely managed to pass through the wave, a kraken leaped out and smacked them with its tentacles, launching them back to the starting line. The sight of thousands flying through the air and landing back at the start was quite the spectacle.

As the latter half of the grand sports festival arrived, Ella and Helby began to actively participate. In the matches where both took part, Jinwoo acted as the referee, appearing in Leon’s form.

To maintain suspense, as soon as the latter half began, the scoreboards were hidden.

In the largest stadium, heroes who had performed exceptionally during the festival entered. When Ella and Helby appeared, the audience erupted in cheers.

Since it was an important match, Kim Seok-jun and the commentators were in charge of the broadcast.

[This event is Pumpkin Smashing. A protection spell has been cast, so it can’t be broken easily!]

[A B-Rank level protection spell is applied, so rather than area attacks, focused strikes are needed.]

Two ogres appeared wearing giant pumpkins on their heads, and the heroes launched attacks, trying to smash them first. Ella and Helby kept interfering with each other, and seemingly angered, soared into the sky and clashed fiercely.

KWAANG! THUUD!

Light flashed and flames exploded, pouring down onto the arena. The Magic Developers desperately deployed defensive magic and barely managed to block it.

“Uh....”

“It looks cool, but....”

“Wasn’t this supposed to be pumpkin smashing?”

It happened to be night, so the clash of golden light and starlight was even more visible. Jinwoo blew his whistle and raised a red card. Ella and Helby were forced to leave the field with stunned expressions.

[They’re out! Another ejection!]

[Referee Leon made a precise call. This is already the 7th simultaneous ejection.]

Finally, the relay race began.

As the heroes started running with batons in hand, the atmosphere heated up. Heroes in the high 90-level range sprinted at full speed. Since they were all agility-based heroes, their speed was incredible.

“Whoa!”

“They’re insanely fast.”

The outcome remained uncertain until the end.

When LifeHunter began to run, RomanticThief caught up from behind. The baton was passed to Ella and Helby almost simultaneously.

KWA-GAGAGA!

In that instant, light exploded.

Ella and Helby dashed across the track, emitting a massive shockwave. Sparks flew and lightning struck whenever their shoulders collided.

They hurled punches and magic at each other at imperceptible speeds.

[An incredible clash!]

[Five laps remaining! They’re running! Their speed keeps increasing!]

They casually broke the sound barrier, leaving afterimages in their wake.

On the final straight course, Ella and Helby ran at full power. Their shoulders locked tightly as they sprinted side by side, and they crossed the finish line almost simultaneously. As soon as they crossed, both collapsed onto the ground. Each raised their hands toward the sky, declaring victory.

[Let’s look at the slow-motion replay!]

[Ah, this is....]

The information window popped up, and the footage of the finish line moment began to play in extremely slow motion. The rule was that whichever body part touched the finish line first would determine the winner.

[Helby-nim’s horn touched first!]

Helby’s horn had reached the finish line just a tiny fraction ahead!

“Victory goes to Helby’s team.”

Waaaah!

As Jinwoo declared Helby’s team the winner, the reactions split in joy and sorrow. Helby raised herself up and nodded as if it was only natural, while Ella covered her face with her hands.

‘They’ve gotten quite familiar now.’

Although the image of a goddess had taken some damage, Ella, living in Arsilan, had grown close to the heroes.

The final score announcement stage was prepared.

When a note was handed to Jinwoo, he showed a surprised expression. The heroes and the people of Arsilan who were watching him gulped nervously.

“This is an incredible result.”

Jinwoo paused briefly before beginning the announcement.

“Team Ella has earned a total of 19,321 points. And team Helby...”

The entire stadium went silent.

Even the chat of the viewers watching through the broadcast halted momentarily.

“Amazingly, it’s a tie at 19,321 points.”

The stadium was in an uproar.

Helby and Ella also looked shocked.

“Then what happens now?”

“A rematch?”

“Hmm....”

“This just got complicated.”

It wasn’t something Jinwoo had planned.

The heroes expected things to get messy, but in truth, the answer had already been decided. That’s because in the contract Jinwoo had written, there was a clause that stated in the case of a tie, the decision would be made by a vote of the heroes.

“According to the rules, we’ll decide through a vote from the heroes. The options were chosen by our panel of judges after discussion.”

[Tie-Breaker Vote]

1. Rematch of main events

2. End as a tie and cancel the wager

3. End as a tie and both receive penalties

Ella and Helby turned pale at the sight of the vote options. On the other hand, cheers erupted from the heroes’ side. There was an option far more entertaining than a simple rematch.

The vote reached its full count in just ten minutes.

[Option 3 - 96.34%]

The result of the Divine Dragon Great War was a tie.

It ended beautifully with both of them receiving penalties!

“Ah....”

“Th-this can’t be happening!”

Ella and Helby collapsed to the ground in despair. This is why one should always be careful when writing contracts.

Everyone who had once been divided between black and white now came together as one, cheering and singing in unison. It was a truly beautiful scene, in line with the spirit of the grand sports festival.

The true winners of the festival were everyone, except Ella and Helby. Every player who had participated in the grand sports festival was summoned to the stadium.

Ella and Helby sat in their designated seats, completely spaced out.

Their mental state was shattered, and there was no sign of recovery.

A large information window appeared over the stadium, replaying the major moments of the sports festival.

It showed the people of Arsilan shouting themselves hoarse cheering for the heroes, heroes running with bright smiles, and young heroes proudly showing off their medals. It even showed Ella and Helby cheering or falling into despair as they watched the heroes’ matches with focus.

There was also a brief clip of the referees having a serious discussion backstage and angels sighing as they watched Ella being ejected.

With the sentimental music and these scenes combined, something tugged at the heartstrings.

“Hmm.”

“That was nice.”

“It really feels like a proper ending.”

“They’ll probably do it again next year, right?”

“Episode 3 was amazing.”

Quite a few heroes found themselves getting emotional and teary-eyed.

Jinwoo looked at the heroes for a moment, then bowed his head to everyone who had worked so hard.

“It’s a shame, but we’ll be concluding the grand sports festival here! Thank you all for being part of it!”

Amid the cheers of the heroes, the grand sports festival came to an end.

Though the sports festival had ended, the festival period itself was not over yet. On the day the festival ended, a farewell ceremony for the next Episode was scheduled.

***

A week after the grand sports festival ended, the festival also reached its conclusion.

The heroes gathered in front of Solis for the farewell ceremony.

In front of Solis, the area was packed with various Arsilan races, including elves, dwarves, orcs, and beastkin. They were the ones temporarily residing in the major cities and villages of Arsilan.

The space inside the Magic Barrier had become too small to accommodate them all. It was now time to venture into a wider world.

Behind Luceren stood countless elves, and Garsha was with the beastkin. They had completed preparations to leave the villages within the Magic Barrier and head toward broader lands.

The villages inside the Magic Barrier were not disappearing. As always, the Arsilan people would remain to manage them.

“They’ll probably reveal it in the next episode, right?”

“Most likely.”

“It’s not like we’re saying goodbye forever....”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

The eyes of the heroes were filled with excitement and anticipation.

When Jinwoo drew the Holy Sword, Ella and Helby, standing on either side of him, infused it with divine power and magic. Space rippled and opened a path that extended beyond Hanu’s Sea.

“May light be with you on your journey.”

“Starlight will guide you.”

Ella and Helby gave their blessings to the Arsilan people as they stepped into the vast world.

“See you in the next episode!”

“We’ll come visit!”

“Luceren-nim! You’re so pretty!”

The heroes cheered and sent their support as well.

Everyone participating in the farewell ceremony, along with the heroes, sang the Song of Return. Starting with the elves, all the other races made their way into the wider world.

[Arsilan Saga Episode 3 has concluded.]

With the end of the grand sports festival and the celebrations, Episode 3 came to a complete close.

How would Arsilan change in the future?

Could it possibly be more fun than Episode 3?

“It’s gonna be hard to top Episode 3, don’t you think?”

“I honestly like it just the way it is!”

“I hope they announce it soon.”

“Will they announce it from the Celestial Realm again?”

All the heroes of Arsilan were filled with eager anticipation for the future to unfold. They wished time would pass faster.

Ssshhhk!

As the space closed, the heroes fell into a brief silence.

“Hmm.”

“Well, that aside...”

Everyone turned to look at Ella and Helby.

They have to do what needs to be done, right?

The moment smiles crept onto the heroes’ faces, the two began to tremble.

And the moment the farewell ceremony ended, a notice was posted on Arsilan Worlds for the announcement of the next episode.

The heroes’ joy doubled!