Translator: Dreamscribe

Jinwoo ended up having no choice but to spend some time with them.

Even Tiris, who was always expressionless, had a faint, yet visible smile on her face. That meant she was incredibly happy.

“Hehe.”

Tia was so happy that even her ears were fluttering.

Jinwoo let out a small laugh.

It was much better than withering away and dying in a world ruined by destruction.

‘People like that... there are many.’

Heroes who once dominated the continent, monsters who spread fear with their infamous names, and beings from legends, all were now at the end of despair, having lost their will and simply waiting to die.

Living corpses.

They were merely alive.

“Here’s the setting book. It includes the lines, so make sure you study them well.”

Tia handed over the setting book with a satisfied expression.

“Alright. Let’s give it a try.”

If he was going to do it, he had to do it properly.

Fortunately, he had confidence in acting. That’s because he had tons of experience in Arsilan.

If things got really tough, there was even a way to cast a hypnosis spell on himself. Although the moment he left his body, the spell would be undone, and he'd experience a post-trance cooldown.

‘A knight who seems to embody justice itself. A caring, warm-hearted person with deep compassion. One who shows great courage in front of enemies, never hesitating to risk his life, and holds unbreakable convictions in the face of any despair.’

That’s why he is called the Prince of Light, and the Sword of Hope.

It was a rather overwhelming setup, but with the end of the world approaching, this wasn’t the time to nitpick.

Tiris had the look of someone who had fulfilled every wish and become a sage.

“...I’m satisfied. I have no regrets now.”

“Ah! You can’t be satisfied yet! There are so many amazing things left! For example...”

"Oh, I see."

At Tia’s secretive words, Tiris once again burned with enthusiasm.

“First, let’s head to the starting village, Evanth. We’ve got about ten days left, so let’s prepare accordingly. Tiris, stay at the Magic Tower and provide support.”

“Yes, I’ll prepare and maintain it perfectly.”

Tiris was perfect when it came to work. She could be trusted without hesitation.

“Tia, you’re playing the role of the Adventurer’s Guild receptionist, right?”

“Yes, while acting as the receptionist, I’ll supervise the entire village. The Adventurer’s Guild is the central hub of Evanth after all.”

The Adventurer’s Guild served as a kind of control center.

Jinwoo moved to Evanth.

All the construction in Evanth was complete.

The place that had once been nothing but ruins had transformed into a village with quite a bright atmosphere. Though they called it a village, it was on a city scale. It was equipped with enough facilities to accommodate over ten thousand people with ease. If expanded, it could house even more.

The ground was paved with white stone, and wooden houses were arranged around it. Important buildings like the Adventurer’s Guild, the blacksmith’s, and others were all made of classic brick, giving them an old-style charm. The water and sewage systems were also perfectly set up, making everything extremely clean.

It was a direct replica of what the art team had designed.

The people of Arsilan who had taken on roles, let’s call them NPCs.

Since they weren’t players, it wasn’t exactly the wrong term.

The NPCs were finding their places and adjusting to their assigned roles. Even the background NPCs controlled from the Magic Tower had joined in, making the village lively.

“Ohh! Prince Leon!”

“Wow!”

“My lord! How about living with that appearance forever?”

The NPCs looked at Jinwoo with joy. It seemed the rumors had already spread, and they recognized he was Jinwoo. Jinwoo shrugged and began looking around the village.

A beautiful river flowed through the center of the village.

There was a church to the north, the Adventurer’s Guild, shops, and several training centers to the west, and a training ground to the south. Beside the center of the village was the Village Chief’s house. Inns capable of accommodating many guests were also placed throughout the village.

The village was surrounded by wooden fences, and beyond the wide plains and forest in front of the village lay the Land of Erosion.

‘It’s the area with the weakest erosion, but still....’

The moment one stepped into the Land of Erosion, there was no way to withstand the sheer onslaught. No matter how many were killed, monsters kept appearing endlessly, exhausting even an Archmage.

He was alone, and the Land of Erosion was vast.

‘If I destroy the core at the center, it can be purified.’

After many sacrifices, there had been a few times when it had been destroyed.

However, it couldn't be maintained due to the Erosion forces that surged again. Erosion was like a vast ocean, rushing into any vacant space.

It would be filled with greater numbers, and even more powerful monsters.

‘I must succeed.’

The land of Erosion in front of Evanth was extremely important.

That was because the Magic Stone Mine was there. If they could recover that place, there would be hope.

Not only would it allow them to maintain the Magic Barrier, but it would also provide the foundation to launch a counterattack.

“Alright, let’s get ready.”

Jinwoo stared at the Erosion beyond the Magic Barrier.

'The heroes were deadly guns, cannons, and missiles. There are millions, tens of millions, no, billions of heroes loaded and ready.'

A smile appeared on Jinwoo’s lips.

'Yeah, let’s see how long you can hold out.'

The world’s first virtual reality game.

Its true nature was a large-scale hero summoning to save Arsilan.

* * *

Time passed quickly amidst all the preparations.

Finally, the launch date was approaching. Jinwoo reached out his hand and opened a window in front of him.

An internet browser appeared before his eyes.

Even in Arsilan, he could access the internet without issue.

‘It works well.’

He had connected Earth’s internet in real time through the Research Lab, the Soul Gate, and the Magic Tower.

Between the Soul Link and the Magic Tower, data transfer speed had no meaning. That was thanks to the Magic Particle Communication technology. So it was essentially like using the internet through the Soul Link.

Players could use it too.

By using the apps installed in the Soul Link, they could access the internet like this. There had been some issues at first, but by continuously working the Magic developers in real time, the system was properly established.

Going forward, FS Games and Ohsung Electronics would collaborate to develop various apps and load them into the Soul Link.

The world’s attention turned toward FS Games.

Due to the tremendous interest, all FS Games employees were on edge.

One hour before launch.

The online communities were about to explode with all kinds of excitement and speculation.

After the Unpack event, the FS Games homepage heavily emphasized the phrase, “Fully Immersive Virtual Reality Game.” Inquiries flooded into FS Games and Ohsung Electronics, but they gave no response at all.

Jinwoo monitored the reactions.

As users who had purchased the Soul Link began posting verification photos, the mood started to shift in a strange direction. Although it wasn’t operational yet, it showed an incredibly high level of completion.

[Title: Wow, what is this?]

I’m someone who successfully pre-ordered the normal version of the Soul Link.

I thought it was a scam and tried it on, but it barely feels like I’m wearing anything. It’s like a monitor is just floating in front of my eyes? Even just as a VR device, this thing is the final boss.

Anonymous 1: What is this? Why is it getting me excited?

Anonymous 2: Is the display quality good?

└Original Poster: Yeah. It's crazy good.

Anonymous 3: Can you connect?

└Original Poster: Still says connection unavailable. At this rate, are we really going to enter virtual reality? ㅋㅋㅋ

Anonymous 4: ㅋㅋㅋ what bullshit.

Even while denying it, there was a strange sense of anticipation spreading!

The Soul Link was the result of Jinwoo cramming in all the knowledge he had along with the technical expertise of Ohsung Electronics. Jinwoo discreetly resolved the technological limitations with magic.

Within Ohsung Electronics’ design team, Jinwoo was already being called a god.

“Let’s see here.”

Marketing wasn’t necessary.

Just staying still automatically promoted it across the world.

Even so, it was necessary to make Arsilan unforgettable. He had to show that it was an incredibly fun place overflowing with romance.

To do that, he selected a few internet broadcasters, those called streamers, and made sure they won the pre-order.