Translator: Dreamscribe

Jinwoo smiled as he looked at the Magic Tower operating so smoothly.

'Everything is going according to plan.'

The truth was, he had just been crashing through obstacles to make it work somehow. Just like when he set up the Magic Barrier in Arsilan. He could never have come this far alone.

'Excellent.'

He had suspected as much, but it exceeded Jinwoo’s expectations.

Not to mention its magic power, the computational ability was beyond common sense. Even just borrowing a fragment of Helby’s unconsciousness caused the computational ability of the Magic Tower to rise significantly. The Magic Tower had never been this capable since the Magic Barrier was deployed.

Jinwoo immediately sold an additional fifty thousand units of Soul Link he had prepared in advance. If he pushed the limits, it could accommodate up to one hundred fifty thousand users, but he set aside some for events and game rooms.

Anyway, all of the one hundred thousand players logged in almost daily. Since they could play instead of sleep, it would have been strange not to. Arsilan Saga was the miraculous game that doubled the length of a day.

Newly joined players naturally blended into Arsilan. Jinwoo, playing the role of Leon, captivated players just as he did during the Early Access phase.

Jinwoo entered the NPC Secret Base under Evanth and walked into a convincingly designed situation room. All currently released regions appeared in map form.

He could see the locations of players and NPCs, and when zoomed in, he could check various information starting from logs.

“Everything’s going smoothly.”

“Yes, the situation is better than expected, so we’re adjusting our approach a little. Except for Evanth, players have spread more evenly across the villages than anticipated.”

Guilds formed around the initial wave of players left Evanth and settled in other villages. More and more players were opening up trade routes between Evanth and the other villages.

“Affinity levels…”

As Jinwoo snapped his fingers, the average NPC affinity levels appeared on the map. This was the newly patched Affinity System. NPCs could increase their displayed affinity levels toward players through rings.

When the affinity level rose.

Whiiish! Ding!

A clear sound would ring out with a pink aura flowing out, sending a message that affinity had increased. This value was then automatically saved per player.

What showed up on the map was the average affinity compiled from the data of countless players.

Jinwoo looked at Tia.

She was wearing premium items gifted by players. The rabbit-ear headband was especially striking.

“Oh, this? It’s trendy lately, and I got it as a gift so I tried it on.”

“Hmm.”

Her average affinity level was 17%.

Considering the number of gifts she had received, it was not very high. That was because her affinity had also dropped at times. When affinity declined, a violet light would appear and a dark cloud would hover over her head. Naturally, NPCs could do this freely as well.

On the Arsilan Worlds strategy forum, guides related to affinity had also been posted.

[Guide] Tia-nim Affinity Strategy Guide

Hello? I’m HohoGamMan.

(Attachments: Affinity proof, purchase history proof)

I’m from the Early Access vanguard, and I’ve focused exclusively on affinity since the official launch.

Today, I reached 21% affinity with Tia-nim. Once it surpassed 20%, Tia-nim started treating me a little more kindly. She started selecting which quests to give me, and I could receive more quests at once.

[Affinity Gift List]

Mug, bookmark, hairpin, ribbon, feather cushion, types of pretty hats, knee blanket.

*Affinity can also increase with custom-made items, but it carries significant risks. If it's a premium item, the effect is much better.

*Affinity Difficulty Level: Extremely difficult

At the 10% range, it seems that each gift increases affinity by about 0.2%. Be careful, as giving gifts that don’t match preferences or staying too long can reduce it by about 3%.

For reference, the higher your level or reputation, the more efficient the process becomes.

SockThief: I’m at -79%. How do I recover?

└HohoGamMan: I recommend giving up and relocating to another village.

Anonymous2: Wow, just how much money did you spend? Affinity farming must really be hard.

└HohoGamMan: That’s exactly why it’s more valuable. ^^

Anonymous3: Who’s the easiest character to raise affinity with?

└HohoGamMan: Helby-nim is the most generous one.

└Anonymous4: For real. When you give her a gift, she grumbles but still wears it. From what I can tell, FS Games must be evil. With things like this, you can’t help but buy premium items. Beloved Helby, I love you!

The frightening truth was that those gifted paid items went back to the Platinum Coin Shop after slight reprocessing.

While Jinwoo and Tia were studying the map, someone opened the door and walked in.

“Oh ho? So there was a place like this.”

It was Helby.

Jinwoo looked at her. The average affinity level displayed above her head was 60%. She was covered in premium items from head to toe, and her horns were even decorated with floral ornaments.

As Jinwoo stared intently, Helby wore a haughty expression.

“They’re offering sacrifices to this body, how could I not accept them? For mere insects, they have a decent grasp of their place, so I’ve shown a bit of mercy.”

“...Impressive.”

“Mage, even the Heroes you struggled to summon are now in awe of me. Huhuhu! Not that I’ll ever acknowledge them, of course.”

Helby seemed to be in a good mood.

As a Magic Dragon who once confronted Ella, she was the embodiment of fear to the people of Arsilan. There was even a time when just recalling her appearance was forbidden. Receiving normal gifts from someone must be a first for her.

Seeing her store every single gifted item in Subspace without discarding a thing, it was easy to tell how she felt.

“What’s this place for?”

Come to think of it, Jinwoo hadn’t explained it to Helby.

When he roughly explained that it was like a play, Helby tilted her head. She sat on the sofa behind and observed the situation.

“The Elf Village and the Dwarf Village have an average affinity of 40%. The Beastkin Village is the highest at 56%.”

From the average affinity values, one could roughly gauge how much the players had bonded with and settled into each area. Raising the affinity score depended entirely on the will of the NPCs. Many NPCs would increase affinity even without receiving gifts, as long as someone pleased them.

Looking at the state of the Beastkin Village, Jinwoo felt reassured.

It seemed they had really opened their hearts while mingling with the players. Photos taken with Beastkin were being uploaded to Arsilan Worlds app, and they consistently ranked at the top of the best posts.

“Evanth has passed 60%.”

The most beloved place for players was Evanth.

“Things are going smoothly.”

“Indeed. It’s progressing much faster than I expected.”

Tia and Jinwoo nodded while looking at the map.

Helby didn’t fully understand, but she agreed with the two of them. Heroes were swarming all over Evanth, acting as if Arsilan were their true homeland.

Helby pulled out a mug from Subspace and poured hot water into it. Then she added what the Heroes had gifted her, something called coffee powder.

“Hmph…”

Helby swayed her dragon tail from side to side and raised the mug.

“Quest completion rates are declining, and guilds are competing for control and profit. Only the initial vanguard is approaching the Main Quest.”

“It’s a little too peaceful.”

“Yes, though to some extent, that was the intention. I did provide quests related to the main story, but I didn’t put too much focus on them, and I mixed in several profitable quests too.”

Hmm! This kind of peace isn’t bad either.

The Magic Dragon Helby held the mug in both hands and nodded. The mug had “Beloved Helby, I love you” written on it.

“Hoo, hoohoo. Then shall we start instilling some urgency?”

“Yes, it looks like we can begin the preliminary work.”

“At last...!”

Urgency.

That kind of thing is important too.

Helby sipped her coffee and nodded.

The taste wasn’t bad, and feeling even better, she lifted her head and looked forward. The magically projected map zoomed in to show a village far from Evanth.

Villagers and Heroes were represented by simple icons and moved about the map.

‘Hmph, they make things like this pretty well.’

Gron Village.

That village couldn’t compare to Evanth, where her Platinum Coin Shop was located, but it was decent enough. Helby looked at the Arsilan residents that appeared on the map.

Oddly, there were individuals marked with a red X.

“What’s that symbol? Are they being given some kind of reward?”

Feigning disinterest, Helby asked casually while sipping her coffee.

“They’re people who are going to die.”

“Pffft!?”

When Tia replied with a bright smile, Helby spit her coffee out right then and there.

Helby shot up from her seat.

“W-what do you mean by that?”

“Oh! I don’t mean actual death, they’re just playing roles where they die.”

As Helby’s pupils filled with confusion, Tia handed her a script and scenario they had prepared. Helby’s eyes trembled as she read through it.

“T-this is a… a serious trial indeed.”

At this point, is there even any need for me to create a trial myself?

The Magic Dragon Helby couldn’t help but think that. And she had only seen a portion of Episode 1.

Helby looked at Jinwoo with an expression that asked, “Is this really okay?”

“They have to overcome it. They’re Heroes.”

“...Well, that’s true, but it feels like they’re not quite ready yet... Uh, hmm.”

Helby’s voice gradually trailed off.

‘At its core, this is a dark fantasy.’

That’s what Jinwoo thought as he nodded.

Dark fantasy.

It had even been stated in the promotional description of Arsilan Saga.

Helby looked at Jinwoo’s face and saw that it was unusually bright. She stared at him blankly for a moment. That radiant expression was so beautiful it could make someone smile just by looking at it, but at the same time, it sent chills down her spine.

“Well, shall we get started?”

"...You seem to be enjoying this, Mage."

"I've been quite tired playing the role of Leon."

Jinwoo shrugged his shoulders and approached a nearby door. It was magically sealed, with a sign that read, “Authorized Personnel Only.” It was sealed so tightly that not even Helby could open it easily.

Clink! Creeeeak!

The moment Jinwoo placed his hand on the door, the seal broke, and the door began to open slowly.

Ssssss!

Black smoke flowed out through the gap in the opening door.

Jinwoo stepped inside and looked at the body placed before him. It was a body formed from the essence of monsters born from Erosion.

A black skull that seemed to gaze into the Abyss.

A skeletal knight clad in distorted armor.

It was a Death Knight.

One of the Undead frequently encountered in the Lands of Erosion. Because Jinwoo had put quite a bit of effort into its creation, even just standing still, it radiated overwhelming presence.

Tia stepped next to Jinwoo and pulled out her notebook.

She drew lines through the notes with her pen and made updates.

1. Make them fall in love with Arsilan, Evanth, and Leon. (Complete)

*Achieved over 200%.

2. Deliver unbearable despair. (Now beginning!)

*Perhaps adding a bit of hope could provide stronger motivation?

3. Blame everything on the Erosion.

4. Cheer them on wholeheartedly.

Phase 1 had been successfully completed. Now it was time to begin the preliminary work for Phase 2. The moment players thought, ‘Huh? Something feels off,’ it would begin raining down on them without pause!

Tia and Jinwoo looked at the Death Knight and nodded.

“It’s even more terrifying than the initial concept design.”

"Somehow it turned out that way."

It was based on an Erosion monster. The FS Games art team drew the original design, and then Jinwoo kept adding onto it, which eventually gave birth to this Death Knight.

Jinwoo safely stored Leon’s body and infused himself into the Death Knight. From the hollow sockets of the black skull, a fearsome red glow blazed out.

Crackkk!

Sparks scattered from the Death Knight’s armor, and ominous purple flames flickered around it.

“Go forth! Death Knight of Despair!”

Tia shouted while clenching her fist.

Seeing the grotesque figure of the Death Knight, Helby shut her eyes tight.

* * *