Translator: Dreamscribe

How should one kill off a very popular character?

And not in a way that feels abrupt or meaningless, but a death that leaves a deep impression on everyone. It had to be the kind of death that didn’t destroy the narrative built around the character, but instead served as the perfect finishing touch.

Jinwoo had no doubt that Leon’s death would unite all players of Arsilan and become a powerful motivation to subjugate the Erosion. That was why he was steadily building up to that death.

The problem, however, was that Leon was far more popular than Jinwoo had anticipated, and his popularity was still climbing rapidly day by day.

Jinwoo's days were extremely fast-paced.

Since the defense of Lunatie had ended successfully, he could return to living in the mansion again. He woke up early in the morning and went down to the dining room.

Even though it was early, his family was already seated, waiting for him. They had all adjusted their breakfast time to match his.

Jinwoo was slightly surprised to see someone unexpected.

“Father?”

Jinwoo’s father, Lee Geon-su, looked at him with a smile. That smile was filled with a multitude of emotions. Jinwoo had barely seen Lee Geon-su’s face lately.

“You’ve... become quite sturdy.”

Lee Geon-su used to have a rather heavy build, but now he looked like an athlete. At Jinwoo’s words, Lee Geon-su’s eyes became distant.

“...I had to work out.”

Jinwoo nodded.

Lee Geon-su wasn’t yet the chairman, but there were already talks that he would soon inherit the position.

...He seemed like he would become a stronger chairman than anyone else.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“Thank you. You’re the only one who says that to me.”

Lee Geon-su’s eyes turned red at Jinwoo’s warm words.

Lee Woon-sung was looking seriously at his tablet PC, and Lee Hee-jin checked her smartphone and nodded. Her gaze appeared much firmer than before, radiating even the spirit of a warrior.

“Hoho! Let’s eat.”

When Lee Woon-sung saw Jinwoo, he smiled broadly. A quiet atmosphere surrounded the meal. Lee Hee-jin and Lee Cheon-woo let out small sighs. There were simply too many company-related schedules.

“Hohoho, work hard. I’ll just relax in my room. Getting old really is nice. I have so much time to myself now.”

What, passive-aggressive comments this early in the morning?

The atmosphere at the table grew a bit tense.

Lee Hee-jin laughed with composure.

"Yes, I need to work. Now that the Lu.na.tie de.fense bat.tle is over."

Lee Woon-sung flinched.

Lee Hee-jin’s counterattack was sharp.

The implication behind her words was, ‘There's no loser who couldn't participate in the Lunatie defense battle, right?’

“...Ahem, let’s just eat.”

They didn’t know each other’s identities, but they knew they were all playing Arsilan Saga. Asking for someone’s in-game identity was a kind of taboo. It could ruin immersion, so except for streamers, all players of Arsilan Saga tacitly agreed not to ask.

Lee Hee-jin only knew that Lee Woon-sung was somewhere near Elvens. That was thanks to some bits of information he had let slip during meals.

“Haa....”

Jinwoo’s older brother, Lee Cheon-woo, sighed. He hadn’t been able to participate in the Lunatie Defense, and he hadn’t logged in for days. These days, he was following Lee Geon-su around handling various tasks.

“Hmm! Jinwoo. Are you perhaps planning any events?”

When Lee Woon-sung asked carefully, both Lee Hee-jin and Lee Cheon-woo quickly turned their heads toward Jinwoo.

“Yes, I’m planning various things.”

“Hohoho! I see, I see! You must be very busy! Let me know if you need any help.”

Lee Hee-jin patted Jinwoo on the shoulder.

There was a strange aura of power in her gesture.

“If you ever have worries, tell your noona. I’ll solve them all for you.”

Lee Hee-jin flashed a refreshing smile. Jinwoo found her presence very reassuring.

She was in charge of the entertainment sector of Ohsung Group, and it was said that she had everything under her control from top to bottom. Come to think of it, there were even rumors that she was learning mixed martial arts these days.

Lee Cheon-woo, sensing the mood, quietly spoke up.

“Ah, Father, I was going to say that today I have-”

Lee Geon-su looked at Lee Cheon-woo.

“...It would be a really stupid thing to take a day off, wouldn’t it.”

“Just eat quietly. You’ll need to eat a lot if you plan to work until dawn.”

“Yes. Ha, haha..., he, heuk.”

Lee Geon-su’s cold words made Lee Cheon-woo hang his head and quietly eat his meal without saying anything more.

On the table was an unidentifiable liquid, it was unclear whether it was spilled soup or the hot tears of Lee Cheon-woo.

After finishing his meal, Jinwoo headed straight to FS Games for work. His personal security team had doubled in size compared to before. Every morning, the team bustled about, but FS Games employees had become so accustomed to it that they didn’t even pay attention anymore.

As soon as he arrived, the morning meeting began.

"Leon has been ranked 4th on NYC's list of the most influential people in the world."

At this report from Kim Yu-na, the head of the business strategy team, Jinwoo tilted his head in curiosity. She was a talented hire who had transferred from Ohsung Group. She was leading a team separate from the Salvation Headquarters and managed all external affairs.

“Of course, number one is you, CEO-nim.”

“People? Leon is considered a person?”

Both the first and fourth ranks were Jinwoo.

Jinwoo couldn’t understand the term “people”. After all, Leon was a character from Arsilan Saga.

“Yes, there are various debates, but that only proves how influential he is. Content about Leon is flooding platforms like YouTube, Taktik, and numerous social media sites.”

Kim Yu-na pulled up the data on the screen.

Starting with the Goblin Subjugation, the number of mentions of Leon had rapidly increased, and recently, it had shot through the ceiling into the sky.

People who championed the “Leon is real!” campaign had come together to form a fan club, which continued to grow in size. Those sensitive to trends joined en masse.

"Compared to any figure in the world, no one has as much star quality as Leon."

Leon had flawless looks and character that couldn’t be compared to anyone else, and he had also achieved dazzling feats. On top of that, the sorrowful gaze suggesting a tragic backstory acted as a fatal charm.

Videos of Leon were edited and uploaded on YouTube and Taktik, leading to increased participation in Arsilan Worlds. There was a reason the Arsilan Worlds development team was so busy.

“In terms of making a positive impact on society, the potential is truly limitless.”

Words Leon had said in the past were edited to sound like famous quotes, which comforted many people going through hardships. Memes imitating the way Leon spoke began to emerge, and some people even started acting like him.

Kim Yu-na played a video.

The footage showed a group engaged in volunteer work, cleaning up flood-damaged areas or helping those in need.

A reporter approached and asked:

‘Why are you doing this?’

‘Because that’s what Leon-nim would have done.’

They answered with wistful expressions.

Others gave similar responses.

‘Because Leon-nim never gives up.’

‘Because your happiness is Leon-nim’s happiness.’

‘Because if we help future heroes, Leon-nim will smile.’

Those who played Arsilan Saga were at the center of it all. Though it began as a joke, it had now grown into a significant social movement.

It even led to donations made in Leon’s name.

“We’re receiving top-tier offers for advertisements, modeling, and more.”

Leon had become the very symbol of Arsilan Saga. Many companies wanted to shoot commercials using Leon. The proposed advertising fees were immense.

‘Hmm....’

Leon’s flaw was that he was almost excessively perfect. Jinwoo hadn’t anticipated that Leon’s influence would reach even people who didn’t play Arsilan Saga.

Discussions emerged regarding how to utilize Leon and about various business ideas.

“As for paid item sales....”

They had exploded since the Lunatie defense battle.

There was a reason for that.

It came from a post uploaded to Arsilan Worlds.

Title: There’s a good way.

Everyone knows something’s off about Arsilan right now.

The quests are getting more serious, and monsters stronger than goblins, even undead, are showing up more often. It really feels like something is about to happen soon.

Putting together all the clues so far:

1. When an NPC dies, a Heart Gem remains.

2. The Heart Gem changes color depending on affinity. Through Ella’s guidance, it’s delivered to all heroes who raised their affinity.

3. When a soul dwells in it, it transforms into an "Eternal Heart".

4. If you bring the Eternal Heart to the Grand Temple of Ella in the Land of Erosion, a miracle happens.

Nobody knows how many are needed to cause the miracle, but the more, the better, right?

To prepare for what’s coming, wouldn’t it be smart to raise affinity with every NPC?

(Proof of 500 Platinum Coins)

I've already started.

I won't leave anyone out.

Anonymous1: I'm also working on raising Affinity.

Anonymous2: Don’t call them NPCs. They are our com.ra.des. Our con.nec.tions.

HohoGamMan: I broke open my savings. Starting to raise Affinity with all connections. 3,000 Platinum Coins charged^^

└Anonymous3: Rich bastard.

└RotatingRiceSoup (original poster): Reassuring.

Anonymous4: By the way, Leon-nim keeps showing up injured. Something must be going on.

└Guardian1: Please report Leon-nim’s location.

Affinity-raising was happening not only in Evanth but with all NPCs in other villages as well.

“Amazing.”

“To generate this kind of revenue with ‘hearts’ rather than performance-based items...”

“This could become a great role model, don’t you think?”

“If only other game companies could develop VR games! Hahaha!”

There were even support posts on Arsilan Worlds asking for more paid items to be released.

The atmosphere in the meeting was extremely positive. Just before Lunatie’s fall, the office had felt like a funeral, but now it was brimming with hope.

Everyone was filled with pride to be working at FS Games.

“Let’s all work hard again today to protect Arsilan.”

“Yes!”

Everyone responded energetically to Jinwoo’s words. They, too, were heroes protecting Arsilan.

After the meeting and completing some tasks, Jinwoo headed to the Research Lab. He typically entered Arsilan through the lab. That way, no one would interrupt him.

First, he arrived at the Magic Tower.

He heard the sound of a whip and found Tiris striking Magic Developers with it. The whip was enchanted, so being struck by it rapidly restored health.

“Master, you’ve arrived?”

“What’s that?”

“Thanks to Helby-nim’s help, everyone’s grown lazy. I’m optimizing the Magic Tower.”

I see, optimizing.

The Magic Tower was unusually lively today.