Translator: Dreamscribe

Manager Kim Hyun-man, who worked at a well-known mid-sized company, loved work and company dinners. He had lived obsessed with work and driven by the desire for promotion. When he became a manager, he felt proud as if he had finally been recognized, but at the same time, he gained more enemies. He scheduled everything around the company, including company dinners.

When he came home, all that awaited was a dark room, so he enjoyed spending time drinking with his subordinates. Seeing them smile and seemingly enjoy it also made him do it more often.

Maybe that was how he soothed the deep loneliness built up inside.

One time, drunk, he overheard his subordinates talking behind his back and was shocked. The shock made him want to run away, and for the first time, he took a vacation, and that's when he encountered Soul Link.

During his Novice Hero days, he happened to meet Leon and once had received counseling.

‘Just the fact that you reflect on yourself is enough to qualify you as a good leader. Set aside the hurt feelings and try to learn more about them and understand them.’

‘Are you saying I should work on increasing their Affinity?’

‘Well..., that wouldn’t be a bad idea either.’

From that point on, he changed.

Enjoying Arsilan Saga, he met many people, including many young ones. Getting to know and understand each other was truly a beautiful thing.

“I-I’m sorry, Manager-nim..., I-I made a mistake...”

One subordinate had forgotten the meeting material prepared the day before, and Kim Hyun-man improvised to get through it.

‘Compared to the crisis looming over Evanth, this is nothing....’

Kim Hyun-man thought that and smiled.

If someone recognized their own fault and reflected on it, that was enough. Saying more wouldn’t make anything better.

“Your parents are unwell, so you have a lot on your mind, right? Head home early today.”

“Ah..., thank you, Manager-nim. I’m really sorry. I’ll never let this happen again.”

“Alright, I’ll trust you.”

Looking at the subordinate with teary eyes, Kim Hyun-man nodded and got back to work.

“Manager-nim, what about today’s company dinner?”

“Use the company card to get dinner. Eat something good.”

“You’re not coming? You’ve been distancing yourself from us lately.”

Kim Hyun-man gave a faint smile.

“Sorry, I’ve got something important.”

He had something incredibly important to do.

After saying that, Kim Hyun-man wrapped up his work. He worked even faster than when he was immersed in work. Even the CEO praised him highly.

‘Strangely, my body feels lighter.’

He felt more energetic than before. Some people had even told him he seemed younger, which felt strange. Maybe it was just a psychological effect?

Kim Hyun-man boarded the subway on his way home. He accessed Arsilan Worlds on his smartphone.

It was immensely busy.

Only one day remained until the Invasion of Erosion.

‘Impressive.’

This invasion was scheduled to be broadcast live from start to finish in the Game Room theaters. It was said that there were already five Game Rooms across the country.

If Soul Link became more widespread...

'Will they do it in Gwanghwamun Square too?'

It was by no means an exaggerated thought.

Evanth was in the midst of war preparations. The collapsed city walls were being repaired, and defensive lines were being built both outside and within the city.

“Whew.”

Though he hadn't logged in yet, he felt tense.

His heart was pounding. Even though it was just a game, it was having more impact than real-life matters.

In contrast, real life had grown dull.

Even when reporting to the CEO, he didn’t feel nervous, and he wasn’t angry when a subordinate made a mistake.

Had his heart grown bigger?

No. He was just feeling more intense emotions.

What enraged him was.

‘Erosion...’

Only the Erosion.

The village he cherished most was Rox.

The homeland of Dwarves and minerals.

That place, too, was affected by the aftermath of Erosion. Many master Dwarves were buried in the mines.

Clench!

Kim Hyun-man tightly clenched his fist. Probably every Hero felt the same way. As soon as he got home, he logged into Arsilan Saga.

“Move it over there!”

“Heave-ho!”

[19 hours until the invasion]

Evanth was bustling with Heroes. Tens of thousands of Heroes had gathered in Evanth.

“HohoGamMan-nim. You came early.”

“Hello.”

Kim Hyun-man, or rather HohoGamMan, was a fairly famous Hero in Arsilan Saga. He was the only one who had raised the Affinity of all NPCs to over 40%. He was a monster who was the first to reach 50% Affinity with Tia, and his most beloved village, Rox, had an average Affinity of over 60%.

[C] Connection Maker (Rare)

You who value connections are the Hero of Bonds.

*All Village Contribution Points +100

His title was Connection Maker.

This title was the life he wanted. It filled the void in his heart that couldn’t be satisfied with material things!

"Ahhh!"

And that was why his anger surged even more.

Erosion! I will never forgive you!

He prepared for war with many Heroes over a long time. Time flew by so quickly.

“All Heroes level 18 and above! Please come up to the wall for the meeting!”

HohoGamMan climbed up to the wall. The once-broken wall wasn’t perfectly restored, but most of it had been repaired.

LifeHunter, Northern Grand Duke, Jam-sik, Haebyul, UruBear, Romantic Bard, and others, famous Heroes whose names everyone knew, stood on the wall.

They looked full of worry.

It was because none of them had experience in a large-scale war. Some had experienced Goblin Subjugation or the Defense of Lunatie, but none had faced a war of this scale.

As time passed, their concerns deepened.

HohoGamMan stared at the Magic Barrier.

The Magic Barrier had turned completely black and trembled violently, as if it could burst open at any moment. Its terrifying appearance was like the very gates of hell.

[8 hours until the invasion]

It was hard to even imagine how massive the scale would be.

HohoGamMan turned on the official broadcast. It was live-streaming the current situation.

-I'm nervous.

-Still 8 hours left and the theater's already packed.

-I heard there are more than 8 war scenarios this time.

It was a war with no predetermined outcome.

-Salvation HQ Director said they’ll reveal the IF ending after this war.

-What if the IF ending is the only happy ending ㅋㅋ

-Stop jinxing it. Let’s just cheer them on.

Can we really pull this off?

Can we win?

Those thoughts kept circling in HohoGamMan’s mind.

[4 hours until the invasion]

Just as the meeting on the wall dragged on.

Something appeared beyond the field. A cloud of dust was rising.

“Huh?”

“Something’s coming?”

“Is it the enemy? I’ll sound the alarm just in case!”

“Erosion bastard doesn’t even stick to the scheduled time.”

“Truly a damn bastard.”

Just as Heroes were rushing to ring the bell atop the wall.

“Wait!”

Another Hero nearby stopped them.

HohoGamMan's eyes widened as he looked in that direction.

The same was true for the other Heroes.

A flag came into view.

A flag shimmering green under the sunlight had a tree drawn on it.

“Elvens!”

HohoGamMan was the first to shout.

-It’s the Elves of Elvens!

-Wow!

-Awesome! Did they come to help?

-There’s a huge number! Looks like all the Elves of Arsilan are here.

Elves riding Elkins and Elducks with golden feathers appeared.

“Huh?”

And it wasn’t just them.

From the opposite direction, the cries of beasts echoed. Enormous creatures emerged through the forest. A massive wolf was carrying a flag in its mouth. The flag bore the image of a full moon.

And, for the first time, as Arsilan faced its crisis, the Dwarves of Rox appeared in Evanth. They didn’t carry their flags in hand, they wore them like cloaks.

Dudududud!

They crossed the field in front of Evanth and formed a line in front of the main gate. There were far more of them than had ever been seen in the village. It looked as if they had brought all their kin from across Arsilan.

Luceren was the first to dismount from her Elkin.

The Elf beside her handed her the flagpole bearing the banner. She accepted it quietly and stood in front of the main gate. The flagpole was colorless, so clear it appeared transparent.

Garsha, in human form, and Barkan from Rox stood at her side.

Luceren looked up at the Heroes standing on the wall and gave a soft smile.

“Elvens will fight alongside the Heroes.”

Raising the banner high, she struck it into the ground.

Kwaaang!

The pole sank deep into the earth.

“Lunatie will repay the grace we received from the Heroes.”

“We ought to pay back what we owe you for those Enhancement Stones.”

The flags held by Garsha and Barkan of Rox turned into particles of light and merged with the flagpole.

Fweee!

From the flag now hanging on the pole, a brilliant light burst forth.

The Elf’s tree rose above the land symbolizing Dwarves. And above that, the full moon was placed.

“This is...”

“The flag of Evanth...!”

Players instinctively turned to look at Evanth’s flag hanging on the main gate. It was a crest with a sun and star embedded in a circle symbolizing unity. The flag of Evanth glowed with light and merged with their banner.

The emblem that emerged, now united, became one world.

Golden Arsilan.

A crest representing the radiant glory of the past.

The moment the players saw that flag, an unknown thrill surged through their bodies. They trembled as if they had returned to a long-lost homeland, swept up in a deep emotional sensation.

It was the ecstasy of having gained a symbol they had long yearned for, so intense it brought goosebumps all over.

[All Elves of Elvens, Beastkin of Lunatie, and Dwarves of Rox have joined Evanth.]

[The golden light of Arsilan, long lost through the ages, has now been restored.]

[They have come to repay the hearts of the Heroes who devoted themselves to protecting Arsilan.]

[Ella blesses the alliance formed through a great bond and grants you a title.]

*[A] Golden Alliance of Arsilan

This alliance, first formed at the beginning of time, is blessed with golden light, holding a radiance brighter than the sun. The light, once lost and corrupted by Erosion, lay dormant, always dreaming of hope.

The Heroes have restored the lost golden light to Arsilan.

The Heroes are Arsilan’s companion, friend, and comrade.

The golden light symbolizes hope and courage.

Golden Arsilan will shine more brightly than ever upon meeting the miracle known as the Heroes.

Behold.

All the light in the world shall bless you.

So show the miracle that will drive out Erosion.

*Contribution +100 to all villages

*Permanent alliance status

*Blessing of Ella

The color of the title was golden.

“Wooooah!”

“Whoa!”

“We are the Golden Alliance!”

Players equipped the title and cheered.

HohoGamMan clenched his fist.

That golden bond felt overwhelmingly radiant to him.

“Sniff, this is it! This is what connection means!”

Tears welled in HohoGamMan’s eyes.

Luceren pulled the deeply planted flagpole from the ground.

“All units, join Evanth!”

She raised the fluttering banner, spreading golden light in all directions. Every flag in Evanth transformed into the banner symbolizing Golden Arsilan.

“Wow! Look at that emblem!”

“Awesome! I feel so proud of this!”

"Aahhh! I feel like I'm going crazy!"

The emblem appeared even on the Heroes’ outfits.

The glowing golden emblem instilled a sense of pride in the hearts of the Heroes and symbolized that they were comrades.

The Golden Alliance of Arsilan had once again descended upon this land to stand against Erosion.

This time, they would never fall.