The Ruined World Was Mistaken for a Game

Chapter 246: Because I’m Used to Being the Villain (5)

Translator: Dreamscribe

The Dark Elves had become assimilated with the Soul Gate.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that, through faith alone, they had become Jinwoo's perfect subordinates.

This was a first-time experience.

Naturally, it had to be a first. He hadn't been a god for very long. Fortunately, there happened to be two other beings nearby who could be called gods.

Helby was watching Luna's sorcery and offering various pieces of advice.

"Hmm, try weaving this formula in. It fits well with magic, too. Is it because that Evil God is an Archmage?"

She glanced at Jinwoo whenever she mentioned the Evil God.

He was the chief god of Arsilan, and the first god to become the Evil God of the Dimensional Realm. If anyone were asked to name Jinwoo's symbols, they would surely think of "amusement" and "games".

But there was one more. It was "madness".

The heroes had done so many insane things in Arsilan Saga that this symbol had manifested. It paired extraordinarily well with the Evil God. So well that one had to wonder if it was really all right.

'...Well, probably nothing bad will come of it.'

Jinwoo thought about it lightly and let it pass.

Ella, too, was teaching Luna quite a bit.

"If we just tweak Arsilan's Sacred Spells a little, it should work."

"Truly...! Ella-nim, are you the Goddess of Wisdom?"

"Heheh."

Ella's mood brightened considerably at Luna's admiration.

Helby, watching from the side, seemed to feel a competitive itch and went so far as to teach her Dragon Language Magic. It was unusable unless one was a dragon, but strangely enough, it blended beautifully into Luna's sorcery.

Jinwoo thoroughly analyzed the state of the Dark Elves through the Magic Tower.

The Dark Elves had fully assimilated with the Soul Gate and were receiving a share of the Evil Karma Value and Sacred Power flowing to Jinwoo. The higher his Evil Karma Value climbed, the greater his notoriety grew, the more strongly they would be affected.

After a little while had passed like this, Luna was able to complete a sorcery system that didn't exist in Arsilan.

[S]Evil God's Sorcery

'Golden light and starlight sing the Evil God's name.'

'O Lord of all evils! Consume my eyes, my heart, my soul, and plant within me your madness.'

A form of sorcery that borrows the Evil God's Authority and Sacred Power.

When an ordinary being who is not a follower of the Evil God encounters the Evil God's Sorcery, there is a high probability of falling into a state of madness. The higher the Evil Karma Value accumulated in the soul, the more severe the effect.

The madness carries contagious properties and risks spreading, so particular caution must be exercised when using the Evil God's Sorcery.

The Evil God's Sorcery, completed with Helby and Ella's help, was recorded onto the Soul Gate at once. Naturally, Jinwoo could use it freely as well.

After pondering for a moment, Jinwoo stretched out his hand.

The Evil God's Sorcery specialized in the creation of sacred lifeforms, curses, bodily transformation, and Corruption.

It was a completely different kind of thing from magic or Sacred Spells.

'Sacred lifeforms, huh....'

When Jinwoo extended his hand, several letters shimmering in black appeared in midair.

They were Hangul. The "ㅇ", "ㅎ",  "ㅂ", and "ㅁ" looked as if eyeballs had been embedded in them, and the vowels all resembled writhing tentacles. Dark red fluids dripped from the tentacles and plopped onto the floor.

'King Sejong, I'm sorry.' [TL: King Sejong the Great is the creator of Hangul, the Korean alphabet.]

Jinwoo sincerely bowed his head in apology.

Each individual word consumed a fair amount of Sacred Power.

The load was nothing serious to Jinwoo, but it was a lot for Luna or the others to use. It seemed it couldn't really be used solo.

'Beautiful', 'Blessing', 'Bird'.

The Hangul was written vertically, and the sorcery completed itself.

It bubbled and boiled on the spot, then turned into flesh and dropped to the floor. The lump of flesh swelled up and grew huge. What tore its way out of the flesh was a bird made of tentacles.

From far away, it looked like a crow, but up close, its surface rippled grotesquely. It looked like thousands of snakes had been fused together.

When the Beautiful Bird of Blessing spread its wings, the curse of madness radiated outward. Fortunately, it had no effect whatsoever on beings belonging to Arsilan. But its appearance alone was enough to stir revulsion.

The Beautiful Bird of Blessing spoke as though Korean were being played in reverse.

"...Yep, that's the Evil God all right."

"That thing is more ghastly than Erosion."

Ella and Helby offered brief reviews.

Jinwoo was puzzled.

It was a sacred lifeform born from a sorcery named the Beautiful Bird of Blessing. The bird shrieked words like "Cursed!", "I curse the world!", "Perish!", "Go mad!"

"Wow! What a truly beautiful creature! As expected of the Evil God!"

Luna gazed upon the bird's form with an enraptured expression.

It seemed that beauty had been defined by Luna's standards. Given that she was the one who had created the Evil God's Sorcery, that was to be expected.

In any case, another ability had been added to Jinwoo's arsenal.

'Magic, Sacred Spells, Sacred Magic....'

And now the Evil God's Sorcery.

'The power's decent, but....'

It was far more efficient than magic or Sacred Spells. But he didn't think he'd use it often. Something about the way it seemed to stain his hands felt unpleasant. Jinwoo cast cleansing magic on his hands several times over and looked at Luna.

"Lord Evil God, I have a humble request."

"What is it?"

Luna's expression was serious.

"We Dark Elves wish to grow stronger. We wish to be of use to the Evil God. Please, we beg for your teachings!"

Was there really any need for them to get stronger?

Luzen was peaceful, and neither the Kalsus Dimensional Empire nor Erosion could invade. Even if they did, Jinwoo was confident he could fend them off.

Jinwoo wanted nothing from the Dark Elves.

They had endured so much already, and he simply wanted them to be happy. He hoped they'd enjoy the content he provided on the side and live out happy lives.

Helby, listening to Luna's words, nodded.

"That's a good thought. Your Evil Karma is piling up far too rapidly right now, and if you're not careful, the Dark Elves may not be able to withstand it and go berserk."

The Evil Karma Value was continuing to accumulate even now. If they went berserk, the results would be horrific. If they leveled up to a certain degree and strengthened their souls, it could be prevented.

"Hmm...."

Becoming stronger wasn't a bad thing.

It could become the strength to overcome pain. Jinwoo himself had worked himself to the bone to grow stronger when Erosion had seized most of Arsilan. He'd died so many times that he couldn't even remember the count.

"All right."

He planned to make use of Arsilan Saga's content.

Jinwoo stepped out of the Grand Temple.

When he arrived at an open plot of land outside the city with everyone in tow, the Dark Elves poured out of the city and gathered around.

He hadn't meant to make this into such a grand affair, but,

"Followers of the Evil God! Dark Elves corrupted by evil! The Evil God shall bestow His blessing!"

Neighbors! Everyone, come and look over here! The Evil God's about to show us something!

That was what Luna's shout sounded like to Jinwoo's ears. With everyone gazing at him with sparkling eyes, he couldn't exactly half-ass this.

His original plan had been to just copy and paste the Arsilan Saga content as it was, but let's tweak it a little.

Jinwoo focused his mind and got to designing.

'Hmm....'

The plot of land was vast, but the Dark Elves numbered only five million.

It was best, then, to concentrate everything in one place.

He had to lay out a route where they could grow stronger stage by stage, and for that sort of thing, a tower was the way to go.

'Starting with Corrupted Goblins in order, and....'

He pulled out every monster and every piece of content he'd developed up to now, designing it so that the difficulty gradually increased with every floor climbed.

'For now, I need to satisfy the Dark Elves, so let's go with an Evil God's Tower concept.'

When it came to content, he could never disappoint. That was one of the things Jinwoo could absolutely not give up on.

Let's add Erosion in as a boss monster, too.

Should I throw in Kalsus Dimensional Empire troops?

And then....

"Something enormous is about to be born."

"Indeed."

Helby and Ella nodded as they watched Jinwoo's state. Whenever he got like this, something enormous always came of it. It had been the same when he became an Archmage, and when he designed the Mana Barrier.

Jinwoo had fallen into a trance.

Mana and Sacred Power poured out of his body, staining the ground. Blue mana, Sacred Power containing light, and Sacred Power dyed with an evil attribute coalesced into a single point, generating an overwhelming presence.

"Oooh!"

"The sky...."

The Dark Elves looked up at the sky, struck with emotion.

Thanks to Jinwoo's colossal Sacred Power and mana, the materialized Soul Gate blotted out the sun and plunged Luzen into darkness. Over on Arsilan Worlds, a flurry of posts went up about the eclipse that had suddenly appeared.

RRRUMMBLE!

The Soul Moon hanging over Arsilan and Luzen's Soul Gate resonated with each other, shaking the dimensions. Light, darkness, and evil spread out into the Dimensional Rift and through every dimension.

The effects should have stopped at Arsilan and Luzen. However, there were those beyond Luzen, across other dimensions, who were also aware of the Evil God.

As a result, it began turning into an all-dimensional phenomenon.

The ground split open, revealing a Dimensional Rift. A massive, writhing evil that spilled out from beneath Jinwoo's feet advanced as if seeping into the Dimensional Rift.

Ella and Helby watched the scene and swallowed hard.

"Shouldn't we stop him?"

"Think you could stop him at this point?"

The two of them turned to look behind.

The Dark Elves were kneeling and singing. They wept black tears and sang a song full of madness.

Ella watched that sight and nodded.

"Let's just leave it. It'll work out somehow."

"Mm."

Letting things flow as they naturally flow, wasn't that the harmonious Luzen way?

Ella and Helby quietly stepped back. Both of them were starting to resemble Jinwoo.

Having finished his design, Jinwoo invoked his Authority and began bringing it into being.

Sacred Power and mana merged, generating an immense current that made dimensions tremble. On the vast plot of land, the ground sank in deep, and a massive tower began to slowly take shape from below.

RRRUUUMBLE!

There had been a tower in Arsilan as well, but, befitting its early-model status, it had lacked internal content. The number of floors wasn't high either. It had just been one of the standard courses that newbies breezed through.

But the tower Jinwoo was making now was different.

The floor count rose rapidly, reaching 100, 200, 300, and then in an instant, 666 floors. It was incredibly tall, but from below, black smoke obscured anything above the 200th floor from view. It would probably be the same from above.

With a massive expenditure of mana and Sacred Power, the Evil God's Tower was completed.

The Soul Gate that had dyed Luzen in darkness returned to normal, and the Dimensional Rift that had opened up closed completely.

'Hm?'

Jinwoo felt that his mana and Sacred Power had been drained to a degree that overwhelmingly exceeded his estimates. Mana and Sacred Power that rarely ever dipped now seemed close to bottoming out.

'This shouldn't have been that hard a task.'

Was it because he'd poured in his Authority over Time, Authority over Space, and every other Authority he'd stripped from Erosion?

He tried to analyze through the Magic Tower, but the mana flowing into the Magic Tower had also run dry, so it wasn't operating. Since it was currently maintaining theatrical effects across all of Luzen, there was no mana to spare. It would normalize given time.

"Well, at any rate, it's complete."

Jinwoo looked at the Evil God's Tower.

The Evil God's Tower was unusual from its very appearance. Enormous tentacled monsters were engraved upon it, and at the entrance, a being resembling the Dimensional Transit Ship glared down at those who approached.

It would deliver an impressive line and then open the door for them.

Presentation really was everything for something like this.

When Jinwoo turned to look behind, Luna and the Dark Elves were shedding tears of emotion and bowing their heads deeply.

"Just go in here and train."

Since the Dark Elves now belonged to the Soul Gate, there was no risk of death. It would be packed with all sorts of delightful content. He'd set it up so that proper rewards could be obtained on every floor.

"Hmm...."

"Hmmmm...."

Ella and Helby's reactions were odd.

"What?"

When Jinwoo tilted his head and asked, the two merely nodded in silence, in unison.

The Dark Elves crowded around the entrance.

'Still, it'll be quiet for a while now.'

Their prayer noises should die down a bit, shouldn't they? That alone was enough to please him.

Running that thought through his mind, Jinwoo returned to the Dimensional Transit Ship.

At that moment, as mana was restored to the Magic Tower, an information window appeared in the spot Jinwoo had vacated.

[Evil God]Evil God's Tower

'Oh! Seeping evil! Welling madness! I offer body, soul, and mind, so grant me the strength to curse the world!'

The Evil God's Tower, built personally by the Evil God.

It consists of 666 floors, and every 10th floor is guarded by a boss monster that has appeared in Arsilan Saga. Killing monsters yields experience, and rewards are granted each time a floor boss is defeated. However, the Evil God's Sacred Power is strongly imbued within, so it is difficult to escape Corruption unless one belongs to the Soul Gate.

The Evil God's Tower extends across countless dimensions along the Dimensional Rift and appears in the form of a door only to those who sincerely desire the Evil God's blessing.

To those who, consumed by resentment and rage, long for strength: cast aside everything, receive the Evil God's blessing, and climb the tower!

The flow connecting the Evil God to the tower had ended up extending beyond the dimensions.

This was something Jinwoo had not foreseen at all.

* * *

Around the time the heroes were enjoying the grand event in Luzen, the Kalsus Dimensional Empire was thrown into a state of emergency. A plague that had appeared out of nowhere was spreading through the imperial army.

Soldiers who caught the disease had blood and chunks of flesh spilling out all over their bodies, grotesquely deforming, and they howled for the mercy of the "Evil God" while destroying everything around them.

The Kalsus Dimensional Empire dubbed it "Evil God Disease" and launched countermeasures. They tried to kill the soldiers infected with the Evil God Disease, but it wasn't easy.

Even when their limbs were severed, tentacles would spew out and they'd keep crawling. Burning them only led to rapid regeneration, and freezing didn't work either. They could only be eliminated by unleashing firepower sufficient to wipe out a village. In the end, they had no choice but to resort to quarantine.

Jerry, living in a dimension that had been annexed and turned into a colony by the Kalsus Dimensional Empire, rejoiced the moment he heard the news.

After finishing his work quota and finally making it to the cafeteria, where he was served rations worse than garbage, he found he could smile, unlike his usual self.

"Serves them right."

"Hah!"

Jerry was a Palanian.

Palanians were small in stature and had excellent dexterity, which was why they had been made slaves.

Those who became slaves were the lucky ones.

The Kalsus Dimensional Empire's forces had spared only 100,000 artisans of note and slaughtered every last one of the rest.

"That Ev... ugh?!"

"You mustn't speak that name aloud."

As Jerry was about to speak the word "Evil God", a searing pain shot through him, and his head went blank as if static had filled it.

A soldier, displeased by the Palanians chattering, walked over and kicked the table. As the meal tray crashed to the floor, he laughed mockingly.

When Jerry glared at the soldier, the soldier smashed his fist into Jerry's face.

"Gurgh!"

Not content to stop there, he began to stomp on him.

With his arms and legs broken and his body a wreck, Jerry slumped down limp. Even then the soldier didn't stop, and he pulped every Palanian in the vicinity.

"Throw them in the dungeon."

The soldiers who had been on standby dragged the Palanians off to the dungeon and tossed them in carelessly. Though it was called a dungeon, this place was no different from a tomb.

All that was left now was to rot here.

"Ngh...."

Having barely regained consciousness, Jerry clawed at the floor with his right hand, the only one that still moved. He felt as though he might go mad with rage and resentment.

If only he could wipe out those who had murdered his family, butchered his friends, and burned his village and his city to the ground, he would do anything.

'The Evil God....'

Just thinking of that name made his head throb.

If the Evil God truly existed, he was willing to contract that very "Evil God Disease" if it meant getting his revenge.

"Evil God... gah! O Evil God!"

Jerry vomited blood and cried out.

It felt as though thousands of needles had been driven into his head, and his vision flickered and blurred. Jerry didn't stop crying out. Then, at some point, there was a snapping sound, and the pain vanished.

"Huh?"

Letters appeared before Jerry's eyes.

They were letters he couldn't read.

[To those who, consumed by resentment and rage, long for strength: cast aside everything, receive the Evil God's blessing, and climb the tower!]

For some reason, he understood their meaning.

"I-I'll climb the tower! I'll do anything! So please...!"

The letters faded, and a massive door slowly rose up from the floor. The surface of the door was covered in flesh and tentacles, and there were creatures depicted on it so hideous it felt as though the mere sight of them might strike one blind.

KRRRAK!

The door opened.

"Ngggh!"

Jerry stretched out one hand and crawled along the floor.

Dragging his body along, he barely managed to make it inside the door. Then darkness swept in and settled into his body.

His body was instantly restored.

A body that was guaranteed to be left crippled even with surgery was made whole again in an instant.

[Hello there.]

"Huh?!"

A voice echoed through Jerry's mind.

[Welcome to the Evil God's Tower. The Evil God's Tower is an enjoyable game designed to aid in your growth. From floor one to floor 666, it is packed with a wide variety of content, so please, look forward to it.]

"A game...?"

Jerry didn't know what a game was.

[Please tell us your name.]

"Jerry...."

[Mr. Jerry, would you like to begin the tutorial?]

Jerry nodded.

[Beginning the tutorial! A random skill box will be provided as a reward.]

A scroll appeared before Jerry.

When he unrolled the scroll, light poured out of it and something emerged.

[F]Evil God's Sorcery Codex

A sorcery codex that allows one to use the lowest-tier sorcery of the Evil God.

Tearing the scroll will grant it automatically.

When Jerry tore the scroll, knowledge came flooding into his head.

"Gaaaaaaahhhh!"

Jerry clutched his head and collapsed to his knees on the floor.

It crawled.

It invaded.

It crept in as if seeping through.

Knowledge..., madness, it felt as though they were eating his brain.

When he barely managed to come to, he could feel new knowledge surfacing in his head. He felt like he could use the Evil God's Sorcery.

[Generating the tutorial monster, Arsilan's "Horned Rabbit".]

"Arsilan... where is that place?"

[It is where the Evil God resides.]

Then it must be the most terrifying hell in all existence.

Jerry swallowed hard, thinking that thought.

From the moment he entered the Evil God's Tower, Jerry's life changed completely.