Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Primordial Meadow
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Choi Seong-un knew that he would one day create an 'afterworld'.
Once he settled on his first tribe and began crushing the surrounding hostile NPCs, his Divinity would reach level 11.
Divinity level 11 was one of the requirements for creating an afterworld, a level achievable if you played the early game properly. From that point on, players were called demigods, entering a phase where experience gains slowed dramatically.
'Whatever. Levels are secondary to victory anyway. Besides, no one's ahead of me right now.'
Of course, there was one player who grated on Choi Seong-un's nerves.
'That show-off seems to be around level 11 too... He's the one I need to watch out for right now.'
Over the past few years, Choi Seong-un had been incredibly busy.
He had to assist Rakrak in smashing nearby NPCs while staying vigilant against players stealthily expanding their territories.
'That's why I've invested heavily in the Subdomain: Bugs.'
Rakrak's tribe was too far away for him to know, but Choi Seong-un commanded three bug swarms.
He had initially just called them swarms, but he'd assigned tags to name them.
One was the locust swarm he'd dubbed 'Swarm.'
Unlike the old days when they only aided Rakrak, there were now multiple locust swarms.
From the peninsula itself to the connected wastelands, the continent and mountains branching out from there, and even the rivers flowing north—wherever locusts could thrive by season and terrain, these insect hordes devoured crops unchecked.
This was possible because Choi Seong-un had created 'creatures' to control the locusts using the essences he'd farmed over time.
Swarm followed the orders of these creatures Choi Seong-un had made, sabotaging players he'd never even contacted.
However, he always kept such attacks non-lethal when possible.
'Because if I don't, they won't be distinguishable from natural game events like locust plagues.'
Lost World couldn't systemically differentiate between spontaneous events and those engineered by players through Divinity.
Seasoned players might suspect something, but that was fine by Choi Seong-un.
'I'm tucked away in a remote corner, avoiding friction with others.'
In any case, the infamy of the locust swarms had spread far and wide among agriculture-based players in the central continent and northern coast.
Some suspected a Subdomain: Bugs holder, but they only pointed fingers at neighbors.
No one imagined Choi Seong-un, far removed and gaining no immediate benefit, was behind it.
'But letting players suspect each other erodes trust and lowers alliance chances. Plus, agriculture accelerates tech once roads open. Containment is key. Worth the Faith investment.'
Another was the miscellaneous bug swarm named 'Host.'
The one he'd used against the lakeside Froglin tribe in the past; it was mostly inactive now.
But like Swarm, it had a creature leader created by Choi Seong-un, steadily fulfilling his list of desired diseases with dogged persistence.
Choi Seong-un believed this swarm would prove most valuable over time.
The last was 'Nest,' another miscellaneous bug swarm.
Set up for farming experience in his Subdomain: Bugs, it mainly consisted of massive ant hills and beehives, dominating the ecosystem under the southern peninsula's wastelands. Just letting them breed and expand without interference allowed him to grow the subdomain.
It lacked a controlling creature for now, but he figured it'd come in handy eventually.
'...So I thought everything was going smoothly.'
There had been no major issues for years.
Choi Seong-un planned to fully conquer the peninsula and unite all Lizardmen; given time, it seemed straightforward.
The unified Lizardmen would naturally dominate other tribes and extend influence.
Weaker races would have no choice but to accept the Black Scale tribe's faith.
But out of nowhere, a Norr horde appeared from the north.
Choi Seong-un had to shelve peninsula conquest and lure Rakrak north.
This horde was unmistakably player-controlled, not NPC or event.
The Severed Ear tribe warranted serious caution from Choi Seong-un.
Not just their size, but as a nomadic tribe, their combat prowess was no joke.
Lizardmen had cockatoos; Norrs had saber-tooths. Their archery lagged, but metalworking surpassed Lizardmen—tech acquired from unexplored regions, no doubt.
'Judging by progress, their level might match mine. They could already have an afterworld.'
Choi Seong-un decided not to dwell on the unknown rival.
He'd anticipated such scenarios and had multiple counters.
The priority now was the afterworld.
'Still, conditions aligned quickly. Level, resources, Faith. And... sufficient death.'
The four requirements for an afterworld: level, high-grade resources from killing abominations and monstrosities like NPCs, and Faith were relatively easy.
But the last, 'death,' remained murky.
It was known that enough faithful deaths satisfied it.
Lost World revealed no formulas, so players reverse-engineered via trial. Sometimes mass deaths barely budged it; a single death could spike it visibly.
'Some say it's based on Faith generated by the deceased... but not exactly proportional. Still unclear. Anyway, conditions met, so whatever.'
With that, Choi Seong-un launched 'World Creation Helper ver.2'.
Knowing he'd create an afterworld someday, he'd tinkered with Lost World's tool sporadically.
Like the Creature Creation Helper for Slatis, it stored countless worlds from his past or others', but he opted to build anew.
'At least the basic frame's done. Small mercy.'
Based on play experience, he knew races' preferred afterworlds.
Lizardmen were similar overall.
Especially newly civilized ones.
'Moist air, blue meadows, sun-warmed plains.'
When Rakrak and Star Reader described it, Choi Seong-un felt relieved.
It matched expectations.
'Next up...'
He fiddled with tabs in the World Creation Helper, preparing.
Souls from faithful deaths lingered, unvanished.
Players chose whether to reclaim them—most did, to enable afterworlds.
Choi Seong-un checked his frozen soul collection.
These would be the first to enter his afterworld.
'Highest level among the dead is Star Reader, as expected.'
Afterworlds were crucial in Lost World.
They shaped believers' 'afterlife views.'
For a 'hell' afterworld, gods could show priests visions.
Priests spread tales of endless punishment for the wicked.
'That enforces morality, but other approaches work too.'
Hell could flex by player skill: not evil deeds, but attacking 'certain races' or insulting 'certain gods' sends you there—forcing false morality on the faithful.
Common playstyle.
'Hell' users paired with 'heaven' concepts.
'All paths to hell? No reason to believe. Carrots with sticks.'
Reward attacking certain races or insulting rivals with heaven.
And since afterworlds manifested real effects, it wasn't mere faith.
But heaven/hell required at least two afterworlds; he could only make one now. Reincarnation needed judges too.
So, only an 'otherworld' type for now.
Yet otherworlds had deep history and utility.
'Valhalla, Sanzu River, Styx, Limbo... Different flavors, but independent death-realms.
They often linked to expanded afterworlds later.
But not always.
'Valhalla trained warriors for Ragnarok. Afterworlds bend to player will. Clever ones won solely on afterlife lore. ...Luck helped.'
Existing afterworlds granted souls immortality.
Using their knowledge/power cost massive Faith, but late-game, they aided players.
'No rush though. Things just starting. Stay flexible.'
Choi Seong-un named it 'Primordial Meadow'—provisional, expandable.
The helper's vision materialized beneath his feet.
He opened his inventory, grasped the souls, and scattered them wide.
Hundreds fluttered as aimless blue butterflies, settling on the meadow.
Thinking themselves butterflies, they touched grass, flowers, soil—and remembered Lizardman forms, reverting.
But they realized: no wounds, no fatal ills, no endless fatigue here.
Lizardmen closed eyes, gauging reality vs. dream.
Sun-warmed ones dozed off; others, deeming it dream, kept eyes shut, unwilling to wake.
Some opened eyes.
Anticipating new vistas.
Choi Seong-un concealed himself.
One soul needed personal guidance.