Chapter 63

As I stepped inside the World Tree, a notification window popped up as if it had been waiting for me.

[You are the first player to enter the World Tree.]

[As a reward, you have been granted the title "World Tree's Blessing."]

[World Tree's Blessing]

• Stamina +2, Mana +2
• Stamina and Mana recovery rate increased by 20%.

"Oh?"

Come to think of it, that was a thing. This will come in handy.

Originally, the Elves wouldn't appear for another year. Even Chun Ma had almost forgotten about this title.

"Heh, good thing I came. Getting a gift like this..."

As expected, it was always those who take initiative who get the best rewards.

"But aside from that, there doesn't seem to be anything particularly special about the inside of the World Tree. I was kind of expecting more."

The interior of the World Tree wasn't all that different from the dungeons I'd experienced so far.

If I had to point out a difference, it would be that, unlike the typically damp and dreary dungeons, this place felt cozy.

What does the inside structure matter? We're not here for a maze exploration. The simpler, the better.

"I guess, but..."

A hint of disappointment tinged Carpe's voice.

The World Tree of the Elves was considered the epitome of fantasy romance and mystique.

But for such a mystical place to be so plain...

"It's like going to a restaurant that's supposed to be amazing, but the food is bland. That's exactly how I feel right now."

Yeah, seeing you launch into your usual nonsense, I'd say you're in good shape. Wonderful.

"By the way, I don't see Althea."

She had entered the World Tree almost immediately after her, but there was no sign of Althea.

She must have gone that way?

Chun Ma pointed to a path that split into three.

Aside from the entrance I came through, that was the only route.

"Do I have to pick one of the three?"

But those worries vanished the moment Carpe approached the paths.

Out of the three routes, there were faint footprints only in front of the middle path.

The other two paths showed no signs of human traffic.

"For some reason, this feels like I'm in a stealth action game."

It's not like entry to the World Tree is forbidden.

"Still..."

I felt like some kind of spy. Carpe carefully stepped onto the middle path.

How long had it been?

"Huh?"

While walking along the path, the air suddenly turned cold.

No, it was beyond just turning cold – it was so chilly that my body started to tremble.

"...This. It's that. That thing from the Suak Bug cave."

The intense chill I felt when I met the fragment of Seobingje in the final boss room.

There wasn't fog like in the Suak Bug cave, but the chill itself was remarkably similar.

"......"

Carpe had completed many quests in the Elf Village during the time there.

There were many minor quests that could be cleared easily in the village, but some required gathering or subjugation outside of the village.

And when I came out of the village like that...

I had revisited the Suak Bug cave.

Of course, it was to investigate the situation of Seobingje's fragment.

"But it was gone."

Yeah, it was gone.

The Suak Bug cave I found again was quite different from before.

After catching the beetles that kept attacking due to the mental control being gone, there was nothing in the boss room.

No coldness, no fog, and Seobingje's fragment was not there.

After that, I searched the forest whenever I had time, but I couldn't find any trace of it...

"The place it shouldn't be is where its traces are. What the hell is going on?"

Carpe furrowed his brow. It wasn't a joke, I really couldn't figure it out.

"Could it be that it snuck into the Elf Village?"

We need to check that out from now on. Let's hurry. I don't think it'll end with just finding the Queen.

At Chun Ma's words, Carpe nodded and started walking.

After enduring the chill for about 10 minutes along the path.

Fortunately, I was able to easily find Althea, my target.

A large hollow inside the World Tree.

She was lying demurely on a large stone coffin in the center of the hollow.

Carpe watched the situation from afar instead of approaching her.

"That stone coffin. It looks familiar."

It looks just like the stone coffin Tina was in. There must be the second relic in there.

"But what is Althea doing lying on top of it?"

It couldn't be that she was trying to take a nap here instead of at home, maybe it was a special ritual of the Elf race.

"First of all, there is no sign of the fragment... The coldness was the cause of it."

Surprisingly, the source of the coldness was the stone coffin that Althea was lying on.

A coldness a little weaker than the chill I felt in the Suak Bug cave was emanating from the stone coffin.

"Hoo. Thank goodness."

When I first felt the chill, I thought that Seobingje's fragment had infiltrated the World Tree, but it seemed like a needless worry.

Yeah, it doesn't look dangerous. What are you going to do now?

"Hmm. Let's watch the situation for now."

Carpe decided to wait for the meaningless ritual to end.

It couldn't be that she would be doing that all day.

"......"

Haaam. I'm bored. Should I decorate a room like Hyang or Tina? That seems more productive, don't you think?

"...Let's wait a little longer."

Unlike what I expected, she didn't get up after a long time.

"I think it's been an hour."

I wondered if she was going to get frostbite from holding out on the cold stone coffin.

Of course, that couldn't be.

"Hey, hyung, look at that."

That was when it happened.

At the point when Carpe thought of waking her up by force, a change appeared.

Woooong.

A blue light began to spread over Althea's body, and a faint magic circle began to float under the stone coffin.

And the blue light that surrounded her scanned the stone coffin once and seeped into the magic circle.

Woooong!

The magic circle disappeared after doing that.

"...Is it over?"

The moment Carpe tried to approach her.

The change that was really shocking started at that time.

She, who was lying on the stone coffin, suddenly began to melt down.

Just like an ice statue melts down.

"......What?"

Hey, let's hide first. Something doesn't seem right.

Carpe hid behind a rock, taken aback by the unexpected situation.

And when I peeked out and looked at the stone coffin.

'......What is this?'

There was no sign of Althea on the stone coffin, and instead, a blue praying mantis was standing there.

Fragment of Seobingje-Gaiser.

Suddenly, a piece of the Dead Sea appeared.

'I'm going crazy. What's going on? Where did Althea go and suddenly that monster came out?'

... While you were hiding, I saw that the Queen didn't disappear.

'Then?'

The Queen has changed. With the fragment of Seobingje, after melting completely, it changed that way.

'Huh? That doesn't make sense... Huh?'

At the moment I was about to deny Chun Ma's words, a skill came to Carpe's mind.

When I first met Seobingje's fragment, one of the skills I checked had this.

[8-Star - Ultimate Camouflage]

Camouflage.

It meant 'disguise'. That is.

'Did it disguise as Althea using the camouflage skill and enter the village?'

The guy who was aiming for the World Tree's fruit was rooted in the World Tree's roots.

It was hard to believe even with my own eyes.

'S, should I fight?'

Are you trying to get frozen in an instant? Don't even think about going at it. If it finds you, you'll be turned into an ice statue.

'Crazy. What kind of scenario is this?'

Fortunately, Seobingje's fragment didn't seem to notice Carpe.

It kept giving off coldness, and the coldness was sucked into the stone coffin as it was created.

'Damn it, hyung. Don't stop me! That guy's trying to break the stone coffin!'

As was the case with the fanatic priest, Maeynades, the event bosses that appear in the Mad King job scenario were definitely set to destroy the relics.

Seobingje's fragment was not related to the backing spirit, but it was an existence that fought against the Mad King and the Mad King's relics in the distant past.

That's why it felt it.

That his nemesis was asleep inside the stone coffin.

'I can't let that happen!'

It was a journey to get the relics of the Mad King, but if the relics were damaged, that would be a reversal.

Even if I die here, I have to fight first...

'Huh?'

But Carpe never got to fight.

Seobingje's fragment, which was injecting coldness into the stone coffin, stopped acting and turned back into Althea.

"Hoo-ooh. There's not much left."

She took a deep breath and looked at the stone coffin with warm eyes, and then began to inspect it.

And soon after, she began to take steps to stagger as if satisfied.

...Towards the side where Carpe was hiding.

'Ugh.'

Hold your breath. Breathe!

Carpe suppressed his breathing as much as possible.

And Althea walked straight past the rock Carpe was hiding behind without even caring and headed for the entrance.

Even long after Althea had completely disappeared from sight.

"......"

Hey. It's gone. Breathe.

"Haaaa."

Carpe took a deep breath.

"Wow, I thought I was going to die."

Such tension in an RPG. Even horror games wouldn't be as good as this.

Let's get the situation sorted out. No, but I don't know what to sort out. What's going on here?

"You said it."

Carpe got up from his seat and headed for the stone coffin.

The coldness that was getting stronger and stronger made me realize that Seobingje was there until just now.

"What is it?"

Althea, or Seobingje, was trying to break the stone coffin, but suddenly turned back into Althea and left.

"...What does it mean that there's not much left?"

Why did you try to break it?

Carpe looked closely at the stone coffin, but couldn't find any signs of damage.

Rather, I felt that it was being managed well.

"Ah."

A unique groove was visible in the center of the stone coffin.

A kind of keyhole that was also in the stone coffin where Tina was sleeping.

If you insert Akram's mark there, the stone coffin will open.

"Hmm."

When I got Tina, the gravedigger was keeping Akram's mark.

Likewise, the mark that matches this stone coffin must be with Althea.

That meant that the stone coffin could not be opened without Althea's permission.

But.

Let's open this. If you open it and check it, you'll see what's going on.

"I was thinking about that too."

Carpe was a being above the Mad King in terms of 'opening'.

Carpe reached out his right hand over the stone coffin.

"Unseal."

[The unsealing is activated.]

Ggggggggg!

With a short bundle of light, the lid of the stone coffin opened.

"......Huh?!"

......Wow. What is this...?

And the two men who checked inside the stone coffin were the most surprised by all the things they had experienced today.