Another World (4)

She, along with the young elves, suppressed their excitement and joy, conducting the ritual before the World Tree with utmost reverence and solemnity in this moment.

A ritual using the dungeon core they had retrieved after fully conquering the dungeon. By now, it was obvious what they intended to do—extract the energy embedded within the core. It seemed she already knew the method that humanity had painstakingly researched and invented over more than a decade.

"---."

Murmuring quietly, she raised an arrow in her hand. Right after, she slammed the arrow from her compound bow—ablaze with blue flames—straight into the dungeon core.

Power...

The core cracked open with a sharp sound, spewing out the powerful energy within. That energy, which would merely be a mirage without special processing techniques, rode the wind and was naturally drawn into the World Tree.

The World Tree grew in an instant. Its leaves turned a deeper green, and its trunk thickened. The vitality it exuded was incomparable to its previous withered bonsai state.

The aftereffect was visibly immense. As a stronger life force spread from the area around the World Tree—which had previously been the only lush spot in the pot—life began to sprout even in the previously barren, dark soil elsewhere. Of course, the sizable apple tree was only about half a finger's length in reality, so the 30cm-tall World Tree still dominated uniquely.

"..."

While the elves gazed at it in delight, I retrieved the buzzing drone. I had no idea what the scaling criterion was, but after adjusting the scale to send it inside, the drone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠passed through the pot world's boundary without resistance and returned to its original size, landing in my hand.

She noticed and turned to me, waving at the drone with a smile. A beautiful smile full of goodwill, like one shared with a comrade-in-arms who had fought a formidable enemy together. The kind of smile you wanted to keep watching.

But as I started charging the drone, even while looking at that smile I wanted to protect, a corner of my heart felt stuffy.

It was another authority the World Tree had gained after we exterminated the ant colony. Until now, communicating by sending items and sometimes strongly wanting to meet her in person to talk had been true enough.

But now that something resembling that opportunity had arrived, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠conflict and worry outweighed anticipation and excitement.

Coward.

Letting out a hollow chuckle, I tore at my hair. Nothing would break if I just stayed put. It was only greed for more that led to stumbling.

In the end, I was just scared. Scared that my relationship with the pot world's residents—who were going so well on their own—might get disrupted or ruined.

I didn't want to run away anymore, or have to readjust. I hoped things stayed just like this. Because they were precious, I couldn't approach.

"Seung-hyun, you in there?"

Just then, someone knocked on my door. Unless it was delivery or a package, there was only one person who would knock on my door.

"Aigoo, why'd you bring all this?"

"I just grabbed a rough batch, but when I opened it, there was too much, so I had no choice."

Managing my expression and smiling, I opened the door to find the landlord, Jang Mansu, standing there laden with stuff.

"A bit of kimchi. And this."

"A flowerpot?"

"They say it's good for beginners."

The kind-hearted landlord, who loved sharing things with his tenants whenever he felt like it, was giving me something again today. I'd often received side dishes like kimchi, but today there was something else too.

A smallish pot, not too big. Maybe because I'd grown used to the fairly large bonsai pot, this one—about the size of my palm—felt a bit awkward.

"It's a good hobby. People who don't get it never will, but it definitely helps calm the mind. It'll surely be useful when you're feeling anxious or indecisive."

And what he said while handing me the pot felt oddly profound. He couldn't possibly have read my mind, but even if it was coincidence, there was weight to his words.

"It'll help, for sure."

Smirking, I took the pot with growing herbs.

How tense and thrilled I'd been these past few days thanks to the events in my flowerpot. Time had truly flown by unnoticed.

"When it grows well and then dies, it feels absurd and ridiculous, but that's just fate in the end. Unlike animals, they don't show pain, so you just trust they've grown well and move on. If you're shaken by raising one plant, how do you live life?"

Worried I might quit the hobby, he lectured earnestly like a veteran caring for a newbie, expounding on his theories and the benefits of pots. Surprisingly, nothing he said seemed wrong.

Of course, my worries and fears—stemming from trauma-like experiences—wouldn't vanish instantly, but failing to overcome them meant staying stuck.

Still, unlike plants, she and the elves could speak. So even if issues arose from meeting, we could probably overcome them if handled right.

In the end, it was up to me. Above all, my desire to meet them was strong enough to suppress the fear and worry etched into my body.

In this situation where I just needed a small trigger to flip it, his advice played that role perfectly. I quickly steadied my wavering, conflicted heart.

"Thank you. I'll take good care of it."

I saw him off with a genuine smile, not a false mask.

Alone in the house again, but with a much lighter heart, I placed the pot on the living room table.

"...Huh?"

But as I headed to the balcony to prove my resolved heart...

A message appeared, shaking it.

"Why is this here?"

Right above this small pot I'd just set on the table.

"..."

By late evening, I sat without even taking a seat, pondering seriously.

First, what did this mean? The info that popped up was really just that one line.

It mentioned a new area, so... had the pot with the World Tree connected to this herb pot somehow?

I hurriedly examined the pot. The young elves were already asleep, and she was fiddling by a campfire, making something.

No way that's...

Averting my eyes from her, I scanned every corner of the pot. Then I spotted it—a faint light in the corner.

It was so small you'd miss it without close inspection, about the size of her height. Adjusting the scale, I realized it was a rippling spatial rift and sighed blankly.

For some reason, I felt like I knew where it led if crossed.

If it's real, what happens?

To turn doubt into certainty, I activated the fully charged drone again.

Without telling her, I quietly sent it flying across the sky toward the spatial rift.

And the moment it passed through...

"No freaking way."

I muttered in disbelief. The dim camera feed showed bright light and a vast, lush green herb forest.

The drone flew through the herb forest—which had a different look from the bonsai World Tree—scanning every nook.

With the living room lights on, it was as bright as daytime, unlike the World Tree pot.

Tomorrow, she'll find this place.

Retrieving the drone that had whirred in from the living room, my mind raced.

It had happened anyway, and it was out of my hands now. Once sunrise brought light back to the pot world, she'd surely discover it.

How could I use this? Maybe I could meet her more naturally this way?

The thought suddenly crossed my mind.

"Your body's okay now, right?"

"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine."

"We've got shooting today too. Better to do it after work than leave you alone, Seung-hyun."

"Sounds good."

Monday, my first day back in three days. But I left early again and worked from home, finally able to properly check the phone screen I'd been sneaking glances at.

What it showed now was her face, looking somehow serious. We'd taken out all the threatening mana beast ants, so why the tension?

Smiling wryly, I knew the reason.

It was a decent plan.

Arriving home, I hurriedly stood before the table. Like the bonsai pot on the balcony—which I could no longer touch—this tiny pot now held an item that hadn't been there yesterday, standing alone.

A different type of miniature house, bought when I gave her a house. Something I'd placed last night.

She must have found the rift this morning, come here, and discovered the empty house. And now she was deep in thought.

Surprised and amazed, no doubt. Worried too, since she had no idea if the house's owner was friend or foe.

"Phew, alright."

Unnecessarily anxious, I set down my bag, took deep breaths, and prepared.

This whole plan was just speculation, after all. To make it succeed, I'd have to prove it with my own body.

For ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the first time, I applied this mysterious power to my own body.

The force I'd freely used on items until now began slowly overtaking my body.

"Urk, ngh..."

Soon, intense pressure crushed my entire form. A bizarre, unfamiliar sensation I'd never felt before.

For a moment, I wondered if I'd done something stupid without testing—maybe I should've grabbed a pigeon or stray cat first.

"Agh, aaaargh!"

My body shrank in an instant. The herb pot's soil floor became a vast plain rushing toward me. No—the ground wasn't rushing. I was falling.