The Blessing of the World Tree
On my way home from the team dinner.
"..."
Not a single soul was visible on the dark, deserted street.
The alleyway was dead silent, devoid of any presence.
And yet.
"Who's there?"
I muttered quietly.
"Are you going to walk out on your own two feet, or do I have to come find you?"
"..."
"Just so you know, if I have to find you, you're getting beat to a pulp."
Swish!
A shadow dropped lightly from the streetlight.
"Please forgive my insolence, Lord Taepyeong."
It was Nairin.
"I intended to greet you in a safer location. I truly did not mean to offend you."
Nairin bowed deeply, offering her apologies.
Why was someone who belonged in the Elf Empire here?
It was true that I possessed a Resonance Stone to communicate with the Elf Empire.
But that was strictly for communication.
And even then, only when mana was channeled into it.
"Why are you here?"
I stared at Nairin, my eyes filled with suspicion.
Communication was one thing.
But crossing dimensions was no simple matter.
While it was possible within the unique space of the Babel Tower,
'invading' another world always came with a steep price.
Just as I had to consume magic stones whenever I summoned Cerberus into the real world,
Nairin must have expended a massive amount of magic stones to get here.
It wasn't something one did on a whim.
"His Imperial Majesty the Emperor sent me."
Ah.
That explained it.
The Emperor probably had magic stones overflowing like seawater.
The question was, why did the Emperor send Nairin?
"Why?"
"Pardon?"
"Why did he send you?"
"Ah, that is..."
She was still as slow on the uptake as ever.
I sighed and waited for her answer.
"His Imperial Majesty sent a message..."
"We have the Resonance Stone for that."
"There are other things I must deliver besides the message."
Ah.
He's acting like a helicopter parent.
I scratched the back of my head and looked at Nairin.
I couldn't just leave her standing in the middle of the street.
"...Fine. Let's go to my place and talk."
"Pardon? M-May I truly dare to do so...?"
Nairin looked overwhelmed with gratitude.
Seriously.
Her slave mentality was even worse than Imir's.
"Follow me."
"Yes, sir!"
"Stay out of sight."
Whoosh.
Nairin vanished from sight.
I quietly made my way back home.
Fortunately, Do Sangjin seemed to have off-duty hours and wasn't home.
Woo Jumin, whom I had sent back earlier, seemed to be fast asleep.
Click.
I entered the study and closed the door.
Shuck!
The humble Nairin materialized inside my precious home.
"Thank you for inviting me, Lord Taepyeong."
Nairin knelt on the floor, her face filled with emotion.
I couldn't even be bothered to tell her to make herself comfortable.
I simply tossed a bottle of banana milk to her.
"Drink this."
"T-Thank you!"
Nairin neatly poked the straw in and began to drink the banana milk.
"...!!!"
Her eyes widened.
"Th-this fragrance is...!"
What is wrong with her?
"Surely, this is a fruit of the heavens...!"
It's just banana flavoring.
"Thank you, Lord Taepyeong, for bestowing such a precious thing upon me!"
This girl has the palate of an elementary schooler.
Last time she was throwing a fit because she wanted a hot dog.
Now she's making a massive fuss over banana milk.
"If you're done drinking, get to the point. Why did the Emperor send you?"
Slurrrrrp!
Nairin sucked the last drop out of the bottle, then cleared her throat.
"First, His Imperial Majesty wished to inquire about your well-being..."
"The point."
"*Cough!* Yes. Well, he wishes for you to visit the Empire for a short while."
"Why?"
The holidays are long over.
It's not like he's calling me over to play traditional games with the family.
"Lord Taepyeong, have you ever heard of the Imperial Martial Arts Tournament?"
Why would I?
I'm Korean.
Have you ever heard of the Yi Sun-shin Festival?
"The t-tournament is the Empire's grandest festival, held once every hundred years."
Sensing my cold gaze, Nairin quickly began to explain.
The Elf Empire's Martial Arts Tournament.
The grandest festival in the Empire, where the strongest elves selected from all over the realm gather to clash and test their skills.
Through this festival, the elves demonstrate the prosperity and dignity of the Empire to the entire world.
Since even the dark elves of the Dark Elf Kingdom participate,
it also serves as a place to foster goodwill, albeit in a formal capacity.
Of course,
for the past thousand years, the dark elves have known nothing but defeat.
However, this time...
"Although the festival has not yet officially begun, a rumor is circulating that cannot be ignored."
"What rumor?"
"They say the Dark Elf Kingdom, which has suffered defeat for the past thousand years, has raised an extraordinary warrior."
What an exaggeration.
How strong could a dark elf possibly be?
I looked at Nairin with an indifferent face, scratching my ear.
"And?"
"They held the preliminaries not long ago, and the elves who fought that warrior..."
Nairin's expression darkened.
"...were all killed."
"Hmm."
"And in a gruesome manner, at that."
"Is that so?"
"You do not seem surprised."
"That's just how dark elves are."
When I met them in the snowy mountains, didn't they say they'd skin me alive if I didn't hand over my Contribution Points?
Though it was their heads that ended up rolling.
"So, because of that dark elf..."
Yaaaaawn.
Ah, maybe because it was boring, a yawn suddenly escaped me.
"The Emperor summoned me?"
"...Yes."
Nairin nodded solemnly.
"His Imperial Majesty also witnessed that warrior in the preliminaries. Immediately after, he sought you out, Lord Taepyeong."
"Hmm..."
"He said that you were the only one he could think of who could defeat such a monster..."
"Can't he just handle it himself?"
"Of course, His Majesty is a great being who could kill that warrior with a single finger. However, this is strictly a 'martial arts tournament,' so it is impossible for His Imperial Majesty to step forward himself."
"Then why not just lose fair and square?"
"...His Imperial Majesty wishes to preserve the streak of victories from the past thousand years."
What a stubborn old man.
Quite the demanding fellow.
"L-Lord Taepyeong..."
Perhaps my reaction was too indifferent.
Nairin spoke up with an anxious expression.
"His Imperial Majesty has promised a grand reward."
"What is it?"
"The Blessing of the World Tree."
The Blessing of the World Tree?
I sat up straight.
"Explain in detail."
"One who receives the Blessing of the World Tree will have their physical body strengthened, their mind made noble, and the protection of nature will always—"
"Keep it simple."
"You gain permanent resistance to all status ailments, and the 'Luck' stat is unlocked."
Oh?!
Now this is interesting.
"Permanent resistance to all status ailments" was the exact same ability as Flawless Sovereign, the trait I had passed up at level 10.
I had chosen Killing Time back then, and while it had served me incredibly well,
I had always felt a lingering sense of regret.
'With this, I won't have to worry when I enter the 60th Floor...'
It was no exaggeration to say that the demons on the 60th Floor were absolute masters of status ailments.
Especially when it came to mental attacks; they were practically impossible to deal with.
I had planned to acquire an item superior to the Quiet Eira Forest's Earring once I reached the 60th Floor.
But even items had their limits.
But if I could obtain permanent resistance to all status ailments?
I wouldn't have to worry about items ever again. It was a massive win.
It was basically getting a free passive skill.
On top of that.
A new stat called 'Luck'?
Luck was essentially a domain controlled by the gods.
No matter how good your abilities were, if luck wasn't on your side, you were bound to fail.
If a dedicated Luck stat was created, I wouldn't have to worry about rewards ever again.
Man, this is really tempting.
"The Blessing of the World Tree is a noble reward that can only be obtained once every hundred years by the single elf who achieves victory. His Imperial Majesty wishes for you to claim this honor, Lord Taepyeong..."
"He just doesn't want the dark elves to take it."
"...That is correct."
Nairin nodded heavily.
Hmm, so that dark elf warrior must be incredibly strong.
Seeing how the Emperor went out of his way to summon me, a human...
'...Which makes it all the more interesting.'
What kind of guy is he?
I'm curious.
Maybe it's because I've only been dealing with weaklings lately,
but my expectations are actually starting to rise.
"Did you say I'm allowed to kill him?"
"...Yes."
Ha, even better!
I paused for a moment, then
"Okay."
nodded.
Nairin leaped up from her seat, her face filled with shock.
"R-Really?"
"Yeah."
"As expected of you, Lord Taepyeong! To accept so easily when all the other successors refused!"
Ah, so that's how it was.
Cowardly bastards...
The Emperor must have been worried sick.
"I will inform His Imperial Majesty immediately. He will be overjoyed!"
"No need to inform him."
"...Pardon?"
"We can just go right now."
I pulled out my phone.
"Hold on a second."
If I vanished without a word, everyone would definitely worry.
I should at least let them know before I head out.
"Hello?"
"Ah, Sangjin. I'm going on a trip for a bit. Please look after Jumin while I'm gone."
"...So suddenly? Are you going far?"
"Yes. But it won't take long."
"I see. Then, by any chance, how can we contact you..."
"Ah. I'll leave it on my desk, so if anything happens, you can contact me through that."
I took out the Resonance Stone and placed it on the desk.
If I left this behind, they could contact me through Nairin.
"Please let Ms. Kang Mina and Ms. Go Juhee know as well. I'm leaving right now."
"Understood. Please take care of yourself and return safely."
"Of course. I'll bring back souvenirs."
As I hung up, I noticed Nairin staring at me with a strangely sullen expression.
What?
What was her deal?
"...I had anticipated as much, but to think you already had a servant attending to you here as well, Lord Taepyeong."
"No, he's not a servant, he's..."
"Is it perhaps a human wife? If so, I must pay my respects...!"
"It's not, so just get ready to go."
When I raised my fist, Nairin hurriedly pulled an item out of her inventory.
It was something that looked like a mirror.
Through it, an unfamiliar landscape was visible.
"Let's go."
To kill.
...
...
...
...No, to win the tournament!