The Shadow in the Water

A shriek echoed through the bottomless darkness.

The Goddess of the Night writhed, clutching one side of her face.

It's gone...!

Yes.

A fragment of the Goddess of the Night.

The eye she had lent to the Children of the Night had been utterly obliterated by the 'Star of Death.'

Normally, it should have been destroyed, not obliterated. It should have been possible to restore it!

Yet no matter how much power she poured into it, the vanished eye did not return. Only darkness filled the empty socket.

Why...?

Was this the power of the Star of Death? A power that could grant 'death' even to a god?

Every time the Goddess of the Night trembled with a fear she had never known before, the darkness surrounding her surged violently.

...It was a mistake.

She shouldn't have sent Belakir.

No, she shouldn't have assumed that the 'Star of Death' would be born among the dark elves!

But how could she have known?

A creature among creatures.

A race called 'humans' whose very existence she hadn't even noticed before.

To think the 'Star of Death' would be born among such trivial things!

Not just herself.

No god.

Not even the 'Absolute One.'

No one knew.

It was a truth the Goddess of the Night had only barely learned at the cost of her avatar's death and the obliteration of a part of her existence.

The 'Star of Death' had returned.

And in the body of a human, no less.

To think it possessed the power to slay a fragment of a god while trapped in the body of such a lowly creature.

If... it were to transcend its 'limits.'

...No.

That would not happen.

Because before that could happen, she would claim the 'Star of Death' for herself.

With that vow, the Goddess of the Night wore a sinister smile, completely unaware of what was happening to her shattered 'fragment.'

Light filtered through the rustling green leaves.

...Is that the World Tree?

Honestly, it just looked like an ordinary tree to me. I couldn't feel any sort of sacredness or anything. Sure, it was massive, but there wasn't anything particularly special about it.

I stepped past the barrier of the World Tree alongside the Emperor.

Upon seeing us, the priests tending to the World Tree bowed and stepped aside.

Some of them gasped in shock when they saw me.

Well, it made sense.

Unlike the Emperor, I was covered in blood. Having been drenched in Belakir's blood, it was only natural.

"This is the first time an outsider has set foot here," the Emperor remarked.

No doubt. It was the Elf Empire's martial arts tournament, after all. Why would any other race participate? Unless they were a special case like me.

"Congratulations, my youngest."

"It is an honor, Father."

Although several issues remained, the Emperor seemed highly satisfied regardless.

Not only had his son won the imperial tournament, but his opponent, Princess Belakir of the Dark Elf Kingdom, was dead.

It was a double win for the Emperor. In addition to solidifying the Empire's authority, he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now had leverage to pressure the Dark Elf Kingdom.

I must have seemed like a total lucky charm to him.

The Emperor reached out and plucked a fruit hanging from the tip of a World Tree branch, handing it to me.

"The fruit of the World Tree. Eat it, and the World Tree shall bestow its blessing upon you."

"So this is..."

"It is a rare treasure that can only be harvested once every hundred years."

It looked more like a gemstone than a fruit. It had the feel of a translucent peach.

"Then, thank you for the food."

Without hesitation, I took a bite of the World Tree's fruit.

Contrary to my expectations, it had no taste. Come to think of it, it didn't have any ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sweet aroma either. It felt like eating a soft droplet of water.

I swallowed the fruit of the World Tree down to the last bite. Immediately,

The leaves rustled like crashing waves, even though there wasn't a breath of wind.

Then, a brilliant light poured through the branches. The warm radiance enveloped my entire body. I closed my eyes.

The trembling of the World Tree gradually subsided. I opened my eyes again and looked up at the tree.

Keeping a cheat code like this all to themselves, it was no wonder the elves were such an overwhelmingly powerful race.

"Is it finished?"

"Yes."

"Then let us return."

I left the Garden of the World Tree with the Emperor.

"What do you plan to do about the Dark Elf Kingdom?"

"Their princess dared to try and kill you. I cannot simply let it slide."

"Are you going to start a war?"

"Of course not."

The Emperor looked at me with a smile.

"My youngest, those traitors must have learned a grand lesson from this incident."

"And what would that be?"

"Namely, that the Emperor has a terrifying son."

"..."

"Irene has already sent a letter. She claims the kingdom had nothing to do with this, and that Princess Belakir acted entirely on her own."

"Do you believe that?"

"I do not."

The Emperor was smiling, but his eyes were ice-cold.

"But thanks to this, we now hold those traitors by the leash."

"Ah."

"It is all thanks to you."

Only then did the Emperor's expression soften slightly. He clasped my hand tightly, looking at me with pride.

"I feel that the [Blessing of the World Tree] alone is not enough."

Come to think of it, I felt the same way. I had gone out to a tournament and almost died because of some Goddess of the Night.

Well, I wasn't actually close to dying, but still. I deserved some hazard pay.

"If there is anything you desire, speak it."

Nothing came to mind immediately. Maybe I should consult Nairin on what to squeeze out of him.

"I'll think about it and let you know."

"Very well."

Once we left the garden, I saw Nairin waiting outside. I parted ways with the Emperor and returned to my quarters with her.

"Congratulations on winning the tournament, Lord Taepyeong!"

For some reason, Nairin looked far more overwhelmed with emotion than I did.

"Yeah, thanks."

"You were truly magnificent..."

"Magnificent, my foot. I heard you couldn't even see anything halfway through."

It was true. Because of the Goddess of the Night's interference, darkness had shrouded the arena, preventing anyone from seeing what was happening inside.

From the moment the Goddess of the Night manifested until Belakir died...

When the darkness finally dissipated, all that was revealed was the dead Belakir and a blood-drenched me.

So, the narrative had been framed as Belakir attempting to assassinate me.

The details were a bit off, but there was no need to explain everything, so I just let them believe that.

"How was the [Blessing of the World Tree]?"

"It's a total cheat code."

"A cheat...?"

"Never mind."

I gave a vague reply and leaned back against the sofa.

"Whew..."

Had I been tense without realizing it? I felt rather tired.

"Shall I prepare a bath for you?"

I nodded at Nairin's question. A short while ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠later.

"This is insane."

It was the prince's palace, so it naturally came with a private bath. Actually, calling it small was an understatement. There was even a fountain right in the middle of it.

"These elves are way too extravagant."

I thought I had shed most of my commoner mindset while living in the First Section, but I still couldn't compare to these elves.

I washed off the blood under a lavish golden faucet.

Then, I stepped into the silver tub filled with floating World Tree leaves. According to Nairin, the leaves possessed special healing properties. That was why only members of the imperial family were allowed to use them.

"Ah, the warmth feels great."

I submerged myself deep into the water and closed my eyes.

The imperial tournament. Princess Belakir. The Goddess of the Night. The Star of Death. A flurry of thoughts cluttered my mind.

I had only come out here for a light workout, so how did things end up like this?

When they mentioned the Star of Death, they must have been referring to the [Heavenly Slaughter Star]... right?

Hmm. Was the [Heavenly Slaughter Star] a much more terrifying trait than I had thought? I had just assumed it was a combat-specialized trait.

"..."

That Goddess of the Night or whatever. Maybe I shouldn't have killed her and instead interrogated her like I did with Imir.

But at that moment, I felt like I couldn't control myself. It was completely different from when I faced monsters in the tower...

Literally. ...I wanted to kill her so badly I couldn't contain it.

My mind was so consumed by the urge to slaughter her that it felt like my head would explode.

And when I did kill her? It was several times—no, dozens of times more exhilarating than killing monsters in the tower.

A feeling of my soul being fulfilled. It was hard to describe.

The voice I heard this time was incredibly clear, too...

Indeed. The voice echoing in my head this time was too vivid to ignore. It sounded almost like my own voice.

"..."

Should I ask Alteon? I recalled him saying something similar...

To melt away these complicated thoughts, I submerged myself completely under the silver water.

One second, two seconds, three seconds, four seconds, five seconds...

Thirty seconds... Sixty seconds... One hundred and twenty seconds...

Two hundred seconds... Three hundred seconds...

...I should probably get out now. I slowly rose to the surface.

The healing effect of the World Tree leaves was real; my body felt remarkably light.

On top of that, I was suddenly hit by a hunger I hadn't felt until now.

I should go out and grab a bite. Elf food tasted like cardboard, but... sticking to fruits made it bearable.

"Whew..." Just as I was about to stand up,

Something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cold and wet grabbed my shoulder.

What the? Nairin? I guess I stayed in the bath too long. But did she really have to come in to find me? I'm not a child.

"Alright, I'm coming," I chuckled, turning around.

But Nairin wasn't there.

The floor was stained with dark red blood. Severed pieces of flesh lay scattered about, writhing.

And a blood-drenched hand was gripping my shoulder.

"What the fuck is this?!"