The World Tree Has Returned!

Jini was sitting next to the flower bud, grinning from ear to ear.

Jini looks happy?

At my words, Jini beamed even wider.

-No Rin... no Kan... just the two of us right now... hehe.

Her cheeks flushed a soft pink. She was so adorable that I gently stroked her head with a branch. It felt warm and crisp, like sun-dried hay. Jini rubbed her head against my branch, clearly delighted.

-Hehe...

She looked just like a purring cat, which was utterly cute. That's when it happened.

"Kkwoong!"

"Kkwoooong~"

The young Totori squirrels came swarming onto my branches, dangling there in a cluster. Tori was among them. Jini promptly drooped her head.

-We were alone together...

We can be alone again next time.

Jini perked up with a soft smile.

-Yeah...!

Meanwhile, Tori climbed right up near Jini.

-Hi, Tori.

"Kkwoong!"

After a quick greeting to Jini,

"Kkwoong~ Kkwoong kkwoong~"

she said something to the flower bud. It seemed like she was telling the other young Totori to be careful around it. Tori must be the leader among the young ones. They all chirped back brightly.

"Kkung!"

"Kkwoong!"

I watched them fondly. These little guys, who had been so tiny and scrawny when I first saw them, were now quite plump and fluffy.

Come to think of it, I'd grown quite a bit myself. I felt more like a proper tree now, less like a sapling.

Maybe I should check my status window.

Oh!

Even after using Spirit Power, it'd gone up a ton already. And Divine Power had jumped by 80? Looking at it like this really drove home how much faster my stats were increasing.

But.

Why am I still a Primordial Sapling?

I'd pretty much outgrown the sapling stage. It was about time for "tree" to kick in.

Evolution soon, maybe?

As I thought that and rustled my branches, the Totori dangled and swung around, having a blast.

"Kkwoong~"

"Kkwoooong~"

While I was playing with the Totori, the spirits flew in.

-Rin and Kan are coming!

-But they're not alone!

-There's more!

-A lot!

-Several of them!

Huh? They brought a group?

I'd sent Rin and Kan earlier because I'd sensed something off nearby. What race had they run into?

Then one spirit shouted.

-I know them! Me!

And she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠giggled before answering.

-Elves!

-Elves!

-Whoa, really? I thought ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they were all gone!

-Guess not!

...Elves?

I froze at that. One of the dangling Totori bonked its head on a branch from the sudden stop.

"Kkwoong!"

Oops. Sorry.

Tori rubbed her head, and Jini flew over to check.

-It's fine... no bump.

Should we head down? At Jini's words, the young Totori hopped off one by one.

Meanwhile, I was lost in thought. Elves! Glorious, beautiful elves from fantasy worlds? Oh man, I was getting excited. My heart—or whatever passed for one—was pounding.

Just then, Kan and Rin emerged from the forest, followed by about five figures. Every one of them was stunningly gorgeous. Jaw-dropping, really. (Not that I have a jaw.) Back in Korea, they'd outshine most celebrities.

But as I kept looking, something else stood out. The kids were all ragged and emaciated. They'd clearly been through hell.

Kan bowed respectfully before me.

"We have returned."

Rin flew up with a big grin.

-Ta-da, I'm back too!

I rustled my branches in response.

Good work. But who's with you...?

Before I could finish, thud. The male elf in front dropped to his knees. He looked older than the others.

"Truly..."

Tears welled in his eyes.

"The World Tree has returned!"

His face was pure ecstasy. The other elves knelt too, choking back sobs.

"Mother has come back...!"

"The world hasn't abandoned us!"

I panicked at their words. Huh? World Tree? I'm not the World Tree. If I were, I wouldn't have struggled like this! And my status window doesn't say World Tree anywhere.

"Thank you... thank you...!"

"World Tree!"

As the elves grew more emotional, I cautiously spoke up.

Sorry, but... I'm not the World Tree.

They looked stunned.

"...Pardon?"

"The World Tree speaks directly to us!"

"Ooooh!"

Oh, they understand me perfectly. Elf ability, I guess. Perfect.

I rustled my branches and continued.

Like I said, I'm not the World Tree. Um... just a kinda special tree, you know?

The elves stared blankly at each other. Then, one with wheat-blonde hair and violet eyes like violets spoke hesitantly.

"But... the divine aura emanating from you isn't something any tree could produce."

She meant Divine Power and Spirit Power, probably. Fair enough—normal trees don't have stats like that.

How to explain? I'm really not the World Tree...

As I pondered, "Cough! Cough! Hahk...!" The front elf hacked violently, swaying. Nearby elves rushed to support him.

"Elder!"

"Are you alright?"

From that, I realized he was the Elf Elder. And up close, his condition looked dire. Sanctuary allowed minor healing inside its bounds, but his wounds were too deep to fully mend.

Need to heal him first...

Problem was, I had no healing skill.

What to do?

Then, "Kkwoong!" Tori bounced over, digging into her fur. Rustle rustle. She pulled out one of my leaves with a pop.

Ah, right!

Leaves infused with Demonic Power might heal. The spirits, understanding me, urged Tori.

-Hurry, give her the leaf!

-We need to heal him!

Tori hopped to the Elder and shoved the leaf into his mouth. As he chewed, his face twisted.

"What... is this... urgh..."

He looked in pain.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Eh? What's wrong?

Was it not working? Then he muttered softly.

"The taste is awful... urp..."

What. It just tasted bad.

Are my leaves that nasty...?

Makes sense—Tori spat hers out the first time too.

At that moment, a soft light emanated from the Elder's body. The other elves gasped.

"The wounds...!"

"They're all healing!"

Sure enough, his gashes were closing one by one. Color returned to his face. The elves wept anew, bowing before me.

"As expected...! The World Tree!"

"Our mother!"

"Thank you! Thank you!"

No... I'm not. But the mood made it awkward to insist.

Haha...

I just rustled awkwardly.

Guess I'll clear up the misunderstanding later...

Hidden Space.

In the temple-like chamber at its center sat a round egg.

A dragon egg.

Its color was uncertain—whiteish, reddish, yellowish, bluish. Hues blended and shifted, appearing and vanishing.

Dragons don't have fixed colors from birth. They adapt to their surroundings in the egg, determining their hue at hatching. Fire nearby births a red dragon; water, a blue one. That's why the environment matters most for eggs.

Mother dragons seek the ideal spot to lay and hide theirs for that reason.

This space was oddly specialized for concealment alone.

As if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wary of something.

That's when it happened.

Ssssss...

Black smoke seeped through cracks in the Hidden Space. Thick demonic energy.

Sssss... ssssss...

It filled the chamber steadily, inching toward the egg.

When it touched the surface,

Sluuuurp—!

The demonic energy was sucked inside. The egg absorbed it.

Then,

Woooong.

The egg hummed briefly, its surface subtly changing. Just a hint darker.

Not plain black. A sinister, deep crimson-black, like blood spreading in shadows.

Ssssss.

Quietly, unnoticed by all.

The egg was corrupting.