The World Tree Has Returned

‘Whoa.’ I froze in place. What did I just see? Did that tiny, chubby hand really just fire off a beam of golden light? But that wasn’t the end of it.

“Charge!” As Riri shouted, reaching out toward the monsters, the Honey-Ring tribe moved in perfect unison.

“Kkuri-ring!” “Kkuring!”

The sound of the Honey-Ring tribe’s wings beating all at once made the air tremble. They might have looked comical, being no bigger than a pinky finger, but—not a chance.

Swoosh-!

The sharp stingers on their tails sliced through the air, and they began to pierce the monsters’ vital points with pinpoint accuracy.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The monsters fell one after another. Precise. Fast. I was inwardly awestruck. ‘So that reputation wasn’t just for show.’

Then, Riri flew up among the Honey-Ring tribe. At the same time, golden pollen began to scatter from around the child. Whoosh-! As the pollen spread through the air, a massive barrier formed, instantly cutting off the monsters’ vision.

“Grrrr!” “Krak!”

As the panicked monsters thrashed about, the Honey-Ring tribe dove into the gaps and unleashed their stinger attacks. The monsters were helpless. Riri kept scattering pollen, constantly creating opportunities for the Honey-Ring tribe to shine.

‘Ah, as expected of a queen.’ Now I saw why Riri was S-rank. She wasn’t just strong on her own; she was a being who could amplify the combat power of the entire Honey-Ring tribe.

And while the Honey-Ring tribe kept their vision blocked, the other residents moved as well. First, Khan shouted in a low voice.

“Move out.”

Elite goblins poured out of the village. Khan dove in first. He brought his axe down toward the center head of a charging Triple-Head Ogre.

BOOM-!

At the same time, flames erupted from the axe. The spewing fire consumed the ogre instantly.

‘Ah, that is...’ It was the axe Hylen had crafted for Khan. I remembered him saying he’d used one of the branches I dropped, one imbued with the power of fire and iron. With such a powerful weapon, Khan didn’t stop, continuing to swing his axe.

Meanwhile, Lin raised her hands high into the air.

-*Hiyah!*

Whoosh-! A massive pillar of water surged up and engulfed the charging monster horde head-on. The monsters struggled within the water. Lin clenched her hand, and the water pillar hardened instantly, trapping the monsters inside.

-Jini, now’s the time!

-...I know!

Jini then pressed both hands to the ground. The earth outside the sanctuary rippled, and—Crackle-!—soil surged up from beneath the feet of the charging monsters, pinning their legs. The bound monsters tumbled forward, and the elite goblins didn’t miss the chance.

‘I can’t just sit here either.’ I quickly extended roots imbued with Elemental Enchantment and pierced the fallen monsters one by one. While we were holding them off on one side, the Honey-Ring tribe cleared the other.

“Mama! We’re finished!” Riri shouted.

‘We’re done too.’ Most of the monsters were already down. The few remaining stragglers were being ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cleaned up by the goblins. I looked at the fallen monsters. ‘Why did they swarm like this all of a sudden?’

It was strange for this many to come at once. I’d felt like they were being controlled back during the Straw Cicada incident, too. ‘Is someone really driving them?’ I couldn’t know for sure right now.

‘For now, shall I eat these?’ I extended my roots and began to consume the monsters lying on the ground. Slurp. Slurp. A spicy, dense demonic energy flooded into me all at once.

‘The quantity is huge this time.’ As I continued to consume them, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠windows popped up in succession.

‘Oh, two levels at once?’ My Predation level went up, too. I opened my status window.

‘Demonic energy at 320.’ It had gone up a ton after consuming the Honey-Ring Queen, and now it climbed again? My spirit power was steadily rising, too. ‘Good.’

Just as I was about to close the status window, I heard Hylen’s surprised voice. “Luan?!” I shifted my gaze toward him. ‘Oh, right. Luan was here.’ He must have come here while being chased by monsters. The elite goblins reflexively blocked him.

“Kieee.” He raised his hands and said, “Wait, I’m not an enemy...” Before he could finish, Hylen ran over. “Luan! It really is Luan?!”

“...Elder!” Luan’s voice trembled low. Hylen hugged him tightly. “You were alive. Thank goodness.”

“I... I thought I wouldn’t be able to find you, Elder.” He stood there for a moment with his eyes closed. I watched Luan quietly. Pale sky-blue hair. Fair skin. A small mole beneath his black eyes. A look with an androgynous charm. It was exactly as described in the original novel. ‘So he really is the sub-male lead, Luan.’

A moment later, Hylen brought Luan before me. “World Tree, this is Luan, whom I spoke of.”

Luan looked up at me and bowed deeply. “It is an honor to meet you, World Tree.” His voice was low and soft. “I never dreamed I would see the World Tree alive like this...” He paused to choose his words before continuing. “I hope you will be with this land for a long time.” I could feel that his words were sincere. Just then, a window appeared.

‘Ah, that must be because Luan joined.’ I opened the resident window.

‘Oh, B+ rank... not bad.’ As I was looking at it, something moved behind my branches. Peek. Riri poked her head out. She glanced at Luan with large, round eyes. Her eyes were full of curiosity. Lin and Jini also flew around Luan, inspecting him. Then, Jini muttered quietly.

-He’s a half-elf, but... the human blood is strong...

At those words, I looked closely at Luan’s ears. ‘Ah, so that’s why his ears aren’t pointed.’ Being half-human, they weren’t completely pointed. If you looked closely, the tips were slightly raised, but it wasn’t very noticeable. Hylen spoke up hurriedly then.

“World Tree, this boy may be a half-elf, but I guarantee his ability. If it’s him, he will handle your pollen well.” He spoke a bit fast. Perhaps he was worried I wouldn’t trust Luan because he was a half-elf. I rustled my branches.

‘It’s fine. I’m glad we met like this.’ At my words, Luan looked up slightly. “Are you... in need of my abilities?” His voice was cautious.

‘Yes. My pollen will be ready soon, and I needed someone who could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠handle it well.’ Luan’s eyes widened slightly. “If it is the World Tree’s pollen... I have heard of it.” He continued slowly. “I know it possesses excellent healing properties. However, it cannot be used as is; it must undergo processing...”

‘Yes. That’s why I need you, an alchemist.’ Luan thought for a moment and nodded. “If the pollen can be extracted, I will try to make it.” His eyes shone. It seemed his curiosity as an alchemist was piqued. ‘Good.’

As we were talking, Hylen asked Luan, “Do you know where the other elves are?”

Luan’s expression darkened slightly. “We were separated along the way... I don’t know either.” He then added cautiously, “And Elder, this monster swarm... I believe it was the work of the demons.”

‘...Demons?’ I stopped my leaves. Demons. I had heard that the reason Hylen’s group was separated from the other elves was because of a demon attack. But demons again?

Khan said quietly, “If demons are involved in this, things could escalate.” Lin fluttered her wings and shouted. -Ugh... I really hate demons! Jini puffed out her cheeks and added, -Me too... I hate them too..

As everyone added a word, I said quietly, ‘For now, let’s focus on restoration today.’ At my words, everyone started to move. Left alone, I fell into thought. ‘Did they ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠find out something about me?’ I couldn’t rule out the possibility. ‘In any case, I have to be more careful.’ To do that... ‘I need to find the scattered elves faster. And I should increase the size of the scouting team.’ I needed to be sufficiently prepared on this side, too.

A demon sat at the edge of a cliff, dangling his legs. Silver hair, red horns. It was Kalderan. “As they say, the bear does the work, and the master rests.” He muttered with a cackle. He had poured quite a bit of power into this monster wave. By now, the elves should have been shredded to pieces. Kalderan felt good at the pleasant imagination. If he led the remaining members of this army to strike the empire... it would be of some help to *Him*.

Just then, a large shadow fell over him. It was his subordinate, a wyvern. “How did it go?” The wyvern bowed its head. Grrr...

“...What?” Kalderan’s eyebrows rose. “A failure? Did that many numbers just vanish?” The wyvern nodded.

“Ha!” Kalderan let out a dry laugh. It didn’t make sense. Hundreds of them just disappeared? Did the elves have that much power left? ‘Or was it other monsters?’ Even so, there shouldn’t be any monsters capable of this much power. Since the World Tree died, most beings had lost their strength. Just like the elves.

‘Wait a minute.’ Kalderan’s fingers stopped. ‘World Tree...?’ Yes. What if a new World Tree had been born? Everything about this situation made sense. The fact that the elves had reappeared. The fact that the monster swarm had been annihilated. Kalderan’s lips curled up.

If so, it meant the elves had gathered, harboring hope to live again. ‘The World Tree has returned, has it?’ Kalderan’s eyes narrowed. Was there anything more fun than crushing a new hope?

“This operation was a failure, but...” He muttered with a soft smile. “Since I’ve formed such an interesting hypothesis, it’s fine.” He slowly spread his wings. Black wings unfurled beneath the sky. World Tree. If that was indeed true. “Now, this is going to get really interesting.”