The Ninth Floor Trial (10)
“Huh? Jinhyuk, what is that?”
“Yeah.”
Supporting Kaelion, who had regained consciousness in the meantime, I approached the egg with her.
“It's hatching.”
From the moment I obtained it as a reward for the third-floor trial, all the way to the ninth floor.
To think the egg I had carried with me for years would finally hatch like this.
Nice.
The birth of a new life is always a beautiful sight.
Especially when it's a little guy I've poured so much affection into raising.
What will it look like?
In truth, there had been many debates among my companions regarding the egg.
Specifically, about what would emerge from within.
“Huh?”
Fwoosh...
Orange and white flames flickered from the cracks in the egg.
—Peep!
Crack...
Breaking completely out of the shell was a tiny bird with feathers as white as Holy Fire.
—Peep!
Fluttering its slightly dark orange wings, the little creature flew toward Lee Jinhyuk and Kaelion.
“Hey there, little one.”
Feeling incredibly proud and fond of the bird, Jinhyuk scooped it up with a broad smile.
—Peep!
It snuggled into Jinhyuk's chest, rubbing its soft feathers against him.
The Star-Fire Bird recognizes you as 'Daddy' and feels an extremely high level of intimacy.
A strong bond with a specific creature has been confirmed. You can register this creature as a pet to share experience points.
A pet, huh?
Jinhyuk nodded as he looked at the creature.
“Of course I'm registering you.”
—Peep!
A powerful bond has been confirmed.
The Star-Fire Bird now recognizes you as its father and master.
*Warning: An excessive drop in intimacy may cause the pet to leave.
Shhhhh!
White flames rose from both Jinhyuk and the bird, intertwining before flowing back into their respective bodies.
—Peep peep!
Seemingly pleased by the warm sensation, the bird fluttered its tiny wings and perched on Jinhyuk's shoulder.
“Oh my...”
The sight was so adorable that hearts practically formed in Kaelion's eyes.
“Ugh...”
She clearly wanted to touch the bird too, but she seemed to hesitate.
It was still so young, and she was worried it might dislike her if she reached out.
—Peep!
But the bird approached Kaelion first.
The Star-Fire Bird now recognizes Player 'Kaelion' as its mother.
“Oh my.”
Overjoyed at being chosen, Kaelion carefully cradled the bird and rubbed her cheek against it.
“You... you cute, lovely little creature!”
—Peep? Peep peep!
It chirped as if it were losing its breath, but it was a heartwarming sight.
Well, excluding the Constellation and the item Phoenix, Kaelion's power and energy went into it the most.
After the brief commotion settled down.
The bird, having barely escaped Kaelion's clutches, looked up at Jinhyuk.
The Star-Fire Bird wishes for a name.
“A name... Right. I've decided.”
“Oh. What is it?”
“Based on its cry, Peep-Peep.”
“?”
—Peep?
The Star-Fire Bird is dissatisfied with the proposed name.
The newly hatched bird tilted its head, seemingly baffled by Jinhyuk's naming sense.
“Then how about Chirpy? Tweety? Or Snowy, since you're white?”
The Star-Fire Bird is dissatisfied with the proposed name. (x3)
—Peeeeep?
Seeing Kaelion's expression rot in real-time, it was clear this wasn't working.
Turning away from Jinhyuk, who kept suggesting bizarre names, the bird scurried over to Kaelion.
—*Peep peep peep! Peep!*
It seemed to be pleading for its mother to name it instead of its father, which made Jinhyuk feel a bit depressed.
“Hmm... Well then.”
After pondering for a moment, Kaelion came up with a name.
It meant 'pure white child' in the ancient tongue.
“I'll name you 'Elruin.'”
—*Peeeeeeeeep!*
Delighted, the bird did a loop in the air before flying back into the arms of Jinhyuk and Kaelion.
The Star-Fire Bird has accepted the name 'Elruin.'
▶ Regards Player 'Lee Jinhyuk' as its master.
├─ [Gate Creation] (Myth Grade)
└─ [Locked Skill] (Epic Grade)
The pet takes 20% of the experience points acquired by the player to grow.
Any deficit in the pet's power can be supplemented by the master player's energy.
“Gate Creation?”
Jinhyuk's eyes widened to their limits upon seeing Elruin's skill.
[Gate Creation]
Grade: Myth
▶ Generates a gate to move to another location.
* Can only move to floors where the master, Lee Jinhyuk, has cleared the trial.
* Only those permitted by Elruin can use it.
“What is this?”
Kaelion, who shared the skill information to check it, also widened her eyes in shock.
“How can a skill this ridiculous even exist?”
Having a decent amount of knowledge about the Tower, Kaelion was even more astonished.
Even if one cleared the trials, moving between the floors of the Tower came with immense restrictions.
You could only move from designated locations on a floor.
There was a set daily capacity.
You could only move one floor at a time (for example, you could go from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor, but not directly from the 1st floor to the 3rd floor).
And there were several other constraints beyond these.
As if proving why it was a Myth-grade skill, [Gate Creation] bypassed all of these conditions.
Of course, it couldn't be used indefinitely, but with this skill, one could travel back and forth to any desired floor at any time.
Like jumping straight from the 8th floor to the 2nd floor in a single bound.
This is absolutely massive.
Unlike normal teleportation scrolls, this power could transport living players.
It seemed to be a magnificent result born from the combination of Kadrian's tutoring and the Phoenix's authority.
“Sending it to get tutored by that slick Kadrian was worth it.”
“Kadrian? The power behind the Sky Tower? You know him too?”
“Well... we're business partners.”
Jinhyuk chuckled at Kaelion's look of admiration and playfully ruffled her bangs.
“Hey! Do I look like a kid to you?”
“Of course you do.”
“I'm older than you, you know!”
“...No, you're not.”
Even if Kaelion was a High Elf and much older than she looked, combining Jinhyuk's life before and after his regression made them roughly the same age.
Actually, I don't know her exact age.
As the two of them bickered over their unexpected age debate.
—Peeeeep! Peep!
Elruin began to whine, opening her beak as if she were hungry.
“Hmm... What does she eat?”
“I wonder. Since she's a bird, maybe birdseed?”
“...Maybe?”
—Peep! Peep!
Having just hatched, she was clever but still driven by pure instinct.
After pondering for a moment, Jinhyuk activated a skill.
Holy Fire
Pure white flames erupted from Jinhyuk's body.
—Peep?
Seeing this, Elruin tilted her head before quickly swallowing the flames.
—*Peep! Peep peep!*
But she vigorously shook her head, indicating that wasn't it.
Seeing that, Jinhyuk immediately pulled out the emergency rations he had stored.
Beef jerky, instant food, snacks, and even the Nutrient Pills he had obtained from another floor.
He offered her a variety of foods, but Elruin only let out a deep sigh and shook her head.
—Peep...
Soon, Elruin drooped, looking utterly exhausted from hunger.
“She's quite the picky eater.”
“Divine beasts are always like this. They can't eat anything that doesn't suit them.”
Come to think of it, she was right.
Before his regression, hadn't the Saint Lion born from Melidus's beast taming only eaten meat infused with divine power?
They say the Haetae only drinks water, and the Bulgasari only eats iron.
It seemed this little one also had a very limited diet.
“How do we figure out what she eats, and where do we get it?”
“...This is a bigger problem than I thought.”
As the realization set in, cold sweat broke out on both Jinhyuk and Kaelion.
They could survive for days without eating, but the newborn Elruin wouldn't last long.
Thus, Jinhyuk and Kaelion began dumping out everything they had in their possession.
—Peep?
—*Peep peep!*
—Peeeeep...
No matter what they presented, Elruin just drooped her wings in disappointment.
And then.
—Peep?
Spotting something, the little bird quickly flew over and swallowed it whole.
“Huh?”
“Ah. That's...”
It was a seed that Kaelion had dropped while pulling out her items.
“Elruin! You eat seeds?”
Chew, chew.
Puffing out her cheeks, Elruin gulped the seed down.
The sight was so adorable that both Jinhyuk and Kaelion smiled.
“But why did you have a seed?”
“Yeah. Actually, all Elves carry one.”
Is it a seed of Yggdrasil?
Jinhyuk knew what the seed of Yggdrasil meant to High Elves.
If asked whether it had any beneficial effects, the answer would be no.
They were seeds of Yggdrasil that had absolutely no chance of germinating—essentially discarded ones.
Even so, it wasn't just some common piece of junk.
After all, it was a seed from Yggdrasil, a being that was like a god or a Constellation to the Elves.
The reason High Elves carried this seed was as a sort of protective amulet.
It symbolized that Mother Yggdrasil was watching over and protecting them wherever they went.
◈ Elruin has consumed the item: Seed of Yggdrasil. She feels extremely full.
◈ She will not feel hunger until she has fully absorbed all the nutrients within the Seed of Yggdrasil.
◈ Her condition will remain optimal until she has fully absorbed all the nutrients within the Seed of Yggdrasil.
“Are you sure it's okay?”
“It's fine. I'm not even a real High Elf anyway.”
“...”
Jinhyuk couldn't find the words to reply.
Though she called herself a cursed, abandoned High Elf, she was indeed a true High Elf.
Even if she's only half.
Her goal was to be recognized by Yggdrasil and become its Apostle.
That goal and her resolve were clear.
She hadn't spent over twenty years holding a sword on the 6th floor before the regression, exploiting other races for the sake of Yggdrasil, for nothing.
“Yggdrasil abandoned me.”
“...!”
Kaelion spoke calmly as she stroked Elruin, but to Jinhyuk, her words were deeply shocking.
It was the first time he had ever seen a High Elf refer to Yggdrasil without using a respectful honorific.
“And someone else saved me.”
“...”
“Thank you, Jinhyuk.”
Looking at Jinhyuk, Kaelion gave him a wink.
It was a bright side of her he had never seen before.
So this is Kaelion's true personality. Before the regression, I thought she was just a fanatic.
It seemed her blind loyalty to Yggdrasil had masked her true self.
“Don't mention it. You've been a huge help to me too.”
Jinhyuk's words were true.
Thanks to Kaelion, many of Jinhyuk's skills, including his Holy Fire, had been successfully fused.
And in the blink of an eye, at that.
—Peep! Peep!
Was she happy now that her belly was full?
Elruin began to flutter happily between Jinhyuk and Kaelion.
“She's full of energy now.”
Grin.
“Kaelion. You're fully recovered, right?”
“Of course. Who do you think I am?”
Kaelion also seemed to have opened her eyes to a new realm, just like Jinhyuk.
Although she hadn't instantly reached the Grand Master realm, the Phoenix's power had definitely granted her some form of enlightenment.
“Come here.”
—Peep!
Settling Elruin onto his shoulder, Jinhyuk raised his sword.
If you leave the barrier, Constellations or other players may detect you.
Do you really wish to leave?
He had suspected it, but it seemed the Phoenix had created this barrier itself.
“The final nest...”
Kaelion placed her hand against the barrier.
“It's time to leave the nest.”
—Peep?
“Let's go.”
*Thud.*
“To finish the ninth-floor trial.”
Leaving the barrier.
The barrier is dispersing.
*Whoosh!*
Emerging outside, what met the eyes of Jinhyuk's party was a vast expanse of cliffs.
Looking up at them, Jinhyuk's brow furrowed slightly.
“...So it's still alive.”
*Rumble—!*
“No. 'Alive' isn't the right word.”
A massive fog formed, crumbling the cliffs as it gathered.
Originally white, it was gradually turning black as if saturated with demonic energy.
“Jinhyuk, watch out!”
Kaelion shouted.
—*Peep peep!*
Elruin spread her wings and hovered in the air.
And above them, a single black figure clearly took shape.
—Screeeeeech!
The entire canyon vibrated violently as the fog coalesced into a form.
It was insanely massive, looking like a giant titan.
—!!!!!!!!!!!!
It glared down silently, but its intent was crystal clear.
—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The creature wanted nothing more than to tear Jinhyuk to shreds.