It Was Vast
It was vast.
That was his impression the moment he saw the space beyond the door with his own eyes.
"A place like this wouldn't exist for no reason, would it?"
Paranet said.
"Probably not."
"Master."
"What now."
"It is dangerous."
"What's dangerous?"
"An ill omen weighs upon me. If we remain here, I fear some great calamity is certain to befall us."
"That so?"
If Paranet said it was dangerous, then something really would happen. This was hardly the first or second time, though, that he'd had to endure the creature's theatrics.
"What kind of danger, exactly? You don't know that part?"
"I do not. But there is one thing I can perceive... a certain being is coming."
"And you obviously don't know who."
"I do not."
If Paranet was right, a powerful enemy was definitely about to appear. Even so, he had no intention of running. Leaving this place would be the same as abandoning the Level 11 objective, and he hadn't found it easily. Nothing had actually gone wrong yet. He wasn't about to scare himself into fleeing.
Yujun focused less on a threat that might show itself at any moment and more on the objective already in front of him: obtaining Tears of an Angel. He knew perfectly well what they looked like, so he combed the place from end to end with his scouter on — and still couldn't find a single one.
Leonhard had said Tears of an Angel appeared near World Trees.
Come to think of it, the first place I ever got Tears of an Angel was an elf village, too.
The World Tree hadn't been all that far away then, either. It could have been coincidence. He was certain it wasn't.
If there's no World Tree, I'll just make one.
The World Tree Seed he had once used as a bargaining chip with the elves — his inventory still held several more.
Release even a few of these, and the elven race would flourish beyond belief.
He had no intention of doing anyone else that kind of favor. Unless it served his own interests, they could sit buried in his inventory forever.
Humans really are too selfish. How do I even come up with thoughts this admirable?
Having entertained that utterly ridiculous notion, Yujun broke into a bright little smile and took out a World Tree Seed. As luck would have it, nutrient-rich soil meant to feed plants lay spread all around, ready for planting.
"Leonhard."
"Hm?"
"Where would the best spot be?"
"You mean for the World Tree Seed?"
"Yes. You're a High Elf, so I thought you'd know. Am I wrong?"
"No. You are correct. I know the optimal place to plant it. There."
Leonhard pointed to the middle of the room. Dead center.
"The middle?"
"Yes. That would be best."
Yujun dug into the soil and planted the seed without a moment's hesitation. His own instincts had already told him this was the most suitable spot.
Erger let out an admiring breath.
"Your drive is something else."
"No reason to drag it out."
"But isn't planting the seed alone not enough?"
At Erger's words, Leonhard nodded.
"An immense amount of time is required before a World Tree fully matures. It is absolutely impossible in a short span. The second event is more likely to end before we achieve this objective."
"So that's why your expression darkened."
"It seems we have simply thrown away a World Tree Seed for nothing."
Yujun stared at Leonhard as if he'd just heard something absurd.
"If you thought that, you could've said so beforehand."
"And would you have listened, had I tried to stop you?"
"Hm."
How long had they known each other, for him to act like he had Yujun figured out? But thinking about it, the elf was right. He wouldn't have listened carefully to Leonhard anyway.
...He does know me pretty well.
Yujun had no intention of sitting still and waiting for the World Tree to grow on its own. That would be a colossal waste of time. He opened his inventory.
At this rate, I might as well just leave it open.
He'd been yanking it open so often he half-worried the inventory's zipper would wear out. Of course, the inventory didn't have a zipper.
Grade: Mythic
Option: Rapidly grows a plant regardless of species. The fruit's effect increases according to the user's mana.
The Lush Growth Fruit. An item sold for only a single month in War of the Gods. At the time, players had raised a furious outcry over how absurdly expensive the event item was. Yujun had never hesitated to spend, and he still had more than ten of these Mythic-grade consumables.
Good thing I stocked up.
Useful not only for a World Tree, but in all sorts of situations. The Lush Growth Fruit was profoundly affected by the user's mana. In short, the higher one's mana, the faster the plant grew.
My mana's already high, but...
There was a way to push it higher: equipping gear that amplified the Magic stat. From his inventory, Yujun pulled out Mythic-grade equipment tied to Magic, every piece of it locked behind a level 500 requirement.
"Wh-what is that now?"
"Looks like he's about to pull another bizarre stunt."
"Bizarre? Have you any idea how magnificent that figure is? Have you no eye for these things at all?"
"Ahem..."
Erger had by now resolved to trust Shin Yujun completely and follow him. Had trusting the man ever cost him? No. Had being with him ever brought a disadvantage? He could say with certainty that it had not. If anything, he had only gained. By ending up on a team with the number-one player through no design of his own, he had seized a stroke of luck. Naturally, he had nothing to complain about.
Yujun began changing his equipment, wearing only items that amplified his Magic stat as far as it would go. Unfortunately they weren't a set, but his mana still rose nearly tenfold.
Try to stack it for real, and there's no end to how high it climbs.
If he calculated his Magic stat, it would be approaching the tens of thousands. Tell anyone, and they wouldn't believe it easily. Perhaps because they were considered too balance-breaking, some items that had existed in the game didn't exist on the Continent at all. The administrators — or the gods — must have adjusted things on their own. And yet they were in Yujun's inventory: items capable of shattering the Continent's item balance in a single stroke.
Everything he had taken out so far was merely a taste. Not every Mythic was the same Mythic. He was only using items he had in relatively comfortable supply. The ones he would actually regret spending, he hadn't even taken out yet.
Every preparation was complete. Yujun gripped the Lush Growth Fruit in one hand and set the other on the soil where the World Tree Seed lay buried.
A refreshing energy from the fruit entered his body. As if it already knew the way, that energy moved toward where his mana resided.
Vmmm. Mm.
It traveled to his heart, where the greatest store of mana had gathered. At last, the energy flowing from the fruit fused harmoniously with his mana.
There. This should be how it's done, right?
In the game he had only ever seen the character's animation, so he didn't know exactly how the process worked. He could only guess it went something like this. With his other hand, Yujun began pouring mana toward the World Tree Seed. Water, sunlight — none of it was necessary.
Mana really is the best.
Mana mingled with the Lush Growth Fruit. His Magic stat had already climbed, temporarily, into the tens of thousands, and the purity of that mana had risen to an insane level. The World Tree began to grow at a tremendous speed.
"...Ooh!"
Leonhard gasped in awe.
The moment it was planted, the World Tree had already grown enough to sprout leaves. An unprecedented speed — and the growth was still happening in real time.
"Unbelievable. A World Tree growing on the power of mana alone..."
"You're awfully good at long speeches."
"..."
Yujun smiled.
"This is only the beginning."
He hadn't even used a tenth of the mana he held. He increased the speed of the infusion, and the World Tree, drinking in the Lush Growth Fruit's power, grew lush and full.
Lush.
Lusher still.
The time it took for the World Tree to reach full maturity was twenty minutes.
"Done!"
"..."
"The World Tree is fully grown, for now."
"Astonishing."
"A World Tree that grows in twenty minutes..."
That was when it happened.
The conditions for generating Tears of an Angel have been satisfied!
Of course. So this had been the right way after all.
The Level 11 objective. Using what he already had, achieving the goal didn't feel all that difficult. Was this the power of items?
Yujun immediately set out to find the Tears of an Angel.
"You two look carefully too."
He gave the order to his two summons.
"Yes!"
"Just leave it to me!"
The room was vast, but it was nothing compared to the labyrinth as a whole. Then Paranet approached.
"Master. Soon... that one will arrive, it seems."
"Soon? How soon is soon?"
"N-now."
"...Tsk."
Time to get ready to receive a guest.
The higher god Sotien's mouth fell open.
"...He's insane."
That objective wasn't meant to be achieved, was it?
To think he would plant a World Tree Seed himself and simply create a World Tree. From the start, that had been the only way to clear the Level 11 objective.
Having a World Tree Seed is one thing. But how did he pull an item that doesn't currently exist on the Continent out of his inventory and use it?
That was the question. The golden fruit Shin Yujun had taken from his inventory — an item of a kind she had never once seen.
Is there an item I don't know?
For the past five years, while peering into the Tower of Infinity, she had laid eyes on every sort of item.
If it were one or two items like that, I could understand. Looking at his past actions, he seems to pull out items that have never once appeared, and he uses them often — always at the dramatic moment.
Sotien's eyes narrowed. It was suspicious beyond measure.
"It's probably related to a privilege."
She had muttered it without thinking, but she felt the words had merit. To say he had simply wandered the Continent gathering rare items — there simply hadn't been enough time. Shin Yujun's strength was already at an unbelievable level, and the items he possessed were worse still. Were the other higher gods watching a situation like this as well?
There does seem to be a lesser god sponsoring Shin Yujun.
There was no way someone that strong had no sponsor. Above all else, his attitude — at ease no matter the situation. Just when he seemed a little arrogant, he resolved the incident with ridiculous ease. Confidence with a foundation, in other words.
I want him.
A player she wanted for her own, even if she had to seize him. It would be better if no god was sponsoring him separately, but that was unlikely. For the first time in a very long while, Sotien felt desire boil up inside her. She was the sort who could not rest until she obtained whatever she wanted, no matter what.
Before Yujun's party could even find the item known as Tears of an Angel, a man arrived in the hidden room where they stood. He had black hair tinged with blue, and pale skin. From appearance alone, he looked like a demon and a human blended together.
"You truly did grow a World Tree. Impressive."
He gazed at the World Tree and admired it.
"Here to sightsee? What's your business?"
Yujun said.
"I did come to sightsee. A shame, though. I missed the rarest sight of all."
He must have meant the World Tree's growth.
"...You're a Demon God Worshipper, aren't you."
"Hm. It is ambiguous to say yes. I do belong to the Demon God Worshippers, but..."
"What's ambiguous about it?"
"I do not worship the Demon God."
"...Huh?"
"Strange, is it?"
"Yeah."
A Demon God Worshipper who didn't worship the Demon God. Was the man in front of him just playing with words?
"What are you talking about? Quit speaking in riddles and say it properly."
"Very well. I shall tell you."
Drawing the greatsword from his back and leveling it forward, the man grinned.