The Giving Tree (4)
The black mass, grinning as if delighted, split cleanly in half and bared its maw.
Black Ma Gi surged toward it.
The Ma Gi coalesced into a single beam of light, shooting straight toward the World Tree.
“Ahhh……”
Boom—KABOOM!
A massive roar echoed, sending hair whipping through the air.
Elpinire stared blankly at the World Tree as it burst into flames.
She hadn’t been able to stop it.
She’d thrashed with all her might, but she couldn’t prevent the World Tree from burning.
Despair rose to choke her throat.
Elpinire’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.
“……”
Seated on the ground, she quietly surveyed her surroundings.
Elves lay scattered across the floor.
Mutants kept pouring in.
Elder Elumia and the other elders were nowhere to be seen.
She couldn’t even tell if they were alive.
The humans had fallen, and her grandfather had returned to his mother’s embrace.
Ahh, I see.
This is what extinction feels like.
Her vision darkened as she bowed her head deeply.
“Lift your head, Elpinire!”
A familiar voice rang in her ears.
Snapping her head up, she spotted Elspier—bandages wrapped around his entire body—charging forward with a wooden sword gripped in his left hand.
“Elspier, you……!”
“The chief has fallen! You’re the elves’ chief now!”
Whoosh!
Elspier unleashed a slash of sword energy at the Ma Gi mass.
In moments, he’d embroidered hundreds of green lines across the blackened sky as he bellowed.
“If you’re our chief, then raise your head! Stand and fight—don’t kneel!”
“……”
“We’ll love you no matter how useless or troublesome you are! You pathetic chief!”
Elspier’s shout, fueled by fury.
The moment she heard it, sounds she hadn’t registered before reached her ears.
“Injured personnel, over here!”
“What about the chief!?”
“He’s still breathing!”
“Protect the World Tree!”
“Give your lives for it!”
“Once Elpinire blooms, you’re done for!”
“Support requested here!”
“On my way!”
“Who’s on arrows!? Thanks a ton!”
No one had given up.
All of them were burning their lives in resistance.
Realizing this, she clenched her jaw until her lips split, forcing strength into her limp legs.
“……Why do I have to be chief already?”
Her grandfather had fallen.
Like it or not, she was now the elves’ chief.
Her, who hadn’t even bloomed with the World Tree’s blessing.
It was ridiculous, but what could she do?
Then.
“For the World Tree. For my kin.”
She would burn away her life right here.
That was the best struggle she could manage without her blessing awakened.
Elpinire, filled with resolve, took a step forward.
At that moment.
“This is……”
Something deep within her chest began to throb wildly—a presence that had lain dormant.
Placing a hand over her heart, she slowly widened her eyes.
Something writhing inside.
No, it wasn’t just something.
It was her power, hidden until now behind a dark veil, finally emerging.
“Ahh…… I see……”
This is my blessing.
A faint smile crossed her lips as she stomped the ground hard.
Evergreen mana seeped from her foot into the earth.
The moment it spread wide.
Blessing of Life
The blood- and ash-stained ground.
Turned vibrant green in an instant.
“Cough, hack……”
Splat.
I spat out a mouthful of blood and muttered inwardly.
“This is too much……”
I’d dodged for ages until I spotted an opening, sacrificing my shoulder to land a hit.
But the moment it connected, it explodes? What the hell?
Forcing open my blood-obscured eyes, I barely scanned my surroundings.
……High up?
My viewpoint was elevated.
Not just high—really high.
Glancing down at the dizzying drop that would flatten me without a trace, I looked around.
Lush leaves encircled me.
Then it hit me.
Am I on top of the World Tree?
The World Tree.
I was sprawled on a branch of that colossal tree reaching to the clouds.
How long had I been knocked out and flung to end up here?
Hacking up another clot crawling up my throat, I peered in the direction I’d come from.
There was Elspier battling the massive Ma Gi clump.
And.
“……Elpinire?”
Elpinire fought on, plants blooming with every step.
What the—?
What the hell happened while I was out?
Each punch she threw sprouted sturdy branches from nearby trees, piercing enemies along her fist’s path.
Each kick summoned massive roses from the ground, firing thorned stems.
The forest, ravaged by Ma Gi, was regaining its original form through Elpinire alone.
I didn’t know what power it was, but it had halted the mutants swarming from all sides.
Thanks to her, the elves were smoothly clearing them out.
Seemed like a good situation, at a glance.
But from up here, it looked entirely different.
……Impossible.
Elpinire and Elspier.
Those two couldn’t take down the Ma Gi mass with its purple eyes.
Even if Elspier were unharmed, it’d be tough—but he couldn’t use his right hand now.
Essentially, Elpinire was soloing it, but she was inexperienced with her new power, failing to deal real damage.
Just those two elves? No chance.
The thought had barely formed when.
“Elspier!”
Unable to dodge, Elspier’s abdomen was pierced by a Ma Gi beam.
He tumbled across the ground, vomiting blood.
Elpinire desperately reached out, wrapping him in branches.
“Stay put and don’t move! I’ll handle it!”
“……Sorry.”
Left alone, Elpinire faced the black mass, splattering red blood as she attacked.
Watching, I tried to rise.
Or rather, I tried to.
……Yeah, no dice.
If only my body would listen.
I’d suspected as much when I first cracked my eyes open.
I couldn’t move.
From the moment I woke, no strength entered my limbs.
“I could do it.”
Just moments ago.
The punch I’d thrown at Yuto could’ve erased that Ma Gi mass.
But that required me to move.
And right now, I couldn’t.
All I could do was barely keep my eyes open and watch.
Natural Healing
Natural Healing had been active since earlier.
But the injuries were too severe; it’d take ages to move normally again.
Should’ve saved the World Tree’s elixir.
No.
If I hadn’t drunk it then, I wouldn’t have made it this far.
I strained with all my might to move.
From fingers to toes.
Squeezing every ounce of strength from my body, I lifted my upper torso.
Exhaling the breath choking my jaw, I tried to stand on my legs.
That’s when.
“……?”
Suddenly, something soft pressed under my right hand.
It hadn’t been there moments ago.
Puzzled, I turned my head—and my eyes went wide.
“……A peach?”
A small pink peach had appeared beneath my right hand.
Startled, I pulled my hand away, and it instantly grew to human size.
I stared blankly at the peach.
A fruit of the World Tree.
And they said a high elf was inside.
I eyed the fruit dubiously.
“……!”
Crack.
A golden crack formed on the fruit.
It’s hatching.
A new high elf emerging from the fruit—
“……?”
—isn’t.
I stared at the fist-sized golden peach nestled in the massive fruit’s center.
What?
High elves are supposed to be born from World Tree fruits—why’s there just a normal-sized peach inside?
Struggling, I raised my hand and lightly tapped the golden peach.
No reaction.
Just an ordinary golden peach.
Why the hell did this suddenly appear?
The answer was surprisingly simple.
“……You want me to eat it?”
Rustle.
The leaves shook all at once, as if confirming.
The World Tree had created this fruit right here for me to eat.
I chuckled and grabbed the golden peach.
Sorry, but I don’t turn down gifts.
Sweetness spread through my mouth.
A tangy freshness followed, balancing the sweetness so it didn’t overwhelm.
It looked like a peach, but the taste was more—peach, apple, cherry, grapefruit, apricot, orange, and beyond.
Every fruit’s flavor harmonized perfectly.
The most fantastical taste of any fruit I’d ever eaten.
I shoved the whole peach in my mouth, swallowing past my reluctance to let it go.
The pulp slid down my throat.
Instantly, my heart pounded like it would burst.
Thump, thump.
With each massive beat, vitality surged through my body.
With each beat, energy filled me.
Every cell revering the mother of life, I trembled.
The Lord of the Twisted Underworld gazes at the Lord of the Evergreen within your body with an intrigued expression.
The Lord of the Twisted Underworld permits the intrusion of the Lord of the Evergreen.
Additional rewards granted.
As additional compensation, your heart now contains the full power of the World Tree.
The World Tree's power has fully taken root in your body.
You now react sensitively to mana like an elf.
You can now hold more mana in your body like an elf.
Common skill Natural Healing is transformed by the World Tree's power in your heart.
Transforming……
Common skill Natural Healing → Unique skill Ultra Regeneration Blessing
A blessing that regenerates damaged flesh in an instant with the power of the World Tree, mother of life. Its power is so supreme that, unless all mana in the body is depleted, one cannot die.
Like a chrysalis shedding its shell and taking flight.
All accumulated pain vanished in a flash.
Filling the void was overflowing power and refreshing clarity.
A smile tugged at my lips as I kicked off the ground, swinging my fist lightly behind me.
Smoke - Musangbi (Fog Flight)
A streak of black mist etched across the darkened sky.
With the rising full moon at my back, I soared swiftly and bellowed downward.
“Elpinire! Bind it—keep it from moving!”
“……!”
Elpinire looked up at the voice from above.
Nodding in understanding, she exhaled deeply and drew up her mana.
Lord El
The new chief.
Elpinire’s secret technique, to be passed down to posterity.
Finire
More benevolent than any other, the mana of life rose from the earth, trapping the target in her domain.
But for some reason, the mana flow felt unstable.
In a few seconds, that domain would shatter.
So this one shot had to count.
I glared at the Ma Gi mass, immobilized in the evergreen field, and pulled back my fist.
2.9%
Roar!
Vast mist rose over my right arm.
It sucked in surrounding mana, compressing fiercely atop my arm in an instant.
The Ma Gi mass’s eyes shifted toward the dangerous presence above.
Narrowed, staring right at me.
I met its gaze dead-on and spoke.
“You flung me good earlier, huh?”
I pay back what I get.
Twisting one corner of my mouth, I slammed down the fully compressed mist fist.
Smoke - Gwangpok (Fury)
The ground shattered with a colossal boom.
Landing amid the black mist, weathering the explosion’s aftermath.
Protect the World Tree
✅ Achieved
I casually released Black Dragon and dusted my hands.