The Giving Tree (完)
I'd felt it just moments ago, but the World Tree's blessing was truly incredible.
When I'd slammed my fist down, a searing pain had ripped through my shoulder like it was about to explode. But in an instant, it regenerated, back to normal as if nothing had happened.
Amazed, I rotated my shoulder and glanced back over it.
“……”
There, a massive hole gaped in the ma gi mass, slowly dispersing in the wind.
I spoke to the thing, its eyes still rolling around.
“What the hell are you?”
“……”
“Why the fuck were you attacking the World Tree?”
No answer.
Of course not.
Like it was gonna respond.
I gave up and turned away from the crumbling mass.
Or tried to.
If I hadn't caught the motion of its gaping maw twitching.
‘World Tree. Wanted to eat it.’
It wasn't certain.
But that's what it looked like its mouth was saying.
Having said that, the ma gi mass suddenly locked onto me and froze.
Then it curved gently, twitching faintly again.
‘But you look tastier.’
The moment I interpreted its meaning, goosebumps erupted across my skin.
Seeing me step back, fur standing on end, the ma gi mass's eyes curved sweetly.
Like that, I stood rooted to the spot until the thing fully dispersed and vanished.
“Human! Human! Respond, human!”
Elpinire's voice from behind snapped me out of it. I turned.
There she was, a mess, rushing toward me in a panic.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Nah, I'm good.”
“……Why aren't you hurt?”
“Huh?”
“You were supposed to be.”
Elpinire tilted her head.
She started muttering nonstop, like I should have been injured.
“Disappointed I'm fine?”
“Not like that. You went flying, bleeding everywhere, and now not a scratch? It's weird.”
“Oh, that? The World Tree's fruit fixed me right up……”
“You ate Mother's fruit?!”
Elpinire's eyes blazed.
Did I say something wrong?
Seeing me clamp my mouth shut, she snorted a laugh.
“Whatever. You're healed, that's what matters.”
“Not gonna chew me out?”
“I'm not dumb enough to bitch at my benefactor. Besides, no reason to hate humans anymore.”
Thud.
Elpinire plopped down on the ground.
With the ma gi mass gone, the mutants were losing strength one by one, collapsing.
We'd won.
Really protected the World Tree.
Strength drained from my body. I let out a long sigh and slumped.
“We won.”
The end felt a bit off, but we'd saved the World Tree.
No prompt about advancing to the next floor from the Evergreen Tower.
Guess it's over.
I sighed deeply, eyes squeezing shut against the crashing fatigue.
Head spinning from mental exhaustion.
“Elpinire. Can I crash at your place?”
“……”
“Elpinire?”
What?
Why no answer when I'm calling……
“……”
Elpinire frozen in her slumped position.
Her hair suspended mid-air. My eyes trembled finely at the sight.
Come to think of it, no sounds around anymore.
No wind either.
I shot up, scanning frantically.
“Everything……stopped?”
It had.
The entire landscape around me.
Everything but me had frozen.
“Kkung kkung kkung.”
“You're fine, huh, Cheori.”
“Kkung.”
Correction.
Cheori could move too.
I reached out, placing Cheori—who'd vanished mid-battle—back on my shoulder.
It peered around at the halted world with curious eyes, sightseeing.
Only those who could exit the tower were moving here.
Racking my brain to figure it out, a fanfare blared from above. I jerked my head up.
You have successfully protected the World Tree.
You have successfully cleared the Evergreen Tower.
Would you like to save your record?
※If not saved, the record will be reset.
Record? Save?
No clue what that means, but after all that to protect the World Tree?
Busting my ass, bones aching—can't let it reset.
“Save it.”
I said to the system.
And the system.
There is already a saved record for the Evergreen Tower.
Save impossible.
Spit out "impossible."
In the existing saved record, the World Tree burns away under the ma gi assault.
All the World Tree's elves burn to death without exception.
Thus, the World Tree is completely erased from history.
But the elves are not erased from history.
A single surviving elf leaves a massive mark on the world.
That elf, hating humans, massacres them indiscriminately and destroys every visible human city, turning it into an evergreen forest.
That was her way of honoring her burned mother and mourning her dead kin.
That elf's name is Elpinire.
The worst elf, the last elf, and one of the apocalyptic calamities.
This is the existing record.
A record completely different from the current one.
I stared blankly at the system's record.
World Tree burns, elves burn to death.
Sounded just like that dream.
I swallowed hard, throat dry, brain churning.
Okay.
Say that's the pre-saved "record."
But if that's the "saved record," maybe I can overwrite it with the "current record"?
“Is there a way to overwrite it?”
It exists.
Receive acknowledgment from the figure who shone brightest in the existing record.
Ha, damn it.
Heard about it, but feels like I know who.
[Final Floor]
[Receive acknowledgment from the enigmatic soul.]
[Challenge the final floor?]
[Yes / No]
※Failure resets the existing Evergreen Tower record.
※Entering final floor restores body, mind, and all states to original.
Final floor, huh……
Thought 10 was it, but the real last one's hidden.
Basically, clear that to get my unique skill and survive without the Black Dragon taking my body?
One thing to say.
“Accept.”
The moment I spoke.
“……”
A presence stirred behind me.
Turning, I spotted someone shrouded in black mist approaching from afar.
Her face flickered like noisy static, unrecognizable.
But her gait.
Her gestures.
Pointed to someone I knew.
[Final Floor]
[Receive acknowledgment from the worst elf, Elpinire.]
Thud, thud.
The misty Elpinire walked leisurely through the frozen elves.
She took in each remaining elf's face as she approached me.
Elves drunk on victory, cheering; Elumia treating the wounded.
Elses-to, passed out after exhausting himself.
Elspier charging at still-moving mutants from the branches.
And.
“……”
Right in front.
The real Elpinire, slumped with a dazed look.
Having checked every face, the misty Elpinire finally looked at me.
“……”
She silently raised a hand.
Green mana rose from it.
But not Elpinire's mana I knew.
Murky.
Impure, filthy.
Not befitting a high elf birthed by the World Tree.
Emitting ominous mana from her whole body, she advanced.
Grass at her feet turned to dust, earth barren, then new grass sprouted.
Everything her mana touched vanished and regrew.
The same power she'd shown before, blooming plants.
Now wielded in the most tragic way.
My body stiffened.
Instinct screamed.
The Elpinire before me was.
‘……a calamity.’
At least dozens of times stronger than the ma gi mass I'd barely beaten.
I could tell just from her mana brushing my skin.
Eyes shaking wildly, I stared at the sinister mana blooming in her hand.
Touching it would shred my skin.
Even the Black Dragon's right arm couldn't withstand that.
That hand extended slowly.
So very slowly.
Toward me.
Grinding my teeth, I clenched a fist before it reached.
If the Ultra Regeneration Blessing's description is real, I won't die at least.
So I'll struggle.
Heart pounding like it'd burst.
Pulsing in my ears.
Suppressing the heart about to leap from my mouth, I threw my fist.
And.
“……Ah.”
Way too easily.
Lost my right arm.
I blankly rolled my eyes upward.
There, my right hand shattered into hundreds of chunks, scattering as bloody clumps.
“Ha……”
So this is calamity Elpinire.
She's this strong.
Despair flooded my throat.
No way I can win.
But I can't die here.
Too young to die like this.
So much left undone—why me, here?
Teeth grinding, I regenerated my right arm with the Ultra Regeneration Blessing and clenched another fist.
‘Black Dragon. You watching?’
If I really die.
‘Take my body.’
Better than dying.
Forcing my lips up, I hurled my full-force fist at the still Elpinire.
“……”
Elpinire stared at me.
Stared hard.
At my desperate flailing.
Then suddenly, she dropped her mana shroud.
“Huh?”
My fist connected. Her head flew off.
Headless body.
Having landed the counter-hit, I blinked in confusion.
[Receive acknowledgment from the worst elf, Elpinire]
[Success]
You have successfully cleared the Evergreen Tower.
What.
Acknowledged?
Blinking blankly, a presence hit from the front. My shoulders jerked.
There stood Elpinire—head clearly blown off—regenerated, staring at me.
“……”
Face still invisible.
But I knew she met my eyes.
Staring intently, she glanced briefly at the World Tree behind, then.
“……”
Smiled wide.
Well, face still unseen.
Just felt it.
Then she dispersed into mist.
I blankly watched the mist scatter sky-high.
“What, human. When'd you wake up?”
“……Huh?”
That voice.
Looking down, there was Elpinire, back to her colors, exhaustion on her face.
“Something up there?”
“……Nothing.”
“Then why stare?”
Thud.
She grumbled briefly and flopped onto the grass.
Drained, she started snoring, asleep in seconds.
I stared at sleeping Elpinire and let out a weak laugh.
Dunno anymore.
Strength gone from me too, I flopped onto the grass.
Like that, I.
You have successfully cleared the Evergreen Tower.
Evergreen Tower clear reward: Unique skill, Illusion Tower, generated.
The Lord of the Twisted Underworld smiles in satisfaction at your battered form.
The Lord of the Twisted Underworld promises to save your life once for conquering the Evergreen Tower.
The dormant Black Dragon power, Register of the Dead, unlocks.
Register of the Dead
A ledger listing the names of those residing in the underworld. Those listed respond to their summoner's call and obey the master's command.
Unique skill, Evergreen Tower, meets conditions to be recorded in the Register of the Dead.
Unique skill, Evergreen Tower, disappears.
Evergreen Tower's name is inscribed in the Register of the Dead.
Good work.
Returning you to your original location.
Passed out cold and returned home.