Elf in the Sunlight (1)
Elf in the Sunlight (1)
The sun rises. My body, bathed in sunlight, begins photosynthesis like a plant.
Just as plants use solar energy for survival and growth, my body, having become the Seed of the World Tree, pours all that energy into growth.
'......Crazy.'
And a body growing in real time grants indescribable sensations to its owner.
Even as a kid during growth spurts, when you only grew a few mm a day, your knees would itch, and your arms and legs would feel tingly.
Compared to that, the World Tree is a tree that supports the world. Its size is incomparably massive to something like a human.
Of course, being human-sized, it wasn't growing tens of cm a day......
"Leader, near Leader's body......"
"Yeah."
Turning my head at Orion's words, small spirits were scurrying around nearby.
The spirits that had hidden themselves in the urbanized Dungeon City were starting to gather one by one upon sensing the World Tree's presence.
'Will they follow us into the dungeon if we go?'
It was worth a shot. I looked at Orion.
"Let's go to the dungeon."
"Now?"
"No need to put it off."
"If Leader says so......"
The two of us headed straight for the dungeon. Unfortunately, the spirits didn't come inside.
But something different from what I expected happened.
Woo-woong—!
The Seed of the World Tree rooted in my soul vibrates. The seed spits out another seed just like that. That seed takes root right there on the dungeon's 1st floor.
"......What the hell."
The other seed that took root in the dungeon immediately begins growing using the dungeon as nutrients. It quickly manipulates the dungeon to hide itself, but I realize a pathway has formed between the dungeon and my soul.
I don't know yet what I can do with it, but the fact that it influences the dungeon means this is no ordinary ability.
"Leader, what the heck just happened?"
"......Orion, you know what the World Tree is?"
"World Tree? Of course I do."
How could an elf not know the World Tree? Orion began explaining about it.
The primordial tree, the mother of all things that birthed everything in the world.
Among elves, the World Tree was truly a divine existence.
'And I've sprouted as that World Tree's seed?'
Realizing that, I truly felt how cheat-like my ability was. This power could literally make one a god.
'Though it'll probably require a ton of women in the process......'
At the same time, I thought it fortunate that I gained this ability. If a kid lacking in looks like Deokgu or the others had gotten it?
He'd probably max out as some back-alley stud.
But with me having this power and using it at the right times, it's unleashing its maximum potential.
'If I become a god.'
Returning to Earth would be a piece of cake.
Of course, I couldn't even begin to guess how many women I'd have to embrace in that process.
Even after Dojin obtained a fragment of divine power and learned a bit of its secret, nothing dramatic happened.
He was still just a single adventurer, and adventurers had to conquer dungeons like adventurers.
"Hoo......."
He exhales. Hot heat generates inside his body. The heat heads straight for his sword, and the magic sword that cuts through anything now blazes too.
"Hueup!"
Hwi-iik—!
The sword swings, slicing off the troll's arm. At the same time, the smell of burning meat wafts over. The troll, which had freely regenerated its arm until now, screams in panic at its arm that won't regenerate.
—Kroooo!
"Shut up."
Pretending his eardrums nearly burst, Dojin points his sword at the troll once more. It couldn't block Dojin's attacks even with both arms.
No way it could block with one, and in the end, the troll loses its life and turns into a magic stone.
Before he can even pick up the magic stone on the ground, the next monster charges. A Werebeast. A bear-shaped monster like Nam-woong comes walking on two legs.
It takes the form of a bear, but it's already beyond the beast category—a monster among monsters that even hundreds of real bears couldn't defeat.
"Orion!"
At Dojin's shout, Orion pulls out her spirits and begins infusing her arrow with their power. Soon, a swift-as-wind arrow flies in, piercing the Werebeast's nape.
"Krurrr......."
However, the monsters on this floor are beyond creatures that can move briefly even with their hearts burst.
The Werebeast instantly staunches the bleeding using its neck muscles and charges nimbly at Orion.
Dojin couldn't block it. He was already facing multiple monsters. But it didn't matter. It wasn't just the two of them in the dungeon.
"Huep—!"
Hoyeon Fist
Tiger Love Fist
Eunha Flow
Silver River Flow
Ilgyeok-bunswae
One Strike Pulverization
Eunha's tensed muscles throughout her body explode at one point. The Werebeast, who had underestimated this small girl not even reaching its knee, couldn't withstand the intense shock and flies far away.
Orion fires supporting shots late at the flying Werebeast. Before it even hits the ground, it takes three more arrows and finally turns into a magic stone and vanishes.
"—Is it over?"
Dojin, who had just finished off the monsters he was hunting, sheathes his sword and stays vigilant. But he senses no signs of more monsters charging from the darkness.
Finally able to catch their breath, they lean against the walls and floor and begin recovering stamina.
"Whew, why's it so damn tough. If you hadn't leveled up, Eunha, we would've had to go even lower instead."
"...Yeah."
A few days ago, Eunha reached Level 3. Seeing her level up without any special enlightenment, Dojin finally realized that they, coming from Earth, weren't bound by this Otherworld's rules.
Like game characters, they just level up by hunting in the dungeon. In a way, it's good; in a way, it's bad.
'Growth stalls, after all.'
Adventurers in this world level up through lifelong training or breaking through life-or-death barriers.
Dojin's group from Earth? They just level up by hunting.
Dojin knew very well this small difference would become a huge one later. Tiny experiences and foundations turning into massive gaps is common to all things in the world.
"......I need to level up quick too to be of help."
And Orion, listening to their conversation, spills self-deprecating words. Despite the spirits' help, she hadn't grown.
From Level 3 on, it's a realm said to be reachable only by a handful of geniuses in the entire Great Forest, through blood-vomiting effort.
If 90% of adventurers die at Level 1, 99% of Level 2 adventurers die without leveling up.
The needle's eye they thought narrow gets narrower the higher you go.
"That worrying you?"
"Yes? ......Of course. With a wretch like me holding Leader back."
"I don't think that way."
"That I'm helping?"
"You might not help in combat, but you help in lots of other ways?"
At those words, Orion feels her chest sting and throb. His words unconsciously replayed the recent event in her brain.
The aftereffect, close to a spinal reflex, was huge, and Orion unwittingly starts wetting her underwear.
Not wanting him to notice, she pretends nothing's wrong and lowers her head, glancing at Dojin only with her eyes.
"......Doesn't feel like comfort at all."
"Really?"
Kkiiik, Dojin grins like that and stands up. He'd rested long enough, and thanks to Orion's vaginal fluid, he hears beast footsteps approaching from afar.
'Honestly, now I feel like I get stronger just breathing.......'
Dojin instinctively realizes he can grow plenty just by breathing or sunbathing outside.
Two problems: the time needed is insanely long—probably only when he's old and dying will he reach his desired realm.
And second, sitting still and picking up what falls isn't Dojin's taste.
"Let's go."
Geu-reu-reung—.
Dojin charges ahead toward the monsters charging with beastly growls.
Stopping by the guild, Dojin chats with Pion, whom he hasn't seen in ages.
While appraising the value of the magic stones Dojin brought, she tells him about various events in the city.
"Hmm, the Guard Force took down villains in one go again...... Oh, have you heard about the new big rookie who appeared?"
"Big rookie?"
"Yup! An adventurer who reached Level 2 in just a month!"
"That... impressive?"
"Super impressive! Because they're not a knight candidate, beastkin, or special bloodline."
At that, Dojin recalls how long it took him to level up. About 100 days for him. Han-young's group, who left the party in a week, probably took about a month.
In other words, a new adventurer growing at cheat-like speed has appeared.
'Intriguing.......'
Just that much. Mild curiosity wondering if they're an Otherworlder like them. Dojin's emotions don't fluctuate much now, and having reached a realm where he doesn't care much what low-level adventurers do, even more so.
'40th floor soon.'
The guild's official record is up to the 40th floor. Beyond that, only records of special forces from each nation breaking through with small elites.
Meaning, reaching the 41st makes Dojin officially the guild's strongest man. No way the strongest man has time to mind a newbie who just joined the guild.
"Ah, appraisal complete...... Dojin-nim."
Pion, who went inside to appraise the magic stones and brought the appropriate currency, looks at him with utter disbelief.
"Wow, never thought I'd handle this much money at once......."
"What's up?"
"Dojin-nim. This settlement: two Platinum Coins."
"......Platinum Coins?"
An amount high enough to make even Dojin exclaim. At Level 2, hunting all day till his bones ached earned one Gold Coin.
And now, he earned about 200 times that in one go.
"These usable?"
Chewing the platinum coin with his teeth, Dojin asks Pion. Watching the tooth marks stay on the coin, Pion fidgets and explains its uses.
"Honestly... not really. Most people never even touch them."
She says they're used only in major trades between territories once or twice a year, gasping in shock.
And at the same time, greed starts stirring.
"......Dojin-nim, any thought to deposit this money straight with the guild?"
"With the guild?"
"Yes, exactly...... with me."
Hearing that, Dojin recalls a very familiar sight. A bank teller pitching products to a VIP......