Chapter 218
Chapter 218
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 218
Chapter Title: Market Got Permanent Gochujang Tuna Sales?!!!
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( Knight standing with arms crossed by the campfire meme )
Hmm, so you've come again.
Who knows how many times this makes for you.
Unnecessary curiosity is poison.
There, I've saved your life once more, so please be more careful next time.
[Like 1] [Dislike 5]
- Ah, fuck
- Thanks for saving me, you bastard
- Campfire Knight again?
- Already the fifth time today... I hate my life...
A peaceful gallery.
As always, it was overflowing with aggro bait shitposts and lamenting gallery users.
Especially on these bland days with no real bait, the shitpost ratio spiked.
"As expected, it's the lack of dopamine?"
It was all symptoms of dopamine deficiency.
They occasionally posted classic masterpieces, but that wasn't enough.
"The gallery's Go-Stop game's gotten stale too."
I was no different.
I'd probably seen that campfire knight aggro pattern hundreds of times by now.
The gallery was stuck in a rut, and it wasn't doing me any favors either.
[Shop]
[Opening categories.]
The shop was perfect for times like these.
It stocked pretty much every material worth using as bait or kindling.
I was browsing aimlessly when I stumbled on something.
[Shop/Play Scripts]
[Romeo and Juliet Play Script] - 12p
[Pride and Prejudice Play Script] - 12p
"Plays?"
Straight out of medieval movies—right there was theater.
Familiar novels that had hit the markets via the marketplace caught my eye.
"They'd love it if these got released publicly."
Given how the gallery had gotten immersed in those classics before, there was real potential.
And with gallery users starting to pop up enjoying their downtime one by one right now.
I was mulling over sharing some when—
DarknessLover: Um...
A message from Roen, the dark elf leader.
Dark elves rarely messaged me like this unless it was serious.
They had a strong streak of independence, preferring to handle things themselves over relying on me.
"What is it?"
For her to chat me up like this?
Judak*: Yeah?
I replied out of sheer curiosity.
DarknessLover: The World Tree has gone missing!
It was a bigger problem than I'd expected.
*
The World Tree had gotten itself lost.
Hence my confusion.
"Didn't the World Tree vanish like this all the time?"
It wasn't the first or second time.
Whenever it was here one moment and gone the next, we'd find it tucked away in some corner or drawer.
I figured it was the same deal this time.
DarknessLover: I thought so at first too!
DarknessLover: But even after sending out the dark elves to search, we can't find it anywhere!
Dark elves were masters of assassination.
If they couldn't find it, that meant it wasn't inside Lumelin.
"Then... the elves?"
The most likely suspect was the elves.
Maybe they'd reverse-kidnapped the World Tree back to Eladrion.
- Oh, it's a day off today!!
- Elves are free!
- Three bottles of soju... after every meal...!
"Nah, not the elves."
One glance at the elves' posts erased any suspicion.
No way were the elves, currently getting tamed by AI, stealing the World Tree.
So not the elves, and not inside the city?
My gaze naturally drifted in one direction.
"Then the only place left is the canyon floor..."
[Searching IP location...]
[Success! Sharing 137.7.32's location.]
[Lumelin Canyon Floor.]
And sure enough, there was the World Tree down below.
"Why the hell did it go down there?"
The canyon depths, without a single ray of light.
Like an endless abyss.
Staring at it gave off an eerie vibe, like something was squirming.
Judak*: Found it, but yeah;
DarknessLover: Really?! Oh, thank you!
Judak*: It's at the canyon floor.
DarknessLover: .
Of course, it could be nothing.
But on the flip side, anything could be down there.
A place even dark elves hesitated to go.
Still, the dark elves decided fast.
DarknessLover: We're going down!
Judak*: Whoa
They were off to rescue the World Tree.
No clue why it was there, but they were going to get it.
To dark elves, the World Tree was irreplaceable.
A hastily assembled dark elf search party quickly gathered at the canyon's lower path.
"Feels ominous."
No matter how I thought about it, something was there.
In a medieval apocalypse, a deep, gloomy canyon floor at first glance.
Nothing living down there?
That made even less sense.
Judak*: Could be dangerous.
DarknessLover: It's fine! We're used to the dark, no problem.
She replied confidently, but the dark elves were anxious too.
No time to hesitate, though.
"The IP's staying put."
Like it was knocked out or dead.
The World Tree mattered to me too.
A capable admin for the Destruction Wiki and pillar for the dark elves.
I didn't want it dying either.
Judak*: I'll guard with you.
DarknessLover: Thanks!
[Night mode activated.]
A gallery feature from an update.
Vision only, but I was going down with them.
Sharing vision with the dark elves, we began descending into the darkness.
Or we tried to.
[...]
If not for the massive eye that appeared the instant night mode kicked in.
"!"
A glowing red eye, invisible before, now stared from the canyon floor.
Holding its breath, fixating on us with chills.
The moment I saw it, I realized.
"Dark elves alone won't cut it."
If dark elves were at home in darkness, this was pitch black.
Pure darkness without light.
The dark elves, oblivious to that creepy gaze, were stepping forward.
[Typing chat...]
[(Stop! Frog cone)]
I frantically tried to halt them.
But it rose faster.
Had it sensed my gaze?
It lumbered toward the dark elves in an instant.
A massive, black, ominous something slowly opened its maw.
[Um...]
"Huh?"
[Could you maybe... spare me...?]
It begged for its life in a wrinkled voice.
*
An unpleasant, terrifying vivid dream—a nightmare.
Everyone has nightmares.
Except the fearless dragon.
[...Gasp!]
That's why Nix the black dragon jolted awake harder.
She'd seen the whole world reduced to nothingness.
Her scales and bones melting away, formless.
Forcibly roused from deep slumber, Nix huddled, catching her ragged breath.
[No, this is...]
Beyond thought's reach.
A point exploded in the sky, everything burning red and vanishing.
This wasn't a dream.
Her draconic instincts had sensed peril and woken her.
[The future.]
A future that could happen anytime.
Afterward, Nix never once left the canyon.
Couldn't even dream of it.
That sight—that future—was pure, indescribable terror.
No need to wonder what the nightmare meant.
[The gallery...]
She awoke to the gallery in view.
A higher-dimensional spell casually infiltrating a dragon's mind.
Even the dragon queen couldn't do this.
Only the gallery's owner, Judak, could.
[If I go out, I'll get caught for sure.]
The being that assigned even her an IP for the gallery.
Flying the skies on massive wings?
Instantly busted.
Sure, Judak might be benevolent.
But Nix wouldn't bet her life on it.
[Can't. Absolutely can't.]
She was a dragon.
A great being who could save or snuff a life on a whim.
She knew mortals' hearts well.
Even if Judak seemed friendly, one whim and nightmare becomes reality.
[Please... please don't see me.]
So she hid.
Motionless in total darkness, holding her breath.
She recalled it several times a day.
The moment the world ended.
Until that terrifying being left this world, she wouldn't budge.
She'd sworn it.
"Huge."
[...?]
"So big it's super cute."
A green-haired kid had intruded.
[World Tree?]
Nix instinctively knew.
A being of greatness like herself—the World Tree.
Last she knew, it was nurturing some pitiful race in Eladrion.
[Why here?]
They'd never even spoken.
Worse, amid her paranoia of Judak spotting her, it had found her location.
Eyes wide, Nix demanded answers. The World Tree spread its arms wide.
"Good and cute and huge. So came to make friends."
[...?]
Nix couldn't follow.
Rumored to be serene and composed, too.
But the next words were impossible to ignore.
"Gotta brag to Judak too."
[No!]
"Hoeeng."
Nix impulsively kidnapped the trespassing World Tree.
But problems breed problems.
[Elves this time?]
Charred-black elves were descending to retrieve the World Tree.
[No idea how they found me, but...]
Judak observed all.
Better knock them out before detection.
Gazing up at the elves from the depths—then.
[...!]
Chills over her body.
As if some indescribable giant was glaring at her.
[Judak...!]
Beyond the mere mortal elves, a colossal presence loomed.
Stare into the abyss, and it stares back?
[Ugh, ughhh...]
Memories replayed in her mind.
The future where all life burned.
A vast malice silently fixating on her, the black dragon.
Faced with it, she had one choice.
[Um...]
"Huh?"
[Could you maybe... spare me...?]
A feeling she'd never known—terror.
Pride cast aside, the black dragon begged wrinkledly for life.
*
Judak*: So you were hiding?
[...Yes.]
Judak*: Scared I'd mess you up?
[...]
Judak*: Answer
[Yespuㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
Emerging from the canyon floor: a massive black dragon.
So huge, merely raising its head reached Lumelin.
-Eek!
-T-the end times!
The peaceful dark elves panicked understandably.
"Absurd."
Even more ridiculous now.
With scales black as night and chilling red eyes.
Hiding for months because a mere gallery admin scared her?
Judak*: Then why'd you go down there
137.7.32: (Found something good and cute and squishy! Cone)
137.7.32: (Super big doggo collection! Cone)
And apparently cute inside too.
The black dragon hadn't kidnapped the World Tree.
The World Tree had spotted the black dragon and barged into its lair.
"Well, misunderstanding cleared up at least."
Judak*: So, return the World Tree now?
Seemed like a peaceful resolution, no escalation.
Or so I'd thought.
[Th-that is...]
Judak*: ?
[Really sorry, but... could you show some proof you won't harm me?]
[It's just too scary ㅠㅠㅠ]
The black dragon, excessively terrified of me, demanded proof.
"No way."
I was baffled.
A normal guy who couldn't even use magic—what proof could I give?
Luckily, the black dragon had its own verification method, like Yongyong.
[Nix has sent a 'Black Orb'!]
[If you hold the orb, I can share the sensations.]
[Harmless to humans.]
System confirmed safety.
Staring at the black orb, it clicked.
"Oh, like with Yongyong back then?"
I'd handed over clothes then too.
They sensed no malice from my lived-in scent.
Assuming the same, I grabbed the orb and sent it back.
Judak*: Yeah, sent.
[Thank you! Then...]
Moments later—
[GRAAAAAH!]
A massive scream echoed through the canyon as the black dragon hid with the World Tree.
"Huh?"
What? I'd never done anything bad in my life.
Puzzled, I read more of the system description.
[Stores the color and emotions of the touching race.]
"Uh?"
Not the toucher—the touched race.
I'd basically sent "modern human" itself.