Journey to the Elf Village with Alicia
Park Taemin was heading to the village with Alicia, chatting away and growing even closer. He'd heard about it from the outside, but the elves here truly held a strong fondness for humans.
"That's surprising. Elves liking humans."
"I've only heard about it too. Today was the first time I actually saw a human."
"Really? That's odd. Someone from our group must have come through..."
Alicia continued as if something had just clicked in her mind at Taemin's words.
"I was living in the High Elf's temple until recently, so this is my first time coming out like this."
"High Elf?"
"Yes. She's the master of the forest and the mother of all elves. The tribal leaders visit the temple under the World Tree once a month to receive her spiritual power. She always says the same thing: 'Humans are the most perfect intelligent beings among all races, the only ones who can stand against the coming calamity.' That's why elves naturally feel affinity toward humans."
"Ah, I see. That's fascinating. But I have one question... Have you ever left this place?"
"Left this place? What do you mean?"
"I mean, have you ever gone beyond this forest to where humans live?"
"Uh... um. Not that I know of. We can't go beyond the forest boundaries."
"Why not?"
"I don't know the reason. No one's ever even thought about it."
"Really? Then how long has this place been here?"
One thing Taemin had been most curious about was the origin of the dungeons. When did they first appear? What caused them? Why in this form? It wasn't just him—every human wondered the same.
She answered his curious question casually, as if it were no big deal.
"As far as I know, about 10,000 years?"
"10,000 years?"
Taemin was stunned by her response. Not 1 year or 10, but 10,000. That predated the dawn of modern civilization. It had only been 20 years since the meteor showers and portals appeared. Her answer defied common sense.
"10,000 years... Um, do you know if there are other dungeons like this elsewhere?"
"Pardon?"
"I mean... spaces identical to this one through other portals..."
"Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying."
"Ah, I'm asking too much. Sorry."
Taemin tried explaining simply, but seeing her completely baffled, he dropped it. From their brief chat, she seemed young even among the elves here.
When we reach the village, I should ask the other elves. But... is this girl acting?
A sudden suspicion crept in. He could barely trust a stranger, let alone a non-human. What if she was luring him into a trap to devour him? It was plausible—dungeons were like that.
A horde of elves charging at me? Nah.
He shook off the worry quickly.
I cleared the Chaos Tower solo. This Elf Forest is nothing.
His recent gear upgrades had skyrocketed his power, giving him confidence to handle any threat. Judging by Alicia's level and the stump he'd crushed earlier, nothing here could harm him.
About an hour of chatting and traveling later, a tall watchtower came into view.
"Is that it?"
"Yes, that's right."
As Taemin reached the fence entrance, two male elves on the watchtower nocked their bows. Another elf at the gate blocked his path. They were on high alert, but spotting Alicia on his back, their expressions hardened into professional sternness.
"Who are you? Why are you with this child?"
"Ah, in the forest back there..."
Taemin started explaining, but Alicia spoke first.
"Uncle Jason, he's not a bad guy. I went to pick fruit and ran into a stump, but Taemin here saved me."
"Is that true?"
"Yes. I was hurt and couldn't walk well, so he carried me here."
Only then did the man's stiff expression soften.
"Sorry. There've been too many bad incidents around the village lately... Since you saved Alicia, you've done us a great favor. Please wait here a moment?"
"Sure. No problem."
The man raised his hand, signaling the archers on the tower, then vanished inside the fence.
"Don't take it personally. Like Uncle Jason said, monsters have been appearing around the village a lot lately, so things are tense. Elves have gone missing too... He was probably worried about me."
"It's fine. Totally understandable. By the way, are monsters appearing a lot?"
"Monsters? Oh, right. They've always been around, but not often. Maybe once a month? Lately, though, they show up almost daily. It's worrying. Fruit is basically our staple food... Ah, Uncle's coming back."
As they talked, the man reemerged.
"Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Jason, captain of the village guard."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Park Taemin."
"Come in. The village chief wants to meet you."
Following him inside revealed a sizable settlement. Elves went about their daily tasks everywhere—farming, gossiping by the well. Their lives seemed much like humans', filling Taemin with a sense of familiarity.
A bit further in, Jason stopped before a wooden building. Smoke rose from the chimney, carrying the scent of herbs—like a traditional clinic.
"You need healing, so get treated here and go home."
Taemin set her down on the bench outside. She bowed 90 degrees in gratitude.
"Thank you so much today, Taemin."
"You're welcome. Take care."
After a quick farewell, he followed Jason again. Without Alicia as his shield, he scanned warily, ready for trouble—poised to evade or strike.
Trailing Jason, Taemin soon reached the chief's house. It looked no different from the other wooden structures—modest, single-story, impossibly humble for a village leader.
Inside, a handsome man in his early twenties greeted him warmly.
"Welcome. I'm Mirak, the village chief."
"Hello. I'm Park Taemin."
Taemin was bemused by the young chief but figured it made sense in a dungeon.
"I heard you saved Alicia from danger. You've saved a life—on behalf of the clan, thank you. If you haven't eaten, would you join us?"
Taemin hesitated at the offer.
"Thanks, but I ate not long ago..."
He refused deliberately—still unsure if they were friend or foe.
"I see."
"But I'll sit with you."
"Wonderful. This way."
Taemin took the offered seat and, while waiting for food, began asking his questions. Possible because they were intelligent beings, unlike monsters.
But the chief knew little too.
"We don't know when this place was created. The High Elf mentioned it, so that's all we know."
"I see. Then maybe the High Elf knows the forest's secrets."
"Likely. She knows everything."
As they spoke, food arrived: soup, fresh bread, assorted fruits and vegetables. The aroma was irresistible; Taemin swallowed hard.
Maybe I should've eaten.
Conversation continued over the meal—mostly Taemin questioning, chief answering. But a nagging translucent window kept popping up, furrowing his brow.
Why does this keep appearing?
Please check the quest window - Wheel of Fate (2/3)
He dismissed it by tapping, but it persisted, grating on his nerves. Excusing himself, he stepped aside and opened the quest window.
Help the elves repel the monster invasion.
Failure: Quest resets.
00:00:59
Reward: Affinity increase
'Help the elves repel the monster invasion... What's the timer at the bottom?'
His eyes caught the countdown ticking to seconds.
Not telling me to finish in 50 seconds... Maybe...
He considered asking the chief but waited it out—it felt like a timer.
00:00:55
00:00:02
00:00:01
00:00:00
As it hit zero, the window vanished with a chime.
The monster invasion begins!