The Divine Greenery Seed

Or maybe something else entirely had crossed over.

It was possible that not the Saintess, but something else was truly causing the erosion. A dangerous situation no matter how you looked at it. That message would have been delivered to every player.

I rose from my seat at once. This was a problem I had started, so I was the one who had to fix it.

The moment I tried to leave the castle, another line of text appeared. The entity causing the erosion had gone back, and so it had ended.

…So it really was Saintess Seia.

I let out a quiet sigh. There would be a bit of commotion, but at least one thing was now certain.

Pangenians who aren't players can cross over to Earth.

Just as monsters invade Earth. Though it seemed Pangenians were still classified as enemies. I never expected the system message itself to urge their elimination. Or maybe it was because she had crossed through a warp linked to the erosion.

But just like during Ahram's first invasion, every warp capable of reaching Earth was tied to invasion.

Then what happens when the erosion rate climbs higher?

When the erosion rate rose, the boundary between Earth and Pangenia would crumble. But how exactly it crumbled, and what happened afterward — none of that was known. Would it mean war between Pangenia and Earth?

"Hmm."

I stroked my chin, turning the problem over, but no answer was coming anytime soon. I had no choice but to head back to where I'd been. First, I needed to check on Saintess Seia.

Oliver felt as though he were dreaming.

The person who had appeared through the warp — he recognized her at a single glance.

The Saintess… Seia…

There was no way he could fail to know her. Saintess Seia was the face of the Goddess Sect. He had been told that if he waited here, someone might come through — but no one had mentioned it would be Saintess Seia, and his heart was still pounding as if it might burst.

Yes. His heart was beating. Hard. With a health so fierce it almost frightened him — from the very moment she had laid her hand upon his chest.

"Melson. My heart… it doesn't hurt."

"W-what are you saying?"

"My heart has been healed."

"Don't tell me — that person just now?"

"Yes."

Tears welled and spilled of their own accord. The heart that had tormented him since birth, that candle flame forever on the verge of snuffing out, had finally begun to beat as it should.

Saintess Seia had left soon after — but all of this had been possible because of one man.

Randolph.

This was the gift from the one who had cleared the Abyss Labyrinth. And for a gift, it was far too great. He no longer had to fight death with every passing day. He no longer had to lie to Serengeti.

How on earth was he supposed to repay this grace?

"Does anyone know we came here?"

"No one. We used an independent route with no connection to the royal family. No one will be able to trace it."

"Then we need to leave. As quietly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and as quickly as possible."

"That's my specialty. Don't worry, young master."

"We'll have a great deal to discuss once we're back, Melson."

"Yes."

Melson asked no questions about everything that had just happened. He trusted that the young master would tell him when the time was right.

They left the way they had come. Only after circling for a long while, thoroughly erasing every trace of evidence, did they finally reach the castle. The moment they arrived, Oliver headed straight for the basement and dropped to one knee before the king lying there.

"Young master…?!"

Melson recoiled at the sudden gesture, but Oliver paid him no mind.

"Melson. This man is not merely a gaming friend. He is my heart — and the Lord I shall follow for all eternity."

"…!"

His heart. Meaning that Korean man had been involved in everything that had happened today. And a Lord, no less. It was as if Oliver had become a knight sworn to a king.

Color had returned to Oliver's once bloodless face — the face of a healthy man, plain for anyone to see. Melson had served him for a long time, yet even he had never seen Oliver look like this.

Oliver spoke again, resolve burning in every word.

"From now on, you will serve him alongside me. No — you will serve him even more devotedly than you serve me. Without fail."

I confirmed that Oliver's heart had been healed. All that remained was finding warps to link with Labyrinth City. I needed connections to at least three lands to keep it from sinking again.

Fortunately, I already had a suitable candidate.

"Oh! My friend! It's been far too long!"

Basrak Forest. The High Dryad greeted me the instant she saw me.

"My friend has come! We must hold a festival today!"

"Hold on, my friend. Before that, I'd like you to take a look at this."

"This is…?"

The moment the High Dryad saw the seed I held out, her eyes began to widen.

"Th-this is a Seed of Divine Greenery!"

"I mean to give it to your forest as a gift."

"A Seed of Divine Greenery… as a gift?"

I nodded. Dryads grew stronger as their forest grew. Once Divine Greenery took root in Basrak Forest, both its level and its scale would rise together. Among the things I had purchased from the vending machine with a golden ticket from the labyrinth was this very seed.

The High Dryad looked troubled.

"I'm already grateful for the spirit you gifted us. I cannot accept the Divine Greenery as well, my friend."

"Of course it's not free."

"Then?"

"I'd like a warp established between Basrak Forest and my city."

"That is something I would do even without receiving the seed."

As expected of a Dryad. Once they trusted someone, they trusted them to the end. She was freely agreeing even though it might connect to a city of the humans she despised — without a single question or condition.

I smiled faintly.

"Think of it as a bribe to make our bond even stronger."

"Even so…"

"Refusing any further would be poor manners between friends, my friend."

"Nngh… very well. But for a Seed of Divine Greenery to sprout, the land must hold sufficient earth power…"

"Don't worry about that either. Is there a place suitable for planting?"

"There is one, but…"

"Then lead me there first."

"Mm. Follow me."

Looking unconvinced, the High Dryad took the lead. Before long a broad clearing appeared, and I planted the Seed of Divine Greenery at its center.

Watching me, the High Dryad spoke.

"This land's earth power will not be enough. Every forest where Divine Greenery has grown holds earth power comparable to a Dragon Vein. My friend — I am sorry to disappoint you, but this ground does not possess that kind of strength."

There were a few places where Divine Greenery had taken root. The most famous were the lands of the elves. Centered on the Divine Greenery, they had grown so powerful that even humans could not approach them. But the reason the greenery could sprout there at all was that countless dragons had died upon that soil. Only land where dragon corpses had piled high enough to form a Dragon Vein could bring Divine Greenery to life.

This place held no such earth power. Even looking at Basrak Forest's scale, it was not particularly large as forests went.

Rapid Growth.

But that had nothing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to do with me. All I needed was for it to sprout.

Sssssssss.

In an instant the seed germinated, roots driving deep into the earth.

"Hah…!"

The High Dryad's eyes bulged as if they might pop from her skull.

"W-what in the world is this…!!"

Something she could scarcely believe even as she watched it. The Divine Greenery surged upward in a heartbeat.

Oh. The Divine Greenery's effects were staggering. A maximum-level boost for the Dryads and double the forest's growth rate — proof that Basrak Forest would prosper even further.

Incredible.

And thanks to Baal's Helm and my crafting talent, sprouting the Seed of Divine Greenery had raised the skill three whole levels. I had expected one or two at most.

"F-friend! What on earth just happened?!"

Leaving the High Dryad's astonishment behind me, I answered as casually as if I'd picked the seed up off the roadside.

"It's a gift, my friend."

That made one. Two remained.

But there was no time to deliberate. Right after returning from Basrak Forest—

Caw! Caw!

Corpse crows wheeled above me.

…I was in Kramdel.

I had returned to Kramdel once more as the King of the Corpse Crows.

An emergency summons, of all things.

It was none other than an urgent call from the White King. The seal I had received upon becoming Fifth Lord had begun ringing like mad — I had no choice. Emergency summons only activated when a matter required every Lord present, and barring extraordinary circumstances, attendance was mandatory.

"Randolph!"

The first to greet me upon arriving in Kramdel was the Death King. I paused for a beat.

Why was he calling me by name? It gave me goosebumps. And a being of the Death King's stature wouldn't be loitering here with time to spare.

…Had he been waiting for me at the entrance this whole time? Was he trying to start something?

I had already revealed my name before the White King. The other Four Lords, Death King included, had heard it as well, so calling me by name wasn't strange in itself. And among the Four Lords, the Death King had always been the one most warmly disposed toward me. Even granting him that much, the problem was the situation.

A Second Lord of Kramdel waiting at the entrance? In a place thronged with watching monsters? We were not close enough to call each other by name under that many eyes.

Indeed, the monsters were glancing between me and the Death King, murmuring among themselves.

"That crow — who is it?"

"Shh. The one who just rose as the new Fifth Lord."

"Even so. Important enough that the Death King himself waits for him?"

"They say he achieved something surpassing the White King in the Hall of Mysteries."

"Surpassing the White King…!"

"Then just how strong is he?"

"I heard he killed Ahram alone."

"Ahram, the King of the Dead?"

"Even the Star Guardians were fighting over who got to take the Fifth Lord."

"Insane."

"So he's nothing like he looks, then."

I can hear all of you, you bastards.

I hadn't known when I first became Fifth Lord, but in the time I'd been away, rumors about me ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had thoroughly saturated all of Kramdel. A few of them were wrong, but I didn't care. Rumors always got inflated.

I simply walked on with composure. The Death King, for his part, was approaching without the slightest concern — utterly indifferent to how his behavior looked to those around him. In that case, I couldn't afford to look like I cared either.

"Randolph! Seeing you up close makes me all the happier."

"It's been a while, caw."

"I heard you were coming. But I simply could not contain my curiosity."

The Death King was clearly excited. What exactly was he so worked up about? Something related to the White King's emergency summons?

"What is it you're so curious about, caw."

"The Abyss Labyrinth! Was it truly you who killed Sword Saint Ryleigh?"

Ah. So it was about the labyrinth. Come to think of it, the Desert Queen might have mentioned the Death King. If he had challenged the Abyss Labyrinth, he would naturally have seen my name.

How should I answer?

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Should I say it was some human who just happened to share my name?

If I claimed it was a human with the same name, the Death King would be disappointed. But if I admitted I had cleared it, Labyrinth City would become, without question, the city of the Fifth Lord — a monster city under the White King's shadow.

"That's right, caw."

On second thought, that didn't seem so bad. I had already designated Basrak Forest as a warp connection point. The city's master didn't necessarily have to be human. For now, remaining under the White King's protection was the safer path. And if I could connect Kramdel as well, who would dare attack the labyrinth? No one short of mad would make an enemy of the White King for something like that. Simply being linked to Kramdel would carry enormous weight.