Episode 47

"Why is it so dark?"

I looked around, scanning my surroundings.

The space I’d been moved to was pitch-black and empty.

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

Only a large message window floated in the air, explaining the situation.

And then,

"...Saessak?"

Saessak stood there alone.

The Saessak that should have been inside my smartphone was glowing faintly blue.

When my gaze landed on it, the little thing gave its stem a gentle shake.

The regular swaying looked almost like a hand lifting in greeting.

It was cute, so I crouched in front of it and stroked it softly.

Saessak seemed pleased, its leaves trembling.

"But hold on, Saessak, aren't you kind of big?"

It was bigger than I expected, which threw me off.

From where I crouched, my eye level met its leaves.

When I’d been standing, the leaves had reached up to my waist.

While I’d only seen it through the smartphone screen, I’d assumed it was about knee-high, but that was completely wrong.

Judging by the proportions, before it grew a little more by absorbing fertilizer, it must have reached my knees.

Even the leaves themselves were as big as my palm.

"Well, I guess..."

Saessak was the same sort of being as the previous World Tree, the one that had sent me an entire log and called it a branch.

Maybe it was only natural that its size far exceeded my expectations.

Wait, then the version that had been summoned over my head was this big too?

What was I supposed to do if Saessak grew into a giant tree later on?

If I summoned it then, wouldn’t I end up getting pinned under it because of the weight?

"Hm. What do you think you’re going to become?"

As I asked, I tapped one of its leaves with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my index finger.

Saessak only quietly accepted my touch.

No tiny message window appeared to convey an answer.

Then, somewhere in the distance, I heard the sound of a small metal marble rolling around.

It sounded like the effect that played when a game booted up.

So that guess had been right.

The message in the square window floating in the black void changed.

"Protect Saessak...?"

A defense game is usually one where you keep enemies from getting close to something that has to be defended.

As the name suggested, this event would require me to protect Saessak.

So that was why Saessak's real body was here after all.

But protect it from what?

I tapped its leaves and looked up at the square window.

Not able to use any skills?

So I couldn’t use World Tree Swing or Tree Bark.

Then a glass bottle filled with red liquid appeared in the air.

Since this was a defense game, that red liquid was clearly representing life.

When monsters touched Saessak or got too close, the life would probably decrease.

Just as I’d expected, the explanation kept coming.

When it finished, the window immediately followed with the message, "We will now begin the event."

As soon as the numbers disappeared, about a hundred goblins popped out at once.

They sprang into existence as though they had always been standing there, and without even glancing around, they charged straight at me.

No, more precisely, they were rushing toward Saessak behind me.

Seeing the red fur, they were definitely the ones that lived in the Namsan Gate.

"Not being able to use weapons is kind of a big deal."

Taking on a hundred goblins wasn’t that hard.

I could handle them while dodging well enough.

It was a little annoying that I couldn’t use Arca.

If I could have, one swing would have taken out dozens of them.

And if I could use World Tree Swing?

The goblins would have died the moment they appeared.

It’s only taking ten seconds to move on to the next round?

"What kind of nonsense is this? You call this a special event?"

What kind of event doesn’t even give you time to catch your breath?

I wondered if they didn’t understand the meaning of the word "special."

It was frustrating that there was no one to complain to.

Meanwhile, Saessak awkwardly rubbed one leaf against another.

It looked exactly like a person scratching their head in embarrassment.

Hah. I’ll let it slide because Saessak is cute.

Just like the first time, a hundred giant ants appeared in a flash.

They were clearly the same giant ants I’d seen in Muju Ant Nest.

The moment they appeared, they rushed toward Saessak just like the goblins had.

Each time I tapped a head once with my index finger, the giant ants went limp.

Even without a mana shield, it was much easier than when I’d gone through Muju Ant Nest.

That was thanks to my body having become far stronger through Pruning.

Because of that, I could even afford to let my thoughts wander while avoiding the acid they sprayed.

"For some reason, these monsters feel kind of familiar."

Goblins, then giant ants.

Maybe the monsters I’d been hunting recently were the ones showing up here.

If that were really the case, then skeletons would appear in the next round.

Well, I’d know once the third round started.

It didn’t take long to wipe out all the giant ants ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠either.

They died in one hit from Warm Touch, after all.

And like the goblins, all they ever did was charge forward on instinct.

"Just as I thought..."

Goblins, giant ants, skeletons.

The monsters appearing in the special event were definitely the ones I’d hunted recently.

Maybe it was bringing out the creatures I’d been seeing alongside Saessak.

If that was the pattern, then the next one would probably be the Watcher.

"Hah. Shame I can’t use items, though."

At Hongyureung Gate, the skeletons had been purified and vanished by the soil Saessak had sent.

The unclean beings couldn’t endure the pure mana of the World Tree.

And Arca was a weapon packed full of that very mana.

If I’d been holding Arca, the skeletons would have been purified and gone in an instant.

Then...

"I wouldn’t have had to do this one by one!"

Crack, crack!

"I wouldn't have had to break their heads!"

Crack, crack, crack!

I worked over the skeletons’ white skulls with all my might.

Maybe because their bodies were sturdier than goblins’ or giant ants’, they were more satisfying to hit.

They died in one strike, so they were just as boring, but at least the impact felt good.

In no time at all, the third wave was over.

None of the monsters that had appeared so far had managed to get close to Saessak.

The red liquid in the glass bottle was unchanged as well.

This time, I figured the Watcher would probably show up.

It was the monster I’d seen after the skeletons.

But...

My prediction was spectacularly wrong.

A hundred Red Manticores appeared.

I hadn’t even considered these guys would show up.

Rank-wise, the order made sense... but I hadn’t actually seen a real Red Manticore before.

It was something I’d seen in the Tower of Trials.

A fictional existence.

...Huh?

"Does that mean the ones I saw there are going to start showing up too..."

That would mean Red Wyverns and Cyclopes could appear as well...

Maybe even a hundred Red Wyverns and a hundred Cyclopes.

Are you kidding me right now?

"What kind of special event is this!"

My scream was swallowed by the cries of the Red Manticores that appeared next.

Since I couldn’t use Arca and could only rely on Warm Touch, I had no way to attack them once they took to the air.

And unlike the monsters before them, Manticores didn’t die in a single hit from Warm Touch.

Even when I drove my index finger straight into their skulls, they kept fighting on.

And because of that, one Red Manticore finally managed to touch Saessak for the first time.

"No! My perfect run!"

I checked the red liquid in the glass bottle.

It had turned black just a little.

It had only been touched once, so the change was so slight that I wouldn’t have noticed it if I hadn’t looked closely.

It’s not like there was a perfect system anyway, so in truth it wasn’t a problem.

I was just irritated, as someone who’d kept gaming steadily all his life, that I hadn’t blocked it perfectly.

For the sake of a gamer’s pride, I’d guard Saessak even harder.

Keeping a little more careful watch on Saessak, I went on dealing with the Manticores.

Because I was being cautious, it took a little longer to hunt them down.

Still, after that, none of them managed to touch Saessak.

Feeling satisfied, I waited for the next monster to appear.

"Huh?"

But the next monsters never appeared.

The special event had ended.

But the A-rank monsters hadn’t even shown up yet?

I stared at the message window, finding it strange.

The line remained exactly the same.

Then a bluish window floated up.

Inventory?

The one from games, where you store items?

Thinking of the inventory system in games, I pressed the reward receipt ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠button.

My smartphone vibrated, as if the reward had been transmitted.

I opened the mailbox and received the inventory skill out of the two rewards.

Blue light spilled out from my smartphone screen, enveloping my body, lingering for about three seconds before fading away.

"Skill window."

Along with a NEW! indicator, Inventory appeared.

According to the description in the skill window, it was sized at 5x10.

And only the skill owner could check the inventory.

"Fifty slots, huh..."

Still, the explanation was lacking.

I wished it had explained how it worked.

I couldn’t tell whether each item occupied one slot regardless of size, or whether larger items took up more slots.

Well, I’d find out by putting something in it myself.

For that reason, I turned my eyes to the pine cone still sitting in the mailbox.

Now that I had an inventory, I intended to try putting it in there.

When I pressed the receive button, the pine cone popped out.

Bang!

"...Huh?"

But what came out of the screen wasn’t a pine cone.

It certainly looked like one, but I couldn’t honestly call it a pine cone.

Could that object rising into the sky really be called a pine cone...?

That roaring thing was, by any reasonable standard, a missile.