56
056 ― Initial Emotions
For Jin-woo, it was like a bolt from the blue. The 3rd floor, Pandemonium, wasn't completely safe either, but it couldn't compare to the 6th floor. Even the 5th floor, Dragon Star floor, was a perilous place overflowing with dragons, and this was the 6th floor above that? According to Kalesian, the Spirit Realm was a place where only ancient dragons over 8,000 years old could ascend. This meant it was a world beyond worlds, filled with such beings.
'Wait! What am I supposed to do if I'm suddenly sent to a place like this!'
He immediately questioned the God of Moonlit Forest, but the God's voice couldn't be heard. He asked several times about the God of Sky's scabbard and the blessing power like glass beads dwelling in his body, but there was no answer. Was it because this wasn't the 3rd floor, so the message couldn't be delivered? Or could it be that they were listening but ignoring him?
'Damn it.'
Jin-woo looked around. A dense grassland with reed-like grass growing wildly. Some grew relatively low, about waist-high, while others were as tall as a person. Dewdrops from the mist had formed on those grasses, and each dewdrop was condensed high-purity Magi. That itself was very surprising, but conversely, it was worrying. If such high-purity Magi were natural in this world, just how strong would the beings living in this world be...
'So I need to find a blue portal here, is that it?'
Whew. Jin-woo took a deep breath to calm his agitation. In the end, no matter which world it was, there was only one thing he had to do. Continue exploration safely while finding a blue portal to return to his original world. Even if it was the 6th floor, it was still a Gate in the end. Nothing would change.
'White tower.'
Beyond the mist, a majestic white tower soared upward. It looked exactly like the tower of the Elf royal palace that the World Tree had shown him in Belen village before. If it really was that tower, the World Tree's priestess would be living inside, but Jin-woo didn't expect much.
'Even if the tower looks the same, this place isn't the world where Mari lives, but the 6th floor. The interior might be like a dungeon.'
Approaching an unidentified structure was dangerous. As much as it was convenient as a stronghold, there was a high possibility that other beings had also made their nest there. But he couldn't pass by without checking.
Jin-woo carefully approached the tower and looked around its perimeter.
'The entrance is... Just one door at the front?'
No other entrances were visible. Perhaps there might be secret doors operated by magic or something, but to Jin-woo, who didn't know magic, they were as good as nonexistent.
'The door is too big, though.'
The door's size was considerable. Opening it itself would be fine, but it would inevitably make a loud noise. It was impossible to open the door without being heard by whatever was inside the tower.
'Blue flame.'
Then, he sensed a blue flame from inside the tower. It had come down from the top of the tower and entered Jin-woo's detection range. That blue flame was the only one entering his ki sense. It meant there was only one moving life form nearby.
'That is...'
Jin-woo, seeing that flame, leaned against the front door. Then he applied slight force and slowly opened the door.
Creeeeak—
As he worried, he couldn't hide the sound. He could feel the blue flame upstairs stop in confusion. The tower's first floor, where only cold air could be felt. In that place where no human warmth could be felt, Jin-woo stepped foot and—
Bang—!
As soon as he entered, the door behind him slammed shut. Then the blue flame that had been far up above appeared on the first floor's ceiling as if it had teleported.
"Who are you!"
The strongly resonating voice was younger than expected. Light emanated from the blue-colored hair as moisture in the air gathered to create sharp spears and swords, threatening the intruder. The loose white clothing fluttered in the wind, revealing an extraordinary aura. Jin-woo drew his sword just in case, but didn't point it. A flame he had seen once before, and a face he had seen before.
"Are you the World Tree's priestess?"
"...Eh?"
The priestess floating above the tower opened her mouth in disbelief upon seeing Jin-woo. The spears and swords that had been emanating killing intent toward the intruder began to waver and became ordinary water, dripping to the floor with plip plip.
He didn't know why she, who had been in the Elf world, was here in the 6th floor, but he understood one thing. The God of Moonlit Forest was indeed the World Tree.
***
A short while later. Jin-woo was sitting face-to-face with the priestess in a greenhouse garden prepared inside the tower. Unlike the cold first floor, it was a place full of warm temperature and light, with a coziness that felt like basking in real sunlight. The garden was full of roses of various colors—red, blue, or yellow—and not just roses, but many other flowers as well. A garden where flowers of all four seasons, from spring to winter, bloomed luxuriously. At a luxuriously finished white table, Jin-woo was being served tea by the priestess.
"Um, I'm sorry if this is my mistake... but are you the human I saw back then?"
The priestess herself didn't even touch her cup and just sat there fidgeting.
"If you're talking about the being the World Tree showed, then that's me. My face is the same, isn't it."
"I couldn't see the face, only the soul... So you really are that person from back then!"
The priestess was both excited and twisting her body in awkwardness. Until now, she had only heard about humans through Rona and other Elves' words, but this was the first time meeting a human directly. No, not just humans—this was the first time meeting another race at all, so she had no idea how to have a conversation.
"I, I really wanted to meet you once!"
She spoke as if forcing out difficult words, barely mustering courage. However, Jin-woo, who was listening, was only puzzled.
"You wanted to meet me? Why?"
"Because I've never met a human before. Ah! And I wanted to ask what kind of relationship you have with Mother World Tree! Until now, Mother World Tree has never shown me the appearance of a human."
What kind of relationship with the World Tree... Unfortunately, Jin-woo didn't know either. He wanted to know what relationship his past life had with the World Tree.
"Did any offerings come here by chance?"
"Pardon? Offerings?"
"Have you ever seen something like this?"
Jin-woo took out one of the remaining dolls from his inventory to show her. Perhaps the offerings dedicated at Moonlit Forest had entered this tower.
"Oh my, how cute! Is it a white fox? Oh my goodness, this is the first time I've seen such a soft doll."
However, the priestess reacted as if seeing it for the first time. She fondled the fluffy arctic fox doll curiously and even rubbed it against her cheek. If even a man would find the doll cute, it would look even more so to her as a woman.
"If you want it, you can have it."
"Really!?"
She asked back in the loudest voice since they had met. When Jin-woo nodded, she looked at the doll with the most sparkling eyes.
'It really is her first time, it seems.'
It was a reaction that couldn't be acting. The picture books and other dolls he had dedicated definitely hadn't come to this tower. So those childlike preferences really were the World Tree's preferences...
"By the way, weren't you living in the Elves' world? I mean, that kingdom was called... Delphinia Kingdom? You were in that kingdom's palace."
"Yes, that's right. I'm the queen."
She slightly grabbed her white skirt hem while sitting and made a gesture of greeting. Originally, she should have stood up and bent her knees for proper etiquette, but she just did it simply. She got scolded a lot by her maid, Cher, for things like this, but her innate playfulness couldn't be helped.
"But why are you in the 6th floor? Did you also come up here guided by the World Tree?"
"..."
The playful appearance shrank at Jin-woo's question, leaving only sad and dejected feelings.
"I exist in that world and simultaneously exist in this Spirit Realm. Rather than simultaneously, it's more like I'm spanning across them."
"Spanning across?"
"This tower spans between the world where the kingdom exists and the Spirit Realm where Mother World Tree resides. You can think of it as a medium to connect Mother World Tree and our world."
The priestess's explanation was as follows. This white tower neither existed perfectly in the 6th floor nor perfectly in the Elf world. It was something that served as a bridge connecting the two worlds, spanning between them. Souls gathered in the Elf world flow to the World Tree in the 6th floor through the tower, and the World Tree gives birth to new life in the Elf world through the tower. In other words, it was similar to the God of Sky's scabbard that Jin-woo possessed. Though it was on a vastly larger scale than the 3rd floor's divine artifact, which at best only conveyed voices or blessings.
"The appearance of Mother World Tree visible from the kingdom isn't real but merely an illusion. Gods don't directly descend to earth, do they? They always watch from high above."
"That mirage-like thing was..."
The mirage-like form of the World Tree he had seen in Belen village. It wasn't substance but really was a mirage. The World Tree's main body was located in the 6th floor, like other Lords, connected to the Elf world through the white tower.
"Then can you freely travel between the Elf world and the 6th floor?"
"...It's the opposite. I can't go out to either world."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't completely belong to any world. I can't go out to look after the kingdom's subjects, nor can I go see Mother World Tree's true form in the Spirit Realm. I can't leave this tower."
Only then did Jin-woo understand why she looked dejected. The tower spans between both worlds. She who was bound to that tower wasn't able to go to either world, but rather couldn't go to any world. A being who had lived her entire life only in this tower since birth.
"But I can receive guests who come to the tower! Until now, it's been only Cher, Rona, or boring elders. This is the first guest who came through the Spirit Realm!"
She spoke, deliberately raising her voice. Having a guest visit the lonely tower would be a joyful thing. While empathizing with that, Jin-woo couldn't help but ask.
"I need to find a blue portal to return. Have you ever seen a blue portal somewhere in the tower?"
It was quite heartbreaking to immediately ask the host who thanked him for coming about a way to return.
"Uh... Are you leaving already?"
"No, not right away. I can't return if I can't find a blue portal in the first place. So have you seen one in the tower?"
"Blue portals don't appear in this tower. It only spans across the Gate, but this isn't a tower belonging to the Gate."
As expected. To find a blue portal, he would have no choice but to explore outside. Jin-woo thought for a moment and asked the priestess.
"May I ask one favor?"
"As much as you want."
"May I use this place as a base to explore the 6th floor for a while? It's a dangerous place, so I need a safe stronghold."
"Of course, that's fine! You can even stay for life!"
"Life is a bit much."
"If you don't like life, then um... Exactly 100 years?"
100 years would be a lifetime for a human though... He didn't know if she was saying it knowingly or unknowingly. Jin-woo shook his head repeatedly.
"Come to think of it, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. I'm Kang Jin-woo. Kang is my surname, and my name is Jin-woo."
"So you're Jin-woo! I'm Fermue!"
Thus began the exploration of the 6th floor, using the tower where Fermue lived as a base.
***
He had many conversations with Fermue throughout the night. Both had too many things they were curious about regarding each other, so they couldn't even think of sleeping. From incredibly important stories about the 6th floor, Lords, and the World Tree to trivial stories about each other's daily lives. Among them was also a story about Rona.
"So the human Rona talked about was Jin-woo!"
Fermue was greatly surprised when Rona's story came up by chance. On the other hand, Jin-woo wasn't that surprised.
'Rona said she was a knight of the royal castle.'
Since she said she was a knight working at the royal palace, he had already expected that she might know the queen. If anything was unexpected, it was that they seemed closer than anticipated.
"Can I meet Rona too if she comes to the tower?"
When he asked out of curiosity, Fermue shook her head.
"No. Rona enters the tower from that world's side, and Jin-woo enters from the Spirit Realm side, so you probably won't be able to meet. Only I, being an existence between the two worlds, can meet both."
"At best, I could convey messages."
"That much would be possible, but Rona left for the 5th floor and isn't at the royal palace now."
Rona had prepared thoroughly and departed for the 5th floor. The exploration of the 5th floor was very dangerous and would take a long time, so she wouldn't return for a while.
After having various conversations like this, the next day. Jin-woo stood in front of the tower's main entrance. He couldn't stay in the tower forever, so it was time to depart for exploration.
"B-be careful."
Fermue prayed for Jin-woo's safety with a hesitant voice.
"You must never approach the Lords' divine domains. The Lords have various personalities, and while some are merciful, you never know what might happen."
"The twelve divine domains, was it?"
Among yesterday's conversations was also a talk about the Lord's divine domains. The territories where the 12 Lords had made their nests. Not only the Lords themselves but also their subordinates existed there, making them very dangerous places even within the Spirit Realm. The Lord's subordinates Jin-woo had met were the Black Knight and Ireland. Setting aside the knight, if there were just two more subordinates like Ireland, it would be nothing short of a disaster.
Meanwhile, during yesterday's conversation, there was something Jin-woo had asked.
—12 divine domains? Not 13?
—Pardon? There are 12 Lords.
Her answer was the same as Kalesian's. Kalesian had also said there were twelve Lords, and that he didn't know about the 13 Gods in the gate.
—Isn't the World Tree a Lord?
—...Jin-woo. No matter how much it is you, I cannot overlook statements that insult Mother World Tree.
When he asked about the World Tree and Erosion, Fermue's reaction was firm. Not just firm, but he could feel anger.
'Fermue doesn't know that the World Tree is using Erosion.'
He knew because he had seen it directly. The sight of the World Tree's roots not simply being affected by Erosion, but actively using and coveting Erosion. But Fermue, called the World Tree's priestess, didn't know that fact. If she didn't know, it would be safe to say the entire Elf race didn't know.
What was the World Tree's true identity? What was its relationship with Erosion? And what kind of relationship did it have with his past life? All of this lay beyond the door. In the mist-shrouded world, the Spirit Realm.
"I'll be back."
"Please! You must return safely!"
The door opened, and Jin-woo departed outside the tower. Fermue reached out her hand while watching his retreating figure. However, her hand was blocked by something like a transparent wall and she couldn't go further. A completely separated space. She was an existence alienated from any world.
"Please come back safely..."
So she could only wait. For him to return safely without any trouble.
Creeeeak—
After Jin-woo left, the tower's door quietly closed.
***
Outside the white tower. Jin-woo stepped foot into the misty grassland.
'For now.'
If he were being greedy, he wanted to try finding where the World Tree was. The white tower was here, but the World Tree's main body wasn't visible. Whether it was really physically far away, or hidden by some unknown power. But finding the World Tree now would be real greed.
'...Crazy.'
Just moving a little away from the tower, scenes that made him doubt his eyes appeared beyond the mist. In the distance, a dinosaur-like silhouette the size of a mountain was walking around. It was almost the same size as Ireland. It was breathing fire from its mouth, and that fire was setting the entire sky ablaze.
In another direction, there was a mass of pitch-black clouds that seemed to suck everything in, with large ice crystals and lightning