74
074 — The Humiliation of That Day
Grisella was looking at a scene from the past.
When she was still young, before being caught by the Erosion, she had seen that massive tree. It could be seen from anywhere, and no matter where she was, it watched over her world.
When she grew a little older, she had actually set out on an adventure, wanting to see the World Tree. No matter how much she searched, it couldn't be seen, so her small adventure came to an end, but that was okay.
Though it was like an illusion that couldn't be grasped in reality, it was true that it lovingly embraced all Elves.
'Then I was caught by the Erosion.'
The Lord of Oppression and Ceiling. Caught in that bastard's cage, she had all her ego and freedom stolen and was exploited. Everything in her life was completely taken away, and she became that bastard's slave, swinging a sword.
The Lord of Oppression and Ceiling used those who became slaves like her to kill other Elves of the same kind. Whether it was a vicious hobby or efficient work to draw out the opponent's agitation was unknown.
Either way, it didn't matter from the victim's standpoint. Whatever the reason, it didn't change that it was a terrible thing.
Even the souls of compatriots who died that way couldn't return to the World Tree according to natural order. They all became trapped in the Lord of Oppression and Ceiling's cage through her.
Some of those souls were used as soldiers like her, and some were used as energy sources to extract power from.
Going against the great circulation of the Elf race and insulting the World Tree, which was the subject of circulation. How many decades, how many centuries had she repeated that?
After a long time, she barely regained some of her ego. From then on, there wasn't a single day she didn't pray. There wasn't a moment she didn't wish.
For the day when she would see again the appearance of Mother World Tree, which had been like an illusion she saw as a child.
That was now visible behind a human's back. She felt like tears would come.
***
'What did I do to make it like this?'
Looking at Grisella prostrating herself flat as if she had truly seen a god, Jin-woo asked the God of Moonlit Forest.
[ I let her know. Through you, my existence. ]
Jin-woo clicked his tongue. She became this devoted just from feeling an indirect fragment, not even seeing the World Tree directly.
Such a reaction just from briefly revealing its existence... Elves really seemed to have faith close to fanaticism.
'It's not that I don't understand.'
The World Tree actually exists. Not only does it exist, but it's also responsible for the circulation of collecting Elf souls and giving birth to new life. It meant it was the core that allowed the Elf race to maintain itself as a species.
Since it was such an important existence, it was understandable to think of it preciously, and that it developed into fanatical faith was also understandable.
"Excuse me, I..."
"What?"
"Are you Mother World Tree's representative?"
Representative? Well, it wouldn't be wrong to call it that. He could actually hear the World Tree's words and convey them.
"Not wrong."
"Then please, may I beseech you for just one thing?"
"Say it."
Jin-woo told her to say it. Grisella raised her head and closed her eyes. After a brief moment of resolve, she opened her eyes.
"Please kill me and take my soul. Take that soul to Mother World Tree's side..."
Jin-woo's eyes widened at the unexpected wish.
"You're saying you want to die?"
"Yes."
"Wasn't it that you escaped from the Lord's domain because you wanted to live?"
"No. I escaped in order to die. If I stayed under that bastard, I could never die."
But Grisella had avoided Jin-woo's sword when they first met. That meant she didn't want to die.
Though her appearance had changed from then, Jin-woo could fully understand the reason.
'...In Tokyo, it's a similar situation to the Elves of the castle.'
When he met the Elves of the castle in Tokyo's Erosion in the past. They didn't attack Jin-woo. Rather, they entrusted everything to Jin-woo and sent silent pleas asking him to please let them die.
If bound by Erosion, you don't die. You eternally become a slave of the Erosion and live as their soldier. Losing your ego and killing family, relatives, and compatriots.
Which would be more agonizing, being killed by compatriots or killing them? No, that's a foolish question. Both would be agonizing beyond comparison would be the correct answer.
"Do you want to return to the World Tree?"
"Yes."
Grisella's voice was the most serious it had been so far. The reason she first avoided Jin-woo's sword was that she couldn't die in this place.
If she died in this world, her soul would remain in this world forever and couldn't return to the World Tree's side.
But a bastard calling himself the World Tree's representative had appeared before her eyes. Even projecting the World Tree's halo and illusion behind his back.
If she died by this guy's hand, that soul would be guided to Mother World Tree. She must have gained that conviction.
"Let me be honest with you. Just because you die by my hand doesn't mean you can go to the World Tree's side."
"...Pardon?"
"I can hear the World Tree's voice. I also have that being's power. But I don't know where the World Tree is. I only know the fact that it's somewhere in the Spirit Realm."
"Spirit Realm... The place where the Lord's Divine Domain exists..."
Having barely escaped from there, Grisella knew well. How dangerous that world was, or rather, leaving danger aside, it was a world that wasn't even easy to return to.
Even if she tried to go back, it wouldn't be an easy task. Right now, entering a Gate, conquering up to the 5th floor, and finding the red portal heading to the 6th floor?
Even with heavenly fortune following, it wouldn't be easy. Surpassing the dragons of the 5th floor, Dragon Star Realm, and crossing over to the Spirit Realm wasn't an easy task even for her, who had come to handle part of the Erosion.
"Does the representative have no way to go to the Spirit Realm?"
Jin-woo pondered for a moment. He wanted to answer that it wasn't so, but he didn't want to lie to her either.
"...No. I can go to the Spirit Realm. The problem is what comes after."
At Jin-woo's honest answer, Grisella's eyes sparkled. Then!
"Please..."
"Wait. I said I could go, not that I would go. The Spirit Realm is not an easy place for me right now. It might be difficult in the future, too."
Grisella understood Jin-woo's words. That the Spirit Realm was a dangerous place, and that finding the World Tree there would be an arduous task.
"Still, it's okay. Just hold onto my soul, and if by any chance you ever visit Mother World Tree, please return it then. ...Would that be difficult?"
He could tell she was making the request as carefully as possible. The liberation of her soul was an important matter that had taken more than a lifetime's worth of years for her. Therefore, she was all the more careful not to make it a demand rather than a request.
But the earnestness contained in her eyes couldn't be hidden. Jin-woo exhaled softly and spoke.
"...Alright. The World Tree had asked me to find it someday anyway."
While at it, returning one of her souls wouldn't be a difficult task. Of course, that's if he actually gets to visit.
Jin-woo took out the white gem sword. But before pointing it out, he spoke first.
"Instead, there's something I want to ask. You can think of it as payment."
"What is it?"
"Information about the Spirit Realm. Information about the Lord of Oppression and Ceiling, and that bastard's Divine Domain, too. Anything is fine, so tell me everything you know."
It was a very easy task for her. There was no reason to hide secrets when she was about to die soon, and originally, she had the duty to inform Mother World Tree's representative of everything.
A prisoner who escaped from the enemy camp had the duty to tell everything they learned.
For a while, her quiet information continued. Jin-woo listened attentively and engraved everything in his mind step by step. Sometimes, asking questions and after hearing everything.
He raised his sword.
'I can't say it's sufficient, but I've heard quite a lot with this much.'
The general information about the Spirit Realm wasn't much different from what he heard from Kanok. However, what was important was information about the Lord of Oppression and Ceiling's Divine Domain.
She didn't know where in the Spirit Realm it was located. But he heard many clues, such as geographical features, climate, or the flow of energy. With this much, if he set his mind to exploring, he would be able to identify it someday.
Having finished speaking, Grisella looked at Jin-woo's sword and said.
"Are you thinking of cutting down that bastard?"
"Well. It would be good if I could."
"You will be able to. If that's Mother World Tree's will."
Grisella smiled with the 100% belief without a single doubt characteristic of fanatics. Normally, he would have brushed it off as nothing special, but for some reason, now it felt encouraging.
"Let's begin."
"Please do."
Jin-woo raised his sword. And so that she wouldn't be in pain as much as possible, he stabbed the black flame burning inside her in the shortest distance.
The energy of Erosion raised its energy trying to defend itself, but before Jin-woo's sword, it was a defense worse than wet paper.
The black flame that was penetrated in one stroke was absorbed through the sword into Jin-woo... But it wasn't.
'What?'
The flame did scatter. But it wasn't absorbed.
As if blocked by an invisible wall, it couldn't be sucked toward Jin-woo.
Then another flame bloomed. It lowered bars like a cage and trapped Grisella's wandering flame just like that.
[ Impudent thing. ]
A voice was heard. A rough and anger-filled voice, completely different from the small and fragile God of Moonlit Forest.
"Kyaaaaaaa!"
Grisella's eyes rolled back, showing only the whites. Her skin dried up completely and cracked, crumblingly like drought-cracked earth. Black light began bursting out through those cracks.
Jin-woo pulled out his sword and slashed the light. But there were too many light beams bursting out, so cutting one or two didn't even make a dent.
[ The time has come to repay the humiliation of that day. ]
The extending light spread an Erosion barrier centered on the abandoned factory.
Exactly the same as when dropping the Temple of Sky in the 3rd floor. The same barrier as then was spread here too.
The sky was high and the earth was vast. In that place without even a single cloud, only one abandoned factory stood alone. Jin-woo and all the people who were in the factory were caught up in this Erosion.
Though it was a similar barrier to before, there were also changes.
Unlike before, when only the wide earth was spread with nothing else, the current earth had tower-like pillars densely embedded everywhere.
***
―This is breaking news. An Erosion has occurred at the site of an abandoned factory outside the southern region of Seoul. Though the scale is not large and the barrier wasn't eroded, it appears that numerous victims, including Mayor Ma Du-sik, have been caught up in the Erosion. The Hunter Management Bureau is urgently gathering Hunters for rescue...
Sudden news struck all of Seoul.
News that an Erosion had occurred right near the city. That alone would be sufficiently disastrous, but the news was that even Mayor Ma Du-sik, who was responsible for the city, was caught up in it.
Guilds urgently assembled. Three guilds led by Cheonok Guild gathered and were deployed for rescue.
No matter how much Ma Du-sik was S-rank, he was the mayor. Since there couldn't be even a one-in-ten-thousand chance, the rescue operation was thoroughly conducted.
But the Erosion that appeared this time was different from the existing ones.
"Huh? We can't enter! It's blocked!"
Unlike existing Erosions, this one rejected external intervention. As if it only had business with those inside, it proudly spread its domain there.