Chapter 24: The Third Trial (5)
A bird soars through the heavens.
An auspicious creature that has guarded this land since the distant era of myths.
For a time, the bonds between humans, elves, and beastmen fostered a peaceful age.
But a small spark of conflict quickly engulfed the entire continent and that calamity spread to the land where the bird resided.
In the long war, the bird took flight.
With its beak, it spewed terrifying flames, turning the surrounding lands into a sea of fire.
The bird began unleashing its flames to stop the war, and ultimately, it succeeded.
But not in the way it had anticipated.
The warring races joined hands to oppose the monster bird.
Yet, once enraged, the bird could not be stopped.
Suffering under its flames, the races ran to the great World Tree and prayed and the World Tree answered their prayers.
At the World Tree’s command, an army of light surged toward the bird.
* * *
Why am I suddenly seeing this? No, did I really see it? It feels like centuries passed in an instant, yet it’s as vivid as if I experienced it myself.
So what happened in the battle between the monster bird and the World Tree?
It was a sudden experience.
This was information about the world not even recorded in Tune World, so it piqued my interest, but I couldn’t delve deeper.
As I organized the fragmented information, my senses returned.
I felt my body burning.
The flames hadn’t subsided; they were still scorching me.
“Polarin, hold on!”
Soler was pouring potions over me.
“Spirits of the forest, grant my comrade the miracle of healing.”
Jadin raised both arms, praying to the spirits.
Tiny, dwarf-like forest spirits poured out.
They climbed onto me like a swarm of ants, placing their hands on my wounds.
A pale green light began to envelop my injuries.
Their efforts were effective.
The melted flesh from the burns began to solidify and slowly heal.
Keldric and Blaze shouted loudly to keep me conscious, constantly talking to me.
But the pain was so intense that their words barely registered.
The healing progressed slowly, but my consciousness grew hazier.
Then, my sword trembled, transmitting a voice.
[Rise. I will protect you with all my strength.]
I was on the verge of passing out, but the World Tree’s voice rang clearly in my ears.
Light burst from the sword, enveloping my body.
The pain remained.
My physical condition was still dire.
But unlike before, when I couldn’t even move a finger, I now felt a surge of vitality.
I struggled to my feet, using the Branch of World Tree like a staff to stand.
A maze that reenacts events from the distant past…
Of course, being a maze, the monster bird wasn’t the same nightmare beast from that world.
A maze couldn’t transcend time.
It merely recreated past events.
Yet the Branch of World Tree pulsed, radiating malice.
The God of Destruction, Ainsitel.
I suddenly realized the monster bird’s name.
It was knowledge gained from glimpsing that world.
But so far, the bird’s name was all I had uncovered.
Bound by chains, Ainsitel writhed on the ground.
Kiyot’s axe struck its neck repeatedly, but it couldn’t kill the creature.
Instead, each strike damaged the axe’s blade, leaving Kiyot with little more than a handle.
Ainsitel, however, showed no signs of injury. It merely thrashed, as if refusing to accept its sealed reality.
Then, a strange intuition hit me.
I can cut it.
The World Tree’s will transferred to me.
I staggered toward Ainsitel.
Its eyes locked onto me.
I only knew the bird’s name, nothing more.
But rather than learning about it, I had to cut it down and escape the maze.
That was the trial we were given.
Perhaps one day, I’d learn more about Ainsitel.
I finally reached Ainsitel.
Despite everyone’s support, the pain persisted.
Still, I raised the Branch of World Tree high.
At that moment, the Branch of World Tree transformed.
Its unique ability, shape-shifting, activated.
A pitch-black blade slowly emerged over the wooden sword.
The Branch of World Tree fully transformed into a sharp, menacing weapon, radiating a ferocious aura—a divine blade.
Swish.
I swung the sword downward.
[Cutting] activated, and the neck of Ainsitel, which seemed invincible, fell.
[…I will be watching you.]
The World Tree’s voice echoed in my ears.
I gripped the Branch of World Tree tightly once more.
There was no further response.
But even after the World Tree’s voice faded, the transformed sword didn’t revert to its wooden form.
Charrk.
A cascade of light poured from where the boss monster fell.
It was just like in the game.
The effect that appears when a maze is fully cleared.
“…You did it.”
“Captain!”
“Are you okay?”
Confirming I had defeated Ainsitel, my teammates cheered and embraced me, checking my condition.
Soler, too, patted me instinctively but stepped back, perhaps mindful of her noble demeanor.
Glancing at my sword, she said,
“I knew your sword wasn’t just a wooden one.”
“Haha… sorry for deceiving you.”
When sparring with Soler, we both used wooden swords.
But mine was the Branch of World Tree, so it was essentially a trick.
That deception allowed me to gain [Intangible Armor] and [Cutting].
Soler didn’t press me about the past, though.
She simply nodded, as if acknowledging me.
Then, something mystical happened.
Though the ground didn’t shift, the blood flowing from Ainsitel’s neck moved in one direction, pooling at the central pillar among the four.
The pillar melted and oxidized in the blood.
From it poured a dazzling array of gold, silver, and various treasures.
[You have conquered the maze.]
[You may choose one treasure from the maze’s riches as your reward.]
A message, familiar from the game, appeared before my eyes.
Yaaa! Argh!
My teammates screamed with joy and rushed toward the treasure pile.
Only Soler approached gracefully, maintaining her noble composure, though her eyes were fixed on the treasures.
I felt a wave of emotion.
For a moment, it felt like I was in a game, not reality.
The thrill of my efforts being rewarded.
None of my teammates were swayed by mere gold or jewels.
They each picked up equipment they liked, rejoicing.
Clap, clap, clap!
As the team rummaged through the treasures in a frenzy, Soler clapped her hands.
Even those engrossed in the loot turned to her.
“I think the ‘leader’ should choose first. What do you all think?”
Kiyot scratched his head and agreed.
“…She’s right. Polarin, you pick first, then we’ll choose.”
The others flinched and stepped back hesitantly.
“No, everyone worked hard. Just pick what you want.”
I politely declined, but my teammates weren’t budging.
“Come on, choose, Captain!”
“Yeah, there’s plenty of good stuff here. You pick, then I’ll pick. I swear on the honor of the tiger tribe.”
No, I said it’s fine.
I pulled the final sealing stone from my leather pouch and showed it to them.
“I’ve already decided. I’ll take this stone.”
They looked puzzled.
“…What’s that even for?”
“Captain, there’s a mountain of treasures here!”
But I ignored their protests.
Usually, something special comes up in moments like this.
Instead, I offered advice as they picked their equipment.
“Kiyot-hyung, your strength will keep growing, so how about this heavy axe?”
“This? I can’t even lift it now…”
“Your strength will increase over time. This one seems to have special effects too.”
Kiyot and I struggled to lift the axe. When we slammed it into the ground, a boom echoed, and smoke rose from the impact.
“…This is it.”
Jadin, after consulting his spirits, chose a weapon. Keldric, thrilled, picked a bracelet with an acceleration Tune.
When I approached Blaze to help, he flinched and stepped back.
“Blaze, try choosing with your mask on. It’ll be better.”
Blaze blinked blankly.
When I lowered his mask for him, his eyes sharpened, and he carefully examined the equipment.
“Hey, what should I pick?”
“Soler, you can choose well on your own.”
“…True.”
“But if I were you…”
Since I shielded Soler from Ainsitel’s flames, her attitude had softened slightly.
We continued chatting and examining the treasures.
Before I knew it, greed stirred within me.
But I held back, staring at the Golden Stone.
Something feels off. It’s like a 94% clear in a game.
There was clearly one hidden piece left, yet all the rewards had appeared.
All of them.
All?
I rushed toward the treasure pile and began digging frantically.
In that moment, gold was no different from pebbles.
I tossed it aside as it came to hand.
My teammates watched me in a daze but soon joined in, moving gold and equipment.
They didn’t understand why but helped earnestly.
After shifting what seemed like a small hill of treasures…
What I had been waiting for appeared.
I couldn’t hide my joy and laughed loudly.
“Ha, haha. Hahaha!”
At the base of the pillar’s roots, there was a groove perfectly sized for the Golden Stone.
…
Gulp.
The sound of my teammates swallowing was audible in the silence.
They all looked at me with expectant eyes.
I placed the Golden Stone into the groove.
Crackle!
A blinding light burst from the pillar’s roots.