◈ Episode 159. Blessing (1)

America.

There is an emergency in the western branch of the AAU.

Jim Joshua, branch leader.

It’s midnight and the lights are still on in his office.

That’s not who my boss is…….

“Working late, Jim Joshua?”

This was the same Jim Joshua who’d been barking up the wrong tree on Thursday when we had a regular update, and when we had an emergency update.

And it was Friday.

Normally, this man would be enjoying Friday night on his private yacht. What kind of wind is blowing that makes him do that?

“Katrina, what do you think?”

“What? What did you say?”

“I mean, Jim, he’s not that kind of person.”

“Boss? Well, I guess he is for some reason.”

“Well, it’s nice to see your reaction.”

Aside.

He sucked on his straw and shook his head.

Surely, there had to be a reason.

“You went on a business trip to Korea, right? both the West and the East.”

“Yeah, I told you it was a branch leader level meeting.”

” ……, but don’t you think that’s a little weird?”

“What?”

“No, I mean, if it’s a branch leader level meeting, I mean, you’ve been doing just fine on virtual, but all of a sudden you’re traveling overseas, across the Pacific to South Korea, is there a reason for that?”

If I had to guess, I had a theory.

“……Is it because of Lee Hoyeol?”

There is a Lee Hoyeol in Korea.

There was Lee Hoyeol who cleared the London Dungeon Rift.

However, it’s not the first time he’s cleared a rift like this, and he’s not even traveling enough to come back and work overtime. I asked him if there was any reason to make a fuss.

“Did you hear anything bitter in the meeting?”

“Who? Our boss? To whom?”

“No, to anyone. It’s no different from someone who came out to play during working hours in the first place, right? I was just fooling around and trying to please those in authority… … .”

Tadatadatada─

By talking behind our boss’s back.

The conversation was about to move on.

The man’s eyes changed.

Katrina, I thought you were just answering soullessly.

“What is it, what are you tapping so hard on?”

“Oh, this? It’s nothing.”

“You always say it’s no big deal. Look, can I see it?”

Druk-

Katrina pulled back her chair and the monitor came into view.

Or more accurately, the pictures on the monitor.

The man spoke up.

“……Wait a minute, isn’t this London?”

“Yes, it is.”

“What are you going to do with all those pictures of Aquarius oaks?”

The developers of Arcana, before the cataclysm.

Thanks to AAU, the tree’s name was known to the world, even if only in hindsight. Katrina, who had been typing up information about the oak because she didn’t have enough pictures, shrugged.

“No, I don’t know what I’m going to use it for.”

“You’re not going to use it for anything, and you’re organizing it so carefully? Well, I’ll keep it a secret. Just tell me. What’s your hypothesis this time?”

“Umm, okay. Okay.”

Click─

Typing dragged.

The man’s eyes scanned the words.

“Other than needing a lot of water, I don’t have any special features……. Is it characterized by its lack of features, or are you just writing down trivial information?”

“Because it’s definitely different.”

“Different from what?”

“It doesn’t match the testimony of the Londoners.”

……Wait, come to think of it.

I didn’t even have to turn on the internet to find the article.

It’s been all about London in the media for the past few days.

“Didn’t you say you felt something like a warm life force?”

“It wasn’t just a feeling, it was a definite effect. It was.”

“Right. You said the player got a message.”

Now that I thought about it, I could see why Katrina had been collecting pictures of trees.

The man lowered his voice and whispered.

“So you’re telling me this isn’t a normal Aquarius oak?”

Katrina nodded.

‘Not that I’m going to tell you at this stage. ‘

Any tree associated with life force…….

At least in Katrina’s memory.

She could only think of one such tree in the Arcana universe.

The World Tree.

Of course, that didn’t mean that the hundreds and thousands of Aquarius oaks that bloomed in London were World Trees, as they merely overlapped in one characteristic: life force.

But there was another point of contact.

Lee HoYeol.

He had once sprouted the seeds of the World Tree.

Katrina thought seriously.

Was this a mere coincidence?

After all, the Aquarius Oak in London hadn’t grown on its own. Spirit, Hiel. It had blossomed through the power of Lee’s Contract Spirit.

It’s too much of a coincidence to ignore.

Of course, there was no proof.

I couldn’t really ask him about it.

But one thing is clear, then and now.

Now that the World Tree is involved.

One thing was clear: The ‘race’ would not stand still for long.

Katrina waved the interrupter away.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

“No, so that’s it, what, you don’t have a theory?”

“I don’t have anything to say at this point.”

“……What’s with that nasty tone?”

If, and only if, the race were to emerge into reality through the rift.

The impact would be beyond imagination. Even back when Arcana was just a game, it had enough influence to shake up the world just by being a piece of cake.

Katrina shrugged again.

“Well, let’s talk as much as we can for now.”

“What’s that meaningful line again?”

“Because there’s going to be a day soon when you won’t be able to take a break, even if you want to.”

“……A real fucking weekend ahead!”

*

Time was supposed to be fair to everyone.

To the elves, who lived for eons, time simply passed. The same was true for the evil eye, which floated in the night sky instead of stars.

It was merely a change of scenery, just as the seasons change with the passage of time.

“It’s meaningless.”

After living for what seemed like eons, the elves’ emotions had grown dull.

Demons from the demon world.

The lives of the Arcana continent suffering from such demons.

In the eyes of the elves, it was just another day.

From their exalted perspective, humans and demons were no different and inferior, and so was war. In the first place, the Arcana continent was full of quarrels.

“But it seems that Mother has a different idea than we do.”

Sisley, home of the elves.

The World Tree stood in the distance.

A world tree that was losing its life and falling.

Perhaps it was because you sensed a crisis and scattered your seeds across the continent.

It didn’t make sense, really.

“It’s just a matter of time.”

There was no humility in his eyes, even in the presence of his mother.

“You have become weak, Mother of All Creation.”

A sign of intense wildness remaining around the World Tree.

It was the aura of a dragon, ageless as themselves. To sow the seed. They had opened their hands to these insolent lizards?

The corner of the elf’s mouth twitched.

“I understand your wishes, Mother, but I cannot abide by them.”

The elves declared before the World Tree.

“We are not old enough to be swayed by your wrath, are we?”

That day, the elves rebelled against the World Tree’s will.

A continent on the brink of extinction?

So what?

An anthill smashed to pieces, a new king of ants.

It has nothing to do with us.

As I said, time has been generous to us.

We’ll look back and realize it was all for nothing.

When we look back, it will all be nothing.

It was.

Emotions dulled by years of living.

All that remains is arrogance.

There was no pride or nobility in the Elves.

But the sight of a child gone astray.

A mother could not stand by and watch.

Even if it was a lifeless, collapsing body.

“?!”

The change was instantly recognizable.

Generous time had begun to pass. Fatigue had set in on a body that had never lost its vigor, and a mind that had never needed rest had begun to creak.

The elves had a hunch.

“Damn it!”

The World Tree had taken away their ‘blessing’.

How could a mother abandon her children?

They couldn’t understand it.

“Why!”

To take away a blessing.

It meant that she had given the blessing to someone else.

But no matter how much he looked around, he couldn’t see it.

Even if they had violated the will of the World Tree.

There was no one on the continent to take their place.

They were all unworthy.

Before the dying World Tree, the elf cleared her throat and cried out.

“Mother, do you mean to tell me that you pity humans? How can you say that humans are any different from demons? Their nature is no different from that of demons, and their current suffering is nothing more than the karma they have accumulated!”

But no answer came from World Tree.

“……We, the foolish, cannot understand.”

The blessing was taken away from them, and they lost their eternal life.

He could no longer afford to be lazy.

They could no longer afford to stay in Sisley.

“We will find out who it was that took the blessing from us, and we will see with our own eyes if they are worthy of it.”

And if they don’t deserve it.

The world tree is collapsing.

I will reclaim it on behalf of you, who is now old.

A blessing that is ridiculously undeserved for trash.

“Feel free to trample on anything that stands in your way.”

The Elves are on the move.

Through the eons.

Something was happening that had never happened before.

*

……A sudden chill runs down my spine.

Is it the aftereffect of walking around in the rain?

I thought I was getting cold.

I have the [Warmth] buff, but that’s not possible.

It must be the mood, it has to be the mood.

‘Plus, I did something to deserve it.’

It’s like a bomb dropped on the AAU before a golden weekend. Even for me, it’s a nuclear bomb of a declaration. I don’t think anyone would have guessed it was the AAU Yusra Branch.

“Harmony is more important than anything else.”

The space of [『Anomaly』], a rift.

Naturally, Anomaly must be fought with anomaly.

Actually, the information about the Arcana Continent was enough for now.

I had an ally who made up for my absence.

Magic Tower.

The Knights of the Lionheart.

The Shadow Mercenaries.

The Explorers’ Federation…….

Arcana factions too numerous to list.

From players to great alliances.

And that’s just by faction.

So I didn’t expect much from the AAU.

They’ve long since recognized their limitations.

All I wanted was.

Information on the ‘Arcana Continent Biography’.

More precisely, information about the Arcana system.

‘The system does not lie.’

Like it or not, wasn’t I the one who risked my life to prove it? There’s no better proof than dying on the Arcana Continent and being resurrected in the real world thanks to the system of [Title].

“Therefore, nothing can be neglected.”

You couldn’t be more right, Grandfell.

The Holy War, of course.

In order to save reality from the erosion of the Arcana, we must also understand the system correctly.

In that sense, information from AAU, a former Arcana developer, will be very helpful.

‘Actually, I didn’t have to go to the Yusra branch.’

How could a man of such high pride take the easy way out?

“You can only see things as they are when you are on equal footing.”

……But then again, I can’t complain about being wrong.

Let’s say you’re getting information through AAU.

What are the chances of someone passing along misleading information?

It’s overflowing.

Why, the looks you gave me at the meeting are still vivid in my memory.

If I’d been a little bit stupid, they’d have said all sorts of bullshit.

But just like them, the AAU Yusra Branch.

So if I ever become a branch leader.

I wouldn’t have to worry about that. It’s because the AAU is a global organization with interests from all over the world that the branches keep each other in check.

‘Plus, I’ve got some allies in the AAU.’

London branch leader, Baker.

‘Some people have had a change of heart about our Grandfell pride.’

Of course, there was no reason for my proposal to be rejected.

In all things, there is give and take.

I, too, would provide the AAU with information on the Arcana continent.

“Not just them.”

No, more accurately, to all who participate in the Holy War.

In truth, it was a tired pride that I was too proud to hide anything, but that’s a story for another time. This was not the time to waste.

─Train your weakened body. (Repeat) ▲

Run 40 kilometers (successful)

●3,000 push-ups (successful)

●2,000 pull-ups (ongoing)

●1,000 burpee tests (ongoing)

Increased fitness demands!

It’s gotten to the point where I need to multitask to meet my daily training demands. Why, I need to cram spellbook knowledge into my head while working out.

Damn, my vision becomes blurry before I even start… … !

If I had known this, I wouldn’t have invested points in [Strength] and [Agility].

But there’s no point in complaining.

As long as I have pride in my heart.

I’ll tackle any fitness quest while sipping hot green tea.

So without further ado, let’s get started.

One, two…….

“It’s a magic circle. That’s an interesting form of interference.”

……one thousand.

1,000 burpee tests (successful).

……But what the hell, this.

I hadn’t done enough physical training, and I’d been skimming through magic texts.

I don’t feel any fatigue in my body or brain……?

I wonder if it’s because of the increased stats.

A mere stat increase of a few points was not a possible change.

“There must be a reason……?

I checked my status and was horrified.

[The first World Tree blesses you.]

……Wait, that ridiculous blessing was a permanent buff?