Episode 484. If You Wish

Can you learn something by seeing it just once?

The spirit of the forest.

Such a talent didn’t exist for her.

But.

“I will do as you say.”

‘If you wish.’

Hiel’s pupils dilate. The wrath of the Spirit King of Flame, Phoenix, seems slowed by her lord’s warm consideration. The heat becomes sharper, too, beyond heat to the point of being mistaken for pain.

Shamefully.

‘If I were alone, I might have given up.’

Just before the first ordeal.

A declaration made at the bonfire, soon forgotten.

Her resolve might have been broken.

But the Lord must have known.

‘My weakness, which no one else knows.’

Hiel knew.

That she was less than what she was judged or expected to be. But not to be a nobody to her master. Her wings fluttered desperately, not to betray her master’s expectations.

‘That’s what I’ve been struggling with.’

I’ve been following you closely. Your footsteps were unbelievable, to the point where I wondered if I should walk with you.

Moreover.

‘I must make sure that my presence is not a hindrance to you…….’

Blessing of the First World Tree.

Why were the elves so angry at the blessing?

It was because the Lord and herself had monopolized the blessing of the World Tree.

So Hiel couldn’t help but wonder.

What if even the blessing that belongs to me belongs to my lord……?

Shouldn’t the Lord be able to overcome the trials ahead without difficulty, or perhaps he already has the ability to do so, but is held back by my presence…….?

It was at this moment that the ordeal took its toll on Hiel’s mind.

She heard a voice.

It shook her out of her thoughts.

“It is time to realize the {Wrath of the World Tree} which will scold even nature.”

Hiel understood the intent.

‘Perhaps the Lord has given me a chance.’

Maybe this is just another proof.

‘To prove my worth.’

Perhaps this was another effect of the blessing.

In the past, as a spirit of the lower forest, I did not know.

The knowledge of the {Natural World} begins to penetrate my mind.

The wrath of nature.

A blow that only the kings of the spirits can manifest, a blow that unites with nature and overwhelms the enemy. Hiel felt the wrath of the Phoenix with her entire body.

It wasn’t just burning.

Even nature itself.

It is howling with the intense heat of the Phoenix.

Hiel’s lips parted.

“Your anger is misdirected.”

Phoenix was shocked.

‘……different.’

Hasn’t that presence somehow changed?

In fear.

The weak appearance of not even being able to resist was everywhere.

Seug.

There was no mistaking the way she reached out and touched the raging flames, but somehow, her touch was gentle. And her voice, too.

“The children are suffering, aren’t they, Phoenix.”

“……!”

It was like a Mother.

If the World Tree had spoken to him, wouldn’t it have sounded like this?

It was a deceptively gentle voice.

Phoenix’s gaze shifted from Hiel to Hoyeol.

“What nonsense.”

Even the passage of time was controlled.

It shouldn’t be hard to dull Phoenix’s senses.

Clearly, they’re trying to cloud my judgment.

hwaleuleuleug.

But it would be ineffective if the magic particles underlying the magic were to be completely burned away. Phoenix’s intimidation intensified.

Swoosh.

Enough to devour Hoyeol.

So much so that it could be burned without a trace.

It was the moment when a strong flame was about to rage.

“You’re not really listening.”

The voice was no longer gentle.

“What’s in it for the spirits?”

I recognized it instinctively.

It was a reprimand.

Behind Hiel, a blurred shape loomed.

It was a giant tree.

“……Mother?”

Yes, it was.

Claudi, just as he said.

The wrath of the World Tree, beyond even nature, was being realized.

But Phoenix was undeterred.

“No, what do you mean, my Mother? We are clearly different from the Dragons and Elves of the Arcana continent. We have been reduced to hiding in the Natural World and watching over the continent.”

It was an injustice.

“Then, what have we gotten in return for our obedience?”

The Flame Spirit King asked, returning to his purity.

“Nothing, nothing!”

Why have you treated us with such indifference, World Tree?

Are we truly your children?

Like an innocent child, he whined.

“Only utter indifference.”

But.

The World Tree was the mother of all things, accepting even such complaints.

The image of the World Tree rose behind Hiel, shining even more brilliantly.

Its leaves flowed.

The World Tree speaks through Hiel’s mouth.

“It was not indifference.”

“…… It’s a lie..”

“It simply waited for you to be of use to the continent.”

“……When we will be of use to the continent?”

“The time has come for the continent to need your purity.”

Permission is granted.

“You may go now, my children.”

At that moment, Phoenix’s vision flickered.

“…… What the hell?”

It appeared in a brilliant light.

Not in the natural world.

The landscape of the Arcana continent he had so longed for.

*

Flickering vision.

[The Age of Purity arrives on the Arcana Continent].

[The Natural World – The Realm of Flame is revealed].

[From now on, Fire-attribute spirits in their natural state will appear on the Arcana Continent. The pure actions of the flame-attribute spirits ignite the flames of revival on the Arcana Continent].

Always attitude.

Stiff neck and waist as always.

The wind had me rolling my eyes.

‘Hiel……. It’s you, isn’t it?’

Oh my God.

What did I just see?

First, let’s calm my frightened heart.

“Is this the landscape of the Arcana continent……!”

Phoenix…….

No, it’s a phoenix.

I’m freaked out enough without that.

Save the tears of joy for later.

First of all, why did I answer Hiel’s call?

It was a no-brainer. The [First World Tree Blessing] has a set total amount. Why have I been able to enjoy the effects of the fraudulent First World Tree Blessing for so long?

‘Favoritism that would make an elf shudder.’

The Blessing of the World Tree, which was shared by hundreds of elves, was monopolized by me and Hiel, so I had to be the one to prove it.

‘You might not be able to do it alone, Hiel.’

At first, I thought it was a good idea.

[※Warning: The field is currently hostile to you].

The field is against me. I was faced with something that would have freaked out an AAU player. To use a metaphor, I was trapped in an extremely malicious dungeon or labyrinth.

In short, everything I touched, saw, and felt was against Hiel; indeed, it was the power of the spirit of nature itself.

‘And so I thought.’

Tooth for tooth, eye for eye.

I had no knowledge of the {Nature} powers of the spirits.

I gave Hiel, a spirit like Phoenix, a task that was not a task.

‘However, this is not what I expected…….’

It’s a strange growth spurt, isn’t it, Hiel?

So, to use an analogy.

It wasn’t enough to break down the wall.

It’s more like a butterfly has emerged from its chrysalis!

‘And through a chrysalis of immense thickness.’

Why, Hiel, whose reflection and alter ego had made her even more exalted than the Spirit King, but now, with this proof, she seemed to have surpassed even that.

The proof was in front of me.

“……this.”

The Spirit King of Flame returned to his human form.

Phoenix regained his composure.

He turns to face Hiel.

“Spirit King of Flame, Phoenix asks you for forgiveness.”

He drops to one knee and bows his head.

It wasn’t just Phoenix.

According to the system message that never lies.

“I’m sure it’s not just my eyes seeing that……?

Countless lower, middle, and higher spirits.

The Spirit King of Flame, all the spirits of flame under the Phoenix.

They stood in front of Hiel, bowing their heads.

‘As expected, you are better than me, Hiel.’

So the {World Tree Wrath} is real?

It can’t be.

All of this was just a rant from my snout, which didn’t want to say a word. But even if it didn’t exist, it was Hiel who took care of the situation as if it did.

‘If I do this, I’ll just have to escape from the chrysalis.’

Of course, my chrysalis is made of iron, and it’s even harder than Hiel’s. I have a feeling I’m still a long way from escaping on my own…….

‘Anyway, thank God.’

Proof is bullshit, but at least I’m not going to get burned to death.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

To Phoenix’s plea for forgiveness, Hiel responds.

“I’m not the one you should be asking for forgiveness from.”

……But what’s with this ominous feeling?

Seug.

The infinitely loyal gaze of Hiel turns to me.

“It is to the Lord who has bestowed his blessings upon me.”

No, you know right, Hiel?

I’m not an asshole who takes credit for other people’s accomplishments!

And I’m sure the Phoenix will give me a good headache for being so fiery and human…….

“Share the blessing……. So that’s what imperfection is all about.”

……what?

“Forgive me, Claudi, for not recognizing the blessing of the World Tree after witnessing it.”

Dude, don’t just convince me that you’re plausible.

‘Seriously, no good can come of it.’

A lesson I’ve learned from too many of these situations.

As long as I’m with Grandfell, I’ll have a temper.

When it comes to getting involved with someone, there’s always going to be a problem.

Furthermore.

‘You’re from a dysfunctional family, aren’t you?’

It was the genealogy of the world’s greatest dysfunctional family.

We haven’t even dealt with the Evil Dragons that devoured the evil fruit yet.

If we get involved with the spirits, we’ll be…….

‘Paimon, we don’t know how it will turn out.’

An unpredictable mindset.

Paimon was the one who protected Antonium from Liu Zunqun so that my entry into the Demon World wouldn’t be delayed, so it wouldn’t be strange if he crushed the spirits that appeared on the Arcana Continent for the same reason.

‘So please, don’t shake the snout.’

That was the moment I prayed fervently.

……Flashed.

My vision began to flicker once more.

[You have succeeded in the quest.]

[You have succeeded in the quest.]

[You have succeeded in the quest.]…….

I see.

They’ve all been watching our proof.

And it wasn’t just [Hidden Quest: Proof of Flame].

They witnessed the way you treated the Phoenix.

You might say that further proof is pointless.

However…….

One.

This time with a different meaning.

One is empty.

[Hidden Quest: Proof of the Earth.]

Oried, the Spirit King of Earth.

Oried wants to prove the blessing of the World Tree.

Overcome the trials of Earth and prove the existence of the World Tree.

-Natural World: Enter Earth Realm. (Failed)

Earth Spirit King, Oried.

One Spirit King is still in Hiel.

That is, she denies the blessing of the World Tree.

I don’t know why, but I didn’t want to say anything.

This was not my purpose in the first place.

My reason for summoning the Spirit Kings through Hiel was simple. I wanted to find the spirits who had been caught up in the Prototype Rift and had gone missing, as they were the ones who had heard the news from the Arcana continent.

As such, I could not overlook them.

Quest Failed.

New and updated quest objectives are below.

-Fusion Intelligence: Defeat Yugweed Lupeng. (Ongoing)

I hissed coldly.

“It’s time for you to prove yourself.”

Fused Intelligence.

Yugweed Lupeng.

I wonder why this quest objective came to mind.

An uncontrollable surge of magic surged through my body.

“Convince me without a single question, Oried.”