Elvenguard’s Conference Room.
The elders gathered there sat in silence with serious expressions.
A scroll of paper circulated among the elders’ hands.
Only after the priestess, Mia, unfolded it and reviewed it did one elder finally speak.
“What do you think?”
“One thing’s for sure… It’s not an existence of our world.”
“I agree.”
“Same here.”
The elders nodded in agreement, revealing their shared thoughts.
The dungeon, which was situated at the roots of the World Tree.
Upon dissecting the corpse of the spider monster that had appeared inside…
The forensic team presented evidence that this monster came from another realm.
It was a somewhat expected event.
Dungeons were inherently places that summoned creatures from other worlds.
Thus, it wasn’t exactly surprising news.
“Now, does that mean sentient beings are crossing over from that world…?”
Aside from being the only unique interdimensional sentient being observed so far,
the only things popping out of dungeons were mindless, inferior monsters.
Even the most intelligent among them would only be a goblin.
However, the spider monster that emerged from this dungeon was different.
It communicated in complex languages and employed lethal tactics.
It seemed that the spider monster was the one who designed the dungeon.
It set traps to lure in people and even fed captured people to other monsters.
The more survivor testimonies were heard, the more one would shudder at the spider monster’s cruelty and high intelligence.
“It’s possible that several others have crossed over. The spider monster might have been one of them, and maybe it was just unfortunate to get caught.”
“In this case, the spider monster is large and has an alien appearance, but if a monster resembling a human or capable of disguising itself as one appears, it would be a serious problem.”
“So, there’s a possibility that they could be infiltrating society outside the dungeon…?”
The expressions of the elders darkened further.
The deeper they probed, the more severe the situation became.
Since the large mercenary groups had launched and joined forces,
dungeons had merely become glorified vending machines that occasionally spat out monsters and mana stones.
But with the emergence of a being like the spider monster, the story changes.
Now, they were consuming the World Tree for some undisclosed purpose,
and were powerful enough to actively hunt people.
“This is like…”
“Doesn’t it feel like an invasion?”
Invasion.
At that word, the elders shuddered.
Everyone was thinking the same thing.
Could it be that the dungeons were not blessings created by the gods,
nor accidental emergent events,
but rather a stepping stone for an invasion from another world?
“I will label this as a top-secret matter.”
“That would be wise. If it gets out, it will undoubtedly cause massive chaos…”
Rumors become falsehoods, and falsehoods turn into malevolent rumors, plunging citizens into a chaotic mess in an instant.
To prevent such an occurrence, it was best not to spread any potential sparks of rumors in the first place.
“Should we keep this a secret from other countries as well?”
“Of course, we should – it’s important information!”
“No. I’ll share it with foreign governments.”
“Priestess, what do you mean…?”
All eyes turned to Mia, who broke the long silence.
Sharing a top-secret piece of information from inside Elvenguard with other countries was unthinkable.
The society of elves is small.
Unlike the human, beast-folk, and dwarf populations spread across the continent,
Elvenguard is the only large city entirely made up of elves.
Even when combining its population of 100,000 with the scattered elves around the world,
it may barely total 1 million.
A million is about the same as the city of Cologne in the Holy Kingdom; enough said.
Given such a small elven society, it had historically been insular.
Even a minor leak of information could have fatal consequences for the entire race of elves.
Simply put, Elvenguard could easily face destruction from a single sabotage exploiting its weaknesses.
Thus, it had always been a closed-off society.
Naturally, the elders’ backlash was fierce.
“This is ridiculous! You must know that information is a tremendous weapon and shield for Elvenguard!”
“This matter is different. The fate of the entire world is at stake.”
“The fate of the world…?”
“It has been revealed that there are not just signs of an invasion, but that an invasion is already in progress. So far, it’s only been a single spider monster making an attempt to seize control of the World Tree, but the next attack will likely be harsher. They’ve become aware that we’re onto them, and may launch a more aggressive offensive. If the humans aren’t prepared by then, they will inevitably crumble. If the entire world falls into the hands of interdimensional beings, what purpose will Elvenguard serve alone?”
“…”
At Mia’s declaration, the elders’ expressions relaxed.
She spoke some sense.
Mia’s warning was far from irrelevant.
It was a matter that truly indexed the fate of the world.
It was not an exaggeration but an objective fact.
“The priestess is correct. This is an issue that requires close cooperation between countries. It would be wonderful if all of this were just our over-exaggeration… but if it truly is an invasion from another realm, calamity will be upon us. There’s nothing wrong with being prepared.”
“Yes. There might also be information about sightings of other intelligent monsters. If we are to prepare, we’ll need to gather information in one place.”
It seemed the conclusion was approaching.
It was already decided that they would share information.
The remaining issue was simply with whom to share and which countries to leave out.
There was even a suggestion to form a joint coalition.
Naturally, they couldn’t finish making a decision in a single day.
However, given the urgency of the matter, they resolved to immediately share with the Magic Tower, the Holy Kingdom, and four other great nations.
Decisions on sharing information with other countries would come in due time.
“What on earth is going on…?”
After the meeting concluded,
Mia walked alone down the now darkened path, letting out a sigh.
Darkness loomed over the world.
At first, she thought it was just a series of unfortunate accidents hitting Elvenguard.
But now, as she considered this might be the signal of a grand calamity, she felt goosebumps all over her body.
“What should I do now?”
Mia slowly climbed the stairs that had formed at the base of a tree.
And then stepped into the wooden cave beyond the curtain.
After walking inside for a while, a large chamber soon revealed itself.
The newly discovered eye of the World Tree.
It was a space where the World Tree could see, hear, and communicate directly with the priestess.
In this eye of the World Tree, mana stones were embedded everywhere, creating a solid barrier.
No one could invade anymore, nor could they manipulate the eye of the World Tree.
It was akin to fixing the barn after losing the cow, but she was relieved that it was repaired even if it was after the fact.
“You seem to be in good condition.”
Mia smiled gently, stroking the wall.
Previously, she had experienced splitting headaches from the World Tree,
but since Yoo Jin had visited, that pain had completely vanished.
It was so quiet now that it almost felt strange, as if the headache had never existed.
“Well, I occasionally suffered, so it wasn’t a big deal, but… I’m truly glad the World Tree is no longer in pain.”
She had long known what the cause of the headaches was.
They had started after the dungeon was created, so she figured they were linked to the dungeon.
But after the Great Mage was defeated in the dungeon, she had almost completely given up on it.
She never imagined that Yoo Jin would take care of it so easily.
He probably didn’t even realize how thankful she was.
He couldn’t even fathom the magnitude of what he had accomplished…
“Eh? Another prophecy already?”
At that moment, a clear voice rang in Mia’s head.
It was a signal that it was time to issue a prophecy.
Mia, though puzzled, readied herself with a straight posture to accept the prophecy.
“Why is it coming so often…?”
It was a strange occurrence.
Prophecies from the World Tree usually came once a year.
Yet, she was already receiving the second one just this month.
Perhaps the world’s situation was increasingly tense, leading to more prophecies.
Anxiety crept over her even further.
“What will it be this time…?”
The moment Mia closed her eyes to concentrate,
the will of the World Tree gathered at her fingertips, flowing into her body.
Soon, that will began to assemble, taking on a shape.
It was the priestess’s role to express this shape in human language.
Mia began to decipher the World Tree’s meaning, translating it letter by letter.
In a pivotal moment that determined the fate of the world, what prophecy would the World Tree…
“The priestess’s… marriageable age… has come…?”
The interpretation finished.
As she combined the three words she had just uttered,
Mia’s face instantly turned red.
“World Tree?! What the heck is this supposed to mean?!”
Ignoring Mia’s fierce anger,
the light, almost hum like melody of the World Tree echoed through the chamber.
*
“Hasn’t it only been a few days? Why does it feel like it’s been forever since I’ve been to Basel?”
This time, the 13th attempt was a speedrun.
A speedrun without a second coin.
So, it was imperative to manage time more strictly now.
Minimizing the travel route.
Reducing wasted time to the bare minimum.
So, the agenda for today and tomorrow is as follows.
First, I’ll stop by Basel to drop off the raw Black Mana Stone with Tay.
While the work is in progress, I’ll head to Cologne to meet Cornelia.
Then, I’ll return to Basel to collect the processed mana stones.
The schedule is quite tight.
And what comes next?
That’s the problem.
It’s set that I’ll be reorganizing everything for two days in Basel and Cologne,
but I still have no idea where to go next.
‘Having too many options is a problem. Talk about decision paralysis.’
Of course, it’s not that I can’t find a place to go.
It’s just that there are so many that I can’t figure out where to start.
I rushed to Elvenguard to prevent the corruption of the World Tree,
but what’s the next urgent matter?
The Belfast Academy?
The Sacred Knights?
Clockwork City?
Or perhaps the Saint Francesco Maritime Fortress?
This is maddening.
They’re all so far apart I can’t visit them all at once.
I think I need to contemplate this for the next couple of days.
“…Yoo Jin. Up. Hurry.”
“What, why? It isn’t time for the water to come down yet.”
“…Still. I’m anxious. Hurry. Up. I want a lift.”
“What are you anxious about? I’ll carry you when the water comes down.”
“What’s anxiety is anxiety. It’s unavoidable.”
I tried to quietly consider for a moment, but couldn’t hold back.
Mi Jeong tugged on my sleeve, whining.
It feels like she’s been more vocal lately.
“Ugh. All right, Up. Climb on.”
“…Okay.”
It’s a bit of a hassle, but I don’t dislike it.
It means I can look after Mi Jeong’s comfort.
It’s much better than her sulking silently and causing trouble later on.
‘Speaking of which, I haven’t told Tay my real name yet.’
Thinking about it, all my other allies are aware of my name.
Mi Jeong, Cornelia, and even Mia.
But Tay still knows me only by a pseudonym.
Looking at it, I feel like I’ve neglected Tay.
Perhaps we seem mentally distant.
‘Do I even care?’
Just as I pondered and took a step forward,
I heard Mi Jeong’s mouth drop open next to me.
Soon, my own jaw dropped.
“What on earth…”
It should have been around here where Tay’s workshop was located,
but the workshop was gone and in its place stood a towering building.
