“…So why are we going there again?”
Yul, the White Guardian of the Herkason Tribe, sighed as he looked at the man with clenched fists.
The man’s name was Myul.
He was a fellow Guardian of the tribe and a user who had been protecting the tribe alongside Yul for a long time.
“Isn’t it exciting? No one else has pulled it!”
…Although now he was almost like an NPC.
Yul, gripping his fists, gave the clueless Myul a sharp jab in the side.
“Yikes! Defense!”
“Don’t block me.”
“Haha! Yul, if you increased your training, you could probably break through that defense! Plus, using Clo is better than your fists…”
“Shut up.”
Yul waved his stinging hand and turned his head sharply.
‘He’s become more of a monster since the lecture.’
Myul and Yul didn’t engage in rank wars as Guardians of the tribe.
But if Myul decided to increase his rank, he could easily reach the top 30.
‘I don’t want to admit it… but he’s on par with the rankers I saw in that lecture.’
Myul had become truly strong after awakening his mana.
“What are you doing here?”
At that moment, a beautiful voice rang in their ears.
It was a voice that was certainly not common but also quite familiar.
“Lily… Miss?”
“Oh! Teacher! It’s nice to see you!”
Lilyda.
Their professor, a celebrity whose popularity made even the Empire step back.
Many adjectives came to mind to describe her, but the most fitting one was ‘beauty.’
With blue hair and sea-like blue eyes, her appearance was so mesmerizing that anyone passing by would undoubtedly glance back at least once.
“Have you been well?”
“Ah, yes! That’s right.”
Yul shook hands with Lily, who extended her hand.
‘…Wow.’
Yul was in awe.
Her hand was soft. Clean. But that wasn’t the feeling he was getting.
‘Strong.’
He felt immense power in the clasped hands.
It was a level he could never reach now.
Would he need this kind of strength to face the Empire?
“We were on our way to pull out the ‘Holy Sword.’ They said it would be given once pulled.”
“Holy Sword?”
“That’s right! Holy Sword!”
Myul nodded confidently.
“Do you know about the World Tree?”
“To some extent.”
“Then this will be quick. The World Tree is a tree with mysterious power and vitality. Its power blesses the countless lives that dwell beneath it, allowing them to grow.”
By merely living beneath the World Tree, they achieved far superior growth than tribes living in other regions.
The term ‘Race of the World Tree’ wasn’t thrown around for no reason.
This is not just for show.
“The power does not merely bestow blessings. The World Tree creates a ‘Child of the World Tree’ at certain cycles, and the holy sword that comes from that child is what we’re talking about. That’s right.”
“…the holy sword.”
Lily nodded seriously.
“Yul and I were thinking of pulling it out. But since we just happened to meet the teacher—huh!”
Myul let out a weak scream as he got poked in the side again.
Yul, who had smacked Myul’s side, glared at him with a scowl, bowing his head.
“I’m sorry. He’s a bit stupid, so don’t mind him.”
“I’m not stupid, Yul!”
“Shut up, it’s embarrassing.”
“Why is that?”
Lily tilted her head.
She had a face that was truly beautifully stunning, but Yul shrugged it off and replied.
“The holy sword can only be pulled out by the ‘Child of the World Tree.’ No matter how strong the power or ability, it’s impossible.”
“Hmm…”
“The holy sword currently stuck there is just decoration for visitors and a means to make money. Of course, it’s not fake, but it’s utterly meaningless.”
A sword anyone can pull out.
A sword of great significance stemming from the World Tree, but the race of the World Tree didn’t care at all.
Even if an evil person came and pulled it out, it wouldn’t matter.
Because the holy sword can ‘never’ be pulled out unless you’re the Child of the World Tree.
“So instead, how about we explore other options…”
“That sounds fun.”
“Yeah?”
With Myul as their guide, Lily smiled brightly.
“Let’s go check it out. See if we can pull it or not.”
—
“Step right up~ It’s not every day you get a chance to pull a sword~ Just 3 gold~”
– I wonder how many suckers will show up this time.
– I can’t believe there are still people here trying to pull that sword.
– It’s definitely profitable. Didn’t they say last time it was about 30% of the Elf Kingdom’s annual budget?
– It would be funny if some human ends up getting kicked out for causing a ruckus.
– Hehe, like that guy just now?
– Right! Someone made a fuss about how this should just be given to their brother…
Following Myul’s lead, a buzz of cheap remarks and chatter came from all around.
No one had the slightest thought of actually pulling a sword.
“Haah!!!”
In the midst of a massive crowd, a burly man exerted all his strength in a struggle with the sword lodged in the ground.
His veins popped, and his face turned red as he tried hard, but the sword wouldn’t budge.
“Enough.”
Finally, someone intervened, and the man stopped his efforts, glaring at a woman.
With platinum blonde hair and green eyes.
She was slender, casually fiddling with the bow strapped to her waist while observing the man impassively.
She fiddled with the bow strapped to her waist and stared blankly at the man.
“Damn it… I can still do more!”
“The challenge has failed. Put down your sword.”
“What? How dare an elf… Am I to be taken lightly just because I’m inside the top 300 rankers?”
The man, a ranker, exuded his energy and spewed evil, but she remained indifferent, merely keeping her gaze fixed on him.
“Your status does not matter. Put down your sword and step back.”
Kiyung…
“If you do not step back…”
As the high elf’s bow erupted with green light, the man flinched and immediately released his grip on the sword.
Her power, which he, as a ranker, recognized all too well.
Had he pushed even a little further, her arrow would have lodged itself between his eyebrows, but luckily, he seemed to regain his senses and stepped back.
As the man fled through the crowd, the elf, looking accustomed to this, called out the next challenger.
“Next!”
[Oh]
[Elf sister]
[W-w-w-what?]
[As expected, an elf is an elf, haha]
[She’s pretty!]
[Looks like there are quite a few just here to see the elf]
[But still, nothing compared to Lily, haha]
[Lily’s on another level]
[Isn’t the elf just a squid to Lily?]
[In front of the great Lily, everyone’s equal, for real, haha]
[The sister is strong…]
“…Indeed. Impressive.”
Not every elf could be as powerful as that high elf, but her strength was indeed formidable.
A strength that could not even be compared to the elves seen in the past.
Just the power she displayed surpassed Blak by a wide margin.
To control countless challengers, she needed to possess at least that level of ability.
“Are you really going to do this?”
“Yes. Doesn’t it sound fun?”
I handed over 3 gold to the hawker who had been throwing cheap lines since earlier and answered Yul’s question.
Yul nodded, looking slightly displeased, while Myul had already drawn his sword, seemingly having applied without anyone noticing.
“Ugh! Green Guardian!”
The green serpent and turtle enveloped Myul’s entire body, bolstering his strength in his arms.
In an instant, his power multiplied rapidly.
But…
“Whoaah!!!”
“Enough.”
“…Tsk. Got it.”
At the high elf’s signal to stop, Myul scratched his head awkwardly and immediately returned to the crowd.
“Failed!”
“What a boast!”
“What was it like? Drawing your sword?”
“Hmm… It was solid! Heavy too. It felt like pulling up a tree.”
[Well, it is a tree, haha]
[Can Lily actually pull it off?]
[If it’s Lily, it’s possible]
[Fact) If it’s Lily, I can just pick it while crying. Anyway, LOL]
[For real, haha]
“I still believe that as a teacher, you can do it!”
Myul laughed heartily, giving a thumbs up.
“It’s quite an amazing way of speaking, isn’t it?”
How much time passed like that?
“Next!”
-1992! 1992!
Finally, my turn approached.
I walked slowly toward the sword.
-Lilyda.
-Wow, it’s Lady Lily!
-What, what! Lady Lily!
-So pretty, seriously.
-Can we draw Lily?
-Aren’t we breaking the sword?
-No way…
There was quite a bit of whispering earlier, but as I stepped forward, the whispering intensified, and more people shoved round cameras in my face.
I had become famous enough that it was hard to find users who didn’t know me.
Residents too began to exchange information or discuss my appearance.
“1992?”
“Yes, I’m 1992.”
However, despite getting right up close, the High Elf’s reaction remained unchanged.
“The maximum time to draw the sword is 3 minutes. However, if I determine that you cannot draw it in time, I will stop it at my discretion. Do you agree?”
“I agree.”
“…Good.”
The High Elf stepped aside.
Now, the Holy Sword stood entirely in front of me.
I had never seen anything like this before, but I had a rough idea of what it was.
‘The will of the World Tree.’
A holy sword made from the pillar fragments of the World Tree, infused with the will of the World Tree itself.
It looked like it was made of wood and dull enough to struggle to slice through paper, but the appearance wasn’t what mattered.
‘The will that ‘the World Tree’ directly enacts.’
Thud.
The sensation gripping my hand felt heavy.
I am not a child of the World Tree.
Thus, the World Tree does not acknowledge my existence and refuses to hear me.
That is the ‘law’ of the World Tree, rooted deep in the earth.
But…
What good is that?
‘Laws are meant to be broken.’
The pure white holy power enveloped my hand, and the blue hair fluttered back, turning white.
And then…
Rumble…!
“…!!!”
The holy sword began to shake.
“Sto–stop!”
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