episode_0061

Global service.

Negotiations on this matter continued.

Even though the Crown Prince was in charge of this part, I was the one who had the final decision-making authority.

I had to coordinate between Amazon, which was in charge of publishing, and the crown prince.

Because of that, I could only do sub-character broadcasts once or twice a week.

But wouldn’t it be enough to turn it on once or twice?

Of course, it was a drop in the bucket compared to the average streaming time at a big corporate party.

It’s not like I’m aiming to be a full-time streamer or anything.

Anyway, compared to the director’s duties, the Inbang was nothing more than a hobby.

Especially judging from the first broadcast and yesterday’s broadcast.

Inbang and I didn’t seem to get along very well.

Doesn’t anything you do become the center of controversy?

Won’t another weird nickname be created?

Won’t you become an object of desire?

Of course, I was originally a man, so it was not that I didn’t understand.

As I said before, it wasn’t something I could understand or be convinced of.

“The servers need to be separated···.”

Currently, love calls are pouring in from Japan, China, and other countries.

Oh, China wasn’t a ‘country’, but a Chinese company sent a love call.

Unfortunately, Akaré was not scheduled to be available in China.

Shutdown system. Game regulation. Unstable economic situation.

Putting all this aside, China has already crossed the line.

What line have you crossed?

It’s a simple story.

When Akare was officially released.

There was a time when capsules that were only sold domestically were exported in large quantities to other countries.

When I personally stepped forward and sanctioned the workshop.

64 capsules that were permanently grounded.

The owner of the workshop handed the capsules over to China.

China has attempted to steal virtual reality technology through these capsules.

Well, China’s economy and gaming industry are in a state of great turmoil.

Even if that hadn’t happened, my choice wouldn’t have changed.

Of course, even taking that into account, the Chinese market was quite attractive.

There was no reason for me to be obsessed with the Chinese market.

Because my purpose wasn’t to make money with Akaré.

I had already made a lot of money in the first place.

“Even areas at war···.”

Russia and Ukraine, both of which were naturally excluded from the service.

war.

Actually, I have been through war.

But it was another world, not Earth.

Rather, because it was another world, I could feel the horrors of war even more.

I never wanted to experience again a war brought about by human greed rather than an object of destruction.

‘Is Earth a little safer?’

Because there are too many objects of destruction.

Rather, the objects of destruction began to suppress each other.

“The following is the Twisted World Tree Raid agenda···.”

The level of the current big business parties was all the same.

Level 78. Almost at the entry level for the Twisted World Tree raid.

Fowler, an elf guardian who made a contract with the fallen spirit king.

Celestia, daughter of the World Tree and friend of the Spirit King.

When the player reaches level 75, he can receive sub-quests from two NPCs.

I was able to gain a lot of experience through this sub-quest.

Usually, from level 60 to 70, you can get there by just hunting or doing dungeons.

It was possible to level up at a fairly fast pace though.

Due to the rapidly increasing experience points starting from level 70.

Among the advance party, the area from level 70 to 75 was called the Wailing Wall.

Once you get over that Wailing Wall, you can progress quickly again through sub-quests.

‘I have to go see a big company party.’

Because I worked almost all day.

Now it was time to take a break.

Even this wasn’t just resting.

Not from the developer’s or director’s perspective.

What the game I made looks like from the vanguard’s perspective.

It could be seen as a kind of additional task(?) to find out.

So, after changing into a comfortable position, I watched Suzuka’s broadcast.

***

“The source of the distortion was… in our elves.”

Suzuka covered her face with one hand and looked at Fowler, who had his head down, with pitiful eyes.

To protect my people from the twisted world tree.

I tried to kill the Creator with my own hands.

A terrible sin. It weighed on Fowler’s whole body.

“Don’t let your emotions get the better of you. Ellie might take control of your body again.”

“···Okay, I understand.”

Fowler took a deep breath after hearing Celestia’s advice and answered calmly.

Corrupted spirits are beings that feed on the impure emotions of intelligent beings.

When Fowler, who made a contract with the fallen spirit king, feels guilt and shame.

The fallen spirit king who read those emotions could take control of his body again.

“I hate dark, closed spaces. I’ll go out first and wait.”

The place where Fowler is currently is a temporary prison created by Celestia.

Even if Fowler’s mind had changed.

He was the one who tried to kill the World Tree.

He was an elf who made a contract with the fallen spirit king.

“Look, I understand your choice.”

“···Is that comforting? If that’s the case, then it’s okay.”

Jjere jjere-

Suzuka shook her head and confessed her honest feelings.

“It was definitely a mistake to make a contract with the fallen spirit king. But it was a decision I made to protect my people.”

“In the end, I couldn’t keep it. I couldn’t do this or that. It became nothing.”

Regret washed over Fowler’s bound face.

“Half a penny. I am neither more nor less than that.”

The moment I made the decision to kill the World Tree, the creator, I was disqualified as an elf.

Even after making that decision, he was unable to protect the elves, so he was disqualified as a guardian of the elves.

As he said, the elf guardian Fowler was nothing more than a half-baked idiot who had no identity.

“Then.”

Looking at Fowler, who was reproaching himself.

Suzuka said softly.

“How about rising again as a Fowler, not as an Elf Guardian or an Elf?”

Disqualified as an elf. Disqualified as an elf guardian.

If you can’t keep any identity, you give up on going any further.

Wouldn’t it just stay stagnant?

“Ahaha···. Me too, what are you talking about.”

“Anyway! Cheer up!”

After offering a word of encouragement, Suzuka ran out of the temporary prison.

“···.”

Fowler stared for a long time in the direction where Suzuka had disappeared.

***

[ Sub-story – Comforting ]

[ Sub-Quest – Complete ‘Elf Guardian’s Atonement’ ]

[Level Up!]

Daehyeop Kim chose that option in a temporary prison.

Since there was only one choice to begin with, I was forced to choose it.

Anyway, after comforting Fowler as per the option.

Daehyeop Kim was released from temporary prison.

[ Sub-Quest – Complete ‘Elf Guardian’s Atonement’ ]

[Sub Quest – Accept ‘Celestia’s Confession’]

[Level Up!]

At the same time, the sub-quest was completed.

A level up message appeared.

With this, Daehyeop Kim’s level is 79.

The situation is that you only need to level up one level before the Twisted World Tree raid.

Meanwhile, Daehyeop Kim’s gaze turned to the side.

“I hated my own kind.”

Celestia, who was waiting for Daehyeop Kim by the entrance to the temporary prison, spoke softly.

“The lump in my heart hasn’t gone away for a long time.”

“···Of course.”

Celestia’s gaze turned to Daehyeop Kim.

“Phew. What’s so obvious? Did you just think I was an ‘unattractive woman’? ”

“Not at all.”

“Really?”

Celestia looked in disbelief.

Daehyeop Kim was sincere.

Spirits and elves.

No race recognized Celestia.

I was ostracized from childhood.

Eventually, she became the target of a witch hunt.

Elf Guardian, Fowler.

As soon as he learned of the ugly history that the elves had been hiding.

I went straight to Celestia to apologize on behalf of the elves.

Of course, it wasn’t a problem that could be solved with just an apology.

“Do you know what I’ve come to realize after wandering this world for so many years?”

“I don’t know.”

“The tragedy is that it is not special.”

Various stories flowed out of Celestia’s mouth.

A country boy who came to the city became a mercenary.

To kill the bandit who defiled his childhood friend with whom he had promised to spend his life.

In the process, the mercenary mistook an innocent merchant and killed him.

The merchant’s son, who witnessed this, began to desire revenge.

In the end, the mercenary succeeded in his revenge, but he became the target of another revenge and died.

A very ordinary story, nothing special.

A chain of hatred. A vicious cycle of tragedy.

Watching the same tragic events over and over again.

Celestia looked back on her own tragedy over and over again.

And finally, Celestia was able to realize.

“I thought I was special.”

“I could freely talk to the World Tree. Because it was the Spirit King’s only friend.”

“Is that why? I didn’t understand my own kind.”

“The World Capital Spirit King also feels sadness, joy, and loneliness. He’s not perfect. He’s just a little more special than us. ”

“But why do their own people take it for granted that they are devoted and obedient to them? I couldn’t understand it because I thought like this.”

“No, I wasn’t trying to understand exactly.”

“So I think the tragedy that happened to me was because I was special compared to other people of the same species.”

“You can’t even save your mother and friends without someone’s help.”

“···Even one of my own people who is suffering and blaming themselves right now.”

The tragedy of the spirits and elves repeats endlessly.

This has been proven by a thousand years of history, and will continue to be so in the future.

But there was one truly special being who brought an end to this tragedy, if only for a moment.

“Did I actually see the hero that day?”

Celestia heard news that something was wrong with the World Tree and the Spirit King.

She overcame her fear of her own kind and headed to Elderheim for a while.

I could see my compatriots who had changed horribly and a wizard who was dealing with them.

The wizard who visited Elderheim put the ‘twist’ of the twisted world tree to rest.

Likewise, the ‘corruption’ that had captured the fallen spirit king was also put to sleep.

Now, a thousand years have passed since then.

Twist is the corruption that has awakened from its long slumber.

Yet there was hope.

This time, there is finally hope to break the vicious cycle that has continued for so many years.

“When I first met you in Elderheim, I was suspicious of you.”

“I suspected you too.”

“Aha! Really? We were suspicious of each other. Well, we couldn’t help but be suspicious of each other because of the Salvation Church.”

Celestia and Daehyeop Kim looked at each other.

“But I don’t doubt you anymore.”

Fowler told the fallen spirit king about the player’s identity.

Celestia heard that story too.

This gave Celestia more confidence in her thoughts.

A stranger walking along the hero’s path.

The player, the protagonist of the Akare story.

Celestia saw the hero’s appearance a thousand years ago.

“Because you overlapped.”

Heroes of a thousand years ago were special beings.

Hero, Aurora.

Even she could not completely end this tragedy.

But now it was different.

Because Celestia, who overcame her past and gained courage, has made up her mind.

“So I’ll ask you formally.”

“Help me.”

[ Sub-story – Help ]

[ Sub-story – Worries ]

At the same time as Celestia’s request, a choice appeared before Daehyeop Kim’s eyes.

There was no need to hesitate about this.

[ Sub-story – Moving to help ]

“I was planning to help you even if you didn’t ask me to.”

[ Achievement Achievement – Celestia’s Special ]

With a system message notifying you of a new achievement.

“Thank you.”

Celestia smiled brightly, shedding tears.

[Sub Quest – Complete ‘Celestia’s Confession’]

[Level Up!]