episode_0052

Central Mist Forest.

The unidentified World Tree.

Though already dead, the creature that tried to devour my avatar by moving its roots.

“I will talk to this guy.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

Shayella expressed doubt.

It was an attitude that could not agree with my words.

To that creature, it must have seemed like the World Tree had attacked me.

But I heard it.

The desperate voice that reached me when the roots of the World Tree touched and merged with my avatar.

Was it really trying to attack me?

“It seems like we can communicate.”

“Are you crazy? Did you forget that it just tried to swallow you?”

“When the stem touched, I heard the voice of the World Tree. It was an incomprehensible sound that finally appeared, but it didn’t feel hostile.”

“…A voice? Why?”

“That’s what I need to find out now. How did a dead creature move and speak to me?”

“No! It’s dangerous.”

As Shayella said, the World Tree is dead.

Even when I examined it with my senses, it was the same. This tree died a long time ago.

But it’s okay.

“You’re here. If it seems dangerous, protect me like you just did. Then it should be fine.”

“Protect you? What…?”

“If it wasn’t for you in the first place, I wouldn’t have come here. I trust you.”

“…Hmph! That’s obvious.”

Shayella agreed more easily than expected.

So there was no need to hesitate. I slowly approached the place where the World Tree was.

Thud.

Stopped at the point where I was attacked earlier.

Then I spoke to the tree as if asking it to listen.

“Old World Tree. Don’t touch my body with any intention. Or there will be a way to kill you.”

There was no response.

I wonder if it understood my words.

It’s time to find out now.

Thud.

Took a step forward.

Since there was no sign of danger, I took two more steps forward.

Still, without stopping calmly, I walked five steps ahead.

“You coward.”

Shayella came up beside me, saying that.

She clenched her fist as if she would destroy the entire ground if I made a mistake.

Reliable.

The protection of the goddess.

There was nothing unusual.

Perhaps it understood my words.

Approaching the World Tree cautiously, I came to its very front.

Within arm’s reach.

Swoosh.

Without making contact with the creature, I extended the stem hidden in my clothes with my fingertips to make contact with the World Tree.

I felt it.

How massive this tree is.

How small and insignificant I am.

I could clearly see that the World Tree extends all the way up to the sky.

At the same time.

“…I apologize for the rudeness earlier. I was too surprised and happy to pull you in without permission. Please, come to me. Another great being.”

An unknown voice was heard.

I instinctively realized.

The owner of the voice moved the World Tree, but it’s not the World Tree.

I immediately asked about its identity.

“Tell me who you are.”

“You will find out when you see me.”

Swoosh!-

A passage leading into the tree opened.

Surprisingly, there was space inside, like my home.

“Oh? This is similar to you?”

“Maybe someone is inside. They’re asking for me to come.”

“The one who attacked you?”

“Well, it didn’t seem like the purpose was to attack. We’ll find out once we meet.”

However.

Is it really right to go in?

What if it’s a trap, and the moment I enter its territory, it tries to devour me?

…Does it matter anyway?

This is my avatar, and I have the ultimate weapon.

The creature spoke to me, standing there dumbfounded.

“Hmm? Acting like you’re going straight in, but are you actually scared? Then trust me! You can definitely handle this.”

Kong kong!

He thumped his chest.

Every time he tried to help, his nonchalant attitude was no different from usual.

The tension naturally eased.

“Alright.”

It should be fine.

Somehow, it seemed like he kept relying on him, but there was no one as reliable as him.

Swoosh.

He stepped inside.

The pathway leading into the giant tree alone was quite long.

He stepped deeper inside.

*

Inside the ancient World Tree.

Unlike my home, there was nothing decorated here.

It seemed like the interior space was just carved out, almost like a cave.

Dark and gloomy.

Eerily quiet.

It was the interior of a dead tree.

Thud.

Upon reaching the center, the pathway ended, and a slightly wider space appeared.

There must be the owner of the voice here.

Pah!~

Shaela used magic to illuminate the space.

A space smaller than my home was revealed.

“…You’ve arrived. I’ve been waiting.”

In the middle, a female elf appeared.

For some reason, her lower body was buried in the ground, and her extended arms to her back were fused with the branches of the ceiling in a bizarre manner.

With black-green hair and pale white eyes.

An uncomfortable valley was felt.

Shaela and I simultaneously expressed our thoughts.

“A strange elf.”

“Looks like a fascinating undead.”

A strange elf fused with the dead World Tree.

Not an ordinary elf, but seemed to be of the level of a divine tree elf like Illian.

However… it felt like half of her was dead.

He introduced himself without hesitation.

“I am the first seed of your mother. Miguna.”

“Are you talking about the dead World Tree here?”

“Yes. It’s a story that’s already been told for hundreds of years. That she died.”

“So… have you been like this for hundreds of years? How are you still alive?”

“As you can see, I am sustaining my life here according to your mother’s will, using this place as nourishment. Once this mission is complete, I can peacefully die.”

“Will?”

“Inheritance. The new Creator. I have been waiting for you.”

“Me?… What kind of title is Creator?”

“It’s the name before the World Tree. Creator, Tree of Creation, World Tree, Divine Tree, etc. Since the beginning of time, it has been passed down, so I prefer the name Creator.”

“…My name is Muchan. Call me that.”

“Yes. Lord Muchan.”

“So, what does inheritance mean?”

“Exactly as it sounds. You wish to inherit all the power and mission of my mother. Only then can you destroy this tower.”

“Destroy the tower?”

A grandiose story.

The subject of futile hope.

Suddenly talking about destroying the tower.

“Interesting story. Go on.”

Swoosh.

Shaela sat on the ground and urged the elf who introduced herself as Miguna.

“Yes. My mother-”

Miguna unfolded the story of the past.

Surprisingly, a tremendous amount of information poured out.

The name of the World Tree that Miguna served was Atalisha.

Hundreds of years ago, when the tower was absorbing multiple worlds and causing havoc, Atalisha rescued someone and fled to the 0th floor dump.

Originally a barren land, with Atalisha’s power, it turned into a forest, and she made the forest vast and expansive so that no one could find her, creating numerous monsters along with the mist.

In other words, Atalisha was the origin of the Misty Forest.

“After that, my mother drilled holes in various places of the dump, forcibly expanding the entrances, and secretly extended her roots to multiple levels of the tower… but powerful beings who noticed this came down themselves.”

“So, is this tree dead?”

“Yes.”

In summary, it was a story about the dead World Tree, who died while trying to destroy the tower.

It seems that Atalisha was quite threatened, as a high-ranking being came down directly.

However, there is one question in the story.

“Who was the being that Atalisha saved?”

“I don’t know well, but Atalisha referred to that person as a benevolent god. Now, we don’t know where they have gone.”

“Huh. So, I’m a being like that.”

Shaela interjected.

Her ego seemed to have inflated.

Then.

“Follow my example and follow me!”

She said, laying out her calm words.

Swish.

“Huh?”

Turning his head, he ignored the elf and urged her.

“How do I inherit? Do I just swallow this tree?”

“Well….”

Migna’s expression darkened slightly.

She seemed to be burdened with quite a lot of worries.

“Munchan is still young. Atalisha has supported a world for hundreds of millions of years. You wouldn’t be able to handle that power.”

“Hmm?”

“I felt it briefly when I touched you earlier. Munchan’s true form is much smaller than my mother’s. Surely you are the owner of a small world that has not been born for thousands of years.”

“Thousands of years?”

“Yes. You look that young.”

“……?”

What is this.

Did I misunderstand?

I was just an ordinary young man, and it hasn’t even been a year since I turned into a plant, but thousands of years?

Was I losing my mind?

“Hahaha!! You are too generous to this guy. Munchan is just a little sprout that hasn’t even lived for decades.”

Shaela explained amusingly on behalf of him.

Migna widened her eyes at that.

“What, what is that supposed to mean? You can’t grow that much in just a few decades!!”

“Heh. I raised you, so it’s natural. And it hasn’t even been a year since you became a plant.”

“That’s ridiculous…. It’s unbelievable. What kind of… No, what exactly are you?”

“I am the goddess Shaela. I am Munchan’s owner!!”

“Really!!!”

No….

What kind of conversation is this?

Shaela may have helped, but wasn’t most of the growth my doing?

Why does she keep putting me down?

“Hey. You would have died if it weren’t for me.”

“Hehe. That’s why you got the best owner.”

“Why are you my owner? Are you my daughter born from the fruit then?”

“What, what!?”

“Your logic is like that now. You were born again after you died, so we are the same age.”

“That makes no sense!!”

“Anyway. That’s the context. Right now, what you’re feeling is what I’m feeling.”

“Grr.”

This guy is a goddess.

He’s really a clueless guy.

At first, he was so gentle and cute….

“Haha, okay. I understand. You both are amazing beings.”

Migna intervened amusingly.

And then, they returned to the main topic.

“If what you both are saying is true… Munchan will soon become an even greater being. Please come back then.”

In short.

Come back after you’ve grown.

Then I will pass on the inheritance.

That’s what they said….

“Can’t it be now?”

“There are remnants of the broken Atalisha here. If you touch it carelessly and the remnants wake up, you will be swallowed.”

The moment I heard that, I understood.

The true nature of the strange unease I felt here.

Underneath this, there are remnants of Atalisha, and if I touch it wrongly, I will be swallowed.

I was on guard against that.

It is clear as I enter inside.

Underneath this, there is a huge anger of Atalisha’s remnants sleeping. Just being here makes me feel like I could sympathize with it.

I briefly imagined.

If I were to ignore the warning and absorb this tree….

Atalisha is a much older real World Tree. Even if it’s just remnants, it might explode with rage and leap towards me.

Sometimes you realize before you even try.

Neatly gave up.

“I’ll have to come back later.”

“Yes. It’s a wise choice. However, I believe that time will come soon.”

Honestly, I don’t really know Atalisha’s mission.

It’s just a futile hope.

But the power itself will be a great help. If absorbed properly, I might be able to fight against the city.

This is enough of a harvest.

A trump card has been obtained.

“Please accept this before you leave.”

Swoosh.

Migna sprouted a stem from the ground.

It looked like an ordinary stem, but there was an unknown subtle power to it.

“What is this?”

Shaela answered.

“A dimensional stem.”

“Dimensional stem?”

“We had those in my world too. There were three dimensions, and we could easily travel between them using the World Tree. It’s just a stem for piercing through different worlds. This must have been one of them.”

“You are correct. This is the stem Atalisha used when she came here. I thought it might help with your growth, so I wanted to give it to you.”

Thud.

Accepted the staff-like stem.

Just touching it gave a strange feeling.

A stem that pierces through worlds.

It’s a story that doesn’t feel real at all.

But… if I were to absorb this, could I possibly learn how to escape from the 0th floor?

Maybe I could also manipulate dimensional stems.

“Thank you. I’ll make good use of this.”

“Yes. My business here is done. I look forward to meeting you again.”

“Wait, I’ll give you a gift too.”

“Yes?”

Swoosh.

I took out a strand of my own stem and made it into a staff, offering it to Migna.

“Why is this…”

“It seems like you’re just accepting things. I have nothing else to give. Just play with that. Bring your friends next time.”

“……”

“You won’t accept it?”

“I will accept it.”

Swoosh~

Migna’s stem took my stem.

That’s it.

“I’ll be back soon. As you can see, I’m getting stronger quickly.”

“Yes… I’ll be waiting.”

Shaela bid farewell to Migna by touching her forehead.

Thud.

“Take care. Strong-willed elf.”

Swish.

Fwoosh~

“Ah… this warm energy…”

“You’re holding on well, but hold on a little longer. As that guy said, I’ll be back soon.”

“…Thank you. Unknown goddess, please return safely.”

“Shaela.”

“I will remember.”

It looks cool at times like this….

Swish.

With that, we turned our bodies towards the outside.

It was an unexpected big harvest.

Migna preserved some of the power of the dead World Tree, and although not immediately, I was able to inherit that power. So I need to quickly grow to be able to absorb Atalisha.

“Are you going to absorb it as soon as you go back?”

Shaela asked while looking at the dimensional stem, and I casually raised it.

“Of course. You never know. This might help me escape from the 0th floor.”

“Hmm~ That would be interesting, wouldn’t it?”

Chatting with Shaela, we returned home.

Leaving Migna behind, staring at our backs in silence.