#60. To the Third Floor

#60. To the Third Floor

“Yaaawn... Mmm...”

It was about ten minutes after receiving the World Tree's secret reward that Iris opened her eyes.

I pulled the still-sleepy Iris, who had no idea what had happened, into my arms and began racking my brain over our plans for the future.

The things I had to do from now on could largely be divided into two categories.

1. Stop the war with the Northern Empire.

2. Overthrow Resilia and either put Iris back on the throne or bring the current tyranny to an end.

As expected, not one of them was easy.

The first problem was item one. War was, by nature, a matter in which countless interests were intertwined. Since the Northern Empire was a superpower, stopping a war that had already begun would require an overwhelming justification everyone could accept.

No, even if there were such a justification, would they actually try to stop the war?

‘Of course not.’

The Northern Empire was clearly serious about this war, as could be seen from the fact that it had declared war in the first place. It was not only certain of an overwhelming victory; it had probably already finished calculating the benefits it would gain from the war.

I had to assume that the situation had already reached the point where the war could not be stopped through normal means.

But if you asked whether I should simply sit back with my arms crossed and watch from the sidelines, the answer was no.

There were roughly two ways to stop the war.

The first was to kill all the Northern Empire's top leaders and thereby stop the war.

‘Impossible.’

Of course, I wanted to do that if I could, but it wasn't a realistic plan.

Even if I somehow found a way to kill them and managed to stop the immediate war, it would only provide an excuse for a new war in the future.

Besides, if the narrative that ‘Pelledia is a country that assassinates high-ranking officials of enemy nations whenever things don't go its way!’ spread, it would do nothing but harm Pelledia's international diplomacy in the long run.

“Mr. Hyeon-woo...?”

As if on cue, Iris opened her eyes again.

“You're awake? You can sleep a little longer.”

“Hehe, then please hold me tighter.”

Perhaps because she was still drowsy, Iris had become unusually clingy, so I gently embraced her.

The other way to stop the war was Iris herself.

More precisely, it was Iris with the power she had possessed in her prime.

I heard that Hanael, who had dealt with dozens of magical beasts with a single spell, had even defeated the Ice Golem alone after I passed out.

If it was Iris, who had reached the great realm of the eighth circle—one step beyond a monster like Hanael—her very existence would surely serve as a deterrent to war.

Two hundred years might not be a particularly long time for an elf living an ordinary life, but for humans, it was long enough for more than two generations to change.

Naturally, it made sense that the fame of Iris, the former queen, had faded across the continent.

‘The Northern Empire must have started this war because it knew Iris was gone.’

Of course, this method was impossible for now as well.

The biggest problem was that I had no way to remove her restraint.

The World Tree had said that the artifact on the third floor would allow us to leave this place, but that removing the restraint was a separate matter.

[Ashen Knot]

The World Tree had said that the restraint wrapped around Iris's ankle was an artifact used in ancient times.

It boasted overwhelming capabilities, granting even stronger restraint to those with great power, and the World Tree had concluded that it could not be removed by ordinary means.

It had added that the artifact known as the ‘Ashen Flame’ was absolutely necessary to undo the ‘Ashen Knot.’

The problem was where that Ashen Flame artifact was located.

Things would have been much easier if the World Tree had told me that as well, but it had vanished after merely saying that the Ashen Flame was necessary, so I had no idea where it was for now.

In the end, I would have to go outside and search for it myself. Easier said than done, since I had no idea how long it would take.

“Iris, do you happen to know where something called the Ashen Flame is?”

It was easy to foresee, without even looking, that the Northern Empire would not need much time to assemble an army after declaring war and invade Pelledia.

I couldn't afford to waste too much time searching for the artifact in a situation like this.

If all else failed, my final option was to return to Earth, even if it took several years, and obtain a sacred relic capable of breaking the seal.

Even if I had to steal it.

“The Ashen Flame? I know about it. I heard it's in a temple in the Kingdom of Santala.”

“...?”

What was going on? There was no way the world would be this kind to me.

***

From the moment I learned the location of the Ashen Flame, my course of action was practically decided.

“I'll be back.”

“...You mustn't push yourself too hard.”

“Of course.”

When I told Iris that I was heading back to the underground dungeon, she embraced me tightly for nearly thirty minutes with tears in her eyes and told me all sorts of things.

That I shouldn't get hurt, that I should be careful, and so on.

“As long as I have you, Mr. Hyeon-woo, I'd be happy even if I could never leave this place.”

Perhaps Iris thought that my going to the underground dungeon was her fault, because her voice was heavy with guilt.

It was both adorable and touching.

It meant that she loved me that much.

I had received more love from Iris than I deserved.

“Iris.”

I lightly kissed Iris, whose eyes were red, at the corner of her mouth.

“Do you know what I want most in this world?”

“...A harem?”

“...”

No, that wasn't it...

“When you came up from the underground dungeon, you smelled strongly of other women, too. About four of them?”

My vision spun.

That was proof my pupils were trembling.

‘But I definitely took a bath...?’

And four? The only women I had met were Cheon Yeo-hwa, Choi Hye-na, and my master.

At most, there was Hanael, but with her, I hadn't even had physical contact—we had only exchanged a few words.

“Hehe, you don't have to look so serious. I heard humans are monogamous, but elves are mostly polygamous because our birth rate is low and there aren't enough men.”

Good heavens. Elves really were the greatest race in the world.

“But there is a clear distinction between a primary wife and secondary wives, you know?”

At that moment, I felt a chill run down my spine, followed by cold sweat pouring down my body.

Instead of her usual soft and warm gaze, she fixed me with a look even colder than the one she had worn when the World Tree descended upon her.

“Concubines are fine. We won't be living together anyway, and you need to have some enjoyment, too. But a wife is different. You understand?”

“...Yes.”

Thus, after receiving a farewell that wasn't quite a farewell, I headed toward the underground dungeon.

As I descended the stairs, I suddenly opened my palm and saw that it was damp with cold sweat.

Only then did I realize that Iris wasn't merely kind and gentle.

If you asked whether I was unhappy about that, the answer was absolutely not.

If anything, I was glad to see this new side of Iris.

Especially the part where she firmly claimed the position of primary wife.

Even as I descended the stairs, the unfamiliar side Iris had shown me refused to leave my mind.

If I had had the time, I would have spent several more days with her, but now that I knew war was right around the corner, every minute and second counted.

I hurried down the stairs, and it didn't take long to reach the bottom.

When I arrived at the first floor, the familiar yet unpleasant, eerie air brushed against the tip of my nose.

[Mana Detection]

Thanks to the elixir, the limits on my mana capacity had been broken, so it was only natural that the range of Mana Detection had expanded.

My current limit was roughly a 500-meter radius.

There were several magical beasts, both large and small, within the detection range. The nearest one was prowling less than fifty meters away, but I had no time to leisurely hunt magical beasts now.

As I said earlier, every minute and second was precious.

Securing more time was more important than the coins and mana stones I could obtain by hunting magical beasts.

[Speed Increase (Haste)]

I activated support magic and ran along the map I had made earlier.

Even while running through the dungeon, I didn't hunt any magical beasts unless they specifically approached me.

That didn't mean I could avoid every battle.

Since I had spent time above, other magical beasts had taken up positions in the areas I had mapped, and magical beasts were naturally inclined to kill humans.

There were magical beasts I had never seen before, as well as ones I had encountered previously.

Some attacked in groups, but the magical beasts on the first floor were no match for me.

[You have defeated 2 Kobold Warriors]

[Duplicate Kill Reward: 100 coins]

[You have defeated 3 Skeleton Warriors]

[Duplicate Kill Reward: 150 coins]

[You have defeated the Tentaclipper]

[Duplicate Kill Reward: 50 coins]

[You have defeated the Low Reaper]

[First Kill Reward: 100 coins]

[You have defeated 3 Blade Wolves]

[First Kill Reward: 150 coins]

Of course, that didn't mean the magical beasts on the first floor were weak.

Most were D+-rank elite specimens, meaning they were generally on par with C-rank magical beasts.

Even so, the reason I could leave without a single injury was that I had Gilenium, an absurdly overpowered weapon, and had plastered myself with three or four support spells that an ordinary second-circle mage wouldn't have enough mana to use at all.

With a single slash or a single spell, the magical beasts' heads flew and their bodies burst apart.

But if you asked whether dungeon exploration was completely problem-free, the answer was no.

No matter how much I swung a sword, I was fundamentally still a mage.

The level I had reached was too low for me to escape the fundamental limitation of having a weak body.

If I allowed even one attack from a magical beast to hit me, it would result in a critical injury.

Barrier only blocked attacks I was aware of; it couldn't automatically stop attacks flying in from blind spots.

Even if a battle ended without a single injury, the mental fatigue that accumulated as arrows grazed my side and swords tore my clothes couldn't be ignored.

Even so, I didn't stop to rest along the way.

I couldn't predict how the short rest I took now might snowball into something later.

I didn't want to do anything I would regret for the rest of my life.

Thus, keeping both battles and rest to a minimum, I continued running through the dungeon.

“Phew...”

I managed to cover the distance that had taken me a little over two hours last time in just an hour and a half.

The fact that I was drenched from head to toe in sweat was unavoidable.

I downed a bottle of water, took the key from my inventory, and approached the door.

There was no keyhole on the enormous stone door, but I wasn't worried.

When I held the key to the door, it vanished with a deep rumble, and the door began to open.

An enormous amount of dust blew away in the wind, revealing the familiar stairs once again.

“...I have to go down again?”

I resented the World Tree for not installing an elevator.

Unaware of my resentment, the World Tree had made one mistake.

It had promised to bear my children in exchange for saving the elves, but it hadn't said exactly how many children it could bear at most.

‘I need to make at least two or three soccer teams.’

I doubted the World Tree's belly would ever have a chance to shrink before I died.

***

By the quiet lakeside of a splendid garden.

A woman with vivid green hair was splashing around in the water.

With a bright smile like a child who knew nothing, she ran barefoot along the water's edge, creating such a peaceful scene that merely looking at her made one smile.

“Your Majesty.”

However, the attendant watching the scene from a distance knew.

How insane she was.

“Hmm? Why do you call me?”

“...It is time for the executions.”

“Ah! That's right.”

Once again, as she clapped her hands like a child, the attendant inwardly vented disgust.

The number of her fellow elves who would die by her hand today was too great to put into words.

“Then shall we go?”

The attendant recalled a scene from a fairy tale read in childhood.

Like the Hero of Light who saved everyone.

Please, may the hero who will save our elves arrive in this land.

Resilia, the Traitor Queen