Chapter 125
I had only just come out of the Tower, but there was no time to rest.
I had far too much to do.
In my hand was the re-entry ticket to a previous floor I'd just drawn from the roulette.
“Let's use it right away.”
There was no reason to put it off.
My target was the 20th Floor—the world of the elves.
But there was one thing I needed to prepare first.
I made a quick stop at home and took out a flag.
The reward from the 40th Floor: five teleport flags.
“If I use one now, that leaves me with one flag left?”
One in the basement of my house.
One on the 40th Floor, where the temple and Sharon were.
One on Teach's ship.
This time, I was planning to plant one at the World Tree on the 20th Floor.
That would leave me with exactly one.
“Should I plant one with the dwarves too...”
If I could mine rare minerals from inside the Tower there endlessly?
It'd be like holding a money-printing button.
“Then I'd use them all up, right? If I need flags on the upper floors later, I'd have to retrieve them...”
Why did the Tower only give me five flags?
They should've given me a hundred.
Then I could stick them all over the world and every floor and use them comfortably.
No, I could even install five inside my house and move between the bed, living room, bathroom, and computer without ever getting up.
That would be the ultimate lazy life.
I clicked my tongue in disappointment.
With all my preparations done, I didn't dawdle any longer and ripped the ticket open.
The status window I'd seen last time appeared before my eyes again.
[You have used a previous-floor re-entry ticket.]
[Which floor would you like to re-enter?]
“20th Floor.”
[Re-entering.]
[If you wish to leave, please press the button.]
[Would you like to exit? Y/N]
My vision shifted along with the familiar message.
Fresh air I'd never get to feel in Korea filled my lungs.
“Phew...”
I spread my arms wide, took a deep breath, and looked around.
The majestic World Tree that nearly covered the sky, and the huts nearby.
Nothing had changed.
“It feels like it's about time they swarmed me...”
Sure enough, the elf children perked up their ears and started running toward me.
“Ah! It's the black-haired older sister!”
“The short-eared elf is here!”
But this time, I wasn't going to get dragged into it.
Because I'm a human who learns.
I lightly tapped the ground with my staff.
Kugugugu!
Bars rose up from the ground, enclosing me.
The children slammed to a stop at the sudden appearance of a cage.
“Wow!”
“How did you do that? Magic?”
“Were you a mage, big sister?”
“...Didn't you see me use magic last time?”
Instead of getting scared, the kids hung on the bars with sparkling eyes.
They really were children, overflowing with curiosity.
At this rate, they looked ready to climb over the bars in no time.
I took out my trump card, Chohogi.
“Here, your friend has arrived.”
The children's eyes locked onto the sand doll flying in the air.
Whirrr!
Chohogi flew into the air, curled its body into a ball, and did three somersaults.
Then it landed gracefully with its arms spread like a gymnast.
“When did it learn something like that...”
It must have watched an Olympic gymnastics event or something.
Still, it had succeeded in drawing the elves' attention.
“Ooooooh!”
“Amazing!”
“I want to try too!”
The kids cheered, clapping like seals.
Chohogi puffed itself up and stuck out its chest.
“Sure, sure. Go over there and play with them.”
At my words, Chohogi grew bigger, then ran off toward the clearing, leading the children.
“Hmm, maybe I should make them a playground later...”
Wouldn't they have fun with something like jungle gym equipment or a merry-go-round?
For those hyperactive kids, I thought something that really sent dopamine surging—like a merry-go-round—would suit them better than a seesaw or slide.
“I'm a little worried about safety, though... I'll ask the elder.”
Maybe elf bodies were much tougher than human ones.
Taking advantage of the moment while the troublemakers were gone, I headed to the elder's house.
This time, I could find it without a guide.
“You've come to visit again, benefactor.”
The elder still looked vigorous.
The moment he saw me, he bowed deeply.
“Nothing's happened, right?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, the World Tree is healthy and the village is peaceful.”
After greeting the elder, I headed to the marker I'd planted near the World Tree last time.
It didn't have a teleport function; it was a small flag I'd planted to gather faith.
When I raised my hand, milky points of light flowed into me.
“That's incredible...”
Maybe because I hadn't visited in a while, or maybe because of the World Tree.
It was about the same amount of power as all the faith I'd gathered on the 40th Floor so far.
I wouldn't have to worry about faith for a while.
Once I was done absorbing it, I replaced the flag with a teleport flag.
“Now I can stop by several times a day if I want.”
At my words, the elder's expression brightened.
“Really? Please visit often, whenever you like. The children will be happy too.”
“The kids? Me?”
“Yes. Last time, after you left, they were gloomy for quite a while.”
“Ah, they probably just like Chohogi more than me.”
“Haha, but that spirit is ultimately part of you, isn't it?”
“A combo meal, huh...”
The elder let out a hearty, good-natured laugh.
I cleared my throat a few times and got to the point.
“Actually, I have a favor to ask today.”
“Just say the word. I'll help however I can.”
A gate-closing scroll.
To make one, special ink was required.
The main ingredient of the ink was the bodily fluid of divine beings.
In this case, World Tree sap would be the ingredient.
“Sap? Of course. I'm sure the World Tree would gladly allow it... Please wait a moment.”
The elder readily agreed and went to get the sap.
I sat down to wait, relieved.
'But last time, there were tower ruins here too.'
Suddenly, a question crossed my mind.
When a tower collapses, a gate appears.
The scene I'd witnessed on the 40th Floor was the same.
There were tower ruins in front of the gate there too.
But here, there were tower ruins, yet no gate.
That meant someone had closed the gate.
Could the elves know that method too?
While I was thinking, the elf elder returned after finishing the sap collection.
“Here is the sap. The World Tree also hopes this will help you, benefactor.”
The elder took out a small glass bottle.
Inside was a clear green liquid.
“Thank you. This should help me solve a big problem.”
“No need to thank us. It's only right. You are now also the World Tree's apostle, after all.”
“Ah, right...”
When I asked whether I could gather faith, the elves were already believers in the World Tree, so it wasn't possible.
Instead, they enrolled me as an apostle for saving the World Tree. Thanks to that, I was able to reclaim the faith today.
I carefully accepted the sap and put it away.
That left just one ingredient.
Before that, I decided to ask about the question that had just crossed my mind.
“Elder, has a gate ever opened here before?”
“A gate?”
Contrary to my expectations, the elder didn't even seem to know what a gate was.
I explained what a gate was.
“Hmm, a hole where monsters pour out...?”
The elder stroked his beard, as if rummaging through his memories.
Soon he nodded and walked over to the bookshelf.
“I definitely remember hearing something like that. Please wait a moment.”
The elder took an old book from the shelf and opened it.
“Here it is. 'When the tower that had polluted the land and people collapsed, a dimensional gate opened.' This was before I came of age.”
“Does it say how the gate was closed too?”
“No, it only says who closed it.”
“Who was it? An elf?”
“No, it was an outsider. Apparently a passing mage. There isn't much detail... It says they closed the dimensional gate with some unknown power and vanished.”
The elf elder stopped there and rubbed his chin in confusion.
“That's strange. If I'd seen such a mage, I'd remember it too.”
“I see...”
It was a shame, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I prepared to head home.
“Thanks for the information. Then I'll be going now.”
“At least have some tea before you go.”
“I'm in a hurry. Well, I'll be stopping by from time to time now.”
After saying goodbye to the elder, I left the house.
It was time to recall Chohogi and head home.
Then it happened.
Wuuung!
The compass I'd put in my pocket started vibrating.
“Huh?”
The explorer's compass, the one that found treasure.
The compass needle spun around, then soon pointed in one direction.
Deep in the forest, beyond the edge of the village.
“What's over there...?”
I thought I'd already found and taken every hidden piece there was.
Apparently, there was something I'd missed.
“If it's real, that's huge...”
With a satisfied smile, I followed the compass into the forest.
After walking for a while, a familiar scene appeared.
An unnaturally huge tree and the sand dunes surrounding it.
It was the house of the magic-carving youth.
“I came here again?”
But I'd already searched this place from top to bottom.
I had even taken the papyrus fragment on the desk already.
“Could the paper have respawned?”
Suppressing my pounding heart, I went inside the tree.
The house was still empty. There was nothing like papyrus inside.
Even after raising Insight Eye's power, nothing showed.
But the compass still wouldn't stop and kept pointing to one side.
“The fireplace...?”
Building a fireplace inside a tree—did he have no sense at all?
If a fire broke out, the whole place would burn down.
The magic-carving youth seemed to have no sense of safety whatsoever.
“Let's see...”
I peered inside the fireplace.
I couldn't find anything.
Only a little ash remained.
But the compass vibrated even more strongly.
“Could there really be something here?”
I picked up a stick nearby and rummaged through the ashes.
Soon, something caught on the tip of the stick.
“Huh?”
A piece of paper that had burned more than halfway through, making the contents unreadable.
And a single seed.
I took out the paper first.
It was definitely the same kind of paper I'd picked up here last time.
“...To think they'd burn something this precious.”
It didn't look like I could reuse the paper.
There was only a tiny husk left.
What a shame. It had been a chance to stock up on precious papyrus.
He was careless about safety and wasteful with resources too. The magic-carving youth must have been raised like a hothouse flower.
I clicked my tongue in annoyance.
“What kind of seed is this?”
A black, hard-looking seed.
It looked ordinary, but the fact that the compass was pointing to it meant it was no ordinary item.
“It's too small to be a World Tree seed...”
When I reached the 11th Floor, I'd once received a World Tree seed as a reward and grown it.
In the end, it had grown to the size of a pumpkin.
There was no way something this small and frail was a World Tree seed.
“For now, I'll have to take it with me and check it later...”
Just in case, I returned to the village and showed the seed to the elder.
The elder frowned as he took the seed.
The elf elder inspected it from every angle, scratched it with his fingernail, and even stuck out his tongue to taste it.
“I have a few guesses, but I can't say for certain.”
“There are plants even elves don't know?”
“How could an elf possibly live longer than the World Tree?”
The elder humbly shook his head.
“In this vast forest, we only possess as much knowledge as a single leaf. How could we dare brag?”
“Hmm... What should I do with this?”
“For now, try planting it. If it sprouts, I should be able to identify it for certain.”
So I really had to plant it to find out?
It wasn't going to suddenly grow into a giant beanstalk, was it?
I nodded and took the seed back.
Now it was really time to go home.
I headed to the village clearing.
I could see the enlarged Chohogi in the distance.
It was still immensely popular with the children.
This time, it seemed to be using its giant body to give them rides on its back, like a slide or a hobbyhorse.
“Peaceful.”
A scene so peaceful it was hard to believe we were inside the Tower.
With the air and weather here being so nice, it felt naturally restorative.
It was enough to make me want to live here after I retired.
“No, there isn't any electricity here.”
There's no way I could live somewhere I couldn't charge my phone.
For a moment, a mage who could charge phones came to mind, but I quickly shook my head to banish the thought.
Retirement at my age? What retirement?
Even the FIRE crowd would find this too hot to handle.
“Chohogi! Let's go!”
At my call, Chohogi made a reluctant gesture, but soon climbed onto my shoulder.
It seemed to know that I could visit often now.
I gave the children and the elder one last wave and then teleported home.
Making the scroll was just around the corner.