This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Sorry for the delay. It was my birthday yesterday, so I couldn’t upload on time. 🙏🏻
Apologies for not informing earlier, and thanks for the understanding.
Happy reading!
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Chapter 47: Leafanel's Green Key (2)
“Achoo!”
Upon entering the dungeon, a strong sneezing fit overwhelmed him. Thinking quickly, Baek Yu-Seol put on his gas mask.
‘Oh, pollen allergens.’
He couldn't recall the exact name, but players often referred to it as pollen allergens. It caused characters to repeatedly sneeze, interrupting their actions and leading to precarious situations.
Fortunately, he had prepared multiple gas masks in advance.
"Oh, how beautiful."
Since he had never been here before, he vaguely imagined it would resemble a cave. However, the blooming petals emitting a verdant light created a dreamlike atmosphere. Among them were the writhing leafanel roots, the monsters of this dungeon.
These roots moved swiftly and flexibly, strangling and draining the life force of their victims. Fire was their obvious weakness, but it was not as simple as dousing them with oil and igniting them.
Unless the fire was magically generated, plant-based monsters wouldn't burn easily.
That was why he turned to alchemy.
Of course, as an accomplished alchemist, it was possible for Baek Yu-Seol to instantly combine gunpowder and magic to create powerful explosives. However, he didn’t have enough mana to unleash offensive alchemy.
What he intended to do was simply throw a level 1 firebomb, which might be bothersome but could still be helpful in its own way.
Moving stealthily, as soon as he spotted a wandering leafanel root, he took action.
Crash! Whoosh!
Kyaeeek!
He swiftly threw the firebombs.
"Woah. It sounds like it's screaming."
As soon as he confirmed the Leafanel root’s agony, he used Flash to approach and swung his Teripon Sword. However, before he could land a hit, the creature lashed its head like a whip.
"Ugh!"
Swiftly, Baek Yu-Seol flashed upward, planting his feet on the branch, and then propelled himself towards the leafanel roots, aiming the sword at it once again.
With the creature momentarily losing track of his position, he managed to strike its middle. Despite the intensity of the strike, the rebound almost caused him to lose his grip on the sword.
'Why is this thing so strong?!'
He quickly tumbled backward, and in order to not give the creature any opportunity, he used Flash diagonally without hesitation.
The roots immediately lunged to coil around his body, but he rolled on the ground to evade them and seized the opening to strike a spot with a blue mark.
Fwoosh!
...
Fatally struck at the weak point, the roots slumped, losing their strength.
[You’ve obtained EXP.]
"Phew... Well, at least it gave me a lot of EXP."
The danger level of the leafanel roots was about 3, and indeed it was highly threatening. In reality, it would be impossible to hunt even a single one if he confronted it directly.
It was thanks to the gas mask that resisted the pollen scattered by the leafanel roots and the forced damage he managed to deal with the firebomb.
Otherwise, Baek Yu-Seol wouldn't have even thought of coming here in the first place.
Struggling, he managed to get up. He’d barely hunted down this one. There was still a long way to go.
Baek Yu-Seol continued the dungeon exploration for about three more hours and achieved the feat of defeating a dozen or so leafanel roots.
"Cough! Damn, I'm exhausted."
He sat on the ground, changed the gas mask, and sipped water through a straw connected to a water pouch.
Baek Yu-Seol’s upper body was covered with makeshift armor made from Leafanel roots, utilizing the blueprint and materials he had prepared in advance. It was a method that players in the game often used. He decided to try it himself, and it proved effective.
Leafanel roots had a tendency to attack and coil around the upper body of humans and hesitated to initiate an attack if they sensed their kind. Even if they did attack, they would momentarily hesitate, or thanks to their tough body, he could avoid taking significant damage.
In fact, there were a few instances where he miscalculated the cooldown of Flash and would have been in big trouble, but thanks to this armor, he managed to survive unscathed.
Looking at the time, it was already past midnight and was now Saturday. Baek Yu-Seol’s goal was to fully conquer the dungeon by Sunday, and for that, he needed to hurry.
"Sigh… Let’s go again."
Staying up all night hunting in a game and doing so in real life were different things.
Moving the character with the mindset that he could just resurrect even if he died made him feel like he could move lightly, but in reality, a single mistake would be fatal.
As he continued hunting, he could feel his body getting stronger, but his mind was gradually becoming exhausted. It was inevitable that his stress would reach its peak due to excessive concentration.
"I'm dying..."
Baek Yu-Seol collapsed at the entrance to the boss room and gasped for breath. He couldn't hunt down all the leafanel roots, but he had taken care of all the obstacles blocking the shortest path to this boss room.
After all, his goal wasn't the small fry but the divine spirit, Leafanel, located deep in the dungeon.
"Phew."
He drank a vitality potion to slightly relieve his fatigue and then reached out his hand to open the door. He had come with this purpose and couldn't afford not to make proper use of it.
[Entering the dungeon's boss room.]
With a heavy creaking sound, the massive wooden door opened, and a gentle breeze brushed past his cheeks.
Swish!
A full moon more magnificent than the Earth's moon hung in the sky. The stars adorning the night sky cast a dreamy glow in the flower-studded field.
Beneath the vast flower field where the moonlight scattered lay Divine Spirit Leafanel. Imprisoned in a timeless stillness, the spirit, trapped in eternity, had her hands folded as if in prayer, her body translucent as she knelt.
She was even colder and more ethereal than the moonlight, filling the flower field with a bluish hue.
At a glance, she might seem like an ordinary ghost praying, but that was the form of a divine beast on the verge of transforming into a spirit.
Divine spirits were the most mysterious beings in the world. They were pure souls that had trained for hundreds of years and finally attained enlightenment, transcending into new existences. In the Aether World, such beings were not abundant.
However, the presence before him was not a perfect spirit.
This woman had her heart stolen just before becoming a spirit, making her forever frozen in that state. Now, she was nothing more than a plant.
Nevertheless, she was still a spirit, so when he entered her presence, an immense pressure of mana would surely bear down on his entire body.
Taking a deep breath and gathering his resolve, Baek Yu-Seol took a step towards the flower field.
Thud!
"Gah...!"
As if being trampled by an elephant, the pressure crushed his body. It was so intense that it felt like his skin might burst, and despite reading the warnings to always wear high-level protective gear, he was currently completely defenseless, stripped of even the leafanel roots armor.
He was bearing the pressure purely with his body in order to overcome it.
‘It seems like my mana leakage syndrome is holding up to some extent...!’
With great effort, step by step, he walked forward and collapsed onto the ground. At that moment, he had only one thought.
‘Fuck.’
Even trying to get up and placing his hands on the ground made his joints creak.
"Ughhh!!"
But since he couldn't give up there, he forced himself to muster strength, and at that moment, the pressure decreased ever so slightly.
Baek Yu-Seol’s body was resisting the pressure of this spirit!
Indeed, even in death, a spirit was still a spirit, as evident from the pressure emitted at the moment of dying.
However, in the end, he succeeded in raising his body. Energy flowed through his every muscle, and although he couldn't store mana, he could vividly feel the blood vessels that carried mana throughout his body becoming more active.
"Haha."
In this pressure, he stood up.
With this pure accomplishment, he could feel joy.
[EXP for the ability ‘Mana Leakage Delay' has increased.]
[Stats have increased.]
This place was the cherished training ground left behind by the spirit for one of the mysteries of the world that even the most skilled mages couldn't uncover—the mana vein.
It was a mystical place where even ordinary training could yield tens to hundreds of times greater effects.
Furthermore, thanks to absorbing the energy of the spirits, affinity with nature increased tremendously. It would undoubtedly show great effects in the upcoming Familiar Contract Ceremony.
‘But before training…’
With great effort, Baek Yu-Seol lifted his foot and took a step.
Step by step, he finally reached the spot where Divine Spirit Leafanel was sleeping and reached out his hand towards the branch hanging beneath her wrist.
[Obtained hidden artifact, 'Vengeance Branch.']
‘Yes!’
He finally acquired the desired item, the ultimate hidden artifact that would be most effective against the boss of the eighth episode, Maizen Tyren.
[Vengeance Branch]
[Rarity: High]
[Description: Grudges never fade with time; they only grow stronger.]
[Special Function:]
[▶ Vengeance Branch]
[Inflicts the vengeance debuff on the target upon initial contact.]
[Upon second contact, the "Vengeance" explodes, dealing damage. It inflicts significant additional damage to those with the dark attribute.]
[The damage of the vengeance accumulates each day and can be stored for up to 3 months.]
[If the target has a danger level of 6 or higher, the damage may be halved.]
[(Usable once)]
"As expected..."
Even under the crushing pressure on his body, he could still smile.
Although it might not seem like much for a superior-grade artifact, it was truly extraordinary.
With a perfect accumulation of vengeance over three months, he could bring down Maizen Tyren, who would awaken as a dark mage, in a single strike.
It was a shame that he could only use it once, but if such a scam artifact could be used multiple times, then there would be significant issues.
‘Now that I have obtained the artifact, it's about time to…’
Baek Yu-Seol carefully placed the branch and intentionally laid it down on the ground. It was to fully experience the pressure throughout his body.
He had no intention of doing anything particularly special. He simply started basic bodyweight exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, and squats. The efficiency of those exercises would multiply in this place.
"Ughhh...!"
Enduring the excruciating pain as if his bones and muscles were about to snap, he began the training.
In the central region of the Aether continent stood a towering giant tree: the Primordial World Tree, known as the Tree of Celestial Spirits.
As the heart of the continent, the backbone of the world, and the source of life, this world tree was surrounded by the Primordial Mountain Range where the fairies gathered and established their territory. It became the Kingdom of Elves, the Cradle of Celestial Spirits.
And a ways from the Cradle of Celestial Spirits, on the highest peak of the Primordial Mountain Range, stood an empty fortress. This old and worn-out fortress seemed unfamiliar in this space filled with nature, yet strangely, it perfectly blended and harmonized with the surroundings. At a glance, it would simply appear as a tree among the trees.
At the top of that ancient fortress stood someone. It was a space engulfed in darkness. Faint sunlight seeped through the cracks of small windows, making for a truly eerie sight.
Despite the angle where the sun could not possibly reach, the sunlight somehow managed to illuminate the interior of the fortress, as if searching for someone.
"Mmm..."
As if stimulated by the dazzling light, the woman lying there like a sculpture raised her head. Then, snow-white hair resembling the snowflakes of the Primordial Mountain Range cascaded down her neck.
As she opened her golden eyes, they sparkled like starlight. If someone were to see those eyes, they might lose their senses, completely drawn in by the beauty that seemed too overwhelming for any sentient being to handle.
High Elf King, Florin.
Due to her excessive morning drowsiness and low blood pressure, even after waking up, she stared blankly at the small window without fully regaining her consciousness. However, as a sensation brushed past her chest, Florin suddenly raised her head.
"This is...!"
Her long-time friend, the thousand-year old spirit, Leafanel, had been sleeping in the secret garden. Someone had entered there. No one should have been able to go there.
'No one should be able to go there now, so who on earth...?'
Setting aside how they managed to use the key that was thought to have disappeared, she became even more curious about who had used it. She hurriedly approached the door and spoke.
"Is anyone out there?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Although the attendant replied, she quickly regained her composure and lowered her head deeply.
"... No, please go back to your duties."
Leafanel was currently in an extremely vulnerable state. She couldn’t entrust matters related to Leafanel to anyone else, even if they were a loyal servant willing to sacrifice their life for her. However, she herself was confined to this narrow space and was unable to take a single step outside.
Her alternate name was Face of Death. It was an infamous nickname given to her because anyone who saw her face, even once, would suffer from a debilitating illness and eventually die within a few months.
‘I have to endure.’
She had already lived for decades without showing her face. She could go outside by covering her entire body with magically-coated masks and robes, but even that had a limit of one hour.
If her face were exposed for an extended period, the curse would immediately take hold.
That was why she restrained herself from going out as much as possible, but she couldn't just stay still over such a matter. She didn't want to witness innocent people looking at her face and succumbing to madness and death.
Besides, she would inevitably have to reveal her face as a queen during the upcoming World Tree Ascension event. At that time, she would go out and see for herself.
So until that day came, she decided to wait patiently.
Determined, Florin gazed out of the window, where the warm sunlight caressed her cheek.
There were reasons she lived in such a dark and remote place. It was to avoid any chance of someone accidentally seeing her face while she slept or went about her daily life.
"Sigh..."
Florin leaned against the wall with a melancholic expression. Her last outing was eight years ago. It had always been like that.
Every time she ventured outside, fate never left her alone. She wasn’t born like this. It happened at some point, as if a curse had been cast upon her.
‘When will I be able to freely roam around...?’
She didn't know why nor how to solve it. So she calmly accepted her fate and endured each day, simply hoping for the day when she could be free.