Episode 242
“Let’s go.”
Flap—!
The Blue Moon Bird spread its massive wings and soared into the sky.
Hanbit and Charlotte, clutching the feathers on its back, crouched low.
Whoosh—!
A fierce wind raged from the front.
Below, the Forest of Illusions, restored to its original colors, unfolded.
“Black Dragon, are the others alright?”
Charlotte asked, thinking of the twins and Pingpong.
The three of them were left behind in the Elf Forest due to the Blue Moon Bird’s resolute decision.
It was regrettable, but it was also a situation they had already anticipated.
“It’s fine. Once the elves recover, we’ll be able to move by boat.”
The reason the Blue Moon Bird carried only Hanbit and Charlotte on its back was simple.
It was an entity that lent its power only to those who possessed sufficient strength.
Had Hanbit not met the criteria for a mythical beast, he, too, would have remained in the Elf Forest.
Whoosh—! Before they knew it
, they had left the forest and entered the skies above the sea.
It was a considerably dangerous area, but it posed no problem.
Screech—!
Crunch—!
Countless flying monsters appeared from all corners of the sky.
They were all strong enough to surpass the mid-to-late 400s level.
However, they could not approach this place.
Whoosh—
Silver-blue waves scattered from the body of the Blue Moon Bird.
They spread the presence of the mature mythical beast through the air.
Kieck—!
The monsters, sensing the waves, violently flapped their wings and distanced themselves.
A mythical beast capable of instilling fear in mere monsters.
It was akin to drawing out their survival instincts.
Whoosh—!
The Blue Moon Bird, completely unconcerned with monsters, sped up and flew away.
There was no need to double-check its destination.
The World Tree was already in sight.
Rustle—
Branches and lush green leaves covered the azure sky.
The softly melted radiance of platinum gave off a sacred feeling.
"-Wow;
" "-It's damn big. lol
" "-First reveal of the World Tree, wow
." "-Look how radiant it is. "
"-At that size, wouldn't it be fine without a single branch?"
"-Seriously, it won't even be noticeable."
Viewers poured in all sorts of reactions to the awe-inspiring sight of the World Tree.
Talk about the lost branch came up, but it wasn't a matter that could be handled so simply.
"-By the way, aren't you accepting the challenge missions?
" "-I'll probably keep piling them up until the stream ends. Haha."
"Heh, the big picture.
" "Ah."
Hanbit, who had been watching the chat, remembered the challenge missions he had forgotten about.
He looked at the list that popped up and his eyes widened.
"…There's so much piled up."
Black Dragon's stream saw fewer corporate visitors and a surge in viewers.
Now that the audience had well surpassed 100,000, the amount accumulated from small donations alone was substantial.
Hanbit reached for the success button.
Ding-
[You have succeeded in the challenge mission.]
[You have received prize money of 108,203,000 won.]
"Thank you to everyone who donated."
After expressing his gratitude, Hanbit turned his gaze straight ahead.
Perhaps thanks to the speed of the Blue Moon Bird, the World Tree's territory was rapidly approaching.
"Black Dragon, what are you planning to do about the branch?"
Just then, Charlotte turned her head and asked.
For her, as the head of the investigation team, the most important thing was the investigation of the World Tree.
She needed to enter its interior and obtain clues regarding Erfort.
She believed that if she returned the lost World Tree to its owner, she would gain that opportunity.
However, Hanbit’s thoughts remained the same.
“I told you before. You never know how the World Tree might react. It could just take your branches and drive you away.”
“I know there are different personalities. Still…”
Charlotte fell silent after continuing to speak.
She had decided that anything more might feel like coercion.
For the investigation team, which had failed to find any clues, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
She understood her desperation, but it was difficult to offer any certainty.
'I wonder how it will turn out this time.'
To put it simply, Hanbit did not know the certain future either.
This was because she had no idea what kind of personality the World Tree would have to face.
In extreme cases, the correct answer was to run away after exchanging just the first few words.
“There is nothing as tricky as the World Tree. It is an existence I never want to face again.”
The flying Blue Moon Bird also voiced its opinion.
Having originally lived in the realm of the World Tree, he knew more than anyone else.
And Hanbit knew that this mythical beast detested and hated the World Tree.
It would be nice to get help from the Blue Moon Tribe, but that was impossible this time.
Turning his gaze, Hanbit spoke to Charlotte.
“Ultimately, we’ll only know for sure once we meet. And unless absolutely necessary, I’m going to turn the branch back.”
“…Really?”
“So, rest, even if just for a moment. You never know what might happen.”
“Okay.”
Nodding, Charlotte slowly returned to the seat beside her and closed her eyes.
Knowing her own condition better than anyone, she was giving her all, even if it was just for a brief recovery.
‘I want to avoid combat.’
Having expended a great deal of energy today, Charlotte was nearing her limit.
Although she had already set up HP and MP recovery items, that alone wouldn’t solve the problem.
Ding—
Just then, an alarm rang in her ears.
It was a message from Yeonwoo.
「Yeonwoo」
「Hyung, a place presumed to be a restricted zone has been discovered near Belmora. Should we engage it for now?」
‘Belmora?’
The second restricted zone that appeared with the clear of Episode 6.
There hadn't been any news for a while, but it seemed to have been discovered near another starting city.
Turning his gaze, Hanbit opened the community RPG screen.
<Summary of players by faction so far>
<Let's dig into the Black Dragon's episode walkthrough.>
<Anyone want to share ranker Info?>
<Why is the Adult Faction only targeting the Black Dragon?>
<Was the Named Vanguard just the Ordinary? New Ranking System>
The Black Dragon's name appeared frequently in the long list of popular posts.
The post he was looking for also caught his eye immediately.
<Looks like a suspected private area found?>
If you follow the path to the left of Belmora, there's a canyon; I found something like an entrance in a corner there.
The entrance isn't opening, but the general consensus is that you have to do something like the Black Dragon did.
-Oh.
-Are you kidding?
-No, I started in Belmora and there was nothing like this.
└To be precise, there wasn't anything that looked like an entrance.
-Can you find a way to enter?
-Let's just send a donation to the Black Dragon.
-Seriously, if you stir up some trouble, he'll probably translate it for you.
└This guy doesn't know the Black Dragon. You have to scratch the hell out of it to get it.
└Donate 10 million won
, go go -Upvote if you're a Hanam who's going to wait for the guide to come out.
└Okay.
The initial comments posted were nothing special.
However, as time passed, stories that were hard to ignore began to appear.
-Live Broadcast) Rankers are slowly arriving.
-The previous advance party is coming too. Haha
-Look at how many Adults there are.
└Rank 50 popped up.
└What did these guys bring?
└Can you open it even without the Black Dragon?
-First discoverer is wailing.
-Are they really going in?
'It's now.'
Looking at the posting times, these were comments that had just been uploaded.
It was practically a live broadcast from the scene.
And soon after, information followed.
-Huh?
-It opened. *shivers
* -It actually works. Hahaha
-Does the Adult faction get the first clear like this?
-Please clear it quickly so I can… … .
Ding-
While reading the comments, a message popped up along with the alarm ringing again.
It was a golden world message.
[The private area 'The Witch of Sorrow and the Curse' is opening.]
[The first party to enter is given the first chance to clear it; if it is not cleared within the time limit, entry rights will be granted to all players.]
'…They put something terrible in there.'
Hanbit let out a sigh as he read the message.
The Witch of Sorrow, appearing as private area content.
There was only one being in the world that could be described by that word.
Ding-
"Yeon-woo"
"Hyung, the Adult Faction went in first. What should we do? If they clear it first, it'll be a disaster, right?"
Yeon-woo, who had been observing the situation as well, sent a message anxiously.
However, if the Witch of Sorrow was there, there was no need to worry.
'It all connects like this.'
The clear condition for that private area was just one:
to break the curse harbored by the Witch of Sorrow.
To do so, a special item was required.
[Artifact – Seal of Heresy]
Episode 6, which took place in the royal capital of Radianor.
The contract-severing artifact possessed by the exiled Crown Prince Emeter there was none other than the Seal of Heresy.
Only Hanbit could retrieve that item, which even the royal capital had not yet recovered.
That is, of course, provided the current World Tree matter is properly completed.
"Just leave it alone. They will never be able to break it."
Having sent his final reply, Hanbit turned off the community.
It was because there was no need to look any further.
I wasn't particularly interested in seeing the Adult Faction player suffer either.
Flap—!
While time was passing like that,
the Blue Moon Bird's wings had somehow entered the realm of the World Tree.
Rustle—
A mysteriously shrouded light mist and an incredibly mild climate.
The forests, meadows, and valleys spread out below were as mystical as a garden where spirits reside.
"-Wow.
" "-Look at the atmosphere.
" "-This is fantasy.
" "-Editor, please upload this in 4K.
" Whoosh—!
The mythical creature moved its massive body gracefully toward the center of the island.
There, the overwhelmingly massive trunk of the World Tree stood firm.
Flap—!
Gradually heading downwards, the Blue Moon Bird soon landed on the meadow.
It was a landing so delicate, as if trying not to cause any harm.
Ta-ta—
Following that movement, Hanbit and Charlotte also carefully dismounted from the creature's back.
When they looked up, the Blue Moon Bird slowly curled up and said,
"I will rest here. Come back when the work is finished."
"Huh? Aren't you going with us?"
"I am not going."
The mythical beast held its head up with a firm answer.
It was much later that it faced the World Tree again.
“Thank you for your help.”
“…Thank you.”
Hanbit calmly expressed his gratitude, while Charlotte barely managed to retract her request.
Grrr—
In the meantime, the Celestial Tiger that had been in his arms climbed onto his shoulder.
Seeing the small beast, the Blue Moon Bird spoke quietly.
“You stay here too. You won’t make a good impression on the World Tree…”
Grrr—!
Despite his advice, the Celestial Tiger turned away abruptly.
It seemed it had absolutely no intention of listening.
“I will finish the conversation and return.”
Hanbit bid farewell once again and walked away with Charlotte.
Ding—
[Main Quest #9 completed.]
[Progress rate increases.]
[Main Quest #10: World Tree]
With the help of the Blue Moon Bird, we have safely arrived at the World Tree’s domain.
What kind of being is the mysterious giant tree, the World Tree?
Objective: Approach the World Tree and attempt to converse with it.
Reward: None
*Current Progress: 87 percent
. A message popped up, signaling progress.
The word "conversation" felt particularly heavy.
"I’ve come here so many times, yet I haven’t heard a voice."
Charlotte, who had visited this place sometimes alone, sometimes leading an investigation team.
No matter how much she investigated this area, she could not hear a voice.
It was unavoidable unless one possessed a branch.
"From the World Tree's perspective, we are similar to a blade of grass. It doesn't even awaken the mind unless it is a target worthy of speaking."
"I suppose so…"
Charlotte nodded bitterly.
However, as long as the subject was the Great Tree of the World, it was unavoidable.
*Crunch*—the
two approached the trunk and stood at the base.
Charlotte leaned slightly forward and said,
"This is the crest. You’ve heard of it, right?"
"I know it."
Hanbit gazed at the gleaming golden letters engraved on the trunk.
It was the crest he had seen in the cutscene that appeared when he first entered Edlen's Guild.
[He who finds the unknown being Erfort shall earn the right to face the truth.]
Erfort, who stands at both the beginning and the end of the story.
This vividly engraved sentence was the cause of the massive waves that swept through the world.
Unfortunately, it had absolutely nothing to do with the will of the World Tree.
“Put your swords out and place your hands on the trunk. Something will change.”
“…Okay.”
At Hanbit’s words, Charlotte nodded, appearing slightly nervous.
Swoosh—
raising their arms simultaneously, the two reached out toward the tree trunk.
And the moment their palms touched the rough bark.
Gulp—
their vision suddenly wavered, and their bodies were pulled in.
It felt as if their entire bodies were being crushed, even without pain.
This unpleasant sensation was clearly the World Tree’s hostility.
“Charlotte! Cut!”
“Understood!”
The two attempted to shake off the force with the swords they had drawn beforehand.
Just then.
Whoosh—!
Crunch—!
A tremendous gust of wind was felt, accompanied by a deafening roar.
Turning their heads, they saw a Blue Moon Bird, enveloped in a silver-blue aura, stomping its foot on the tree trunk.
“This piece of trash…”
A voice that seemed to be filled with condensed rage rang out low.
*Swoosh*
At the same time, the force pulling the two vanished.
With a cold gaze, the Blue Moon Bird spoke quietly.
“Show your face, World Tree.”
