Chapter 114

Chapter 114

It was a name Suhyeok had never heard even once before.

That alone was enough to confirm something.

Arknel knew far more than she was letting on.

Suhyeok slowly approached her.

Resting her chin on one hand as she sat in the wooden chair, Arknel looked at him and spoke.

[ Hmm. It seems your conversation went well. ]

[ I was only half certain about that part, so this is quite a relief. ]

[ It appears the future I saw was correct after all. ]

Her gaze then shifted toward Seong-a and Leon behind him.

She smiled with relief, as though their presence was exactly what she'd expected as well.

[ You managed to obtain both of them safely. ]

[ You've also become an Apostle of the Primordial God. ]

[ It seems your preparations are more or less complete. ]

Suhyeok frowned.

She kept saying things that made no sense.

As if she'd known from the very beginning that all of this would happen.

Even if she possessed the ability to see the future, there should've been limits to how much detail she could know.

World Trees weren't omniscient beings like the Constellations.

They were merely creations born within the Tower.

Suhyeok asked,

"What exactly is this future you saw?"

"You shouldn't be the same Arknel I met before my regression."

"So how do you remember what happened back then?"

When Suhyeok had spoken privately with the Highest-Level Administrator...

With Ruzian...

He'd learned how regression worked.

A single trunk.

And countless timelines branching from it like limbs.

According to that principle, the Arknel standing before him shouldn't remember Suhyeok.

The Arknel he'd met belonged to the previous timeline.

Even if some kind of trigger allowed memories to return...

There was no way she should know this much.

What the hell is going on?

As though she'd been waiting for him to ask, Arknel smiled and rose from her chair.

[ A good question. ]

[ Each World Tree can glimpse the future. ]

[ There are many types of futures. ]

[ Some concern this world. ]

[ Others concern specific beings. ]

[ And some concern ourselves. ]

She walked over to Seong-a and gently stroked her hair.

[ You should already know this. ]

[ The World Tree you encountered while climbing the Tower also saw the future. ]

[ The future it witnessed concerned both you and itself. ]

That was true.

The World Tree Suhyeok had met in the Hidden Dungeon had known that it would die.

It had also known that its death would lead to war.

And that Suhyeok would eventually appear before it through the Hidden Dungeon.

"Then you also saw my future?"

[ I have continuously observed the future of this world. ]

[ But a world can change beyond recognition from even a single action. ]

[ So what I remember isn't specifically the version of you from before your regression. ]

Arknel looked at him.

[ It is simply one future among countless possibilities. ]

Only then did Suhyeok understand.

Timelines branched outward from a single trunk.

And Arknel had looked through those branches one by one.

[ Of course, I too am merely a created being. ]

[ I cannot remember every possible future and act based on all of them. ]

[ Every action creates yet another branch elsewhere. ]

Arknel stopped stroking Seong-a's hair and turned toward Suhyeok.

Their eyes met.

[ But you were different. ]

[ There was one future surrounding you that never changed. ]

"A future..."

"That never changed?"

[ Yes. ]

[ Only your branch remained constant. ]

[ One enormous branch extending in a single direction without even one variable. ]

She smiled faintly.

[ Your regression. ]

The System had said something similar before.

That regression had been one of the choices it presented to Suhyeok...

And that Suhyeok had selected it himself.

Then was my regression predetermined from the beginning?

"...Fine."

Suhyeok narrowed his eyes.

"Then there's something else I want to know."

Arknel picked Leon up and returned to her chair.

[ Very well. ]

[ I'll answer as much as I am permitted to. ]

Leon, held in a rather awkward position, blinked in confusion.

[ W-What are you doing, nya...? ]

[ T-This is uncomfortable, nya. ]

[ Is this related to the future too, nya? ]

Leon remained obedient because he assumed there might be some deeper meaning.

Arknel calmly replied,

[ No. ]

[ I simply wanted to touch you. ]

[ Every time I saw you, I thought your fluffy fur looked pleasant to stroke. ]

[ So stay still. ]

[ W-What?! ]

Leon bristled.

[ Do I look that easy to you, nya?! Hmph! ]

Stroke. Stroke.

After being petted for a while, Leon apparently decided it didn't feel too bad.

He coughed awkwardly and settled comfortably into her arms.

Ignoring him, Suhyeok continued.

"You asked whether my conversation with the Highest-Level Administrator went well."

"So..."

"Do you know something about him?"

"About Ruzian?"

Arknel's expression became serious.

[ I cannot tell you much about his true identity. ]

[ But there is one thing I can say. ]

She looked directly at Suhyeok.

[ Be careful of him. ]

Suhyeok froze.

[ He has been sharpening his blade for a very long time. ]

[ And that blade is not pointed only at this Tower. ]

Her voice lowered.

[ Eventually, its edge will turn toward Players like you as well. ]

"So you're saying I shouldn't trust him completely."

[ Correct. ]

[ Even so, you need him for now. ]

[ If you wish to clear this Tower completely, his existence will be indispensable. ]

Suhyeok asked several more questions afterward.

Some concerned the futures Arknel had seen.

But she refused to answer those.

[ I cannot tell you what future I saw for you from this point onward. ]

[ I can only speak about the established present. ]

[ The future has not yet been decided. ]

[ And if I reveal what has not been determined, I too will have to pay a price. ]

In other words...

Simply speaking about it might erase Arknel's existence itself.

That explained why so many of her answers had been vague.

Then her gaze shifted toward Suhyeok's wrist.

[ That Sacred Relic, though... ]

[ You did well to obtain it. ]

[ I didn't expect you to arrive here carrying even that. ]

Suhyeok raised his wrist.

"You know about this bracelet?"

[ Soon, the Merfolk, Dark Elves, and humans will all gather in one place. ]

[ Naturally, the purpose of that meeting will be to negotiate over Atlantis. ]

[Sacred Relic ‘Bracelet of Atlantis’ reacts.]

The bracelet vibrated again, as if responding to her words.

[ In other words... ]

[ That bracelet will serve as a tool capable of determining the direction of those negotiations. ]

[ What happens after that will depend on your actions. ]

Crack.

At that moment...

The ceiling above them began breaking apart like glass.

It seemed their time was nearly over.

[ Oh dear. ]

[ It seems this is as far as we can go. ]

[ This may be my domain, but suppressing the power of the Constellations alone is still beyond me. ]

Arknel raised one hand.

[ Before you leave, I'll give you one gift. ]

[World Tree ‘Arknel’ awakens a new power within Player Lee Suhyeok.]

[Trait ‘Stigmata (EX)’ obtained.]

[The conditions required to use this Trait have not yet been fulfilled.]

An unusable Trait.

There wasn't even a description.

He'd have to figure it out later.

There's a very high chance this is connected to the upcoming Constellations' Banquet.

Before the ceiling shattered completely, Suhyeok asked one final question.

"Why are you taking such an interest in me?"

"I intend to destroy this Tower completely."

"So it can never do something like this again."

"For you, the Tower's continued existence should be essential."

"Then why are you helping me?"

Arknel's answer was simple.

She released Leon from her arms and slowly closed her eyes.

[ I simply... ]

[ Want to rest now. ]

[ That is all. ]

She smiled faintly.

[ I hope there will be another time when we meet.... ]

Flash.

Three days passed.

The misunderstanding surrounding Suhyeok and the other three Players was resolved without issue after he passed the trial.

On top of that...

Once the Dark Elves saw the mark of the World Tree that Suhyeok carried, the hostility from before vanished completely.

BOOM!

"Hahaha!"

"Is that all the strength you have?"

"At this rate, your legs might start shaking and you'll collapse before me!"

Bong Taesu and Trukal were wrestling in a circular arena built over the sea.

Because Dark Elves valued a warrior's honor much like Barbarians did, contests of strength had become an established part of their culture.

"Hah!"

"That's exactly what I should be asking you!"

"I wonder whether you'll even be able to stand once this is over!"

"Sir Trukal, win!"

"You absolutely have to win!"

"Big human, hang in there!"

"I want to see Sir Trukal lose for once!"

Female warriors, meanwhile, tended to practice archery rather than contests of strength.

Female Dark Elves naturally had broader fields of vision.

Thunk!

"Oh?"

"One hit."

A Dark Elf woman looked impressed.

"You've only practiced for a few days."

"For a human, you have considerable talent."

Lee Yumi swept her hair back as though it were nothing.

"Well, I'm talented at pretty much anything I do."

"A distance like this is child's play."

She glanced at Kim Hyuna.

"Right, Hyuna?"

"Your unnie is already this goo..."

Lee Yumi froze.

Unlike her, who had landed only one shot...

Kim Hyuna had hit the target with every arrow she'd fired.

"Hm?"

Kim Hyuna turned toward her with an innocent smile.

"What were you saying?"

"...Nothing."

Lee Yumi suddenly looked deeply depressed.

"Haa...."

Meanwhile...

Suhyeok and Sella were already waiting aboard the ship.

Leon and Seong-a wandered around the vessel, inspecting everything.

[ Lee Suhyeok! Look at this, nya! ]

[ I have my own space now, nya! ]

[ It's perfect for lying down and eating Churu, nya! ]

"Then I'll lie down next to you!"

"Dad, hurry up and come lie down with us too!"

All preparations for departure were complete.

The Dark Elves had lived on these seas for hundreds of years.

When it came to ships, they were far more knowledgeable than Suhyeok.

They had stocked food.

Prepared replacement parts in case the vessel was damaged.

And modified several parts of the ship to make sure the voyage went smoothly.

"Thanks to you, preparations finished quickly."

"It's nothing."

Sella shook her head.

"You and your companions are guests acknowledged by the World Tree."

Then she asked,

"Where do you intend to go now?"

The gathering Arknel had spoken of would take place in roughly three weeks.

The location would be the central region where the three seas met.

"We'll go to the Merfolk first."

"They're closest to Arknel."

"That makes sense."

"If you leave now, they're certainly the closest destination."

Sella's expression turned more serious.

"But as you already know, the Merfolk are every bit as hostile toward humans as we are."

"Do you think you can persuade them?"

Unlike the Elves, who would naturally view Suhyeok favorably because of the World Tree's mark...

To the Merfolk, he was simply a powerful human.

And before the regression, Suhyeok hadn't developed any meaningful connection with them.

However...

Suhyeok knew something.

The terrible future the Merfolk would soon face.

That would become his way of persuading them.

"I have a way."

"I won't know whether it'll work until I meet them."

"But I think it will."

"That's reassuring."

Sella nodded.

"Then we'll depart tomorr-"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Emergency drums echoed across the entire island.

Someone was approaching Arknel.

An intruder.

Suhyeok and Sella immediately left the central region and rushed toward the island's outer perimeter.

Dozens of ships could be seen in the distance.

WHOOSH.

SPLOOOSH!

A cannon fired without warning.

It didn't even come close to hitting the island.

The shot landed uselessly in the middle of the sea.

Even stranger...

The approaching vessels looked less like warships and more like luxurious cruise liners.

One of the female Dark Elf warriors stared at the flags flying above them.

"...They're human ships."

"That emblem..."

"It appears members of the human royal family are aboard."

"What?"

Sella frowned.

"Why would they suddenly come all the way here...?"

Suhyeok looked toward the ships and smiled leisurely.

"I thought they'd take until tomorrow."

"Looks like they took the bait earlier than expected."

He glanced at Sella.

"Persuading the humans just got much easier."