Episode 159. Blessing (1)
United States.
The AAU West Branch is in an emergency.
Branch Manager Jim Joshua.
Even at midnight, the lights in the branch manager’s office were not turned off.
Our boss isn’t that kind of person…
“Overtime? The world’s burden, Joshua?”
It was Jim Joshua who talked about that guy’s war label not only on Thursdays with regular updates, but also when urgent updates came to mind.
Besides, today is Friday.
What kind of wind blows the nobleman, who would normally be enjoying Friday night on a private yacht?
“What do you think of Katrina?”
“huh? What did you say?”
“No Jim. You are not that kind of person.”
“boss? Well, I wonder what it is.”
“Your reaction is so bland.”
On the other side—
the man rolled his head while sucking on a straw.
Surely there must be a reason for that.
“Did you go to Korea on a business trip? Both West and East.”
“Yes, it was a branch manager-level meeting.”
“…But isn’t that a bit strange?”
“what?”
“No, if it’s a branch manager-level meeting, you’ve been doing well with video calls. But suddenly on a business trip abroad? And that, of course, across the Pacific Ocean to Korea? Is there a reason for that?”
If I had to point out the reason, there was one thing I could guess.
“…Is it because of Lee Ho-yeol?”
Lee Ho-yeol in Korea.
Because there was Lee Ho-yeol who cleared the London Dungeon Rift.
However, it’s not once or twice that Lee Ho-yeol has cleared such a crack. Business trips weren’t enough, so I had to work overtime when I came back. It meant that there was no reason to make a fuss.
“Did you hear anything bitter at the meeting?”
“who? our boss? to whom?”
“No to anyone. It’s no different from a person who came out to play from work hours in the first place, right? I was just fooling around and trying to please the high-ranking people…”
Talking
behind the scenes of the boss.
While the topic was about to pass naturally.
The man’s eyes changed.
Katrina Why did you want to answer without a soul?
“What are you beating so much about?”
“Oh this? No big deal.”
“It’s not a big deal every day. Can I take a look?” The monitor came in at a
glance
as Katrina pulled back her chair.
To be precise, I saw the pictures floating on the monitor.
the man asked.
“…Wait, isn’t this London?”
“That’s right.”
“Where are you going to collect the pictures of the Aquariu oak trees and use them?”
Arcana’s developer history before the cataclysm.
Thanks to AAU, the name of the tree was belatedly known to the world. Katrina, who was typing information about an oak tree because the picture wasn’t enough, shrugged.
“No, I don’t mean to use it anywhere.”
“It’s not going to be used anywhere, so you’re organizing it with all your heart? I’ll keep it a secret just tell me What hypothesis is this time?”
“Um, yes. good.”
Click—
the dragged typing part.
The man read the text carefully.
“Aside from needing a lot of water, it has no special characteristics…. Is it a characteristic to have no characteristics? I wrote down even such trivial information.”
“Because it’s definitely different.”
“Different? what?”
“It does not match the testimony of Londoners.”
…Wait a minute.
There was no need to turn on the Internet and search for articles on the Internet.
The news about London has been heating up the media for the past few days.
“Didn’t you say that you felt something like warm vitality?”
“It wasn’t just a feeling, it was a definite effect. that.”
“yes. Because he said he had a message for the player.”
Thinking that far, I could understand why Katrina was collecting pictures of trees.
The man lowered his voice and whispered.
“So this isn’t your average Aquariu Oak?”
Katrina nodded.
‘I’m not going to tell you at this stage.’
If it’s a tree related to life force…
at least in Katrina’s memory.
Only one such tree came to mind in the world of Arcana.
world tree.
Of course, I did not mean that the hundreds and thousands of Acqualiu oak trees blooming in London were world trees. It’s just that one characteristic of life force overlaps.
But there was another point of contact.
‘This is Lee Ho-yeol.’
Because Ho-yeol had a past where he sprouted the seeds of the world tree.
Katrina thought seriously.
Is it correct to see this as a mere coincidence?
Above all, London’s Acqualiu oaks did not grow by themselves. Spirit Highel. Because it bloomed through the ability of Lee Ho-yeol’s Contract Spirit.
It would be difficult to pass it on as a coincidence.
Of course, there was no evidence of that.
Lee Ho-yeol: It’s not like I can ask him calmly.
However, as it was then, one thing is clear.
Now that the world tree is involved.
That ‘the tribe’ will not stay still forever.
Katrina drove out the saboteurs.
“Come on now, get out of the way.”
“No, so is this all? What hypothesis do you have?”
“I have nothing to say at this point.”
“…What is that annoying tone of voice?”
If that species appears in reality through a rift.
That wave would be hard to imagine. Even when Arcana was just a game, it had enough ripple power to shake the world with just rice cakes.
Katrina shrugged again.
“Well, let’s talk about it for now.”
“What is that meaningful line again?”
“Because it seems that the day will come soon when there is no time to rest even if I want to rest.”
“…A real joke ahead of the weekend!”
*
Time should have been fair to everyone.
For the elves who lived through the eons, time was just passing by. It was the same with the demonic eyes that appeared in the night sky instead of stars.
It’s just that the night view has changed, just like the seasons change with the passage of time.
“It is meaningless.”
Eternity-like years have passed, and the emotions of the elves have become dull.
Demons who jumped out of the demon realm.
The lives of Arcana Continent suffering from such demons.
From the elf’s point of view, it was a daily routine no different from usual.
It was because, from their lofty eyesight, humans and demons were inferior without much difference. The same goes for war. In the first place, the Arcana Continent had never ceased to fight.
“However, your mother seems to have a different opinion from us.”
Sisley, home of the elves.
The world tree was in the place where the gaze was directed.
The World Tree, losing its vitality and collapsing.
It must be because you felt the crisis and scattered the seeds all over the continent.
It was really incomprehensible.
“It’s just a passing thing.”
Even in front of the world tree mother, there was no humility in her eyes.
“You are weak, Mother of all.”
A strong wild presence that remains around the World Tree.
Like them, it was the energy of a dragon that enjoyed eternity. to sow the seeds. Did he even open his hands to the cheeky lizards?
The corner of the elf’s mouth twisted.
“I understand what your mother means. But I cannot follow that will.”
Elves declared in front of the World Tree.
“Aren’t we old enough to be swayed by your old age?”
That day, the elf rebelled against the will of the World Tree.
Endangered Continent?
What do you mean?
Whether the ant nest is destroyed or the king of the ants is changed.
It has nothing to do with us in the slightest.
As I said, time was generous in front of us.
Looking back, everything was pointless.
‘Cause it’s just a thing of the past
It was.
Feelings that have been blunted over a long period of time.
All that remains is arrogance.
There was no pride or nobility among the elves.
However, the appearance of the offspring.
There was no way my mother could stand still and watch.
Even if it’s a body that loses vitality and collapses.
“?!”
Changes were immediately noticeable.
The generous time had begun to flow. Fatigue accumulated in the body, which had not lost its vitality, and the mental strength, which did not even need rest, began to creak.
The elves had a hunch.
“Damn it!”
The world tree took away the ‘blessing’ from them.
How could a mother abandon her child?
I couldn’t understand it at all.
“why!”
to have been blessed.
It meant blessing someone else.
But no matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t see it.
Even if they went against the will of the World Tree.
Those who would be blessed on their behalf did not exist on the continent.
Because all of them were unqualified.
In front of the falling world tree, the elf let go of his head and shouted.
“Mother, do you really have pity for humans? What makes humans different from demons? Their nature is no different from that of demons. It means that the pain now is nothing more than the karma accumulated over the years!”
However, no answer came from the World Tree.
“…we foolish people cannot understand.”
They lost their blessings and lost their eternal life.
I couldn’t relax any longer.
It means that I can’t just stay in Sisley like I am now.
“We must find out who the people who took our blessings were. We will see with our own eyes to see if he deserves that blessing.”
if you don’t deserve it.
A collapsing world tree.
I will reap it again in place of you who are old.
A blessing that would be absurdly over-delivered to scumbags.
“You may trample on anything that gets in your way.”
The elf’s departure.
even in the eons of time.
Something that had never happened before was happening.
*
…I feel a sudden chill.
Is it the aftereffect of walking around in the rain?
I wondered if my body aches were rising.
[Warmth] There’s a buff, how could that be?
It must be because of my mood. It’s because of my mood.
‘Besides, I came here doing something worthy of resentment.’
It must be like a bomb has been dropped on AAU ahead of the golden weekend. Even if I think about it myself, it is a nuclear bomb level declaration. Everyone would have never thought of the AAU Yusura branch, right?
“Harmony is more important than anything else.”
A spatial rift in [『Giggy』].
Of course, it is a law to fight with giyi.
In fact, the information about the Arcana continent was sufficient even now.
Because I had an ally who was strong enough to make my vacancy disappear.
mage tower.
Knights of the Lionheart.
Shadow Mercenaries.
League of Explorers….
From the Arcana forces that are hard to list.
Even the players, including the giant coalition.
That too by field.
So I didn’t expect much from AAU.
In the first place, AAU acknowledged their limitations long ago.
all i want is just
Information about the ‘Arcana Continent Electric’.
More precisely, it was information about the Arcana system.
‘The system does not lie.’
Like it or not, wasn’t it me who risked my life to prove that fact? Thanks to the [Title] system, there is no surer proof than the fact that he died on the Arcana continent and was resurrected in reality.
“So nothing can be neglected.”
It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the middle of a long time.
Holy war, of course.
In order to save reality from the erosion of Arcana, the system must also be accurately understood.
In that sense, the information from AAU, who was the developer of Arcana in the past, would be of great help.
‘Actually, I didn’t have to go all the way to the Yusra branch.’
How could this guy’s lofty pride choose an easy path?
“You can only see things as they are when you look at them from an equal position.”
…But again, I can’t complain because it’s not just wrong.
Let’s assume that information is received through AAU.
Possibility that someone will pass on distorted information?
The garage is full.
Why are the eyes from the meeting still clear in my memory.
If I had been a little foolish, I would have been talking all sorts of bullshit.
But like them, the AAU Yusra branch.
So, if I become a branch manager.
You don’t have to worry about that. The reason why AAU, which has intertwined interests from all over the world, has been maintained so far is because of the mutual checks of the branches.
‘Besides, AAU has some allies.’
Starting with Baker, the head of the London branch.
It is said that there are people who have changed their minds about Grandfell’s theory of pride.
Of course, there was no reason for my proposal to be rejected.
There is a give and take in everything.
I was also thinking of providing information about the Arcana continent to the AAU side.
“It’s not just them.”
No, to all who participate in the temple to be precise.
In reality, it was because of the tiring pride that he did not hide anything because he was confident. What is the reason, it is up to you to add. Anyway, this wasn’t the time to waste time like this.
—Train your weakened body. (Repeat) ▲
Run 40KM (success)
3000 push-ups (success)
2000 pull-ups (in progress)
1000 burpees (in progress)
Increased physical training requirements!
It has come to the point where multitasking is necessary to fill the daily training load. Why do you have to cram the knowledge of magic books into your head while exercising?
Damn, before I even start, my eyes go far…!
If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have invested points in [Strength] and [Agility].
But complaining is useless.
As long as pride exists in the heart.
I’ll finish any fitness quest while drinking hot green tea.
So let’s not talk and let’s get started.
One, two…
“It’s a magic circle. An interesting form of interference.”
…one thousand.
1000 burpee tests (successful)
…but what is this.
My physical training wasn’t enough, so I skimmed through the contents of the magic book.
You don’t feel fatigue in your body or brain…?
I thought it was because of the increased stats.
This wasn’t a change that could have been possible just by increasing his stats by a few points.
‘There must be a reason…?’
I checked the status window and was horrified.
[The first world tree blesses you.]
…Wait a minute, that ridiculous blessing was a permanent buff?
