The Cursed Sacred Tree

Anyway, the Ja-ryong’s daytime drinking incident was resolved as a minor commotion.

The drunk Ja-ryong was, unlike usual, very… adorably violent.

Like a broken disposable lighter, it staggered while puffing small breaths around its mouth, repeatedly hitting its head on the ground.

When worried by that sight someone would lift it up, it would half-open its glazed eyes, recognize that I was the one holding it, then struggle or, in severe cases, tear at its own head.

Then if Lee Hyo-ju or Hazel hugged it, it would purr and snore itself to sleep.

Then it would suddenly jerk awake, lift its head, flap its wings and fly over my head, wake up and tear at its head again….

This repeated.

Again, the Ja-ryong’s daytime drinking incident passed without much fuss for the members.

The whole episode was faithfully recorded in the crystal video orb that Lee Hyo-ju treasured.

Its staggering steps, snoring face, and even the way it tore at my head were all captured.

The Ja-ryong that had drunk during the day was now suffering a hangover, drank a potion, and slumped back asleep over my head.

In the meantime, with the help of Noeaden, the highest-grade earth spirit, the ground around the sacred tree shifted and exposed all of its roots.

Just as I reached out to put the sacred tree into my inventory, a voice reverberated inside my head.

It sounded very tired and worn, yet it wasn’t dull—its voice was clear.

―Is that you…….

“Huh?”

―Thank… you, for saving me from such a long torment.

“Uh….”

With one hand on the sacred tree’s massive trunk and standing awkwardly, I answered awkwardly to the sudden voice.

―You, please make good use of this body that will soon rot away. It feels presumptuous to ask as a favor, but please, my child……

“Uh… uh? What?”

『You have received the World Tree’s blessing. In terrain classified as ‘forest’, movement speed, divine power recovery rate, and fatigue recovery rate are increased. Spirit affinity increases. Proficiency in ‘The Gate—Level 3 [Ex]’ increases significantly.』

Strangely, today has been full of things that leave me dumbfounded one after another: the daytime-drinking Ja-ryong , and hearing the World Tree’s voice.

Most of all, the World Tree’s final words nagged at me strangely.

“Ah, Noeaden. Do you know what the World Tree’s child is?”

―Huh?

―The World Tree’s child?

―For starters, an elf. Specifically a high elf?

―Or maybe……

“High elf?”

―Yes. Beings born from dimension trees are called their children; since the World Tree is a kind of dimension tree, you’d call its offspring a child.

I stared blankly at Hazel. Did she feel my gaze? Hazel, who had been tidying up nearby, turned her eyes toward me and met my look.

At first Hazel looked at me puzzled, then gave a coy smile and blew a hand kiss.

I smiled awkwardly at that, then suddenly remembered the messages that popped up after purifying the World Tree.

‘It definitely said to check something in the inventory….’

I recalled the reward I’d not yet checked because of the Ja-ryong ’s drunken commotion, and went to check.

I scanned the many items in my inventory and slowly scrolled down until I found an object radiating a sacred light.

[Gift Box Containing a Sapling of the World Tree (苗木) [??]]

A young tree left behind when the last remaining World Tree on the continent reached the end of its life.

Above all, although the World Tree of this dimension had been trapped in a terrible curse, considering how long it had survived, planting this sapling that it left with its last strength was likely to trigger something extraordinary.

Effects…?

A delivery box. A common delivery box containing a World Tree sapling. Moreover, the only World Tree sapling.

Seriously, what kind of careless packaging is this?

“There isn’t a World Tree here?”

―There was.

―But it just died.

“So what happens if a World Tree, a proper World Tree, comes back to life?”

―Who knows.

―For one, the elves’ power would probably strengthen.

―Spirits and familiars would also contract more actively.

―Ah, right. Parang, who oversees the spirit domain in the south, would be pleased.

All of that benefits others. Of course there’s also an elf, Cecile, inside the legion, but she’s only one person.

“What good is it for me?”

―Friends?

―Hmm……

―Umm……

―Ah! There is something.

“There is? Oh! What is it?”

―Yes. A modest measure of honor!

So in the end, it’s essentially nothing. Of course, as a representative there will likely be some achievement or effect. And there could be unexpected benefits.

“What happens if you plant the World Tree sapling?”

―First, the area becomes under the World Tree’s protection.

―Yes. Most beings would dare not trespass.

―Additionally, there are various blessing effects. Divine power also becomes calmer.

―Above all, it’s the World Tree. Creatures like us can comfortably dwell there.

Just hearing about spirits is good. There may also be several effects they don’t yet know about.

It’s the World Tree, no less. The first honey pot is even better than expected.

A tree-shaped icon had somehow appeared in an inventory slot beside the sloppily packed delivery box.

I lost count of how many times I read the description after the World Tree entered my inventory. With the sapling beside it, I could return as is and be fine.

However, there were still many empty slots in my inventory.

“I’m still hungry.”

“…Huh? Captain’s hungry? Want this?”

I shook my head at Naruan offering a chocolate with a clear bite taken out of it, and headed to the campsite that had been tidied.

An expansive land stretching out as far as the eye can’t see.

The moment you enter, the sky, the ground, the trees, and perhaps even the wind take on an ominous black hue.

This place is called the Land of Death.

The first thing to catch your eye upon entering, once you leave the forest, is the vast plain that stretches out.

And you feel a peculiar, thick air that tightens around your throat.

“Wow. This place is really… weird.”

It wasn’t that Arun was being foolish when he said that.

Normally, vast open plains that stretch to the horizon make you feel an exhilarating openness, but there is none of that here.

Looking at the blackened earth literally just fills you with a sense of suffocation.

What’s the problem?

It’s the divine power. Polluted divine power that feels dank and reeks.

It’s like opening a fridge to find something watery inside that smells like a rotten onion that’s been there for over six months.

A nauseating aura prickled and seemed to cover my whole body.

“…Purify!”

―How dare you with such deceit! Begone!

As Shumix burned dozens of talismans, the water’s highest-grade spirit, Elastra’s, resolute ‘command’ echoed around us.

Only then did it become a bit easier to breathe, and the party relaxed their shoulders or turned their heads to savor the improved air.

“As I mentioned before, my four spirit friends and I will step in if Archliches, Elderliches, Death Knights, or Skeleton King-level foes appear. Center around Lee Hyo-ju and do well. I’ll be watching.”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

“Above all, protecting your comrades comes first. Don’t forget.”

The members nodded resolutely once again.

Not long after we finished preparations, as if they’d been waiting for us to be ready, an undead legion appeared.

Another name for the Land of Death is ‘the Kingdom of the Dead.’

This is partly because it used to be the empire’s capital, but it also means that a variety of undead dwell here.

I don’t know where they source corpses for undead creation, but here a diverse array of undead exists like in a kingdom.

Those charging at us brimming with hostility and malice resemble an army guarding borders or territories.

High zombies filling the role of soldiers.

Death Knights serving as knights, and the phantom steed mount that Death Knights ride.

Liches as mages, and specters as shamans and clerics.

“What a mess. If I could drool, I’d have come drooling all the way.”

Lately I’ve noticed Arun’s surprisingly sharp intuition. He often makes cutting remarks that aren’t at all like him.

“Arun, shut up. Prepare for battle. Formation… is the turtle shell.”

Turtle shell formation. As a military formation, it’s similar to a defensive square.

There are no shields, but Hugo, positioned at the front fulfilling the shield role, defends head-on. Immediately behind Hugo are close-range representatives waiting, and further back are ranged fighters and mages in a standard formation.

The only difference from other formations is that there’s a way to unleash momentum and killing intent. It’s designed to face foes that include undead knight orders and is specialized for defense.

“Tch. If only the opponent weren’t Death Knights….”

My worried mutter probably didn’t reach the party since we were spread out. The two ranks clashed as they were.

As expected, Rebound won overwhelmingly against the high zombies. Even without formation, the high zombies, which could be crushed like tofu, weren’t dangerous merely because of their numbers.

The problem was the Death Knights that followed. No, it was the phantom steeds the Death Knights rode that were the issue.

Phantom horses.

They can fly through the air and, though not exactly graceful, are far more adept at maneuvering in the skies than a wizard’s fly spell.

These eerie phantom steeds with Death Knights mounted atop them, and the liches trailing behind.

Sure enough, the party couldn’t avoid struggling. Especially, who had a faint trace of blood at his mouth—he seemed to have internal injuries.

Moreover, the members were taken aback by the unexpected situation. Well, most of them.

“Segment.”

Cha-cha-chang—! Cha-cha-cha-chang! Chang-chang!!

The sound of blades sliding from sheaths rang out. The clinking of well-tempered swords striking each other in quick succession.

The continuous sounds, like bells chiming in the wind, brightened the members’ expressions.

“…Untie the knot bound to the ancient sorrow and loosen it with a purifying frost.”

Another person. Shumix’s arrangement activated—she had been keeping her composure and stepping back to prepare something.

Her innate divine power, ‘Spirit Untying Ritual.’

A feast of sacred light. Not as many as before, but it produced the same effect.

What surprised me even in a past life was that that power, Spirit Untying Ritual, wasn’t affected by rank.

I don’t know the mechanism of its manifestation, but her Spirit Untying Ritual was not constrained by rank. Back then, it turned a very high-rank undead Archlich into light.

Anyway, thanks to Shumix’s setup, some were completely turned into light and ascended to the sky, while the rest writhed in pain under the sacred light’s influence.

The battle entered a new phase. Lee Hyo-ju quickly assessed the situation and changed the orders.

“Proy, Hazel, Prerol. The mages including Arun handle the liches and specters. The remaining teams of two handle the Death Knights. Scatter!”

Rebound, who bled more than anyone in Exorsus, is organized in minimum units of two. The pairs were formed considering tendencies and powers, and had naturally been trained that way.

But Lee Hyo-ju chose a new representative as a partner within the two-person unit system, not Meo or Miselle.

“Nana, you’re with me.”

Nana, who had been flustered and unsure what to do, brightened at Lee Hyo-ju’s words and stepped beside her. The real counterattack of Rebound began.

Rebound began slaughtering the undead to the point where I questioned whether these were the same people from a moment ago.

They were originally outmatched. Even when adding up the Death Knights and liches, their numbers weren’t vastly different from Rebound’s.

Although undead have effectively endless life, they are crafted entities after all. Gods themselves aren’t immortal forever—what immortality could there be in raised corpses?

Undead that took damage beyond their limits began to vanish.

The water’s highest-grade spirit, displeased at the traces of undead disappearing into black ash, gathered the ash and purified it.

Rebound’s expression, as they wrapped up the battle, was quite bright.

However, unlike the members’ faces, Lee Hyo-ju’s face had stiffened.