saiki

46.2

Ch. 46.2
A gigantic tree called the Third World Tree stood with hundreds of branches spread out like an umbrella, and beneath it, there was a vast garden.

The World Tree, with its unique pale-colored aurora, gently enveloped the world, making everything underneath it appear blissful.

It was a park known as the "Orchard of the Dream Tree."

Anyone could enter, and it was a space where anyone could pick and eat fruit.

The view from the top was incredibly beautiful, making it a popular resort destination, and it was even considered a famous spot for in-game screenshots.

"It can’t be compared to game graphics."

Baek Yu-Seol walked along the path, mesmerized by the various colorful stems and the feast of vibrant fruits in the orchard.

"Welcome, Stella's mage. We welcome human mages."

As he stepped off the train, a man with pointed ears and slightly rough skin approached him and spoke.

He was an elf.

As expected, there were many elves around, as it was their territory.

Baek Yu-Seol greeted him using the elf greeting he had memorized. "I would like to express my gratitude to the Mother of the Earth and the World Tree for bestowing such a beautiful garden upon us.”

“May your sincere heart reach the Mother." With a deep and captivating voice and broad shoulders, he was undoubtedly a "male" elf.

If someone is wondering what this means, elves were born without a specific gender. While there were distinctions between male and female forms, they didn’t have reproductive organs.

However, when they experienced true love, they could change their gender to match their partner.

So, even if they were born as female, they could become male, and vice versa. It was quite common for elves.

Before their gender was determined, male elves generally had different body shapes and slightly androgynous features, making it possible to distinguish them.

Baek Yu-Seol walked slowly, exploring the surroundings.

Many elves recognized his academy uniform and approached him, mostly to express gratitude. It was because in the past, Eltwin had saved the Second World Tree from almost burning out.

The war between humans and different species was now a thing of the past. Stella's mages had a close relationship with other species. To some extent, they fostered friendship through the annual exchange program between Stella and elves’s representative magic academy, Astral Flower Magic Academy.

"Exchange students..." The Astral Flower Magic Academy was also an enormous institution, and a significant event would occur there in the future.

So, he should visit there at least once, as there might be an opportunity for him to become an exchange student.

"Nice to meet you, Stella's mage."

"Yes, you’re beautiful, madam."

"Oh my, hoho."

He had heard that magic warriors were treated like heroes by civilians, but he wondered if that statement was true.

However, as a student, he was treated kindly by many people.

In reality, there were not many mages who had mastered offensive magic, but the test to become a magic warrior possessed extreme difficulty, so the numbers were not that high.

By the way, there were definitely a lot of handsome and beautiful people among the elves. Baek Yu-Seol couldn't help but admire them as he walked.

Of course, not all elves were breathtakingly beautiful at first glance. They just had a higher proportion of attractive individuals, but ordinary elves looked ordinary.

If he were to make a comparison, it would be like thinking of Uzbekistan on Earth. There were definitely many attractive people, but there were no individuals who possessed overwhelming beauty compared to ordinary humans.

Even in the game, when describing the appearance of major characters like Mayuseong or Hong Bi-Yeon, they often used the phrase 'beauty that cannot be compared by any elf'.

Well, there was one elf who had a unique buff in terms of appearance.

The Elf King, Florin.

She possessed a demeanor akin to a benevolent goddess, captivating the hearts of countless male players.

She had the most fan art among all characters, and she was also one of his favorite characters, perhaps due to his preference for elegant ladies.

She, too, was originally genderless, having never experienced true love, but after being rescued by Edna and falling in love with her, she eventually chose to become a male.

Regardless of which route one pursued, there was no option for Florin to become a female, which led to the despair of numerous male fans.

"Hmm, I wonder how the Elf King looked before becoming a man... But it's not worth risking my life out of mere curiosity."

They say that those who met her gaze, regardless of age or gender, had their souls stolen, and they eventually died, suffering from lovesickness.

The cursed attribute [Soul Devouring Gaze] would cause anyone who made eye contact with her to lose their souls and eventually perish.

Anyway, as Baek Yu-Seol reminisced about the past and the romance that he remembered, he wandered around the outskirts of the World Tree for a while and finally discovered a small side path.

"Ah, it must be around here."

He entered one of the countless branches of the World Tree, and ventured into a hidden passage. Typically, this area was off-limits, but there were no guards anyway.

If someone were to harm him, the World Tree would move itself to defend and alert the elves of the danger.

Sweating profusely, Baek Yu-Seol climbed for a while until he discovered an unusually spacious area. It was a place where roots grew in peculiar ways.

"Let's see, it should be around here. No, maybe here. Yes, that's right."

He tapped the transparent map hovering in the air with his finger, and his location appeared.

"Hmm, I found it. Well done."

He took out the Divine Spirit Gate Key from his pocket and approached the tree that had grown gray like stone. It was the hidden entrance to the Hidden Dungeon, Sacred Garden of the Divine Spirit.

For a moment, Baek Yu-Seol hesitated if he should casually insert and turn the key, as the cautionary note on the key bothered him.

[Caution! Opening the entrance to this place may alert someone else who possesses the key.]

Of course, it had been proven through numerous players' tests that this warning had no real significance.

Even in the game, the key had the same cautionary message, but many players had shared stories of their disappointment because no special event occurred.

"Well, what could possibly happen?"

With that thought in mind, Baek Yu-Seol firmly inserted and turned the key.

Clank!

[The door leading to the Sacred Garden of the Divine Spirit is now open!]