Glance
Glance glance —
Roll roll roll —
The large eyes of the Elves kept rolling incessantly toward Wansik.
The noise was so loud that even Wansik could clearly hear it in his ears.
“W-Why are those guys acting like that?!”
Wansik, who was watering the flowerbed, couldn’t focus at all because of the itching feeling at his back.
“Muscle Taengtaeng Ham Wansik! Please help move the fertilizer to the Rose Flower Zone!”
“Ah, understood.”
At Mei’s request, Wansik hurriedly moved his seat.
Because it was hard to endure those uncomfortable gazes.
But the moment Wansik reached the fertilizer spot and grabbed the poop shovel—
“Stop right there!!! What do you think you’re doing?!”
“?”
An Elf suddenly appeared and stopped Wansik.
“Are you crazy? Why are you suddenly using honorifics?!”
Wansik was taken aback by the Elf’s sudden change in attitude.
“That thing in your hand!”
The Elf pointed at the Epfeltz Flower Ring!
“Whoa? Could it actually be effective?!”
However, there was not even a trace of goodwill in the Elf’s expression.
“Isn’t this the one Lady Alicia made?”
“Yes… it is.”
Jaeho instinctively took a step back due to the strange unease, but—
Thunk!!
Before he could react, the Elf grabbed him at an incredibly fast speed.
“Are you really trying to use a poop shovel while wearing the ring made by Lady Alicia?!”
“Ah.”
Only then did Wansik understand.
He had dared to touch poop with a precious ring made by the Spiritizing Agent, so from the Elves’ perspective, it was unforgivable… or so Wansik thought, completely normally.
“The flower ring made by the Spiritizing Agent is a living entity!”
“Hm?”
The Elf took out some Geuroumgaru powder from his waist pouch and sprinkled it onto the flower ring.
[ <Epfeltz Flower Ring> is being infused with <Geuroumgaru >.]
[The durability of <Epfeltz Flower Ring> increases as it grows.]
“???”
“Just because these accessories are made of flowers doesn’t mean they’re weak. The reason our Elves can use these accessories over and over again is because the accessory itself holds a spirit and strives to survive.”
“Ah… I-I see…”
“So you must nurture this ring to be stronger. In other words, you must not be afraid of the fertilizer.”
“Eh?”
Something strange seemed to have been heard…?
“From today onwards, you have to do everything by hand. You don’t need to worry about the ring breaking. Since Geuroumgaru has been sprinkled on it, it can withstand quite a few impacts.”
“W-Wait…!!!”
Caw—!
Wansik tried to shake off the Elf who was grabbing his hand, but with his strength, it was hopeless.
Aaaah!!! No! Be—
“It’s fine!”
Plop
“Ah.”
His legs weakened, and Wansik collapsed right in front of the poop pile.
No matter how much this was a game, what lay before him was poop.
The feeling and smell up to his wrists and the warmth were extremely realistic…
ㅡ @&^$0@580@#^8$!!!
[Lady Alicia is currently unable to respond.]
***
“Hmm… so it actually has some effect.”
Information gained through Wansik’s desperate ordeal!
And by asking the Elves, he was also able to obtain some Geuroumgaru.
—It’s difficult for us to provide it endlessly. Since Bloria was sealed, the supply has been blocked…
Thanks to the Elves’ stories, he also recalled the Essence of Bloria he had forgotten.
“I guess it’s about time to check on the Shinmok once.”
The Shinmok had been a little neglected due to the lack of response for too long.
Moreover, even if not for himself, the Elves had been extremely attentive.
The place where the Shinmok stood could be considered the center of Elysia’s Oasis, where vast meadows spread and a quaint small town had formed—all thanks to the Oasis.
So the Elves called it the “Lifeline of Elysia.”
Among the very few players living in Elysia, it was called “Helniphl.”
“Hey! Lady Alicia has arrived!”
As Jaeho appeared, the gathered Elves parted and made way.
“Thanks for all your hard work.”
“Not at all. It’s all thanks to Lady Alicia.”
“If it weren’t for the Spiritizing Agent, the Shinmok wouldn’t have been able to sprout roots again.”
The Elves’ extreme goodwill naturally poured out.
“Really… this is a blind kindness I’ve never experienced in reality… I still can’t quite accept it.”
Jaeho thought that coming here was nothing short of a miracle for himself.
“Let’s see…”
On the surface, there was nothing but bare ground.
The only indication that something important was here was the fence surrounding it and the [Brighten Not] signboard.
“When did I plant the seed again?”
[<Spirit of Vitality> says, ‘It will never grow in a place like this.’]
“What’s wrong with this place? How is it not good?”
[ <Spirit of Vitality> says, ‘You should go to Elysia…’]
“What nonsense? This is Elysia.”
Jaeho spoke shamelessly, settled down there, and used Observation of Plants.
[ <Plant Observation> Lv.99]
“My skill level is already 99.”
Among Jaeho’s skills, this was uniquely high level.
But even at this level, it was far from enough to observe the Shinmok that showed no sign of growth.
“No matter how much skill points I pour into it, it shows no signs of growing…”
With no special results, he thought about playing his flute and took it out. Then—
“Whoa?!!”
Jaeho, who discovered something unusual, flattened himself against the ground.
Something tiny almost invisible among the surrounding weeds!
“C-Could this be… a long-awaited…”
Hoping it was true, he approached and tried to confirm it with Observation of Plants.
[Discovered the moment of regeneration of the ancient Shinmok that has existed since the beginning.]
[Reputation greatly increased!]
It wasn’t that Jaeho lacked the skill level to observe; he had simply been too hasty!
Soon after, a series of new notifications popped up.
[You have succeeded in sprouting the Shinmok!]
[The Blessing of the Divine Tree is strengthened.]
[Level up.]
[Level up…]
[Bonus stat 50 granted.]
[All class skills gain additional experience points.]
[ <Plant Observation> skill has reached level 100.]
[ <Plant Observation> has been upgraded to <Advanced Plant Observation> .]
[ <Rapid Growth> skill has reached level 100.]
[ <Rapid Growth> has been upgraded to <Advanced Rapid Growth>.]
“?!!!”
Jaeho was startled.
[ <Spirit of Vitality> ‘?!!!…’]
The Spirit of Vitality was also alarmed.
“Hwaah?!”
And the Elves as well.
***
Multiple alerts popped up simultaneously, causing confusion, but one thing was clear.
“The Shinmok!”
The silent Shinmok had finally started to respond.
[<Shinmok>]
[A mother to all living beings on the earth, born with the beginning of the world and sustaining the balance of the middle realm.
However, due to the Devil’s invasion of the middle realm, the balance was destroyed, and now it is preparing for a new start.]
Finally, the updated information on the Shinmok!
But that wasn’t all.
[The will of the Shinmok has attacked you.]
Along with the notification, a voice echoed inside his head.
[Hey—what is this?]
“???”
A neutral voice, neither clearly male nor female.
[You are the first human to hear the voice of the Shinmok.]
[Reputation greatly increased.]
“Shin…mok…?”
[Oh yeah, are you the heir of the Tinlight? Quite a refined look.]
The voice of the Shinmok suddenly made a cheeky comment, leaving Jaeho speechless.
Glance
Looking around at the Elves’ reactions, they were just happily enjoying themselves.
“Oh… do you guys hear this voice too?”
“What voice are you talking about?”
“Whoa? Is it true that the Shinmok is speaking to Lady Alicia?!”
“As expected of the Spiritizing Agent!!!”
“Ahhh—If even the Spiritizing Agent has been visited by the mother’s voice, then it really has started to regenerate, hasn’t it?”
Some were crying their eyes out, while others knelt and mumbled prayers.
Jaeho summed up the situation in one sentence.
“This feels like a cult…”
Playing New World had shattered many illusions about the Elves as a race.
Were they always like this? Or was it because of the Spiritizing Agent that he was witnessing all kinds of things?
[Kid, take a look.]
Meanwhile, the Shinmok called Jaeho with a haughty tone.
[I left a message to my Spirit of Vitality, but why did you plant the seed in this barren land?]
Jaeho felt a pang.
“I didn’t hear that.”
[<Spirit of Vitality> ‘I was certain it was Elysia…’]
[Hmm, that’s strange. Even if the kid is a bit careless, there’s no way he’d forget something so important.]
[ <Spirit of Vitality> ‘These humans…’]
“After talking to him, he seemed a bit clueless. Says he can’t remember. So I had no choice.”
[<Spirit of Vitality>]
[That sounds like a plausible story. It can’t be helped. Once he settled here, it became irreversible.]
Fortunately, it seemed the Spirit of Vitality’s voice was not heard by the Shinmok.
Jaeho could sense the frustration and impatience of the being.
“Sorry.”
But it couldn’t be helped.
He had no confidence to tell the Shinmok the truth, fearing what unknown flames might flare up.
[Huh? What are you sorry for?]
“Oh, sorry for planting in such a barren place.”
[That indeed is a problem. If the Shinmok had settled in the originally planned Elysia, it would have grown completely in just one day.]
…One day?
[That’s right. Although there is abundant water underground here, it’s a desert, and more importantly, the spirit energy is too weak. It took a long time just to grow a few leaves.]
“That… that’s really unfortunate.”
[Since that’s the case, I’ll help you return to your complete form.]
“Well, that much is…”
Out of a sense of conscience, he felt he should help…
[Then you want to eat sweet wing bee honey.]
“Eh?”
[And milk from the Golden Buffalo and oak sap. Oh, and do you only have one song you can play on the flute? You always play the same thing, Juya Jangcheon, and I’m worried about your musical sensibility. It’s not like your playing is excellent either.]
Jaeho dusted himself off and stood up.
He now understood what the Elves meant when they said the Shinmok was a nag.
Fortunately, as he moved away a certain distance, the Shinmok’s nagging voice faded.
After Jaeho left, the Elves hurried to gather before the Shinmok, each whispering to one another.
Usually only elders could communicate with the Shinmok, so they couldn’t miss this chance.
***
Back at the quiet flower shop, Jaeho opened the information he hadn’t checked yet.
“First, let me set the stats…”
[Lv.99 Alicia]
[Spiritizing Agent (Heir Apparent Rank)]
[Strength: 332]
[Intelligence: 85]
[Agility: 227]
[Stamina: 252]
[Mana: 198]
Almost level 100 now.
But Jaeho didn’t realize that there was a serious problem with his stats.
Selection and focus!
While all players usually allocated points primarily to stats essential for their class, Jaeho had scattered points according to his immediate needs, resulting in a mess.
If Wansik saw this, he might cry tears of blood on his behalf.
“Oh, right. My skills have also been upgraded.”
Two skills upgraded and renamed upon reaching level 100.
[ <Advanced Plant observation> Lv.1]
[Can identify the name of the observed plant.]
[Can check the gathering level of the observed plant.]
[Can check the condition of the observed plant.]
[Your gaze carries affection toward the observed plant. — Growth Buff: +50%]
[A powerful spirit buff is applied to all surrounding vegetation, increasing pest resistance.]
[Upon initial observation, observation progress rate increases by 30%.]
“Wow!”
Previously, skill level increases only improved the growth buff slightly.
But with the ‘Advanced’ prefix, the added pest resistance and observation progress rate buffs were excellent.
Especially starting with a minimum 30% observation progress was a huge upgrade.
It drastically reduced the grind time he had put in so far.
[ <Advanced Rapid Growth> Lv.1]
[Increases target plant’s growth speed by 200%.]
[Maintains the target plant’s health at optimal condition for one week. (Time refreshes upon reapplication)]
The second skill’s addition involved health status, which was also quite beneficial.
Jaeho had used Rapid Growth on most flowers anyway, so since it couldn’t stack, there was no need to overuse it now.
In other words, Jaeho now had more time for other things.
“Good, good. Things are going well.”
Recently, this notification gave Jaeho the most joy.
More than the sprouting of the Shinmok.