Evan thought about the newly added world.
‘An entry requirement of 1,800? Is this for real?’
It was a figure that far exceeded the level limit.
It was a level that even he, in his previous world, could not have reached.
Just what kind of place was it to require such an absurd level?
It felt like something incredible would be there, but for now, even entering seemed impossible.
‘No, maybe it’s not impossible?’
There was a way.
Mythic Power Conqueror.
Through this ability, his level would temporarily exceed 1,000.
‘But even considering that, I still have to exceed my current level by 800.’
Evan put the Mirror of Heaven into his inventory.
Then, he shifted his gaze back to the core of Yggdrasil.
He had already dealt with the Leviathan that was constricting Yggdrasil.
Now, it was time to end this.
‘Because the final boss is this guy.’
Evan looked at it with a bitter expression before repositioning his grip on his sword with both hands.
He would restore it to its original state.
There were only 10 seconds left of the Conqueror’s power.
Evan thrust his sword into Yggdrasil’s core.
Snap!! Craaaack!
As the core split open, a powerful surge of Magia struck Evan.
“Urgh!”
He could withstand it with his Holy Power, but the pain from the intense Magia was unavoidable.
If he were an ordinary person without Holy Power, he would have been swallowed by the Magia already.
Rumble!
Suddenly, the entire Boss Room began to shake as if an earthquake had occurred.
An inexplicable scream seemed to echo in his ears.
Evan closed his eyes tightly.
He couldn’t bear to fully witness Yggdrasil’s death.
A moment later.
[You have defeated the Hidden Boss Monster, Twisted Yggdrasil.]
The Magia spewing from the core gradually calmed down.
The space Evan was in began to change.
The walls started to dry up, looking like a withering tree.
[WARNING! The power sustaining the world is disappearing.]
A warning window appeared before Evan’s eyes.
The vacancy left by Yggdrasil would have a significant impact on the world.
‘I expected it, but… to think the system would issue a warning immediately.’
Of course, Evan had no intention of letting Yggdrasil go like this.
Considering his memories of the previous world and the requirement to complete the Main Quest, he had to save Yggdrasil.
Evan took out the World Tree Branch he had obtained after defeating the Hydra from his inventory.
It was an S-rank item capable of reviving a dying life.
[You have used the World Tree Branch.]
Evan used it without hesitation.
A green light glowed from the branch before being sucked into Yggdrasil’s core.
The shriveled core slowly began to regain its vitality.
‘This space is returning to normal, too.’
Evan looked around, feeling satisfied as he watched Yggdrasil recover.
[The first sub-quest, “Salvation of the World Tree,” has been completed.]
[Reward: A pouch containing the Seeds of the Forest Guardian has been delivered to your inventory.]
An announcement of the quest’s completion appeared before Evan’s eyes.
It was proof that Yggdrasil had successfully recovered.
“Seeds of the Guardian?”
Evan opened his inventory window to check the rewarded item.
Inside, he saw not only the reward but also various items he had obtained by defeating Leviathan.
Evan pulled out the Seeds of the Guardian.
Grade: A
Category: Consumable Item
Effect: When planted in the ground, a tree that protects the forest can be summoned with stats proportional to (+Level). However, caution is required as they are fixed to the spot where they are planted.
Others: Tree seeds brimming with life, containing the energy of the World Tree. They seem suitable for use as weapons of war.
Quantity: 50
‘Is it for defense?’
It was a considerably helpful item.
It would be especially useful in a place like the Elf Village, which faced constant external invasions.
If planted at key locations in the village, they would serve as perfect defensive mechanisms.
‘I’m not sure how effective these guardians will be yet…’
Fifty seemed like a large amount, but he wouldn’t be able to know for sure until he saw the summoned trees himself.
Evan turned his gaze to the side.
There, he saw the items he had received as achievement rewards for defeating Leviathan: an old scroll and an iron hammer.
‘What are these?’
Evan first examined the old scroll.
Grade: S
Category: Blueprint
Effect: Allows for a detailed inspection of the Tower of Babel’s structure.
Others: A blueprint containing the architectural techniques of the Tower of Babel, a legendary tower passed down from ancient times. With this, it seems possible to build towers higher and more stably.
Evan’s eyes narrowed.
The Blueprint of the Tower of Babel.
He had obtained an item he hadn’t expected at all.
‘Why was this given?’
Evan tilted his head in confusion.
The Tower of Babel had been mentioned in a fragment of the prophecy he obtained after defeating the Hydra.
‘A tower built from the collective greed of all humans.’
In the prophecy, the Tower of Babel was portrayed in a negative light.
Rather than being an item for the good of the world, it seemed extremely dangerous if misused.
“Why is something like this…?”
If anything, this kind of item should have been classified as a Chaos Item.
However, Evan soon shook his head.
‘Wait, maybe…’
He had no intention of misusing it anyway.
Thinking about it differently, this meant he could learn more about the Adela Guild’s Main Transmission Tower, which was currently under construction.
With that thought, Evan’s eyes sparkled as he unrolled the blueprint to examine it closely.
“This is…”
The internal structure of the Tower of Babel was shown in detail.
However, the blueprint only covered floors 1 through 10.
The structure was simpler than expected because, after the 10th floor, the pattern from the first ten floors repeated infinitely.
‘Does this mean the first ten floors are the core of the Tower of Babel?’
It was an interesting fact to Evan.
‘From the secret passages to the tower’s core…!’
If he studied this blueprint well, he might be able to figure out how to destroy the tower.
‘If Adela’s Main Transmission Tower is the same as this…!’
He decided to visit the Adela Guild again to confirm his suspicions after the business in the Elf Village was finished.
This blueprint would become an incredibly powerful weapon for him in the future.
‘And it’s not like I’m forbidden from using it.’
Evan formulated a new plan based on this new information—a strategy to overcome the Adela Guild’s Main Transmission Tower.
‘I should talk to Count Rozie about this.’
Evan put the scroll back into his inventory.
Finally, he pulled out the iron hammer.
[Grade: S]
[Category: Blunt Weapon]
[Attack Power: 5]
[Durability: 1,000/1,000]
[Effect: ??]
[Others: Presumably a blacksmith’s hammer used in ancient times. Its power appears to be sealed.]
“A blacksmith’s hammer?”
Evan looked over the hammer while checking the item information.
However, since it was sealed, it didn’t seem like he could discover anything else.
‘I’ll have to ask Helena about this.’
After checking all the items, Evan turned his gaze toward the core of Yggdrasil.
It seemed to still be in the middle of recovering.
Over time, it would eventually regain its full form.
Evan watched it for a moment before deciding to move on.
He wanted to speak with Yggdrasil, but he had to get outside quickly.
He didn’t know if the battle out there had ended yet.
“I wonder if you’ll be able to speak once you’re revived?”
Evan spoke to it just in case, but there was no response.
‘Once we meet again, I’ll at least be able to say hello then.’
Evan began walking toward the exit.
“Hm?”
At that moment, he thought he heard a faint voice.
Evan stopped for a moment and looked back.
Since there was no one else around, he could easily tell it was Yggdrasil.
He tilted his ear, but unfortunately, the voice was too faint to hear clearly.
“It’s a shame, but we’ll have to talk later. I’ll be going now.”
Evan chuckled and left a brief farewell for Yggdrasil before heading out.
When he stepped outside, he saw the Phoenix soaring through the sky.
‘Is it already over?’
The Phoenix was circling the area calmly rather than moving aggressively.
Evan looked down and searched for his companions.
He saw that the Entrees had been turned into piles of ash.
While that was only some of them, the rest of the Entrees stretching out behind them were losing their strength and collapsing one by one.
Now that the Twisted Yggdrasil was dead, they no longer had the energy to sustain themselves.
The Magia that had been swarming throughout the forest had vanished.
As Yggdrasil recovered, its life energy spread in all directions, purifying the Magia.
Knowing that everything was over, Evan climbed down Yggdrasil’s body.
At ê·¸ moment, a quest window appeared before his eyes.
[A second sub-quest has been assigned.]
[The quest “Elf Village in Danger” has begun.]
‘Elf Village in Danger?’
Evan looked at the quest with a confused expression.
He had already restored Yggdrasil, so there was no immediate danger to the Elf Village.
‘Even though potential threats still exist.’
Thinking about Bellium, the danger hadn’t entirely vanished, but he had thought they would have more time.
‘If this is appearing as a Main Quest, is something about to happen soon?’
He felt an ominous premonition.
Come to think of it, he had come here to deal with Yggdrasil because of the Goddess’s Oracle.
‘Well, it’s true that I dealt with Yggdrasil.’
Of course, he had defeated the Twisted Yggdrasil and then revived it.
He hadn’t been ordered not to revive it.
And even if there had been such an order, he wouldn’t have listened.
‘I’ll just say I defeated it. However, if they find out Yggdrasil is still alive, I don’t know when they’ll attack again.’
He would have to discuss this with the Elves and prepare.
They might even have to fight a full-scale war against the humans.
‘And I still haven’t found out the details of this incident.’
Evan had obtained three major clues since coming here.
‘The Empire of the Red Dragon Emblem, the Pioneer’s Power, and the existence of Leviathan that corrupted Yggdrasil.’
He hadn’t obtained a clear lead on any of them yet.
‘Is there some connection between them and the Snake of the Four Perils?’
He couldn’t know anything for sure with just this.
‘I have no choice but to return to the village and ask Helena…’
Evan headed down to where his companions were.
“Human… no, Evan.”
Ainis, who was walking behind Evan, asked cautiously.
Her attitude toward Evan had changed since he saved Yggdrasil.
He had performed a miracle that seemed like a lie.
Now, he would be treated as the village’s benefactor and given respect equal to the chief.
She regretted being so rude to him before.
She had thought all humans were the same, but he was truly different.
‘The forest does not lie.’
She recalled what Helena had told her.
She repented for having doubted the forest.
“What is it? Did something happen?”
Evan turned his head slightly and looked at Ainis.
Staring into his blue eyes, Ainis scratched her cheek.
“Well, that is…”
She stammered as if she were embarrassed.
She never thought she would ever say something like this to a human in her life.
“I’m sorry. I, for everything…”
However, she couldn’t finish her sentence.
“Young Master! Look ahead!”
Alan shouted urgently, pointing forward.
When Evan and Ainis turned their gaze, they were at a loss for words.
“H-How could this be! What happened!”
Ainis screamed in horror.
The area around the Elf Village was filled with the corpses of monsters, and thick black smoke rose from the ruined village.