Checking the Dryad’s urgent quest through the hologram screen, I was thrown into a state of confusion.
“Pruning? Is it really okay to do something like that?”
Even so, this was the World Tree.
Though it was currently nothing more than a sapling, she was asking me to personally prune the World Tree, the being known as the source of all life.
What if I accidentally harmed the sapling?
In the moment I was debating whether this was a test or a sign of trust…
[The Dryad’s gift has arrived.]
A single wooden box arrived via Rocket Delivery.
When I opened the box, inside was a single knife crafted from wood.
[You have acquired the Blade of Life.]
Along with the system message, the information for the wooden knife appeared.
[Blade of Life]
: A sharp blade created by the Dryad by layering bark. Although it looks like a simple knife, it contains the vitality of the World Tree, allowing it to immediately regenerate any cut surface. It helps prune necessary parts cleanly without harming the World Tree, ensuring no mana is lost during the pruning process.
Seeing as they even placed a tool like this in my hands, it seemed they weren’t just testing me.
“Aria seems serious about this, and it looks like the Dryads are too.”
I realized that the Dryad’s request wasn’t a mere test, but a genuine need for pruning.
I carefully gripped the knife.
A warmth, different from the cold sensation of metal, flowed through my palm.
With this knife, it felt like I could truly prune the World Tree without causing any harm.
However, when it came time to actually do it, I hesitated.
“How should I go about this?”
At that moment, Aria landed softly on my shoulder and whispered gently.
“Guardian. The World Tree loves mana. If you flow your mana into the World Tree, she will respond to it.”
I nodded and calmly placed my left hand on the World Tree’s stalk.
“Like this?”
A blue light flowed from my body and seeped into the World Tree.
Simultaneously, the sensations of the World Tree began to be faintly transmitted to my mind.
“This side feels refreshing… but that side feels a bit stifled.”
It wasn’t an exact language, but it felt as if I were sensing the subtle biological activities of a plant with my entire body.
Aria watched me and cried out happily.
“That’s right! Guardian. That’s exactly it. Try sending a little more mana to that side!”
As I concentrated my mana on the area Aria pointed out, that part of the tree trembled slightly as if it were ticklish.
Following that sensation, I felt a branch that was absorbing an unusually large amount of nutrients.
“It’s this branch! This one is using too many nutrients, so the other branches can’t grow properly!”
She said it right into my ear, so it sounded incredibly loud.
However, given the atmosphere, it wasn’t the time to ruin the mood.
Following Aria’s words, I carefully adjusted my mana and used the Blade of Life to shear away the unnecessary branches.
The spots where the blade passed healed cleanly without leaving any scars.
Pruning was a delicate task, much like a surgeon excise a diseased area.
But thanks to Aria’s precise guidance and the Blade of Life, I was able to skillfully carry out the pruning work despite it being my first time.
“This side is too thin, so it looks like it might break soon… and this branch has too many leaves, so it’s blocking the sunlight.”
In the beginning, I was at a loss as to what to do, but as time passed, it became as natural as flowing water.
Every time I cut a branch, the World Tree vibrated subtly, expressing satisfaction.
After finishing the pruning, I closed my eyes for a moment and fully felt the energy of the World Tree.
“Whew.”
As soon as the work was finished, the World Tree began to emit light.
The light grew brighter and brighter until it became massive enough to fill my entire room.
[Communion with the World Tree has been successful!]
[You have completed the pruning quest. Please claim your reward!]
A new message appeared before my eyes.
Along with the message that the pruning quest was complete, Aria approached me with a bright smile.
“Guardian! You did so well!”
Aria was so happy she didn’t know what to do with herself, circling around me over and over.
I stroked her head and spoke.
“Yeah. It’s thanks to you. Now, I should use the method the Dryads told me about, right?”
Aria set aside the branches that were too thin to be used, and I moved the remaining three branches to a wider table.
The method for processing the World Tree’s branches that the Dryad had taught me was a type of coating.
The first step of processing the branches was to mix the dew I had been steadily collecting with the sap the Dryad had sent in a specific ratio, and then soak the branches in it.
“So I just leave them fully submerged for a day?”
“Yes. Since they are still young branches grown from a World Tree that is only at the sapling stage, they need processing before they can be used.”
Aria spoke carefully.
I did as Aria said and put the branches in so they were completely submerged in the solution.
As I soaked them, I felt the branches slowly absorbing the liquid.
However, I didn’t soak all the branches.
I kept the thickest, most curved branch out.
“Should I send this one?”
“Yes! That one will do.”
Following Aria’s advice, I sent the single thickest branch I had selected to the Dryad.
Shortly after, a system message arrived.
[The Dryads of Terra express their gratitude for your efforts and bestow a blessing.]
[Dryad’s Blessing]
Grade: Level 1
The Dryads celebrate the new growth of a World Tree on Earth. The Dryad’s Blessing is bestowed upon Earth for one month.
– Skill Power Enhancement: The power of all skills is enhanced by 11 times.
– Status Ailment Resistance: Thanks to the Dryad’s Blessing, you possess a high 80% resistance to Poison, Bleeding, and Confusion.
– Plant Growth Acceleration: The growth of all plants on the surface accelerates, and they gain resistance to contaminated mana.
“Huh? The Dryad’s Blessing was targeting all of humanity?”
This is going to cause another uproar.
I began to think that the value of the World Tree might be far greater than I had guessed.
If that was the case, what could I get for the remaining two branches currently soaking in the tank?
If I could receive a reward like the Dryad’s Blessing two more times, it would be a massive jackpot.
“But Aria, who should I sell the processed World Tree branches to?”
“There are so many people who would want them that you won’t be able to count them.”
“I know that much. The problem is, how?”
The most important method was missing.
No matter how precious an item is, if no rumors spread, no one will know about it.
I didn’t think the Barbarians, Halflings, or Lamias I was currently trading with would be ignorant of the World Tree’s value, but it’s always better to have more customers, right?
Especially “big fish.”
Then, as if the system understood my concern, a new message appeared.
[Notification: Your product possesses rarity, making special marketing possible.]
[Please set the promotion period.]
There was a function like this? It was exactly what I needed right now.
I touched the screen to set the promotion period.
The duration of the promotion was up to me.
As I increased the days slightly, I noticed something strange.
“…Is this unit of measurement correct?”
I clicked my tongue at the marketing cost that rose exponentially as I increased the days.
“I can’t do it for long.”
Since it took a day to coat the branches anyway, I decided to promote them for exactly one full day.
[Selection Complete: 24-hour Promotion]
[The promotion cost has been calculated. (Cost: 1,000,000 coins)]
“One million coins? Just what kind of promotion are they doing?”
One million coins was by no means a small amount of money.
“Still, my income has increased a lot since I recruited Karkas and his Barbarian comrades as mercenaries.”
Furthermore, since the material being sold was branches of the World Tree, if the promotion worked properly even once, I would be able to earn far more than that.
I hesitated for a moment but soon made a bold decision.
“Fine. Let’s invest.”
As soon as I made the decision, system messages began to pop up without rest.
[A Druid shows deep interest in the World Tree’s branch.]
[A Centaur inquires about the World Tree’s branch.]
[A High Elf desperately desires the World Tree’s branch.]
[A Gnome expresses a desire for possession of the branch.]
System messages appeared one after another, indicating that various races I had never interacted with before were showing interest.
“There are only two items, but orders are flooding in.”
I didn’t know how many more races would show interest by tomorrow, but since I had to wait until then anyway…
I turned off the related notifications.
Rather than that, something else had caught my interest, so I turned on the TV.
“Today was the day the Korean Hunters challenge the 20th floor, right?”
On the TV, the media were interviewing the hunters ahead of their departure ceremony.
Of course, a breaking news ticker about the Dryad’s Blessing passed by at the bottom, but the interview footage didn’t change.
“I ended up giving them a buff unintentionally. I hope they succeed.”
***
The expedition team, including Sim Jae-seong, received the hospitality of the press and the public as they headed toward the entrance of The Tower.
He hadn’t lost his smile throughout the interview, but his insides were already filled with tight tension.
As soon as they entered The Tower, the atmosphere changed in an instant.
Unlike the bright and hopeful TV screen, the commanders of each guild were only watching each other’s reactions.
The reason was the issue of the vanguard, which had not been decided even up to the moment of the expedition.
“So, which guild is going to take the lead?”
The path to the Orc Great Chieftain was arduous.
In particular, the Orc Warriors commanded by the boss monster were much more powerful than ordinary Orc Warriors, and their glaives were weapons with a high probability of causing bleeding.
Thanks to the information received from the United States through the Hunter Association, they had prepared in advance, but the fact remained that the guild standing in the vanguard would have to endure great sacrifices.
Therefore, everyone was trying to push the vanguard role onto others in order to increase their contribution during the boss fight and receive greater rewards.
At this rate, they would waste time without even being able to start the raid.
Sim Jae-seong had no choice but to speak up.
“Our Taesan Guild will take the lead.”
With his one sentence, the tense atmosphere eased somewhat.
However, the expressions of his guild members were stiff.
Sim Jae-seong’s heart was heavy, fearing that the guild members who had followed and trusted him would suffer meaningless sacrifices.
It was then.
Before his eyes, and before the eyes of all the hunters gathered around him, a system message appeared.
[To express gratitude to the Rocket Store for nurturing a World Tree on Earth, the Dryads have bestowed a blessing upon humanity for one month.]
Sim Jae-seong read the message over and over, doubting his own eyes.
It was the same for the other guild leaders standing beside him.
What stood out the most were the buffs that provided high bleeding resistance and increased skill power by 11 times.
With expressions mixing surprise and joy, they shouted.
“With this… we can do it!”
Until now, the Rocket Store had been considered something only low-rank hunters used, so they hadn’t paid much interest.
However, in addition to impactful events like the Survival Chef class being unlocked yesterday, there was today’s event as well.
Top-tier hunters, including Sim Jae-seong, also began to recognize the existence of the Rocket Store in a new light.
[Would you like to start the South Korean branch 20th floor First Challenge?]
[During each branch’s first challenge, a boss more powerful than the usual boss will appear.]
– All stats of the Orc Great Chieftain are enhanced by 2.5 times, and Health and Mana are increased by 10 times.
– The number of warriors guarding the Orc Great Chieftain is increased by 20 times compared to a normal challenge.
– Instead, the rewards based on contribution are significantly increased compared to a normal challenge.
– Upon successful challenge, First Challenge rewards will be provided to the expedition.
– If the challenge is refused, excess personnel will be expelled from The Tower.
After seeing the system message, Sim Jae-seong nodded with eyes full of determination.
Finally, all the hunters, including him, began the raid on the 20th floor of The Tower.
He was certain.
That this raid would surely be a success.
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