“Really… thank you so much, sir.”
Sang-woong gently patted his shoulder once more, smiling warmly.
“It’s alright. Come by anytime, don’t worry about it. Bring your grandmother too. I’ll cook you plenty of delicious meals.”
His sincere, unfaltering smile warmed the frozen heart of Kim Junsu.
The world was still cold, sometimes cruel, but at least in this small restaurant, the scent of warm food and the presence of a caring adult who genuinely worried for him and cheered him on was an irreplaceable comfort for Kim Junsu.
Kim Junsu lifted his head to face Sang-woong, his smile now brighter and clearer than when he first entered the restaurant.
“Yes! I’ll definitely… definitely come back!”
Kim Junsu’s steps as he left the restaurant were no longer heavy.
He could feel the vivid sensation of the road beneath his sneakers.
Within his heart, the small seed of hope that Sang-woong had planted was quietly taking root.
That warm consideration and solid encouragement became the precious courage he needed to face the difficult reality ahead.
He now felt overwhelming emotion and relief at the realization that he was no longer alone in the world.
***
“Chawoooooooi!”
An Ahoa Tribe child grabbed a long Nyungkul vine tightly, leaped from the tree, and soared toward the pond.
Splash!
With a refreshing sound, the child landed perfectly in the middle of the pond.
“Wow, awesome! Hua!”
Other Ahoa Tribe children standing at the edge of the pond clapped their bony hands and cheered.
“I can do it too! Kahuka!”
Not to be outdone, a Kahuka Tribe child shouted spiritedly.
“Hmph! I bet you can’t! Hau!”
The Ahoa Tribe child who had just jumped into the pond poked his head out of the water, raised his shoulders teasingly, and replied.
Droplets of water sparkled on his face in the sunlight.
“Hmph! What do you mean I can’t? Just watch me!”
Refusing to back down, the Kahuka Tribe child grabbed the Nyungkul and nimbly climbed up the big tree.
Soon, grabbing a Nyungkul hanging from a rather high place, he stood atop the tree branch.
As all the children’s gazes focused on him from below, he made sure not to forget to show off, puffing out his shoulders with pride.
“This time it’s my turn! I’ll jump even better! Kahuka!”
With a long shout, the Kahuka Tribe child kicked off the branch with all his might, drawing a far longer and smoother arc than the Ahoa Tribe child as he soared toward the center of the pond.
Splash!
This time, a huge spray of water shot high into the sky.
The children shouted with joy.
“Wow! That was amazing! Kahuka!”
“I’m going to do it like that too! Hua!”
“Higher! Kahuka!”
The other children, unable to contain themselves after seeing that, rushed toward the tree in a crowd.
All around, small hands grabbed the Nyungkul vines and climbed the big tree.
They swung their bodies, shouted their own battle cries, and argued over who would jump first.
Splash! Splash! Plop!
The pond instantly became a lively playground.
Sprays of water never stopped, the children’s cheerful laughter, their excited shouts, and the splashing of water blended together, filling the ground with vibrant sound.
In the water, the children splashed each other, competed to see who could hold their breath longer, and scored each other’s jumps with playful mischief.
The pond was overflowing with the pure laughter of Ahoa and Kahuka Tribe children.
“Karurururu.”
Aria, who had been watching the children jump from the Nyungkul, seemed just as excited, flitting above the pond in circles with clear laughter.
Sang-woong watched the children and Aria play peacefully with a contented smile, then opened the Shop Window.
Today, he planned to further develop and expand the land.
First, he used 100,000 points to upgrade the Shop Window.
As the Shop Window was upgraded to a new level, all sorts of items he had never seen before appeared.
The first thing that caught his eye, as expected, was a Potion to level up his Inventory skill.
He always felt his Inventory space was lacking, so this was a welcome item.
Sang-woong bought the Potion without hesitation and upgraded his Inventory skill first.
“Wow. With this, I probably won’t need any more upgrades.”
The upgraded Inventory space felt almost as large as the pond itself.
With this, he could store as many resources or items as he wanted.
This would make tearing down existing structures and rebuilding them where he wanted, or transporting large quantities of resources, much easier.
The next item was Fertilizer, essential for farming.
“Just what I needed, we’re running out of fertilizer.”
They’d been making fertilizer from the livestock manure raised by the Kahuka Tribe, but as the scale of farming increased, they were running desperately short.
The efficiency of the Shop Window Fertilizer would be incomparable to ordinary fertilizer.
Next were Defense Plants, which fully captured Sang-woong’s interest.
Plants for guarding the boundaries of the land, like giant cacti, had several new varieties added.
One in particular caught his eye with its overwhelming price and description.
A whopping 50,000-point Bomb Coconut Palm.
“Bends its trunk like a bow to hurl a powerful Coco Bomb. When the coconut explodes, it inflicts widespread damage to the surrounding area.”
“Wow!”
Sang-woong exclaimed in awe as he read the description.
The power was one thing, but the long attack range was what really appealed to him. If he could deploy Bomb Coconut Palms along the borders, he could inflict serious damage to enemies and start battles on his own terms.
It was a major strategic advantage.
In addition, there were Level 2 Stone Golem summoning, and various Stone Golem Equipment to greatly enhance golem defense—Bony Club, Stone Armor, Stone Shield, and other golem weapons and armor had been added.
And among the plants that purified bad air, there was an unexpected item.
It was the World Tree for sale.
“World Tree? Is that… the World Tree I know?”
At the mythical, almost legendary name, Sang-woong tilted his head and checked the last item.
“What’s this?”
Unbelievably, the final item on the Shop Window was a Mine.
He’d been surprised by the pond, but never expected to see a Mine as a Shop Window item.
“Wow… this Shop Window always exceeds my expectations.”
Sang-woong bought the World Tree first.
Purifying the bad air from the land was the top priority.
He chose a spot on the land where the sunlight was good and the energy was vibrant, then placed the item down.
The moment he placed the World Tree item, the tree disappeared from his hand and, as if quenching a thirst accumulated over millennia, its roots burrowed swiftly into the earth.
The sight unfolding before his eyes was awe-inspiring.
Though only a sapling, the World Tree drew out a tremendous life force and soared rapidly skyward.
The earth trembled, and the surrounding miasma was purified at a marvelous speed.
It looked like a living myth itself.
Its colossal, ancient trunk was covered in thick, dusky bark, but between the layers, a subtle golden or green light glimmered mysteriously.
Below the trunk, roots as large as houses spread in all directions with overwhelming energy, covering the surrounding ground, and the land seemed to regain its vitality as if responding to the World Tree’s presence.
Countless branches soared skyward, as if piercing the heavens, each tipped with millions of leaves that shimmered radiantly in the sunlight.
The leaves weren’t just green; depending on the angle, they shone silver, gold, bright, or blue, sparkling as if alive.
With its very presence, the World Tree inspired both overwhelming majesty and a sense of boundless peace, embracing everything. It felt less like a tree and more like a motherly being that breathed life into the earth and encompassed all.
“Wow, it’s really beautiful.”
Aria, startled by the World Tree suddenly rising high into the sky, flew over to Sang-woong’s shoulder and exclaimed in admiration.
“Aria, have you ever seen a World Tree before?”
“Not that I remember clearly… but a very, very long time ago… there was a World Tree on this land…”
At Aria’s soft reply, a thought suddenly occurred to Sang-woong.
When it came to the World Tree, there was an existence that naturally came to mind.
A race that loved forests and nature above all else.
Elf.
At that moment, behind Sang-woong, at the spot where the World Tree’s energy was radiating most powerfully, the air began to ripple.
Like tossing a stone into still water, the shimmering air slowly formed a circular shape.
“Master, it’s a Gate!”
Aria shouted in surprise.
“What, a Gate?”
Sang-woong, equally surprised, turned around in a hurry.
Before his eyes, the swirling air solidified into a round shape, and the center began to be tinged with a yellow glow.
It was the same ‘Yellow Gate’ through which the Ahoa Tribe and Kahuka Tribe had appeared before.
Sang-woong, already familiar with the scene, gazed at the Yellow Gate with more excitement than tension.
The Ahoa Tribe, then Leon, and the Kahuka Tribe—key figures essential to the land’s existence and growth had all come into this world through this very Yellow Gate.
He was filled with anticipation—what new race would emerge from the Gate this time?
As time passed, the yellow light of the Gate stabilized, and finally, the beings he had been waiting for began to reveal themselves.
Sang-woong’s gaze was fixed on the figures emerging from the Yellow Gate.
More beautiful and awe-inspiring than he had imagined.
Elves.
Their footsteps were graceful, marked by the unique nobility of the Elf race, but they also looked drained and weary, as if exhausted by a long journey.
They emerged from the Gate as if parting forest mist, one after another, endlessly pouring out.
All of them carried an almost suffocating aura of innate nobility, but layered over it were clear traces of hardship from wandering in harsh environments for a long time.
Their moonlit, pale skin had lost its luster, roughened by wind and lack of sunlight, and their eyes, which should have been clear, showed deep fatigue and shadows of worry.
Most of them were taller than Sang-woong and still slender, but instead of their former healthy elegance, there was a sense of malnourishment and tension.
Their every movement lacked the natural rhythm of the past; instead, they seemed to carry the silent endurance and weary air of those who had survived hardship.
Their appearance evoked deep sympathy.
As soon as they passed through the Gate, they quickly glanced around, then began to orderly gather in the open space opposite the stunned Sang-woong.
As they took their places, some staggered or nearly collapsed, letting their shoulders droop with deep, exhausted sighs.
A hundred. Two hundred… hundreds…
No matter how he tried to count, there seemed to be no end; the Elves continued to emerge from the Gate.
Rubbing his eyes in disbelief, Sang-woong realized the sight before him was real.
It felt as if an entire forest had moved through the Gate to this place.
He had been amazed when the Ahoa Tribe, Leon, and the Kahuka Tribe arrived, but this time, the scale was on another level.
And the depth of exhaustion and suffering visible on the Elves’ faces weighed heavily on his heart.
“Master… so many Elves… and they all look so exhausted. It seems they’ve suffered for a long time…”
Aria, sitting on Sang-woong’s shoulder, sensed the heavy air emanating from the Elves and cried out in surprise.
Only after several minutes did the procession of Elves finally seem to end.
Countless Elves had gathered before Sang-woong, exuding a silent majesty and releasing the fatigue of their long journey.
In the midst of that silence, as the yellow glow of the Gate began to fade, a final Elf emerged from the Gate.
Sang-woong’s eyes widened at the astonishing sight.