Chapter 125

Legia watched as the human approached with Aisha.

'An adventurer.'

Even when she had lost consciousness, she could feel they were not ordinary humans. That's why she decided to place her hopes in this man.

"Did you say you're an adventurer?"

"Adventurer Seojin, at your service, Legia."

"… Thank you. Because of you, I was able to see Aisha again."

"That isn't the only thing you're grateful for, right?"

"… Of course."

Legia smiled wanly.

"Thank you for stopping that terrible event, for standing in my way. I wished to turn back many times, but by then, it was beyond my control."

"Yes, of course."

"But thanks to your effort adventurer…"

"There's not much time left to waste on empty flattery."

Empty flattery.

While it could have been seen as a sign of humility, Seojin sincerely meant it.

"You want to apologize, right Legia? For the foolish mistakes you made and the deaths it caused. For those who had to witness such deaths."

"… You already knew."

"Elves by nature cannot be evil."

But they can be foolish. Mistakes can lead to dreadful outcomes. But the underlying intention was never malicious.

"I know I don't deserve forgiveness. But…"

"It's too late, isn't it? But I thought maybe there still might be a way, so I called for you."

"… That's true."

Legia met Aisha.

Unlike the other elves outside, she had fulfilled her deepest desire. Even though her remaining time was short.

"Even if you were to be beheaded, those elves wouldn't be satisfied, Legia. After a momentary sense of satisfaction, a terrible emptiness will follow. It's too cruel."

Legia's gaze fell. She knew it too. That's why she hadn't left.

"Before meeting Aisha, it might have been different. Though, I couldn't give up."

She even been ablwe to fulfill her selfish wish. From beginning to end, stepping on sacrifice after sacrifice, Legia achieved all her desires.

"So, it's better to disappear like this then…"

"That's the only way. Not just to ease your guilt, but truly for their sake."

"That's… true."

"Then you will be remembered as a devil who, with one mistake, caused numerous sacrifices. As an elf who strayed from her path, engulfed in selfishness just to see a close friend for one more day."

The adventurer's words were painful.

All the more because they were the undeniable truth.

Sensing her master's mood, Belial shrunk back as Aisha gazed at Legia with a resigned sadness in her eyes.

Seojin shrugged.

"So, that's what it means here, Legia."

"… What?"

"Your apology now has no value to them. No matter how sincere it may be, it will never reach them."

The elves outside had to remember her in this current state.

Anger was a much better driving force than emptiness.

"What you mean is…"

"Do you really want to atone? Not just to ease your mind, but to truly pay for your sins?"

"I truly do, adventurer."

"And you, Aisha?"

Seojin's gaze shifted to the side. Like Legia, Aisha seemed a bit bewildered.

"Yes, I do!"

"Even though you are at no fault, you're willing to bear anything for your friend Legia, to give up anything?"

"Of course! I would do anything within my power!"

She was a girl who had already given up her remaining life for her friend. Naturally, she was sincere.

And fortunately, there was a way to atone.

"Let's put off seeking forgiveness from the elves outside. First, let's meet the elves you've killed."

'The dead elves. Is he talking about praying?'

But as Legia tilted her head, Seojin suggested something different.

"It's called Yggdrasil."

* * *

Yggdrasil.

That name from Seojin's lips belonged to the legendary tree of life that connected all worlds.

"Yggdrasil…"

"Yes, that exact entity you are thinking of, Legia."

"Are you speaking of a legend?"

"Adventurers chase legends. Sometimes they end up as mere fiction, but occasionally, we find legends that truly exist."

Fortunately, this case was the latter.

"Yggdrasil wasn't just a legendary entity, to me."

"That's incredible…."

Legia's eyes widened. It was an unbelievable tale.

'I suppose it's a natural reaction.'

This was Midgard.

And in the realm of mortals, Yggdrasil felt like a distant legend.

But in Asgard, the world of gods?

It was just a vast field, a crossroad leading to numerous points.

"It's hard to see, and reach. But it definitely exists."

"…"

Her response didn't come easily.

If it was anyone else, she would have immediately doubted it.

But since it was coming from Seojin, it stopped at a reflexive silence of disbelief.

"If you want confirmation, I can call Maya. She'll help you to gain trust in my words."

"… No, I believe you. What you've shown is enough."

Finally, there was a reaction.

Facing her kin would have been awkward, but more than that, it wasn't the time to ponder about such things.

Especially since this 'remarkable' adventurer had no reason to lie.

"But adventurer, if it's Yggdrasil…"

"Dead elves go there. Though you know that, Legia."

"Yes, and Yggdrasil's embrace is vast. Beyond our imagination."

"That's true."

Normally, it was an opportunity not granted. Too vast to even think of reaching.

But Seojin remembered.

The land of elves at the tip of Yggdrasil's branches.

And the land where elves touched by darkness ended up.

"Elves who met a normal end ascend to the Fifth Branch. If you follow it, you will be able to meet those departed elves."

"The Fifth…"

"Originally, Aisha would have gone there, but it's impossible now because she's entangled with you. You both will follow the Sixth Branch. At its end… lies a world far from light."

Legia's face darkened.

"Fortunately, there is a way. Traversing a complex tangle of twigs, moving sideways. Though one wrong step could lead to a truly dreadful fate."

But Seojin had experience, as a veteran of Asgard.

"I'll show you the way. So, both of you can make it there."

* * *

"Just follow this path. Remember, if you stray even a little off course, there will be irreversible consequences."

"… Thank you."

Legia spoke with sincere eyes. She had been skeptical, but the stories of Yggdrasil that Seojin recounted could only be told by someone who had experienced them first-hand. They were specific, detailed, and contained information that could not be known by merely observing from afar.

"… Adventurer, you seem almost like a messenger of the gods."

"Not at all. I'm just a normal human who walks a slightly unique path."

'A normal human,' she thought. Legia examined the map Seojin had drawn. It was such a simple drawing, it made one wonder if it was really about a legendary entity.

"Thank you, adventurer."

"Save your thanks, you don't have much time. And you better take Belial with you. Expected me to say that, right?"

"… Yes."

Belial.

The spirit, silently waiting, was also implicated in Legia's corruption. His mind was damaged, leaving him here alone was not an option.

"That's all I had to say… I'll leave now. Remember, you both said you could handle anything, but the path won't be easy."

"We won't forget."

"Very well then."

"Adventurer."

As Seojin turned to leave, Legia stopped him.

"I'm really sorry to ask again, but can I make one more request?"

"Of course."

With a swift turn, Seojin faced her again. An NPC's request was something Seojin couldn't ignore.

"… Something will be left behind in the place I depart from."

"What is it?"

"It's the mark of my sins. I know I should take care of it myself, but…"

"Don't worry about that. So, what is this mark of sin?"

"It's the children I hurt."

"Not elves, but spirits, right?"

"… Yes."

It was understandable.

"What would you like me to do for them?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know. To know how to return those children if it's even possible…."

"I'll handle it. Just worry about preparing to leave. There's not much time left."

Seojin neatly resolved the situation. Now, only about 10 minutes remained for the two. Seojin sat quietly in the middle of the cave, keeping watch. Flappy stayed to witness their last moments.

And then.

The hidden event has concluded.

Unofficial World Quest: The Sleeping Desert has been completed.

The messages that appeared announced the end of the quest, followed by the reward details.

* * *

At first, it appeared like a green dot. On the parched yellow canvas, the vibrant green, like splattered paint, slowly expanded its territory.

An unidentified plant sprouted. The sprout grew into a tree, and beside it, new sprouts emerged, soon forming a small thicket.

The sand transformed into moist, firm, bronze earth. Life was beating. The forest awoke, and it was then that the elves realized they had fulfilled their mission.

"Ah, this is…!"

"Salevania! Our forest!"

Excited exclamations erupted. Some covered their mouths in disbelief, others knelt, trembling with excitement. Elves, including Berg, who had regretted not being able to punish Legia, now realized the precarious choice they had been on the brink of making.

"I was… truly foolish."

Feeling the forest's vitality, Berg bit his lip, overwhelmed by an indescribable emotion.

"This is Salevania…" Jin, the new leader of the Guardians of the Balance, was speechless at the gradually blooming forest. His eyes, wide with amazement, reflected the desert, now being overtaken by greenery in real-time. Green to the point that calling it a desert now seemed almost laughable.

Their view was soon obscured by thick trees, and all that was visible was a sea of green.

The users felt the same.

"This is… insane."

Bigfoot was the first to speak. Unlike the quest experienced through text messages, the scene unfolding before him was beyond anything he could have even imagined.

"It's really crazy."

"Crazy, indeed."

"Do you think the whole desert transformed like this? The entire Sleeping Desert?"

"Seems like it."

"Other countries must be in chaos too. The desert nearly cuts across the entire continent."

"Probably? Just got a message from my guild members. There's an update notice on the official website. The map's going to change."

"A single user changed the game settings."

It was beyond comprehension. Until now, even Ironblood hadn't experienced such a thing. They had simply followed the complex and demanding quests within the framework of the game. But what Seojin achieved was beyond that norm.

"No wonder it's called 'unofficial.'"

"Did Seojin create this quest himself?"

"Doesn't seem like it."

Bigfoot shook his head. Creating a quest was impossible; that was the developers' domain. This was just something…

"… beyond the conventional route. A quest with a tremendous impact on the world, yet thoroughly hidden."

Bigfoot hit the nail on the head. Standard world quests in the game were kindly announced to players. A quest has occurred; go find clues, complete it, and receive a reward.

But an unofficial world quest?

From the beginning, it existed without such a kind explanation.

"… All I can say is, it's remarkable."

There was now nothing even resembling a desert in sight. The two stared blankly at the forest. Then, the two realized Paladin Merhen's reaction was different from the others.

"… Paladin?"

"Yes?"

"You seem to be used to this kind of thing. You don't look too surprised."

"Of course I'm surprised."

Merhen said with a kind smile. He was indeed surprised, considering the scope of the quest's impact was larger than he expected. But that was it. Seojin doing something like this was just Seojin being Seojin.

"Seems like Seojin has always been like this. Even before."

"If we're talking scale, he was even more so in the past. It's just that the results are more spectacular in virtual reality."

"… That's really reassuring."

That they hadn't made Seojin an enemy and had managed to ride on his coattails. Relieved, the two guild leaders silently looked around the forest. One thought occupied their minds.

'… What was the criteria for his companions again?'

The companion criteria casually mentioned by Seojin.