Chapter 121: Severed Space
A memory of a past life. It resurfaced here, too.
In a corner of the garden, there was a place exactly like this. The overgrown grass and minute details might differ, but the fundamental nature of the land was identical.
My past self had discovered it there for the first time, too. The existence of the black energy that would later be named Erosion.
— This is...
I couldn't just leave it be.
All living things in the garden had a limit, akin to a lifespan; true immortality did not exist here. This wasn't a rule made out of spite, but a minimum condition to protect the garden. If even a single entity existed eternally without perishing, the balance of the garden would break, and the cycle would be severed.
That is why that black energy was an aberration.
An existence that must not be accepted. An enemy that would collapse the garden.
— What must I do...
How could I extinguish this? Is there a way to isolate it from the garden? What if I sealed it deep within the ocean?
I thought of every possible method and tried them all. But I had no idea what the most appropriate measure was.
Where on earth did this energy come from?
I lamented. Where did this ominous, treacherous energy that threatened to swallow everything in the garden spring from?
Its first appearance was in a mound of dirt in the corner of the garden, but that soil was not its origin. I investigated thoroughly and dug it up, but nothing was found in the vicinity.
That wasn't all. Even after scouring every inch of the garden, I saw nothing capable of birthing such black energy.
Then where?
They say the world is full of coincidences, but nothing exists without a cause. Even countless coincidences are born from the entanglement of innumerable causes and origins.
This meant the black energy, which appeared one day without warning, also had an origin. If I could figure out the origin, I would know how to destroy it.
So, I continued to explore. There was no need to rush. What I needed was not speed, but thoroughness. Since I had nothing but time, it was important not to be impatient.
— Ah...
While thinking this, I realized one fact.
I believed there was nothing eternal or immortal in this garden. That was why it could circulate as a world, and why I considered the existence of Erosion a threat.
But there was one more fact. An existence that, like this deep, dark Erosion, would never perish and would function eternally.
It was me.
The Erosion spreading through the ground was abruptly cut off by the sword. It was helplessly sucked in and absorbed into Jinwoo.
The Erosion that climbed up the blade caressed Jinwoo’s fingers, wrist, and forearm. It felt like it was fawning over him coquettishly, but in truth, it was rejoicing. Rejoicing that it had finally found its master.
"..."
This place was a set built to recreate the past.
The location that surfaced in Jinwoo's memories and this garden in the snowy mountain were identical. There were minor differences, but the foundation was exactly the same.
Belkarim’s statement that this was "the place where Erosion was first discovered" was the truth.
At the same time, her objective became clear. She wanted him to fully accept the Erosion and become the master of that power. Just as his past self had done.
"It seems the Master's training method is effective. Congratulations, Lord Jinwoo."
The maid spoke in a bright tone. Her expression was hidden by the cloth covering her face, but her tone made it obvious she was smiling.
"Is simply absorbing the Erosion that appears here the training method Belkarim prepared?"
"It’s simple, but isn't it equally effective? To me, it looks like you’ve remembered something, Lord Jinwoo."
It was true that he had regained some memories.
Tsk. Jinwoo clicked his tongue and spread his palm, diffusing the Erosion.
He deployed a barrier to suppress only that specific space without touching the rest of the garden. Then, he retracted it again, absorbing it into his body.
The sequence of processes was smooth. Smoother than in Kalesian’s lair, and even smoother than when he executed Silbaern.
Watching the Erosion move as freely as his own limbs, Jinwoo organized his memories. For the current Jinwoo, there was no training method more efficient than this.
Days passed like this, turning into weeks.
During that time, Jinwoo focused on refining the resurfaced memories and handling the Erosion. The maid followed him around with a constantly joyful tone, assisting him. She took care of everything so Jinwoo could focus entirely on his training, occasionally adding a bit of advice.
She moved according to her master's will, so her will was essentially the will of the Lord, Belkarim.
"Does Belkarim want me to regain this power?"
"Of course. She wants you to return to your original form."
"I heard she shares some views with Rondar..."
"Oh my, I wouldn't know about that part. That is not knowledge permitted to a mere maid."
She could mention what her master had told her, but she couldn't speak on matters regarding other Lords she didn't know well. Especially if it was in the realm of speculation.
‘Rondar also handed this sword over to me.’
To be precise, it wasn't Rondar himself but the thought-form he left on the 3rd Floor, but it amounted to the same thing.
‘I don’t know the reason, but that guy also wants me to regain this power.’
The expression "regain" felt natural now. Somehow, he had become synchronized with the memories of his past life.
He had heard that among S-class Hunters, there were many who identified themselves with their past lives. Conversely, there were cases where they viewed past life memories like watching a movie protagonist, utilizing only the knowledge gained from it.
Whichever it was, it couldn't be fully understood just by looking at the surface for a moment. It was a change difficult to notice unless you spent a long time together.
‘Chartia was the latter, wasn't she?’
Chartia was the reincarnation of an Elf, but she didn't seem to think of herself as an Elf. She lived strictly as a human with the memories of an Elf.
There was no way to know which was right. Harmonizing with a past life didn't necessarily mean failing to be faithful to the present life, nor did distancing oneself from the past mean being less influenced by it. Perhaps it was case-by-case.
"Are you remembering, little by little? Just how great of an existence you originally were?"
The maid whispered. It sounded like the whisper of a devil approaching someone craving power.
But it didn't resonate with Jinwoo at all. It sounded like nothing more than nonsense coming from far away.
"If you can fully recall the past, you can be reborn as a magnificent being. Casting aside your current, trivial mortal soul..."
Her story was as sweet as a dream. How much power and authority he could hold just by remembering. Her voice was like a baby bird, but the content was filled with greed.
‘Wrong.’
Jinwoo couldn't agree with her words. Because his past self was not a "great existence" at all.
‘If I was such an omnipotent being, why did I fail?’
He erased memories that shouldn't be erased and lost a life that shouldn't die. Since his past self had an immortal body, if he died, wasn't it because he wished for it?
Why did he go through such a troublesome process to arrange for the next life? It was obvious. Because he couldn't find a solution in his own life.
"Harvest and dominate all Erosion, and become the King."
The past self they desired and revered so much was, in reality, a failed life.
The Erosion in the garden appeared periodically. Each time, Jinwoo harvested and absorbed it, and the maid watched from the side in ecstasy.
His power was steadily increasing. However, Jinwoo had already realized that the end of this path was not the answer.
"Oh my, that is..."
Jinwoo planted a single tree branch in the garden. The maid looked down at it with cold eyes. It was the first time since coming here that he saw eyes so devoid of emotion.
"It's a branch of the World Tree."
"I can tell just by looking... but why that?"
Truth be told, there was no grand reason. He just thought it might serve as a trigger to recall more memories of his past life.
Considering everything so far, it was clear that the World Tree existed in the garden of his past life. So, he thought planting a branch of the World Tree in this place—which was a part of that garden—might provoke a reaction and stimulate his memories.
But her tone wasn't asking for a reason. It was a warning to not do it, to pull out that damn branch and burn it immediately.
Of course, he didn't listen. Jinwoo planted the branch firmly and even gave it water and nutrients. It was one of the nutrient supplements he had received from Chartia a long time ago.
"I wanted to see various reactions. Why? Is there a reason I shouldn't?"
"There isn't, but..."
The maid trailed off. Her eyes rolled around as if selecting what words to say.
"That tree looks extremely profane."
This was the word she chose after much deliberation. She didn't even try to hide the bad blood between them, making Jinwoo smirk.
‘There is a reason the World Tree desperately rejected the Ice Lord back on the 3rd Floor.’
When Rondar caused havoc on the 3rd Floor, the World Tree had desperately argued against taking refuge in the Ice Valley's temple. Instead, they went to the Temple of Dawn, the God of Light.
In the end, they formed an appropriate alliance with the God of Light and succeeded in driving out Rondar's thought-form, so the World Tree’s choice wasn't wrong.
"I'll take care of it myself, so you don't need to touch it. Though, it would probably grow well even without care."
"I suppose so. Isn't it a vulgar tree that extends its roots without caring how filthy the soil is?"
As if protesting, the World Tree branch planted in the ground flashed briefly and sharply. The maid sent an even colder glare, and the World Tree’s light shot back just as sharply, as if trying to gouge out her eyes.
At that moment, Erosion appeared in the garden soil again. Jinwoo raised his sword to cut it down as usual, but the World Tree extended its roots faster than he could move.
It sucked up the nutrient supplement that should have lasted a month in a single gulp and drove its roots down. They burrowed into the black mound of dirt and devoured even the energy of the Erosion as its own sustenance.
"...Keeping that thing close will not be of any help. That is all I have to say."
The maid spat out those final words and left, her sleeves fluttering.
Whether she left or not, Jinwoo was completely absorbed in observing the roots of the World Tree that had sucked up the Erosion.
‘It’s similar to when I saw it in Belen Village.’
The Black Knight that attacked Belen Village. That was when he first saw a minion of a Lord.
The World Tree roots that appeared back then wanted to devour the Black Knight and showed hostility toward Jinwoo for stopping it. Of course, the hostility was momentary and it quieted down immediately.
Jinwoo smiled bitterly as he examined the World Tree that had swallowed the Erosion. And so, some more time passed.
The maid was very happy to help when Jinwoo was training to control the Erosion. However, when he was tending to the World Tree, she would frown as if she didn't even want to be near it and leave.
Once, he asked why she hated it so much, but no proper answer returned.
It is a tree that will ruin you.
She only spat out vague statements rather than specific reasons.
Whether she actually held hostility or not, she tried to harm the young World Tree several times when Jinwoo wasn't looking. She tried to cut it, pull it out, and sometimes even set fire to it.
Of course, the World Tree wasn't weak enough to break from just that, and Jinwoo discovered it immediately each time, preventing any drastic actions.
As time passed, the tree grew rapidly, and proportionally, the maid's dissatisfaction seemed to pile up significantly.
And then, at a certain moment.
"Kalesian? Kalesian!"
The connection with Kalesian, whom he contacted periodically every day, was cut off. It meant the magic had been completely severed.
The experience of a working call suddenly dropping. Jinwoo had experienced something slightly different but similar several times before.
‘When I was swept up by Erosion on Earth.’
When Erosion unfolds, everything inside and outside becomes severed. Since it is a space where even electromagnetic waves cannot escape, all calls are cut off and signals disappear.
What was cut off this time wasn't electromagnetic waves but magical power, but that wasn't what was important.
The important thing was that he was trapped in a severed space.