CHAPTER 148
148 - The Murky Wave

After that, Jinwoo searched through the ancient texts remaining in the royal palace and the tower, looking for a way to deal with the Black Root.
He didn't hesitate to ask the elder Elves, who had lived far longer than Permu. Although they regarded Jinwoo with some discomfort, they acknowledged his thirst for knowledge and answered what they could.
"I'm sorry, but this is the first time I've ever encountered something like this."
"If we had known Mother World Tree was being Eroded, we wouldn't have remained so peaceful all this time."
"I have nothing to tell you. Even the previous priestess knew nothing of a Black Root."
Of course, they knew nothing either. In the end, he learned nothing new.
There were no records in the old texts, not even a hint of such a phenomenon. Ultimately, the only thing he learned in the kingdom was the description of the World Tree's surroundings that Permu had given him.
'It's time to go back.'
He concluded that he would only find answers by finding the World Tree's main body in the Spirit Realm.
"Lord Jinwoo."
"Should you be out here when you're so busy?"
Permu came to find Jinwoo as he was preparing to leave. It seemed she had left behind the elder who always clung to her like glue, and even her guard, Rona.
"Are you leaving?"
"I have to. I've looked for everything I can here."
There was nothing more to find out in the kingdom. What remained was work that required him to move his feet, rather than rely on documents.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, Lord Jinwoo, I was able to experience so many things."
"I wasn't the one who freed you. Wasn't it the World Tree?"
"That's true, but... I don't think Mother World Tree would have let me go if it weren't for you. And I probably wouldn't have thought of leaving her embrace either."
The fact that Permu had been bound to the tower was not only due to the World Tree's will, but her own as well.
Although she yearned for the outside world, she didn't want to be completely independent from Mother World Tree. If she could have explored the outside while maintaining her connection to her mother, that would have been the best outcome.
But there was no such way, and in the end, she had to choose. If it hadn't been for Jinwoo, she would never have considered becoming independent from her mother's embrace. She likely would have suppressed her curiosity about the outside world and accepted living in the tower for her entire life.
'The previous priestesses were probably the same.'
She understood now. The priestesses before her who had lived their entire lives bound to the tower. It wasn't that they disliked the outside world. They remained in the tower because they craved Mother World Tree's love more than their curiosity about the world outside.
But the Lord of Beasts had invaded the forest, and Jinwoo had risked his life to stop him. She couldn't remain safe in the tower by herself. So she made her decision.
"I am no longer a priestess, but an ordinary Elf. Still, I intend to serve Mother World Tree and do my best for my people. Even if I am no longer a priestess, I am still the queen."
"Right. That's a commendable thought."
Jinwoo held out his hand. Permu blinked, looked at his hand, and then, a beat later, took it. Not with one hand, but with both. She held Jinwoo's hand warmly and shook it several times.
"I'll come again next time."
"I will give you a grand welcome then. Right now, we are busy restoring the forest, but with time, everything will return to how it was. To the peaceful forest of old."
"Alright, do your best," Jinwoo said, offering a word of encouragement before leaving. As he left the royal palace, he ran into Ipril, who seemed to have been waiting for him.
"Are you leaving?"
"Yeah. There's nothing left for me to do here, so I have to go."
"Please, take care of yourself, Master."
"You can just call me by my name, not Master. I haven't even taught you anything."
"No. I have learned a great deal," Ipril said with a smile, declining Jinwoo's suggestion.
In these past few days, her skills had improved by leaps and bounds. Just following behind Jinwoo and Rona had brought her much enlightenment. The realizations of the past few days were greater than those from her past several years of training.
"After I spend some time organizing what I've learned, I plan to head to the 5th Floor. Until a few days ago, I was anxious, but now I'm a little excited."
"Good. You be careful too. Don't let your confidence make you lower your guard."
"I will keep that in mind. Are you leaving for the 6th Floor, Master?"
"Yeah. I'm heading out right away."
"As expected of you, Master."
He wasn't sure what she meant by "as expected," but there was a somewhat burdensome sparkle in Ipril's eyes. He was grateful for her respect, but it felt a bit much.
"If you keep training like this, you'll be able to come to the Spirit Realm too, I think. Let's see... you might not be a match for Kanok yet."
"Kanok? Is that one of the spirits in the Spirit Realm?"
"Yeah. He's a goblin who specializes in shamanism."
"A... a goblin..."
Ipril's shoulders slumped slightly. The confidence she had built up over the past few days seemed to deflate with that single remark. To think that even after becoming so much stronger, she still couldn't beat a single goblin...
To be fair, even if he was born a goblin, a being who had ascended to the Spirit Realm was not to be underestimated. Such a person would have already trained their body and mind to the absolute limit and reached the stage of tempering their spirit.
"Well, I'm off."
"Travel safely."
After a brief chat with Ipril, Jinwoo set off on his way back. In truth, he could have returned from anywhere in the forest without leaving the palace. Since he had come through the World Tree, he could return from anywhere a root of the World Tree existed.
As Jinwoo touched the Black Root, a small cluster of blue light flickered on his hand.
"A spirit?"
"It's a Spirit of the Lake. It might be helpful if you take it with you."
It was Rona. Knowing that Jinwoo was going to the Spirit Realm to find a lake, she had come to give him a spirit.
"Can it find the lake's location?"
"Once you get close enough, it will glow and fly off on its own. It's a little one that loves lakes."
"Okay, thanks."
The more ways he had to find it, the better. The best way would be to ask the inhabitants there and secure a map of the Spirit Realm.
'Though even with a map, they'd probably only know the nearby areas.'
He recalled the map he had made with Permu, which they had drawn by exploring the area around the tower. It was normal to only know that much, but one could never be sure. There might be a map of the entire Spirit Realm.
It would be convenient if such a thing existed, but if not, he would have to wander around and search. In that case, having a spirit that could sense the lake would be a great help.
"Jinwoo, what is the Spirit Realm like?"
"It's just like I told you before. I haven't been there for very long myself."
Rona had shown great interest in the Spirit Realm for some time. Ever since she learned that Jinwoo could travel there, she had been asking him all sorts of questions, almost on par with Kalesian.
Considering her goal was to temper her swordsmanship and ascend to become a spirit, it was understandable. And in Jinwoo's eyes, Rona was already close. If she could break through just a couple more walls, she might reach it.
"I think you could probably beat Kanok now."
"Kanok? Ah, the goblin you mentioned before, right?"
"Yeah. The goblin who taught me the spell to call down lightning."
"If I'm strong enough to beat Kanok... does that mean I can go to the Spirit Realm!?"
It was possible for Jinwoo to take her. He could bring her along just as he had with Kalesian before.
But that would be meaningless. What Rona wanted was to reach the Spirit Realm with her own strength. Having someone else take her might be a good experience, but it wouldn't help her training.
"Probably soon. I think it'll be possible with just a small trigger."
"!"
Rona's eyes began to shine with determination. The greatest enemy of a seeker on an endless path of training is self-doubt.
Is training this hard enough? Do I lack the innate talent, making it impossible to reach even after hundreds of years of effort? Is this truly the right path?
Countless doubts make them anxious and impatient. If they cannot shake them off, that becomes their limit.
Jinwoo's single remark reassured Rona. So, all I have to do is keep going like this. All I have to do is keep trying endlessly.
"Thanks for the spirit. I'm going now."
"Yes! Let's meet next time in the Spirit Realm!"
It would be wonderful to actually meet her in the Spirit Realm. Imagining such a future, Jinwoo let out a small smile.
"See you."
With that, Jinwoo vanished along with the Black Root. His being and consciousness melted into the root, crossing the walls between worlds through the World Tree.
His soul was heading towards Earth, the place of his birth. The ego sword at his waist pointed towards the Delphinia Kingdom he had just left.
But Jinwoo headed for the Spirit Realm, following the three Seeds he held within his body. The Seeds felt a strong pull, wanting to return to the Spirit Realm.
'Right. Let's go back.'
Jinwoo naturally thought the same. Go back? He was heading to the Spirit Realm, not Earth, yet it felt like he was returning home.
'How long was I even there?'
The Spirit Realm was not the place he was born. Nor had he stayed there long enough for it to feel like home. And yet, Jinwoo felt a sense of comfort, as if he were returning home, even though it was an incredibly dangerous world.
And then he arrived in the Spirit Realm.
The moment he arrived, his body froze at the sight of something.
'This is...'
Bodies were strewn everywhere. Corpses of all kinds of creatures were scattered about in what looked like the middle of a fierce battlefield.
And in the center of it all lay a Seed of Erosion. Unclaimed.

He had been somewhat prepared to land near a Lord.
The first time he came to the Spirit Realm, he was led by the World Tree and landed near the white tower. The next time, he was led by Kalesian's soul and landed near Silbaern, another dragon.
This time, he had been guided by three Seeds, so he had been prepared to land near the fourth Seed—that is, near a Lord.
But to find no Lord, only an ownerless Seed, was unexpected.
"Is it dead?"
Was the Lord who owned it dead? It was a reasonable guess. The area was littered with corpses, and the stench of decay was so strong it felt like his nose would twist off.
He circulated his mana to block the smell and purify the toxins in the air. Just as the World Tree had gained a purification ability after swallowing Prycia's corpse, Jinwoo could perform a similar feat with Prycia's Seed.
After a round of purification, the air became much more pleasant. With a clearer mind and vision, Jinwoo surveyed the area around the Seed, remaining fully on guard.
'There are... no living beings for now.'
Everything was dead. There were no undead, either. Only after checking his entire surroundings did Jinwoo pick up the fallen Seed.
'Whose is this?'
Originally, it was his. From his past life. But he wasn't curious about that; he was curious about its previous owner.
Which Lord had this Seed resided in? It was impossible to tell from the fallen Seed alone.
'The surrounding corpses don't have much in common either.'
There were the bodies of Orcs and Trolls, as well as what appeared to be Humans. There were Elves and Dwarves, and even Beastmen similar to Cain. He even realized that what he thought was a large hill was, upon closer inspection, the corpse of a dragon.
The bodies of all races were scattered about. The only thing they had in common was that they were all dead. In other words, the flame that signified their soul was gone.
Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble~!
Just then, a wave began to surge from one side. A wave mixed with all sorts of life, energy, and souls. It was a murky wave made of Black Flame.