CHAPTER 74
The Humiliation of That Day**

Grisella was seeing a scene from her past.

When she was still young, before she was captured by the Erosion, she had seen a colossal tree. It was visible from everywhere, and no matter where she was, it stood as the guardian of her world.

When she grew a little older, she even set out on an adventure, wanting to see the World Tree in person. Her small adventure ended when she couldn't find it no matter how hard she looked, but that was okay.

Though it was an illusory tree whose physical form she could not grasp, it was the truth that it benevolently embraced all Elves.

‘And then, I was captured by the Erosion.’

The Lord of Oppression and the Ceiling. Trapped in his cage, she was stripped of all self and freedom, exploited. Her entire life was stolen from her, and as his slave, she wielded a sword.

The Lord of the Ceiling used those who had become slaves like her to kill their own kind—other Elves. Whether it was a twisted hobby or an efficient tactic to destabilize the enemy, she didn't know.

Either way, it didn't matter to the victim. Whatever the reason, the fact that it was a horrific act remained unchanged.

Worse still, the souls of her slain kin could not return to the World Tree as they were meant to. They were all trapped through her, imprisoned within the Lord of the Ceiling’s cage.

Some of those souls were used as soldiers, just like her, while others were used as a source of energy to be drained of their power.

It was an act that defied the great cycle of the Elven race and insulted the World Tree, the very heart of that cycle. For how many decades, how many centuries, had this been repeated?

After an eternity, she barely managed to regain a sliver of her self. From that day on, not a day went by that she didn't pray. There was not a single moment she didn't wish for it.

The day she would once again see the form of Mother World Tree, just like the illusion she had seen in her youth.

And now, it was visible behind the back of a human. She felt like she was about to burst into tears.

‘What in the world did you do to her?’

Seeing Grisella prostrated before him as if she had truly seen a god, Jinwoo asked the God of Moonlight Forest.

[I let her know. Through you, I revealed my presence.]

Jinwoo clicked his tongue. To become this reverent just by feeling an indirect fragment of the World Tree, without even seeing it directly…

Just revealing its presence for a moment elicited such a reaction. The Elves truly seemed to possess a faith bordering on fanaticism.

‘It’s not like I don’t get it.’

The World Tree actually existed. And it didn't just exist; it was responsible for the cycle of retrieving Elven souls and birthing new life. It was the core that allowed the Elven race to be maintained as a species.

It made sense that they would cherish such an important being, and it was understandable that this would develop into a fervent faith.

"Um, you, sir…"

"What is it?"

"Are you the proxy of Mother World Tree?"

A proxy? Well, that wasn't an incorrect way to put it. He could indeed hear and relay the World Tree's words.

"You're not wrong."

"In that case, could I please… make just one request?"

"Go on."

Jinwoo told her to speak. Grisella lifted her head and closed her eyes. After a brief moment of resolve, she opened them.

"Please kill me and gather my soul. Take that soul to Mother World Tree's side…"

Jinwoo’s eyes widened at the unexpected wish.

"You want to die?"

"Yes."

"Didn't you escape the Lord's domain because you wanted to live?"

"No. I escaped so that I could die. As long as I am under him, I can never die."

However, when they first met, Grisella had dodged Jinwoo's sword. That meant she hadn't wanted to die.

Her demeanor was different now, but Jinwoo fully understood the reason.

‘…It’s a similar situation to the acidic Elves in Tokyo.’

Back when he met the acidic Elves in the Eroded zone of Tokyo. They hadn't attacked him. Instead, they had entrusted everything to him, making a silent plea to be put to rest.

Once bound by Erosion, one cannot die. They live forever as a slave of the Erosion, as one of its soldiers. They lose their sense of self and kill their family, friends, and kin.

Which is more painful: being killed by your own kind, or being the one who kills them? No, that’s a foolish question. The answer is that both are incomparably painful.

"You want to return to the World Tree?"

"Yes."

Grisella's voice was the most serious it had been. The reason she had first dodged Jinwoo's sword was because she couldn't die here.

If she died in this world, her soul would remain in this world forever, unable to return to the World Tree's side.

But now, a proxy of the World Tree had appeared before her. One who even projected the World Tree's halo and illusion behind his back.

If I die by this man's hand, my soul will be guided to Mother World Tree. She must have felt that conviction.

"I'll be honest. Even if I kill you, you can't go to the World Tree's side."

"…Pardon?"

"I can hear the World Tree's voice. I possess its power, too. But I don't know where the World Tree is. All I know is that it's somewhere in the Spirit Realm."

"The Spirit Realm… the place where the Lords' Divine Domains are…"

Having barely escaped from that place, Grisella knew all too well. She knew how dangerous that world was—no, beyond danger, how difficult it was to even ascend there again.

Even if she tried to return, it would not be easy. To enter a Gate right now, traverse all the way to the 5th Floor, and find the red portal leading to the 6th Floor?

Even with a stroke of heavenly luck, it would be difficult. Getting past the dragons of the 5th Floor, the Dragon Star Realm, and crossing over to the Spirit Realm was no easy task, even for her, who could now wield a part of the Erosion.

"Sir Proxy, do you not have a way to get to the Spirit Realm?"

Jinwoo hesitated for a moment. He wanted to say he didn't, but he didn't want to lie to her either.

"…No. I can get to the Spirit Realm. The problem is what comes after."

At Jinwoo's honest answer, Grisella’s eyes sparkled. In that case!

"Please…"

"Hold on. I said I can go, not that I will. The Spirit Realm is not an easy place for me right now. It might be difficult for a long time to come."

Grisella understood Jinwoo's words. She understood that the Spirit Realm was a dangerous place, and that finding the World Tree there would be an arduous task.

"That's alright. Just… please hold onto my soul, and if you ever happen to find Mother World Tree, please return it then. …Would that be difficult?"

He could tell she was asking as cautiously as possible. The liberation of her soul was a matter of utmost importance, one that had taken her more than a lifetime. That was why she was being careful not to let her request become a demand.

However, the desperation in her eyes could not be hidden. Jinwoo let out a small sigh and spoke.

"…Alright. The World Tree did ask me to find it someday, anyway."

While he was at it, returning a single soul wouldn't be a difficult task. Of course, that was only if he actually managed to find it.

Jinwoo drew his white jewel sword. But before he aimed it, he spoke first.

"In return, I have something to ask. You can think of it as payment."

"What is it?"

"Information about the Spirit Realm. And anything you know about the Lord of the Ceiling and his Divine Domain. Tell me everything."

For her, it was an easy task. On the verge of death, she had no reason to hide secrets, and in the first place, she had a duty to tell the proxy of Mother World Tree everything.

A prisoner who escaped from the enemy's camp has a duty to report all the information they have gathered.

For a while, her quiet report continued. Jinwoo listened intently, engraving every detail into his mind. He occasionally asked questions, and after hearing everything…

He raised his sword.

‘It’s not what I’d call sufficient, but I learned a lot.’

The general information about the Spirit Realm wasn't much different from what he'd heard from Kanok. The important part, however, was the information about the Lord of the Ceiling's Divine Domain.

She didn't know where it was located in the Spirit Realm. But he had heard many clues—its topographical features, climate, and the flow of its energy. With this much, if he put his mind to it, he should be able to pinpoint its location someday.

Having finished her story, Grisella looked at Jinwoo's sword and said.

"Are you planning to cut him down?"

"Who knows. It would be nice if I could."

"You will. If that is Mother World Tree's will."

Grisella smiled with the 100% unwavering faith unique to a zealot. Normally, he would have dismissed it, but for some reason, it felt encouraging this time.

"Let's begin."

"Please do."

Jinwoo raised his sword. And, to make it as painless as possible, he stabbed at the Black Flame burning within her via the shortest possible path.

The energy of Erosion flared up, trying to defend itself, but against Jinwoo's sword, its defense was weaker than wet paper.

The Black Flame, pierced in an instant, was about to be absorbed by Jinwoo through the sword… but it wasn't.

‘What?’

The flame flickered and scattered, but it was not absorbed.

As if blocked by an invisible wall, it couldn't be drawn into Jinwoo.

Just then, another flame ignited. Like a cage, it sent down bars of light, trapping Grisella's wandering flame.

[How arrogant.]

A voice rang out. It was completely different from the small, fragile voice of the God of Moonlight Forest—it was hoarse and filled with rage.

"Kyaaaaaaaah!"

Grisella's eyes rolled back, showing only the whites. Her skin dried up in an instant, cracking and splitting like parched earth in a drought. Black light began to burst forth from the fissures.

Jinwoo pulled out his sword and slashed at the light. But there were too many streams of light erupting; cutting one or two made no difference.

[The time has come to repay the humiliation of that day.]

The light that shot out spread, creating a barrier of Erosion centered on the abandoned factory.

It was exactly the same as when the Sky Temple had fallen in the 3rd Floor. The same kind of barrier was now deployed here.

The sky was high and the earth was vast. In that empty space, with not even a single cloud, stood a lone abandoned factory. Jinwoo and everyone else who had been at the factory were caught in this Erosion.

It was a similar barrier to the last one, but some things had changed.

Unlike before, where there had been nothing but a wide-open plain, the land was now densely packed with tower-like pillars.

—This is breaking news. An Erosion has occurred at the site of an abandoned factory on the outskirts of southern Seoul. The scale is not large enough to have corroded the city barrier, but it appears that numerous victims, including Mayor Ma Doo-sik, have been caught in the Erosion. The Hunter Management Bureau is urgently assembling Hunters for a rescue operation…

The sudden news struck the entire city of Seoul.

The news that an Erosion had occurred right next to the city. That alone was a disaster, but it was compounded by the news that the city's leader, Mayor Ma Doo-sik, had been caught up in it.

Guilds were hastily assembled. Three guilds, led by the Cheonok Guild, gathered and were deployed for the rescue.

No matter how S-class Ma Doo-sik was, he was the mayor. A rescue operation had to be carried out thoroughly, leaving no room for even the slightest chance of failure.

However, the Erosion that appeared this time was different from previous ones.

"Huh? We can't get in! It's blocked!"

Unlike previous Erosions, this one rejected all outside intervention. As if it only had business with those inside, it stood aloof, its domain spread wide.