Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Splash splash-.

Dojae and Sari crossed the lake and stepped onto the land.

A circular piece of land existing right in the center of the lake.

It was a small island firmly anchored by the roots of the Sacred Tree, Aktria.

“Lord Aktria, the representative of the Nightingale Forest offers greetings.”

Sari knelt, bowed low, and kissed the ground.

The gesture felt incredibly natural, revealing she had indeed visited this place often, just as she had said.

Psst-.

As if responding to Sari’s greeting.

Despite the complete absence of wind, the branches of the Arctria tree began to tremble.

Then, fluttering their green leaves, one by one, two by two, the leaves fell, and some even drifted down to the foot of the stone statue.

‘Should I bow too?’

Seeing this mighty tree respond to Sari’s greeting, Dojae hesitated, unsure whether he should press his lips to the ground or not.

Then, thinking that since he was already standing before the sacred tree, a bow was the least he could do, he bent his knees to kneel.

“Huh? Wait a moment…”

Sari said in a flustered voice.

Hearing this, Dojae halted in an awkward stance and asked.

“Didn’t I need to…?”

But no answer came.

Instead, only Sari’s face, growing increasingly horrified, is visible.

“Sari, what’s wrong?”

“Th-there! This has never happened before….”

Sari pointed at Aktria with her finger.

Only then did Dojae look ahead, unable to close his mouth at the bewildering sight.

“Could it be… because of me?”

A thick pile of green leaves.

Actria’s leaves kept falling, piling up even more.

‘Is this some kind of rejection reaction to an otherworldly being? Is there something wrong with me?’

Rustling, rustling.

By the time the leaves had fallen so thickly they reached Dojae’s ankles.

Fortunately, the tree’s trembling stopped.

“Phew. It stopped! I thought something happened to Lord Actria… Huh? Dojae! The leaves…!”

The falling leaves had stopped, but what happened next was even more absurd.

Whoosh-!

A fierce wind blew, whipping Dojae’s hair, and the fallen leaves were swept up into a whirlwind.

The leaves, lifted by the wind, formed a massive whirlwind column towering well above Sari’s height, easily larger than Dojae’s entire body.

And then.

Thud-thud-thud-.

The fierce wind vanished in an instant, and amidst the leaves fluttering softly to the ground, a massive form revealed itself.

A human-shaped being whose entire body was made of Arcthria leaves.

If there was a word that fit perfectly, it would be this.

“Leaf Golem?”

Sari looked up, her voice dazed.

Leaf Golem.

Unlike a Stone Golem, a golem made from leaves appeared before them.

“Sari. Is it an enemy?”

Dojae positioned Sari behind him and channeled mana toward the golem’s heart.

Simultaneously, he attempted to fashion a golem armor using the surrounding earth and stones.

Unable to use the golem’s eyes, he had no choice but to go all out from the start.

But Dojae’s plan went awry.

‘Damn. Here, I had to manipulate everything directly…’

Unlike the original world where he only needed to draw up mana and activate skills, here he had to directly manipulate and concentrate the mana himself.

Pouring mana in frantically wouldn’t automatically create golem armor.

‘No choice. I’ll have to fight barehanded.’

Dojae clenched his fists tightly and assumed a fighting stance.

He was ready to strike back the moment an attack came.

But then.

A deep, resonant voice echoed.

It felt different from the Mind Exchange magic.

It was the exact same feeling as when Elatra and Alteine had spoken to him.

– Welcome, avatars sent by the Great Ones.

***

Thump-thump-.

“Dojae, that was so cool just now!”

Sari, walking side by side, clung to Dojae and beamed.

Then, feigning an air of authority, she pulled away from Dojae and shouted.

“Sari! Are you the enemy?! Stand back! I’ll protect you!”

Sari spread her arms wide, mimicking the act of blocking an imaginary enemy.

Her forearms, straining with effort, were impossibly slender compared to other elves—or rather, Grey Elves—but her spirit was undeniably impressive.

‘I never said anything about backing off or me protecting you…’

After waving her arms at the empty air for a moment, Sari approached Dojae again.

She smiled brightly and said,

“Humans really are such a kind race. I’m so, so happy Dojae is my friend!”

“Sari, you’re wrong. Humans aren’t kind. I didn’t try to save you out of some noble intention either.”

Dojae hadn’t stepped in front of Sari just to protect her.

First, without her, conversation would be impossible.

Besides her, there seemed to be no other Grey Elf who could wield the Mind Exchange magic.

Once again, he’d be isolated in this unfamiliar place, unable to communicate.

To be a bit more selfish, he also needed to keep her alive until the earrings were completed.

Moreover, her position as village chief guaranteed Dojae’s safety here.

While the other gray elves might not care, that memorable gray elf named Kutharn had been keeping a close eye on Dojae.

If danger threatened Sari, who knew what that cautious man might do? That was another reason to protect her.

“So what? If it’s good, it’s good! Dojae is kind! Dojae is human, and humans are kind after all!”

“Yeah. Think whatever you want.”

Dojae smiled as he ruffled Sari’s hair.

How could this 245-year-old female Grey Elf be so innocent?

But Dojae couldn’t shake the image of Lishun from his mind.

‘Lishun… just wait a little longer. When I get back here, you’ll be the first one I take care of.’

Dojae bit his lip tightly.

Dojae, who had found a way back to his original world.

He recalled what had happened just moments ago.

***

“Who are you?!”

Dojae hurled the question at the massive Leaf Golem.

The Leaf Golem flashed its blue eyes and answered.

– I am Aktria. I am the one who governs the Kurran Mountains.

“The Kurran Mountains?”

“The Kurran Mountains are a beautiful and vast mountain range that cuts through the eastern part of the continent from top to bottom, Dojae. They’re so wide that it would take over three months at my walking pace! Our Nightingale Forest is also part of the Kurran Mountains. Heh!”

When Dojae expressed his confusion, Sari answered proudly.

Yet, contrary to her voice, she clung tightly to Dojae’s back, peeking out only her head.

– Child of the Nightingale Forest. Fear not. This form is my manifestation. I appeared to converse with the incarnation of a great being.

At Aktria’s words, Sari slowly emerged from behind Dojae.

Sari asked Aktria cautiously, looking at her.

“Are you truly Lady Aktria?”

– Yes. Did you not come seeking answers from me yesterday? The thing that human men love…

“Aaargh! Yes! It’s definitely you, Aktria!”

Sari screamed, cutting off Actria’s words.

She exhaled a rough breath.

Her face flushed bright red, clearly visible against her grayish skin.

“Dojae, this person is definitely Lady Actria! I… I’ll go back to the lakeside! Have a good talk!”

Sari rushed into the lake and left without another word.

Left alone with Aktria, Dojae relaxed and perched on a tall, exposed root.

“Are you the divine tree, Actria?”

– Heh heh, even if you’re an incarnation sent by the Great Being, you dare act so arrogantly before me.

“Well, I’ve been through a lot. Ever since then, I’ve become very suspicious.”

– What an audacious human. Well, since you’re a human chosen by the Great Ones… I already know why you came to me. You’re here to ask how to return to your original dimension, aren’t you?

“That’s right. I want to go back. I came here unwillingly, like I was fleeing, but there are people waiting for me. I want you to send me back to where I belong immediately.”

– Huh. You want to go back immediately… Of course, I can send you back to your dimension right now.

“Really? That’s great. I’m glad I followed Sari.”

– But even if you return in that state, are you certain you won’t run away again?

“What?”

– Don’t you understand why the Great Ones sent you here? They were disappointed in you for failing to fulfill even a minor command.

“Gah. But Elatra and Altein acknowledged me. The rest I never even saw their faces, let alone heard their voices. Those beings are disappointed in me? What do they expect?”

Dojae leapt to his feet and shouted at Aktria.

Actria moved the leaves on her face into a benevolent smile.

– The great beings, indeed all of us, desire one thing: liberation from the traitor. You must become far stronger than you are now. Therefore, I, Aktria, will send trials upon you.

“…Another trial? But as I said, I don’t have time. I don’t know how much time has passed, but Youngjin is in danger. Ri-shun might have already killed him!”

Dojae’s mana surged violently, resonating with his emotions.

Animals and monsters leisurely resting by the lake were startled by Dojae’s sharp mana and scattered in fright.

In his original world, unleashing mana like this was impossible, but having maintained his mana sensitively since arriving here, it had erupted reflexively.

– Calm down, incarnation of the great beings. There’s plenty of time.

Pop-.

At Actria’s words, Dojae’s aura vanished instantly.

“Plenty of time?”

– Indeed. This place and the realm you inhabited are separate dimensions. Spatial movement, the flow of time—everything is different here. So even if days pass here, not even an instant may have elapsed in the place you came from.

Thud-.

Dojae slumped back down onto the roots, utterly defeated.

He thought it was truly fortunate.

Dojae had fled to save himself.

Of course, dying there at the hands of Lishun wouldn’t have changed anything, but he still felt guilty.

But according to Aktria, he could return to the moment just before fleeing from Lishun again.

Another chance had been given.

Dojae could finally ease his guilt a little.

“Alright. What trials are these? I’ll clear anything and go meet Rishun.”

– Your expression has brightened. I can grant you one month. Any longer, and time would begin to flow in your original world as well. So complete all my trials within that month.

“Understood. And there’s something else I want to ask… about this world…”

***

This was the conversation with Aktria.

Dojae, having received his mission from Aktria, is heading somewhere to become even stronger.

“Sari, do you know any place where I can get a sword and armor?”

“A sword?”

Dojae felt he needed weapons.

Using the golem armor required intense concentration right now.

If his concentration slipped during combat and the golem armor slipped off, he’d be in danger in an instant.

Until he became accustomed to using skills directly, he needed weapons and armor.

“There’s an excellent blacksmith in our village! Should we go there?”