[Using Analysis.]
[Elf Guardian – 001]
─A golem that protects the World Tree.
─The red gemstone embedded in its chest is its power source.
‘Guardian, golem—what a load of bullshit……!’
─BZZT—!
The moment I saw its gleaming red eye, my body moved on its own.
─DASH—!
I put all my strength into my legs and sprang away as though kicking off the ground.
─THUD-THUD-THUD—!
Arrows immediately buried themselves where I had been standing, devastating the surrounding area.
Dozens of arrows.
Even with my armor, I would have been riddled like a beehive if they had all struck me.
I looked ahead.
Dozens of golems.
Every one of them was drawing another arrow from its palm and aiming at me.
‘I’ll cut them down before the next attack comes.’
─DASH—!
I raised my sword and charged toward the one at the very front.
[Using the skill ‘Demon Flash (A).’]
─SLASH—!
I closed the distance in an instant and sent the sturdy golem’s head flying.
That made one…….
Huh?
─CREAK, CREAK—!
Why is it still moving……?
─GRIND—!
I could not hide my shock when its arm continued moving as though trying to fire its bow even after its head had fallen off.
Could it be……?
‘There’s no time.’
The headless golem was still moving, and the golems standing behind it were also drawing their bowstrings.
Even if I moved immediately, they were too close for me to dodge.
In that case…….
─THUD—!
I kicked the legs out from under the headless golem and used it as a shield.
─THUD-THUD-THUD—!
I felt dozens of arrows slam into it.
Did I make it in time?
“Huh……?”
─BZZT, BZZZT—!?!
Something was wrong with the golem I was using as a shield.
It made a strange sound like a broken appliance, then went limp like a fish drained of strength.
It had not even taken that many arrows, yet…….
When I looked at its body, I saw an arrow embedded in the exact center of its chest.
‘Do I have to destroy its power source?’
Just as Analysis had indicated, the golem finally stopped moving once its power source was destroyed.
In that case…….
─SWOOSH—!
I grabbed the golem by the leg.
“Hup!”
─CRASH—!
I threw it at the others.
Naturally, the other golems, which had been taking aim to fire their bows, toppled over.
I did not let that brief opening slip away and charged forward.
I targeted the orbs that appeared to be their cores.
I stomped on the red cores to prevent the fallen golems from getting back up.
─CRUNCH—!
─!!
─Thud.
Just as I thought.
After glancing at the fallen golem the moment its core shattered, I drew my sword again.
─CRUNCH—!
I drove the sword into the chest of another one standing right beside me.
‘Four left…….’
I pulled my sword free to target the next one, but it was quite far away.
I thought.
The best method available to me right now was…….
─Grab.
─THUD-THUD-THUD—!
The distance was too short for me to dodge the arrows.
Once again, I used a golem as a shield and waited.
─THUD-THUD-THUD—!
─THUD-THUD—!
The barrage showed no sign of stopping.
Perhaps the sight of three of their number dying had enraged them, because the intervals between their volleys were growing shorter than before.
It was too dangerous to wait for an opening and rush in.
In that case…….
“I don’t know whether this will work on golem bastards, but…….”
I reached through an opening and used my skill.
[Using the skill ‘Enfeeblement (B).’]
Then I saw it.
The hands drawing the bowstrings began to slow.
The skill worked.
In that case…….
─DASH—!
I abandoned the golem I had been using as a shield and charged.
I could not waste this fleeting moment.
All I could do was kick off the ground with all my strength and throw myself forward.
Then I drew my sword.
[Using the skill ‘Demon Flash (A).’]
I thrust it forward.
─SLICE—!
─SWOOSH……!
Feeling the wind blow from behind me, I quietly lowered my sword.
The golems stood motionless with their bows raised.
I approached them from behind and lightly nudged one on the shoulder.
─THUD—!
[Combat experience has accumulated.]
[The skill ‘Light Footwork (E+)’ has changed to ‘Light Footwork (D).’]
“Nice.”
I smiled as their upper bodies separated cleanly and fell to the ground.
I had nearly ended up with a ventilation hole in my head.
After admiring the results of my work for a moment, I looked up at the sky again.
What came next?
I had encountered the trial at the place to which I had been guided and cleared it.
Naturally, since I had been guided here and given a trial, I expected a reward for it.
[You who have overcome the trial. Your qualifications have been proven.]
─FWOOSH—!
At that moment, a powerful wind swept through, and the fog that had obscured everything directly before me gradually receded.
The shrubs and trees dyed white began regaining their original colors, and warm rays of light could once again be felt from the sky.
─!!
Just as before, I sensed souls.
The souls of the elves who had remained here.
They responded to me and slowly approached.
I quietly extended a hand and resonated with their souls, which were gentle and soft as nature itself.
[Recognizing the souls of the elves hidden within the World Tree.]
[Beginning Analysis.]
[Analyzing the souls’ experiences.]
I closed my eyes as their memories gradually flowed into me.
[You have acquired the skill ‘Nature Affinity.’]
[You have acquired the skill ‘Poison Resistance.’]
[You have inherited the elves’ experience.]
[The skill ‘Regeneration (F)’ has changed to ‘Regeneration (D).’]
The word that appeared after the skills was “inheritance.”
I had inherited their experience?
The change to my Regeneration skill opened a new perspective for me.
‘The experiences of souls can make my skills stronger too?’
I nodded at this new realization and felt the changes for myself.
What was Nature Affinity?
Does it literally allow me to blend into nature?
Or does it let me…… Hmm?
My gaze turned as though guided by my senses.
It was as if something invisible were guiding me and whispering in my ear.
My feet began to move.
Then something appeared before me.
“An altar……?”
It was an altar.
A small altar surrounded by undergrowth.
An old bow entangled in undergrowth rested atop it.
However…….
“It’s only half a bow.”
Unlike a complete bow, half of its bow stave was missing.
But…….
─HUMMM—!!
When the arrow in my pocket reacted, I realized this was the trial’s reward.
I stepped forward and grasped the bow, only half of which remained.
“There’s something written here…….”
It was only half a bow, but something was written beneath it.
‘Is this Elvish?’
I recognized the characters because I had glimpsed them faintly within the memories.
[The ability ‘Analysis’ has activated.]
“Let’s see…….”
[Great Warrior’s Bow]
─In the past, Great Warrior Arni ─BZZT─…….
─A soul is contained within this item.
As expected, since half of it had been severed, I could not determine its exact name, but I could understand the general information.
‘Great Warrior?’
[Analyzing the soul contained in the bow.]
─BZZT—!
Sparks flew.
What’s wrong with this thing?
[Unable to analyze all memories within the broken relic.]
[An unstable technique is being engraved into your body.]
“So it failed…….”
Because the relic was broken?
I was bewildered because this had never happened before, but as the sensation seeped into my body, I quietly closed my eyes.
[You have acquired a skill.]
[You have acquired the skill ‘Spirit Arts (C).’]
─You can now command lesser spirits.
[The skill ‘Spirit Affinity’ is reacting to ‘Spirit Arts.’]
[‘Spirit Arts (C)’ has changed to ‘Spirit Arts (B).’]
‘The skills reacted to each other.’
I stared blankly at Spirit Arts as it changed through its connection to a skill I had acquired earlier.
So this can happen too?
Beyond mere fascination, I realized something about the limits of skills.
I could feel that their depths were far greater than anything I had ever known.
More importantly…….
“Spirit Arts…….”
Spirits?
Are those the things those elves used to command?
Perhaps because the elves I had seen in the memories were beings attuned to nature, each one traveled with a spirit as though it were a pet.
They generally used magic through their spirits.
I remembered some even imbuing their weapons with spirits to strengthen them.
“If I find the rest of the bow, I’ll be able to obtain a higher-grade skill.”
I realized it the moment I saw the grade of Spirit Arts.
To obtain the complete skill, I had to find the other half of the bow.
And.
[The effect of the skill ‘Spirit Arts (B)’ has activated.]
[A lesser spirit has acknowledged you as its master.]
“Its master…….”
─!!
─~~!
Soon, something tiny began floating before my eyes.
It looked like a white speck.
The spirit circled me, lightly bumping against my body as though trying to act cute.
I was curious.
What could this creature do?
It did not seem capable of speaking, so I decided to ask it questions one at a time.
“Can you fight?”
─Shake, shake.
So it could not fight.
“What about magic?”
─Shake, shake.
Then what could it do?
“Can you do anything at all?”
─Shake, shake, shake!
What was that supposed to mean?
I had never realized how inconvenient it was to be unable to communicate.
That only made me more curious.
What the hell could I use this thing for?
Thanks to the spirit, I soon found the answer to that question.
─Float.
“Where are you going?”
The spirit suddenly shot up into the air.
And.
─Tingle.
At the same moment, I felt a slight pain near my eyes…….
“What’s this……?”
My field of vision widened.
No, it went far beyond merely widening.
It was almost like…….
“Clairvoyance?”
It resembled the Clairvoyance that a handful of Hunters were said to possess.
My vision made it seem as though I were looking down at the forest from high above.
And that was not all.
I could see things invisible to human eyes.
I saw unknown currents and even sensed things like energy.
‘I can see every monster’s location.’
It was detection in the truest sense of the word.
I could see the enemies’ locations without having to sense them.
I could even tell where they were heading and where they were hiding.
And.
“Why is that one hollow?”
One tree in the forest stood out because it alone was completely empty inside.
While the other trees were solid within, the one before me was hollow, with what looked like a path leading downward through it.
Could it be……?
“Keep it in view. I’m going to check it myself.”
I gave the spirit its order and ran toward the tree.
***
It was said that the Tower occasionally contained floors where few monsters appeared, or almost none at all.
There was no official name for them, but they were generally called Safe Zones.
I had heard that these Safe Zones were also the most important places to guilds when they went on expeditions.
They were people too, so naturally, they needed to rest somewhere without monsters.
And.
What stood before me was also similar to a Safe Zone.
─Knock, knock.
A hollow tree.
When I slowly pulled on the bark, it opened like a door and began revealing the space inside.
I grabbed the vines that served as a ladder and climbed down.
A vast room spread out before me.
The interior looked heavily fortified, as though in preparation for some kind of danger.
Despite being underground, it had been lined with steel. There were also signs that woven undergrowth had been used to build even sturdier walls and prevent intrusion.
What in the world is this place……?
Before investigating the suspicious space,
“Keep watch outside for me.”
─!!
I left the spirit on guard and slowly inspected the interior.
[Analyzing the interior.]
The sheer size of the place gradually strained my eyes, but its layout slowly began to take shape before me.
And at its end was…….
“A shelter?”
[Bunker in Nature]
─A shelter built by elves in the past.
─The interior facilities are currently in good condition.
‘A shelter built by elves?’
The difference in quality was so vast that it felt pointless even to compare it with the structures I had seen in the Labyrinth.
It was like comparing a hotel to a semi-basement room in a back alley.
With a facility like this, I could probably abandon the hideout I was currently using on the fifth floor.
No, when I climbed the Tower later, I would not need to search for a Safe Zone. I could simply rest here before continuing.
“Is this…… a tunnel?”
While exploring the shelter, I noticed a dark passage that received little light.
A tunnel that seemed to lead downward.
It had been dug so deep that I could not see its end.
This, too, was probably…….
‘Something the elves made.’
A shelter and a tunnel.
Perhaps they had built them to escape for some reason.
What a fascinating place.
Not only was there a shelter inside the Tower, but there was even a strange tunnel.
And I had not finished looking around yet.
“Is this…… a laboratory?”
An enormous cauldron and what appeared to be research materials lay scattered around, as though someone had been trying to make something.
I picked up the research papers one by one and examined their contents.
An ordinary person would not have understood the research materials even after reading them, but I was different.
No matter the language or terminology, my ability simplified everything into baby food that was easy to swallow and rammed it straight into my head.
[The ability ‘Analysis’ has activated.]
[Elven Potion Research Materials]
─Contains information about the elves’ secret potion.
As the words in the research materials gradually embedded themselves in my mind and I understood them one by one, my head began filling with questions.
This was…….
I could not help checking again to make sure I had understood correctly.
Naturally, there was a good reason for that.
“A potion recipe……? No, is this real?”
Potions.
They were the most widely sold product in the city, but they were also the product with the most inflated price.
However, a single guild monopolized the potion industry, so everyone had no choice but to buy them with tears in their eyes.
Why else would they spend half their earnings on security personnel just to keep the recipe hidden?
Yet I had obtained something that important all at once.
‘To begin with, only the elves know about the herbs found here.’
A potion unique to the elves…….
─Gulp.
I swallowed involuntarily.
If I could make potions using this recipe…….
My hand moved on its own toward the cauldron beside me.
‘This will be a great help from now on.’
I could save all the money I would otherwise spend on potions, and I might even be able to earn money by selling them myself.
─FWOOSH—!
I lit a fire beneath the cauldron.
I held the elves’ recipe in one hand and the ingredients in the other.
I had plenty of ingredients.
The medicinal herbs I had discovered earlier were enough to make the potion.
I sliced, trimmed, and minced the herbs.
I prepared each herb differently and adjusted the flame.
There was no room for mistakes.
After all, a potion’s effects would diminish unless it was made with precision.
So I had to make it perfectly.
I had to carry out every step as perfectly as the elves I had seen in the memories.
─Clatter.
I gripped the spatula and stirred slowly.
Patiently.
Slowly.
But not too slowly.
How much time had passed?
My arm grew numb, my eyes gradually drooped shut, and irritation stabbed all the way to the crown of my head.
Only then did I notice a sweet scent.
Green liquid filled the cauldron.
“Green……? Aren’t potions normally red?”
Was it because this was a secret potion of the elves?
Its color was quite different from the potions I knew, which surprised me, but when I smelled the faint fragrance spreading through the room, I realized I had made it perfectly.
[Using Analysis.]
[Elven Potion]
─A secret potion of the elves made using only herbs from the natural world.
“First, I need to test how effective it is…….”
─BEEP—!!
─!!
Red light filled the room.
“What’s going on?”
The spirit, which had been white, turned red and warned me.
It meant that someone had appeared nearby.
At the spirit’s warning, I moved quickly.
After heading straight outside the shelter, I concealed the entrance with undergrowth so no one else could find it.
I prepared myself as the approaching presence drew closer.
‘Just in case…….’
I did not know what the first Hunters I encountered on the tenth floor might do.
─Rustle.
The undergrowth directly before me moved.
Then two figures emerged in front of me.
“Huh……? A-A person……?”
Those were the first words from the Hunter who saw me.
‘There are two people……. Are they both critically injured?’
One was a middle-aged man drenched in blood.
The other was a woman coming down while supporting him by one arm.
The woman supporting him was not in good condition either.
Her complexion was poor, likely from blood loss, and judging by her limp, her leg appeared to be broken.
If I left them alone, they were almost certain to bleed to death before they could descend all the way out of the Tower.
“Ah, we’re screwed…….”
The woman collapsed to the ground as soon as she said it.
“Fuck…… Seriously…… Those fucking bastards.”
Then she began cursing as though she had given up on everything.
Who the hell were these bastards?