Chapter 3
Chapter 3
The day after the incident with Lee Myung-Joon and Isabelle.
I was sitting on the bus in a daze, letting myself go.
Contrary to my worries, there was no such thing as him chasing after me.
‘The weather is nice.’
I stared blankly out the window and saw large clouds floating in the sky.
Clouds.
Yes, clouds on the horizon.
The title of the game that I played and the original title of this world.
And it was the original story of this world where I live and breathe now.
“Whew… … .”
I tried not to think deeply, but I couldn’t help the way it made me stifled.
Letting out a deep sigh of anguish, I slapped my cheek so hard that it made a clunking sound.
I had to put aside complicated thoughts and do what I could do now.
I nodded my head slightly, holding myself together like that again.
Then I began to think about the current situation so that I wouldn’t have useless thoughts.
Clouds on the Horizon was a popular game in many ways at the time.
Unlike other games, there were many characters who were the main characters or the fact that each character had a different enemy to deal with… .
But there was another incident that made the clouds on the horizon a cultural hit.
It was an incident caused by an Easter egg that a user accidentally discovered.
It was also the reason why I had been sitting idle on this bus for over an hour now.
The bus arrived before I knew it.
There were several people on the bus, but most of them were foreigners who looked like tourists.
And they and I got off at the same place, almost at the same time we all uttered sounds full of admiration and exclamation.
“Wow… .”
There was a tree boasting a size that would not be enough to say that it was huge.
That was the World Tree that always comes out in games like this.
It looked so big that I had no idea how big it really was, even though it was so far away.
But why is the world tree that appears only in Norse mythology in Korea?
No matter how much the game is made in Korea, it’s a bit… … .
“Then… … .”
Putting my thoughts aside, I took a step forward.
It was the opposite of the usual direction the tourists were heading.
As far as I know, the order of these Easter eggs was more important than meticulousness or luck.
I constantly thought of the order in my head and headed to the first place I had to stop by.
“Tree bread! the specialty of the World Tree Street.”
“There are fans and key chains with the World Tree carved on them!”
“It’s mineral water with a mysterious energy!”
It was nothing less than a souvenir street.
It wasn’t long before I was able to find the place I was aiming for in the hustle and bustle.
“Grandma.”
A street where souvenir shops are gathered.
I whispered quietly to the old woman who was sitting in the shabby shop at the end of it.
“Do you sell branches or leaves of the World Tree?”
“The branch of the World Tree?”
The grandmother’s eyes seemed to glow small at my absurd question.
Then she looked around immediately and put her head a little closer.
“… This is a secret, but there is a branch of the World Tree that I secretly picked and hid. How, are you interested?”
Then she whispered quietly to me and told me the secret.
Of course, but it couldn’t be.
The World Tree was strictly managed, and unauthorized collection of branches or leaves will result in heavy punishment.
The branches of the world tree that this grandmother sold were brunches she had picked up from the surrounding area.
“How much is it?”
“Looking at you, you look like a handsome student. So, I’ll give it to you for fifty thousand won.”
As it is the street of the World Tree, of course, the main items here are only those related to the World Tree.
And among them, there was a model of the World Tree made quite elaborately.
As a side note, the price of it was forty-nine thousand won.
“Yes, I’ll take it.”
But I kept quiet and bought the branch from the grandmother, which she insisted was a branch of the World Tree.
On the outside, she may look expressionless, but on the inside, she probably thinks there’s no pushover like me.
But it didn’t matter.
Because for me, this would soon become something of value that couldn’t be converted into money.
“Sell a lot.”
“Thank you, student~ See you next time~”
I carefully put the branches I bought from the grandmother in my bag.
And I moved on to the next place.
It was a mineral spring.
The sign said that the energy of the World Tree is melted, and if you drink it, your mind will be temporarily cleared, and if you apply it to a weapon or tool, it will also give you a certain effect.
Perhaps that was why there was a long line at the mineral spring.
I went straight to the back of the line and stood there.
‘Let’s see, branches, water, and the location and position….’
The branches and water were completed in order.
I thought I might have been confused, so I recalled the old memories once more.
Eventually, my turn came, and I quickly drenched my throat and meticulously applied the mineral water to the branch I had just bought.
That wasn’t enough, so I even packed some mineral water in an empty water bottle that I had brought separately.
Great.
Two out of four, clear.
I moved right away and this time I moved to a place where tourists were headed.
It was the side with the World Tree.
The World Tree is at the top of the mountain.
However, I was walking aiming at an abnormal mid-slope.
To be precise, the shrines located on the hillside were the destinations.
“Whew… .”
I was out of breath because I came up without a break.
I did find three shrines along the way, but they were not my goals, so I just passed by them.
And… … .
“The shrine with green pillars… … Here it is.”
There were several large and small shrines dedicated to the World Tree, to be more precise, to the ancestors of the families that worshiped the World Tree.
And only one of them had a green pillar.
“All right.”
The shrine was almost in ruins.
It was small in size, and there were few tourists around it, perhaps because it was on a side road.
I moved to the back instead of the front of the shrine, and put my bag down.
Branch.
Water.
Location and position.
And blood from the wound.
I took out a small pocket knife.
Then I took a few deep breaths and then gently scratched my right arm.
The first attempt was a failure.
Maybe it was because I was too scared, but it just felt like I was being pressed a little.
Having failed so many times, I clenched my teeth and poked the knife harder.
“Ugh.”
Feeling the burning sensation, I immediately picked up the bottle of water.
Then I poured it on a branch that was still a little damp, and let the rest spilled over my wound.
Immediately, I applied a mixture of blood and mineral water to the branch and held it in one hand.
With this, the preparation was over.
And I walked like a madman, heading toward the shrine.
Naturally, my face and body were pressed against the shrine, but I kept pretending to walk flounderingly as if I were playing a prank.
It was almost as if the horse was rubbing my body against the wall of the shrine, just by walking.
In one hand, I held a branch damp with blood and water.
How suspicious would a person look to do such a thing while bleeding on his right arm?
However, if you could get the branches of the World Tree, it was more than worth it.
With that thought alone, I kept rubbing my body against the walls of the shrine.
how long had it been?
I gently moved to a distance as I stroked my cheek, which was stinging from being rubbed against the wall.
“…Did I get the order wrong?”
Or did I have to do it in a wounded state rather than a scarred one?
I muttered in embarrassment, and in my hand was the branch that had been smashed in half.
I don’t know why it was smashed, but I sighed at the sight that I could tell I had failed anyway.
* * *
In the end, I had to go down one more time and buy a branch.
And a change occurred not long after trying a different method than before.
“kyuk… !”
It was painful like my arm was being ripped open.
And it was the pain I had been waiting for.
When I came to my senses, the branch was slowly disappearing like a snake and melting down onto my wound.
And I was struck by an unimaginable pain.
Then I let out a ragged breath to keep from screaming.
“Whoo! Whoo! whoop!”
Branch of the World Tree.
It was an epic item and was one of the top 10 pieces of equipment that could be called a fraud.
Also, an item with a restriction that ‘only blood relatives of a family serving as the priest of the World Tree can equip it.’
Originally, it was an item that only the character who was appointed as the next priest of the World Tree could use.
Plus, you could only get it in the middle of the story.
The problem was that this was an Easter egg that would allow anyone to get it early in the story.
“Whew….”
1. At the end of the street, buy a branch from the old swindler.
2. Drink the water that has the energy of the World Tree from the mineral spring, and put water on the branches.
3. Perform a ritual at the back of the shrine with green pillars and continue to walk toward the wall.
4. Finally, right here, the ritual must be performed while the body is bleeding.
I had passed the test that would have taken me close to ten days but I had done it in less than half a day.
Since it’s an old game, I used the same item with a different description, and the source given to the buff effect was blah blah blah … … .
Anyway, it was an Easter egg full of incomprehensible explanations that I couldn’t understand, but the benefit of it was certain.
In addition, I was able to confirm the fact that I could properly use information such as knowledge and Easter eggs in this world.
I was afraid that such information would be useless, so I chose this method with the least risk, but it seems that my fears were unfounded.
The branch of the World Tree could also be used as a weapon, but at most, it could not be used as a weapon in the case of other characters, since the bow was the end.
It was a sad story, but it didn’t really matter.
One of the reasons why the branch of the World Tree is called one of the top 10 fraudulent items is not because of its performance as a weapon, but because it gives numerous buffs to its owner.
In fact, as soon as the branch melted into the body, the pain was greatly reduced.
Not only that, it was a little, but it was noticeable that the bleeding has stopped.
The increase in regenerative power and stamina possessed by the branches of the World Tree was evident.
“…Okay.”
After calming down to some extent, I stood up.
I had already done all my business here.
It was when I quickly cleared up and left the shrine and returned to the maintained mountain path for tourists.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
It was quiet, but it was a low-pitched voice as if looking at a person.
When I turned my head, there was a woman with light green hair tied in a single strand.
She is quite tall for a woman, with long arms and legs.
On top of that, she was a woman who looked much taller with a straight posture.
Contrary to her hair, dark golden eyes looked at me.
Instead of suspicion, they were simply observing.
“Did something strange or unusual happen here?”
“Uh…… .”
At the unexpected meeting, I had a blank expression on my face without realizing it.
No, to be precise, I expected to meet her, but I did not expect to meet so early.
Lee Ye-Eun.
The next head of the clan of priests who worship the World Tree.
And one of the main characters who would have originally obtained the branches of the World Tree.
She was now standing in front of me.
“That’s…….”
I wanted to get out of the spot as soon as possible because of a reasoned reluctance.
“I don’t know.”
“Well……. .”
At my answer, she looked around for a moment.
“I came here in a hurry because I suddenly felt like the mountain was shaking.….”
From her murmuring, I could see why she suddenly appeared.
It was only an Easter Egg incident in the game, so she overlooked it, but this world was not a game.
So, it seems that she felt something strange about it and appeared to find out the cause.
After all, games and reality are different.
She bowed her head slightly to me as I reflected on such small enlightenment.
“Thank you for your time.”
“Well, may I go now?”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
Lee Ye-Eun slightly twisted her body with an apple and cleared the way.
It was when I passed by her.
“I think you have a wound on your arm.”
“Oh, it’s just a little scratch.”
“I see.”
There was a lot of blood on my arm to be a scratch, but when I said I was fine, she didn’t seem to say anything more.
After walking for a while, I nodded because I remembered something I had forgotten for a moment.
“Oh, are you by any chance the person who manages the World Tree Forest?”
She nodded at my question.
“Yes, well, you can see it that way.”
“Well, that’s great, then”
It won’t happen, but there was a possibility of one in a million.
“There’s someone who swindles tourists about selling branches of the World Tree… … .”
Lee Ye-Eun’s eyes sharpened at my words.
One of my theories was that it is best to block the possibility from the beginning.
* * *
At my report, Lee Ye-Eun went down the mountain at the same speed as the wind.
After watching her for a moment, I began to follow her downhill at a leisurely pace.
For now, I had secured at least one means of force.
The branch of the World Tree can also be turned into a bow, and in that case, its power becomes considerable.
But it’s difficult to handle, and above all, I’ve never dealt with a weapon called a bow before.
First of all, I had to be satisfied with the fact that I had additional abilities along with my stats.
‘There are more of these unique skills that I can get, but they’re the only places that I can’t find at the moment……..’
Above all, I felt something from Lee Ye-Eun’s appearance just now.
I might be making a fuss, but I had to think and move more carefully.
But anyway, it was just things that no one would take or disappear for a while.
So there was no need to move too quickly.
I had already confirmed the date.
There was still nearly a month left until the academy’s entrance ceremony began.
In the meantime, it was a matter of collecting as much as possible.
“Then, in this situation, first of all… … .”
Once you’ve acquired the skill, then you’ll need to get the equipment.
Having made the decision, I started descending at a leisurely pace, thinking that it would be better to take a nap.
——————–
Btw, Lee Ye-Eun has an illustration- if you want, you can check it on the discord server.