The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 167



Only Krnovel

Episode 167. Guardians of the World Tree (2)

At the end of a precarious silence, as if hanging on the edge of a cliff.

Kadim left this answer:

“… … “Why should I do that?”

“… … .”

“Is it because Melissa unleashed demons into this world?”

The priest of the Forgotten God had a hunch. From here on, if you answer even one word wrong, everything will be in vain. I took a deep breath and opened my lips.

“The sect also considers that hypothesis to be strong, but it has not yet been confirmed to be true. And even if it were true, this terrible outbreak would not end even if we kill the mastermind later. There is another reason why we must stop the archmage.”

“… … What is that?”

“‘Hesilia’. The elven god of nature and rest who descended on this land. Because the evil that is destroying the world surrounds and threatens that God.”

“… … .”

“… … Before I tell you, I should explain this first. Mr. Kadim, do you by any chance know about the three elements that make up the ‘gods’ of heaven?”

Kadim shook his head without answering. Ilenia began to explain.

Divinity, body, and divinity.

“‘Divinity’ can be said to be the unchanging identity and mystery of God, so to speak, the ‘soul of God.’ Atala is ‘wilderness and struggle’, Forgotten God is ‘darkness and confusion’, Hesilia is ‘nature and rest’, and Elgar is… … ‘Light and order’ can be seen as ‘divinity.’”

“And the ‘body’… … It can be seen as the ‘body of God,’ a vessel containing the transcendent power of God. The power of God is so immense that even a speck of it can be difficult for mortal bodies to handle. “In order to fully bear that power and bring out its potential, a ‘body’, the body of the Absolute that dwells in heaven, is necessary.”

“And ‘divinity’ is a measure of the omnipotence of God, and can be said to be the ‘absoluteness of God.’ Not all gods have the same power, but the higher the divinity, the more powerful the power they display. The symbol that proves this divinity is the ‘name’ as an existence, but if the divinity is lowered for some reason, the ‘name’ is lost… … .”

Kadim interpreted this unexpected theological sermon in a game-like way. In other words, can ‘Divinity’ be seen as God’s class, ‘Body’ as God’s character, and ‘Godhood’ as God’s level? … .

“So, the ‘divinity’ inhabiting the proper ‘body’ exerts its power through the ‘divinity’, and the normal state of the gods is to assist the believers on earth from the heavens… … Three major changes have already occurred in this world. Do you happen to know what they are?”

Kadim slowly nods his chin.

The first two things were certain. Elgar became a false Elgar, and the forgotten god lost his name and power.

Presumably, in the former, the fake Elgar replaced Elgar’s ‘divinity’ and took away his ‘body’, and in the latter, Elgar’s dogs lowered the ‘divinity’ of the forgotten god through some kind of trick.

And the last one… …

“… … Yes, it was Hesilia who descended directly from heaven to this earth, leading her body. In the form of the majestic sacred tree that upholds the world, the ‘World Tree.’”

“… … .”

I had expected something like this, but it was still a story I couldn’t believe. Kadim’s expression twisted into an uncontrollable, vicious grimace.

“… … How on earth, how and why did something like that happen? Was this world a place where even if God himself descended to Earth, there would be no problems?”

“Is that possible…?” … . Since everything must be reduced to a size that the world can handle, Advent is an act that places a huge burden on even a god. Most likely, both his body and divinity were seriously damaged. It’s just that, despite this, you have to personally intervene… … A serious problem has arisen on earth and we have no choice… … .”

“So then, is that a more important issue than the spread of the Great Demon?”

“… … .”

The air was as cold as a blade of frost. Kadim took a step forward.

“Tell me, why didn’t God come down when the Great Devil was rampant? What on earth were damned Atala, the Forgotten God, and the other gods doing? Why did me, Melissa, Gordon, Cyril, and Gayle have to endure the pain of vomiting blood, having our muscles torn like rags, and our bones shattering, to save the world? And why on earth are you guys now telling me to kill a colleague who went through all that trouble with me and waited for me for hundreds of years?”

I felt as if my spine was shriveling, my ribs were being crushed, and the tendons in my limbs were about to snap. Ilenia swallowed everything she was trying to say and hurriedly bowed from the waist down.

“… … I apologize, Kadim. I was careless and failed to understand Kadim’s feelings, and was only hasty in giving a general explanation. I will gladly accept any punishment for my immature guidance.”

“… … .”

Kadim took a deep breath and immediately bit back the murderous intent. Realizing that he was venting his anger on the stern one, he urged him to quickly tell him what had caused his descent.

Ironically, Illenia didn’t know the exact answer either. She just said that it was a matter of such magnitude that the world would end, and that it was still an ongoing incident, so she heard it over her shoulder. The sect had just gotten in touch with the contact person in the Great Forest, and they were also in the process of finding out the exact information.

“… … A contact person? Are there followers of the forgotten god even in the Great Forest?”

“Yes. Since ‘Hesilia’ was no longer able to fully support the believers, there were some elves in the Great Forest who began to follow the forgotten god. The one above me happened to contact them a while ago. Some of the information I showed you about the Great Forest was also obtained from them.”

“… … .”

After speaking to that point, Ilenia looked closely and got back to the point.

Hesilia, who descended as the ‘World Tree’, repeatedly worked to protect the world even with her damaged body and godhood. However, Melissa, an archmage living in the Great Forest, discovered it and began to use it for her own purposes. As we saw earlier, cutting off the branches of the World Tree to create the Forest of Dreams is one such example.

“The contacts say that if things continue like this, ‘Hesilia’ will either lose her godhood or disappear completely like a forgotten god… … I said this with confidence. Then, a serious crisis will occur in the world again. “We have completed our own verification, and even the dragon felt threatened and came forward, so it is not an empty guess.”

“… … .”

“Of course, we have no right to criticize Lord Kadim for wanting to see his old comrades. However, I would still recommend that you meet with the dragon and our contacts first. The current ‘archmage’ is highly unlikely to be the one Lord Kadim remembers.”

“… … .”

“So, just in case you ever feel the need to stop your colleagues, I thought I’d take out a form of insurance… … .”

Kadim closed his ears. He let out all the sound of voices. He even closed his eyelids, and he was only thinking deeply.

Melissa, what on earth are you doing?

You couldn’t find me, the great magic you poured all the mana in the world into failed, and you didn’t give up even though it was so messed up, so what on earth are you doing?

With great difficulty, he came out of his gloomy thoughts. In a space filled only with silence and darkness, Kadim spoke with a voice as deep as the abyss.

“… … Show me the thing you’ve been hiding. Not the black cloth Duncan saw, but what’s beyond it. After I see that, I’ll decide whether to follow your orders or not.”

“… … .”

There was no longer any place to retreat. Ilenia covered his eyes with both hands and made a gesture like the sign of the cross. Then, with a clear look of nervousness, she dragged ‘something’ she had hidden in her bag.

When Kadim saw that, his pupils dilated as if they were going to burst.

*

A flock of colorful birds flew across the sky.

If you look closely, it was somewhat strange for a bird. It was too big, and the body was not well balanced. They were even wearing clothes and carrying bows and swords, making them look like primates disguised with feathers. Except for one thing, the top bird.

The bird in the lead, despite being the largest in size, had perfect balance. Furthermore, its blue feathers were covered in a blue-green mist, giving it the auspicious aura of a bird. With that energy, the bird left traces in the sky and searched freely over the dense forest.

– BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

The birds’ identities were revealed only after they followed the signal and landed. The wing feathers flapped open, exposing the dry skin, and the head feathers rose upward, revealing pointed ears and beautiful features.

Elf. They were an elf investigation group that protected the Great Forest and the World Tree.

The elf that followed clicked his tongue and approached the leading elf.

“As expected, your flying skills are always outstanding, Mr. Rushador. “Out of all the guardians, no, out of all the elves, there is no wild druid with as much talent as Rushador!”

“… … No, I still have a long way to go. I’m still far behind the Guardians of the First Tier. I’ve only just mastered the form of the Blue and White Swan, and if I were to transform into a stronger animal, I wouldn’t be able to avoid ‘naturalization’… … .”

Elves who receive Hesilia’s divine power are called ‘druids’ and can transform into animals or natural objects through mimicry. However, the problem was that if they were to transform into beings powerful enough to surpass their level, they would lose their sense of self and become one with the mimicked form, a side effect called ‘naturalization’.

“The monsters that were called the tyrants of the forest for generations were mostly druids who were ‘naturalized’ by imitating beings that they could not handle… … . Arrogance is prohibited when dealing with the power given to us by the Mother World Tree. Even if you one day reach the same level as me, do not be conceited and learn the mimicry step by step.”

The third-tier guardian, Lushadore, admitted that his subordinate elf had been thinking short-sightedly. After observing him for a moment, he asked if there was any future goal he was aiming for.

“Well… … If I can master the mimicry of birds, I would like to try the mimicry of the ‘Golden Iron Tree’ someday. If I can master both the mimicry of the wild and the tree… … I could be chosen by the World Guardian and become a first-tier guardian.”

Geumcheolmok, a tree that grows only once every hundred years.

It was a legendary tree with great strength and fire resistance. It was the main culprit that ‘naturalized’ many tree druids because it was difficult to mimic. However, the elves of the investigation team followed him with excited steps, excited by the leader’s extraordinary goal.

The excitement quickly died down upon arrival at the targeted location.

Instead, indescribable shock and sighing spread.

“Huh… … ! Oh no… … oh my god… … .”

“Aaaah! How could this be, uh, how could this be… … .”

“Mother of the World, what kind of nonsense…” … .”

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the gigantic ‘Branches of the World Tree’, which had collapsed due to broken pillars.

Even though they had come to investigate after knowing about it in advance, the shock did not subside easily. Without exception, everyone screamed and called out the name of God, their eye sockets wide open as if their eyes were going to pop out. The subordinate elf approached Lushadore without being able to recover from his confusion.

“Lu, Lushador, how on earth is this possible… … ? To have the sacred World Tree’s branches fall so mercilessly… … . Except for the World Tree Keeper and the highest-ranking Guardians… … no one has been able to even scratch it until now… … .”

“… … .”

Although equally overwhelmed by the tragedy, Lushadore did not show his emotions. Instead, he calmly scanned the traces left at the scene.

“… … “The footprints lead north.”

“yes?”

“They’re heading towards ‘Hesiliad’, after the World Tree. Fortunately, there aren’t many of them, and the trees around them have all fallen, so tracking them shouldn’t be difficult.”

“… … !”

“I don’t know what trick they did, but I can’t just leave these guys alone who dared to take down the fragments of the sacred tree at will… … . “For the purpose of preserving the scene, only two remain, and the rest imitate themselves and immediately start tracking again.”

“Yes, yes… … ! Understood, Mr. Rushador!”

Rushador spread his arms resolutely. His wing feathers rose to form whitish-blue wings, and his new yellow beak covered his mouth. As he kicked off the ground and flew up vigorously, his subordinate elves, mimicking birds, immediately followed him in formation.

As expected, tracking wasn’t difficult.

Thanks to the widespread devastation of the forest, it was possible to trace footprints even in the sky. The flight speed of elves imitating divine energy was incomparable to that of other ordinary birds. The elf investigation team found the culprit who felled the branches of the World Tree before the sun set.

One small human, and one large human.

– Ppeeeeeeek! – !

– Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah –

Astonishment evaporated from the investigators’ minds as they flew. Instead, I was filled with anger towards the ruthless people who damaged the sacred object. Even Rushador could not keep his cool this time. He exposed his mouth beyond his beak and shouted in great excitement.

“Short ears! Those short-eared bastards dared to knock down the sacred branch! Everyone listen! “If you attack from the sky, you will most likely not be able to fight back, so we will kill you summarily here!”

“I will step forward, Mr. Rushador! “Give me a chance!”

A subordinate elf disguised as a jackdaw quickly stepped forward. Gon glided forward and rapidly lowered his altitude. At the right moment, he released his mimicry and placed an arrow on the bowstring.

The elves’ archery skills are beyond words. They are natural archers from birth. As soon as they can walk and gain the strength to draw the bowstring, they can hit a target hundreds of paces away with difficulty. Even if they are falling, they cannot miss it when they are this close.

The elf failed to hit the target.

… … Rarerarerarerack, tsk – tsk!

“100 million!”

Whoo – whoo, whoo – whoo, whoo – whoo… …

Because the target hit him first.

The jackdaw elf lost his bow and spun around, falling. Something that hit his face also spun around and returned to the ground.

Because it happened so quickly, most of the elves couldn’t see it properly. In fact, even if they had seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn’t have been able to grasp the situation. It was completely out of the ordinary to shoot an opponent who was falling and attacking them backwards with a throwing axe.

The elves look down at their fallen comrades, crying in confusion.

– Kisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss at me… … .

– Pretty darn darn… … Pretty darn darn?

“… … !!”

But only one person, Luchador, saw and understood the situation properly.

On the ground far away, a large man was once again holding up the sack. To hit the second target and bring it down.

Rushador’s feathers stood on end and he screamed at the top of his voice.

“Everyone run upstairs!!!”