The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 171



Only Krnovel

Episode 171 Guardians of the World Tree (6)

The guardians, who had been horrified by the barbarians’ rudeness, gradually began to be horrified for other reasons.

The barbarian described events from 300 years ago as vividly as if they had happened yesterday. She called the world manager’s name like her own friend and remembered her childhood that no one knew about. Many clues were converging on one conclusion.

This person is not only similar in appearance, but may actually be the ‘fierce-looking and large Atallain’.

I was dumbfounded. I had planned to bring in a fake to fool the world balance, but the real thing suddenly appeared like this… … Everyone was at a loss and just looked at each other.

The mastermind behind the plan, Borduel, the ‘Blue Fang’, was also at first bewildered. However, his mind was on the up and up in this direction. He quickly revised the plan and stepped forward with a meaningful smile.

“It seems that a much more valuable guest has arrived than we expected. “Excuse me, sir, but what is your name?”

“Kadim.”

“Yes, Kadim. According to what you’ve said so far, Kadim is a former colleague of the World Balance Manager, and it seems like he came to visit him on some business… … “Am I right?”

“But that’s true.”

“This is truly amazing. It was widely assumed that the World Water Keeper’s colleague had already passed away… … . May I ask how he was able to survive for so long in a human body?”

“… … .”

Kadim looks straight without answering. Borduel shrugged his shoulders and naturally changed the subject.

“Unfortunately, I think it will be difficult to meet the World Balance Manager right now. “Currently, the World Balance Manager is in a state of ‘world tree dream.’”

“… … What is the ‘dream of the world tree’?”

“The ‘World Tree’s Dream’ is the eternal dream of the Mother World Tree, a utopia where anything one desires can be achieved. Long ago, it was vaguely known as a place where elves would go after death, but with the descent of Lady Hesilia to the earth, it has now become a space with a clear reality.”

Kadim raised his eyebrows slightly.

I knew what the concept was. It was roughly equivalent to Atala’s ‘Heaven of Never-ending War and Banquet’ or Elgar’s ‘Fields Where the Sun Never Sets’, the afterlife of the elves. It was unexpected that it actually existed on this land.

“… … But why is Melissa in such a place?”

“To manage this great sacred tree, someone chosen by the World Tree must be present in the dream. He is not given the title of ‘World Tree Keeper’ for nothing.”

“Then why don’t you just ask me to come out for a moment? “I’m not going to live in it forever.”

“That is… … not such a simple matter. He has been admonished never to wake him while he is in a dream. Sir Tevio, you heard him threaten to ‘burn your back’ when you woke him up carelessly a while ago?”

“… … .”

“Of course, if you really are a colleague of the World Balance Manager, there is nothing we can’t take that risk… … Since there is no actual evidence other than what you said, I guess I should be cautious about waking him up… … .”

Borduel hesitated for a long time to explain why he couldn’t wake up and that he would have to wait quite a long time. It was not difficult for Kadim to grasp the true intentions of the elf in front of him.

“So, what should I do to prove it?”

“… … Hmm, yes?”

“Aren’t you planning to prove it by passing on some annoying task? Stop talking nonsense and get to the point. “If you talk any more, I will rip off your floppy ears and prove it to you.”

The barbarian raised his fierce throwing axe. All the elves in the room looked horrified at the vicious threat.

The person who actually heard the threat was indifferent. Borduel’s pupils were ripped vertically, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

“You’re quick-witted. But it’s not a bother, it’s a simple matter. It’s just, you know, an old nuisance that needs to be taken care of… … .”

The fangs revealed through the gap in his swollen lips gleamed brightly.

“If it really is a colleague who is on par with you, Melissa, it will be simpler than pulling out a sick tooth.”

*

Kadim accepted ‘Blue Fang’ Borduel’s offer and left.

“… … But how can I trust you guys to keep your promise?”

“I swear by the name of the Mother World Tree. When you finish your work and return here immediately, I will take responsibility for arranging a meeting with the World Tree Keeper.”

“Rather than that, I’d rather swear on your ear and the heads of the rest of them.”

“… … If you wish, then so be it.”

After being firmly sworn to keep the promise.

After coming out of the inside of the World Tree, I went down along the branches that hung down to the ground. Duncan and Farneo rushed over without even knowing who would go first.

“Hey, are you okay!”

“Oh, how have you been, Grand Druid? Did you show your disguise to the Guardians? Did the conversation go well?”

“… … .”

Kadim tells without hesitation what happened inside. After hearing the whole story, Farneo turned as pale as if he were about to die.

“Yes!? You asked me to kill the ‘Forest Tyrant’ in the Valley of Stone Pillars where Lord Borduel is?”

“Yeah, he said he’d let me see him right away once I kill him.”

“Oh, no, Druid! Go back now and defeat Cheong! “That is a request that is impossible to succeed!”

Duncan, who was oblivious and playing with his ears, asked what the ‘tyrant of the forest’ was. Parneo licked his dry lips and spoke urgently.

“The ‘Tyrants of the Forest’ are the ‘naturalized’ ones, that is… …the druids who were transformed into beings too powerful for their abilities and never returned. They have lost their elven selves and act only on their instinctive drive to destroy.”

“… … .”

“Moreover, the one in Stone Pillar Valley is on a different level from the other forest tyrants. He is a notorious tyrant who will never be caught until the World Balance Guardian himself, as four of the first-tier guardians were exterminated at the same time while trying to subdue him… … .”

Desperate explanations followed to change their minds, but the person in charge of the mission was indifferent.

“What is that being that guy is disguised as? Is it a dragon or some other monster of similar quality?”

“yes? Ah, no, not to that extent… … .”

“Then there’s no problem. I’ll kill him right away and come back.”

An elf boy with his mouth wide open in bewilderment.

The warrior indifferently relaxed his shoulders and raised his head.

Unless the monster was as strong as a dragon, there was no need to worry much about it. Other problems were much more bothersome than that.

I’ve only scratched the surface yet… … This isolated city of elves was tightly twisted.

A world tree that grows upside down and an unpleasant energy clogged by its roots, elves who live shorter than humans, currency made from blood, and a ‘human wizard’ who holds everyone in fear by seizing the elves’ gods and the afterlife.

There were so many unbelievable elements that I wondered if it was an illusion. It wasn’t. I briefly looked around ‘Shinki’ last night, but everything was the same. This world was a stark reality.

In order to uncover the truth, I had no choice but to meet Melissa, who was said to be ‘dreaming’ on top of that sacred tree. In order to do that, I had to keep walking without stopping.

“Which side is that valley? “Is this a place worth visiting today?”

“… … .”

It was not a place a stranger would visit without a guide. Parneo closed his eyes tightly and offered to guide him to the valley.

In order to save the girl who was trapped in the prison, the boy also had to keep taking steps.

*

Contrary to the name, there are no stone pillars in ‘Stone Pillar Valley’.

Except for the shallow sloping crevices of the forest and the thick sediment that poured down, the topography of this place was not much different from a regular forest. No matter where I looked, there were only piles of humus and gravel, and it was difficult to find any eroded rock that could form a pillar even if I looked with my eyes closed.

But in fact, there are many stone pillars in the ‘Valley of Stone Pillars’.

It may sound crazy, but it was true. To be precise, the valley was littered with countless ‘hardened things like stone pillars’. Statues of misfortune whose momentary movements were permanently frozen due to the mistake of stepping into a place they should not have been.

Given their exact identity, this is probably how this valley should have been named.

It’s called the Valley of the Petrified Corpses.

Tsuzuzu, Tsuzuzu… … .

Between that gloomy valley, a huge and slippery figure was crossing.

Shinyoung’s identity was a wild druid in disguise. He was a druid with a reputation for being born with qualities that would go down in history. He was a druid who was intoxicated by the praise of those around him and overconfident in his abilities. In the end, it was a druid who had crossed the line of no return.

He succeeded in mimicking the powerful monster he wanted, but at the cost of his own ego. He blindly committed destruction and predation for a long time, and now he has even forgotten his own name. The elves gave him a new name with anger, regret, and fear.

Basilisk, Tyrant of the Forest.

Tsuzuzuzu, tsuzuzu… … .

It was a name that would bring inevitable death the moment you encountered it in this valley.

The Basilisk is an overwhelming monster just by its size alone. Its shape resembled a snake, but its size was large enough to turn even a snake into a worm, and its scales were hard enough to repel even arrows loaded with sacred energy. It had a body that could easily crush most creatures just by struggling without any technique.

However, the Basilisk’s greatest weapon was, of course, its ‘eyes’.

Reptilian eyes with an eerie look, the prey facing those eyes will inevitably have their entire body stiffen.

This was true in both figurative and practical expressions. The Basilisk’s eyes cast a strong ‘petrification’ curse. The hardening started from the toes and rose to the top of the head before even a few breaths were taken, taking away the target’s freedom and life.

The stone pillars that are abundant in this valley were all made like that. But their sacrifice was not meaningless. It left a lesson that if you want to deal with the Basilisk, you must choose one of the two.

Do you fight with your eyes closed, or attack from a place where you can’t be seen?

Needless to say, it wasn’t an easy road for either side.

The challengers who followed the flow of air with their eyes closed were forever unable to lift their eyelids. The hunters who had made a surprise attack from the sky with curiosity turned into falling rocks with a single nod of the head.

There was no way I could deal with a monster that was so difficult to catch under such adverse conditions. No matter how outstanding the first-tier guardians were, there were no exceptions. It was no exaggeration to say that the ‘two eyes’, which guaranteed defeat just by looking at them, were the biggest culprit that made the Basilisk an unstoppable entity of fear.

And just now, one of those eyeballs exploded.

――――― Flash, kwagwagwagwagwang – !!

A blue flash striking the eyeball. The cornea was distorted and the vitreous body soared up.

– Kuwaoooooooooooooooo – !!!

――――― Kugugwagwagwagwa – !

The one-eyed basilisk writhed in excruciating pain. The stone pillars were crushed into gravel and the entire area was turned into a wasteland. However, the riot did not reach the culprit who exploded his eyeball.

Hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo, hoop, chin!

The giant leisurely retrieved the throwing axe from a distance. With a bang, the remaining brain energy on the axe head scattered electricity.

– Kuwoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

The Basilisk caught sight of him late. Angry cries seething from the respiratory tract. Although he lost one eye, the other eye was still intact. Like a thunderbolt, he turned his head and watched the culprit far away.

But that was a fatal mistake.

――――― Flash, kwagwagwagwagwang – !!

Immediately afterwards, a lightning strike struck the other eyeball.

This is because the giant knew this would happen and was aiming the ax in advance. This time, the lightning struck deeper and even ruptured the eye socket. With a final, blinding white flash of blue, the Basilisk was forever trapped in a dark world without a single spark.

– Coo-wok, coo-wok, coo-wook – !!!

However, the last glance reached the opponent’s eyes. The giant’s toes slowly hardened into rocks. If he had stayed still, he would have become like the countless stone pillars in the valley…

“[Atala, God of Strife and the Wilderness, look down upon your champions, and lead them into battle with torches… … .]”

… … That didn’t happen.

Fuuuuuuuung – !

Because the divine energy that rose from the jet-black ax quickly wiped away the curse.

As long as he was surrounded by this blessed energy, he was immune to all debuffs.

The divine power not only prevented petrification, but also greatly enhanced his fighting ability. Kadim placed the lightning bolt on his waist and held Atala’s judgment with both hands. With a fierce spirit like a tiger, he roared and charged at the basilisk that was violently turning its large body.

“Waaa …

– Wow! – !!

It’s the perfect time to cut a blind snake into pieces.

‘Black Panther’ Parneo and ‘Great Guide’ Duncan watched the mythical clash with dumbfounded expressions.