Chapter 67

I obtained the Star Heir class, and just like my magic power turned into holy power.

It meant that such variables were also prepared for.

'Excellent.'

Naturally, my thumb went up.

Pangenea is a place where countless variables exist.

It was a game of overcoming variables.

Naturally, with one variable blocked, it couldn't be anything but excellent.

'High Druid’s Great Nature.'

The hidden trait, Druid’s affinity with nature, had evolved into High Druid’s Great Nature.

Although it had evolved, I still couldn’t feel it.

Similarly, I wasn’t sure if it was a trait specialized for elementals, or if it had gained additional functions like how the ‘Heart of the Eternal Overlord’ had deleted the dungeon’s conditions.

'I’ll have to experience it to know.'

Still, there was something I could check right away.

'...What kind of skill is this?'

A skill had been created.

The name of the skill that appeared after eating the World Tree’s fruit was none other than:

<Rapid Growth (Lv1)>

...Rapid Growth.

There was no proper explanation.

After pondering for a moment, I decided to use it on myself.

<The target is not suitable for the skill.>

It seemed that it wasn’t a skill to be used on the body.

What about a flower in a pot?

<'Mirajia' has started 'Rapid Growth'.>

Mirajia, a flower that nobles in Pangenea often kept for ornamental purposes, was on the windowsill of this room.

When I used the Rapid Growth skill on it, it took effect.

What kind of change would there be?

Would it grow quickly and then die?

"Hmm...?"

It was completely different from what I expected.

Crack!

Squeak!

The roots of the flower grew wildly, soon breaking the pot and slowly climbing up the windowsill and into the room.

"What, what’s happening... Huh?!"

"...!!"

Isaac and Isabella, who had come in at the commotion, were shocked at the scene in the room.

The roots, which had spread like tentacles, filled the room.

*

Beep-

Squeak-

In a sterile patient room, a man opened his eyes.

The man, who had dilated his pupils, quickly removed the breathing apparatus covering his mouth and got up from his bed.

"Y-Young Master! If you suddenly get up...!"

In the monitoring room where the man was being checked, an old man hurriedly tried to stop him.

"Young Master Oliver. You need to rest. Getting so excited is harmful to your heart."

But the man called Oliver paid no attention.

"The Great One will come. How could I not be excited?"

"What? What do you mean by that?"

"Melson. Go to Korea and escort Him. Ensure that He can come here without any blemish. That’s why Melson must go."

Melson’s eyes widened.

It was the first time he had seen Oliver so excited.

Oliver, who was naturally frail and had no interest in other people’s affairs.

Oliver, who had been detached from worldly matters and found life burdensome.

And yet, the Great One.

'It doesn’t seem like something that should be said between people.'

...It was almost as if he was treating Him like a deity.

Phantom. No, Mr. Park Hyun-myeong?

Everyone was staring at me with wide eyes, clearly shocked.

When I tilted my head,

"Ah...!"

Isaac opened his mouth even wider.

Only then did I realize he wasn’t looking at me but behind me.

I slowly turned around.

'Ah.'

One of the roots was mimicking my movements.

When I moved my hand to the left, the root moved to the left.

The same for the right.

After about 30 seconds, it quickly withered.

"What was that just now?"

"It’s a new skill I obtained."

"A skill...?"

What kind of skill could be so bizarre?

A skill to grow roots and move them at will.

Even a High Druid, a guardian of the forest, couldn’t do such a feat.

I stroked my chin and looked at the withered root, then came to a conclusion.

"I need to do some experiments."

*

Rapid Growth was more efficient when used on seeds rather than already grown plants.

It quickly sprouted, rooted, and moved for about 2 minutes before withering.

'This can be used as a trap.'

I thought about the uses of this skill.

Growing plants to bear fruit and selling them could help the household, but the growth wouldn’t last that long.

Growing roots to move them seemed suitable for traps or to entangle enemies.

'The skill’s versatility will increase as the level goes up.'

The skill was still only at level 1.

Who knows, at level 10, it might be able to grow trees like the World Tree.

'Use it like Entangle, to create obstacles...'

Entangle, a skill that grows small roots to entangle enemies.

The size can be adjusted, and the condition of pre-planting seeds is required, but with enough seeds, there’s no limit to the number of uses.

It could also be used to create obstacles or build walls.

It seemed useful for preparing for the upcoming ‘Abyss Labyrinth.’

'Growing plants was more efficient than using seeds. Then, among seeds, there must be more efficient ones.'

Isn’t pursuing extreme efficiency a racial trait of Koreans?

I was no exception.

I swept all the plant seeds from the castle’s warehouse and began experimenting with them one by one.

*

Melson, who had arrived at Gimpo Airport, slowly looked around.

'Korea. It has developed a lot.'

Melson had been to Korea in the distant past, during the time when it was a developing country.

Compared to then, Korea had changed so much.

It seemed like a country that had been in a constant state of tension due to the Cold War.

To think that such a place could have an airport like this, where even a proper airplane was hard to launch back then.

People’s faces were filled with a certain ease.

'Here is the person Young Master Oliver spoke of.'

Honestly, he was still skeptical.

Oliver, who was extremely averse to outsiders.

Oliver, who had almost no contact with his family, was actively trying to meet someone.

While it was a welcome task for Melson, he had no information about the person he was to meet.

All Melson knew was that he was a Korean and his name.

-Mr. Park Hyun-myeong.

He held a sign with the man’s name on it.

If someone who knew Melson saw him, they would have been shocked.

But Melson didn’t care.

After all, he had come in secret, and no one in Korea knew him.

Most importantly, it was Young Master Oliver’s earnest request. He would gladly do it, no matter the place.

How much time had passed?

"Gracia!"

"Gracia! Just one word, please!"

"Are you leaving Korea?"

Suddenly, the outside became noisy.

Surrounded by numerous reporters, someone was entering the airport.

Gracia.

The strongest Dimension Warrior who had been staying in Korea!

He had appeared at the airport, intending to leave Korea.

*

As soon as I arrived at the airport, the flashbulbs went off, and the surroundings became noisy.

'Gracia.'

The cause of the commotion.

The moment I saw the man at the center, I knew who he was.

Not only because he had been featured in many media outlets, but also because I recognized him instinctively.

'As they say, the day you leave is the day of misfortune.'

Of all days, it had to be the day Gracia was leaving.

Moreover, I thought I saw Kim Hana among the reporters.

I tried to pass by quietly, pressing my cap down.

If I recognized him, he might recognize me too.

After walking for a while, I found an old man holding a sign with my name on it.

He was an old man with white hair and a dignified, gentlemanly appearance.

"I am Park Hyun-myeong."

"Who invited you?"

"Oliver."

The old man smiled brightly upon hearing the answer.

"I am Melson, Young Master Oliver’s butler. Please follow me comfortably."

Melson started walking, folding the sign, as if he couldn’t afford to waste time.

He headed straight somewhere without even queuing or going through any procedures.

When we entered a building marked ‘SGBAC,’ the staff bowed 90 degrees to Melson and greeted him warmly.

But they tilted their heads when they saw me standing behind.

"Who is this...?"

"He is coming with me."

"Oh! I apologize. I will quickly assist with the procedures."

Melson’s words changed the way they looked at and treated me.

Following the staff’s guidance, the immigration, quarantine, and customs procedures were completed in a high-pass manner. Without any waiting, the whole process took less than 10 minutes.

Only then did I realize this was a VIP terminal for private jets.

A place where domestic and international VIPs could come and go quietly and secretly.

'I didn’t hear this from Hudson.'

He had just said it was a ‘wealthy family,’ not that they were rich enough to have a private jet.

If I had taken a first-class flight, I wouldn’t have been this surprised.

But I couldn’t just be amazed.

'Gracia...’

Because of him.

After passing the counters, I saw Gracia again.

Gracia, who had also arrived in a private jet from the U.S., was naturally there.

The problem was Gracia’s gaze.

He was alternating his gaze between me and Melson.

'Did he recognize me?'

That thought crossed my mind, but the possibility was low.

Gracia and I had no connection. I recognized him instantly because he had been in the spotlight a lot.

There was no one in Korea who didn’t know Gracia’s face.

But I couldn’t be 100% sure.

In Pangenea, there were thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of ways to identify someone.

He might have recognized me as a player, as Randolph.

After all, Gracia had been a player for much longer than I had.

There was a possibility that he knew something I didn’t.

'If a battle were to break out...'

I considered the worst-case scenario.

If he recognized me and we ended up fighting.

At least, if Gracia ‘descended,’ I couldn’t win.

But if, as Hudson said, a player’s real body was no different from an ordinary person’s, a surprise attack in this state might work.

No, no.

A surprise attack wouldn’t work.

The Goddess’s rights.

He must have the same ‘Protective Wall’ as me.

You get a Protective Wall for ranking in the top of Main Quest 3, and Gracia was in first place.

Even though he was pushed to second place by me, he still had a level 9 Protective Wall.

'The Protective Wall protects the body in the place you logged out from.'

Of course, this place was the real world where I had logged in.

So, the Protective Wall wouldn’t activate.

But I dismissed this thought.

'He must have many more rights than me.'

There must be other rights similar to the Protective Wall.

There couldn’t not be.

If he used those rights to buy time and descend...

There was no need to elaborate on what would happen next.

'His gaze is piercing.'

Until boarding the private jet, Gracia kept looking at me and Melson.

Coincidentally, his private jet was right next to ours.

His gaze continued until the entrance of the private jet closed.

*

There’s nothing more to gain in Korea.

Gracia made his final judgment.

He hadn’t found the owner of the Hydra’s soul, a material for a unique-grade sword, and when the ‘Dimensional Rift’ opened, he hadn’t gained anything.

At the time, Gracia was in Korea, not the U.S., so public opinion in the U.S. wasn’t good.

'I need to prepare for the Abyss Labyrinth.'

He let go of his attachment.

The Abyss Labyrinth was more important.

To break through the Abyss Labyrinth, he needed to return to his home country and entrust his body to someone he could trust.

Because of the labyrinth’s crazy condition that resets when you log out.

'A place where absolute secrecy is guaranteed.'

He couldn’t trust anyone.

So, he needed a place and a person to hide himself.

The other 8 Heroes?

He couldn’t trust them either.

They might send an assassin to hinder or kill him.

While most attacks would be blocked by his rights, they weren’t infinite.

If he were logged out by an external attack, he would face the disaster of the labyrinth resetting.

'I might be able to get the Hydra’s soul in the Abyss Labyrinth.'

But there was a reason he had to challenge such harsh conditions.

The Labyrinth Merchant.

There were rumors about a merchant who, when appearing, would announce their location to all participants.

Rumors that the ‘Labyrinth Merchant’ would sell things that were almost impossible to obtain through normal means, including all kinds of souls.

Moreover,

'Sword Saint Ralil.'

Someone who, like him, continued the lineage of the Sword Saint.

'I will kill Ralil.'

There can only be one Sword Saint in an era.

Two cannot exist simultaneously.

Even if the ruler of the labyrinth, he couldn’t tolerate someone using the name ‘Sword Saint.’

By killing Ralil, he would announce to the world that he was the true Sword Saint.

He would sink the ancient Sword Saint completely into the abyss.