Chapter 329: Seventy-Ninth Floor, Euros’s Forest (3)

[Spend time in Euros’s Forest. Time remaining: 47 hours 23 minutes.]

The familiar voice rang out once more. Aoshi ran over and enthusiastically embraced me.

I stood frozen, momentarily dazed for two specific reasons. First, and slightly less importantly, Aoshi’s unexpected behavior had caught me off guard.

Startled, I instinctively voiced my confusion, “Hyung?”

Hyung, of all things?

Aoshi had never called me that before. He had always addressed me formally or just used my first name. Even when I had told him he could speak casually, he remained unfailingly polite. Regardless of his openness with others, he had always been strikingly respectful with me.

Hugging me wasn’t like him either. Ferel might have, but Aoshi had never been one for physical affection.

Scratching the back of his head with a bashful smile, he briefly explained, “You told me I could call you hyung before you left, but it didn’t feel right. Once you were gone, though, I really regretted not doing it.”

It could be due to knowing the disparity in time we had spent apart, but my words came out somewhat awkwardly. “I see. Well, that aside, you’ve changed a lot.”

I studied Aoshi’s face closely.

The second, and foremost, reason I was so taken aback was his appearance. Of course, I already knew from Aphershi’s stories that he hadn’t aged much. Regardless, we had expected him to look like a person in their thirties or forties, not someone still brimming with the vitality of a twenty-year-old.

A glance over my shoulder confirmed the others shared my reaction. They were delighted by the reunion, but also unmistakably bewildered.

Aoshi chuckled softly and greeted the party, “It’s been so long. I hope you’ve all been well?”

Ha Hee-Jeong and Cole returned the greeting with composed familiarity.

“Yeah. How about you?”

“It’s good to see you again.”

Seo Ha-Rin and Hakin—perhaps feeling the gap more acutely—simply offered awkward waves.

They had been especially close, likely because they had been around the same age—now their friend was eighty-one and looked barely into his twenties.

At least Seo Ho-Su hadn’t changed. Laughing heartily, he stepped forward and pulled Aoshi into a warm embrace.

“

Ha!

You’re eighty and still look younger than me. I’m honestly jealous. What’s your secret?”

“Well, living beside the World Tree does this to you, I guess. But sir, you haven’t aged a bit either!”

It was clear that Aphershi hadn’t had the chance to explain anything yet. Aoshi seemed to have rushed here the moment he heard the news.

“We wouldn’t have aged even if we had wanted to. After finding the last bit of Ancient Fire, we arrived here immediately.”

“Wait, what?” Aoshi blinked in disbelief, but Seo Ho-Su didn’t get the chance to elaborate.

Just then, Ferel approached with a warm smile and waved her hand. “Have you all been well?”

“It’s been a while.”

“For us too. Still, even with how much time has gone by, none of you, brother nor sister, seems to have aged a day.”

“

Uh

, yeah.”

Being called hyung and oppa by an eighty-year-old was still thoroughly disorienting.

Whew.

Knowing their personalities, I doubted an explanation would change anything, but I still needed to try.

“The thing is,

um

, a lot of time has passed here, but not for us.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mentioned it briefly to Aoshi, but for us, less than an hour has passed since the day we disappeared.”

“What? Really?” Ferel looked at me, wide-eyed.

I nodded slowly in confirmation. Now it was their turn to wear the same puzzled expressions we had worn earlier.

How shall I explain this?

It wasn’t exactly a long story, but it wasn’t the kind of thing that could be summed up simply either. Moreover, I couldn’t speak openly about the tower—even if I were allowed to, I wouldn’t.

If they were to hear they were part of a trial, just characters within a challenge, they would inevitably question their own existence.

While I weighed my words, villagers began gathering rapidly around us. Whether Aphershi had already spread the word or whether the tribe was simply responding to their chief’s movements, I couldn’t be certain.

Regardless, hundreds of people were now surrounding us, looking on with rapt attention. The clamor only grew louder.

Thanks to my heightened physical abilities, I could hear their murmuring with uncomfortable clarity.

“Aphershi said that’s the Guardian God who protected the forest in the past.”

“The Guardian God? Are you sure? He just looks like a man.”

“Come on, it’s probably a joke. I heard the real one rides bolts of lightning through storms!”

“He looks so young, though.”

“Idiot. He’s a god. Of course, he looks young!”

The younger villagers arrived first, with the elders trickling in afterward. The commotion intensified.

“Hey, it’s Grandpa Merkel!”

“Grandpa! You saw him before, didn’t you? They’re saying he’s the Guardian God of the flower forest! Is that true?”

“O-oh, Divine One!”

“Oh, Guardian of the Flower Forest!”

“Oh, gracious god!”

A group of middle-aged men, likely warriors from the past, arrived last. Without even a moment's hesitation, they dropped to their knees and bowed deeply before me. They looked to be in their forties on the surface, but judging by Aoshi’s appearance, they had probably long passed their hundredth year.

As they knelt, the younger villagers followed suit and gazed at me with reverent eyes.

“

Hah.

”

I couldn’t help but laugh dryly, still unused to this attention. No matter how many times it happened, it always felt surreal.

I quickly turned to Aoshi. “For now, let’s go somewhere private. We need to talk.”

Aoshi nodded with a smile. “Of course. There’s a lot to catch up on.”

***

[Spend time in Euros’s Forest. Time remaining: 46 hours 55 minutes.]

With how spacious Aoshi’s home was, it definitely fit his title as the chieftain of the tribe. It wasn’t ostentatious and was impeccably clean and neat.

Within that quiet, well-kept space, it didn’t take more than thirty minutes for us to shed the awkwardness and fall back into the rhythm of our former relationship.

Aoshi and Ferel, though now technically eighty years old, greeted us just as warmly as they had in the past. Nothing about them had changed.

Since we were the ones who had skipped time, we did most of the listening and learned quite a bit.

Madam Jacob... they said she passed away.

Even someone with divine insight, one who had been able to glimpse the future through mere trinkets, had not been able to escape the unending flow of time.

Though the birth of the World Tree had rejuvenated the forest’s people, that had only occurred twenty years ago. For the forty years before that, their aging had followed its natural course.

The elder had seemed like a good person. Her absence struck me harder than I expected, so I offered a moment of quiet mourning.

At the same time, it made me revise a few plans. We had promised to eat spicy stir-fried tripe back in the waiting room, and have a party, but...

If I go through with that right after hearing Jacob’s death, I would be a psychopath.

The tower had clearly dulled something in me. I made a mental note to reflect on that.

Beyond that, Aoshi introduced us to his children. Of the eight, five were home, and we met them first.

They all resemble Aoshi and Ferel.

Some looked like both parents, while others took after just one.

Though they were technically older than us, I wasn’t sure what to make of my feelings. Perhaps it was because they were Aoshi and Ferel’s children, although it could also be due to how easily we had reconnected, but they all felt like kids again.

Beyond that, we shared countless stories. Aoshi and Ferel talked about their efforts in mediating for the various tribes, and we offered some of our own tales in return.

Though I couldn’t delve into the specifics of the tower, Aoshi seemed to grasp the broader outline.

I also told him we only had two days to spend together.

This is nice.

There was something uniquely stirring about conversing with children who had grown into fine adults.

Of course, neither of them was exactly as they had once been. Sixty-five years had passed, which was an entire lifetime. Even landscapes changed with time, and people changing was only natural.

Thankfully, it had all been for the better.

Their temperaments remained familiar, but their mannerisms had matured. There was a quiet composure and grace to how they carried themselves.

Rather than being the ones offering guidance, we now felt gently supported.

Everything about them seemed well. Their bond was still strong, and the world around them was calm, peaceful, and untouched by danger.

That afternoon, a grand feast began. As more climbers who had been wandering the forest returned and joined in, the gathering grew even livelier.

“

Wooooah!

”

“Drink up!”

“The Guardian God and his sacred warriors have returned!”

The village rang with joyous uproar.

Aoshi had explained to the villagers that I was no different from them, but the way they treated me said otherwise.

From all directions, I was met with eyes filled with awe and reverence. I did feel a little bad for the other climbers, who had been lumped in as my subordinates, but I couldn’t say I disliked the attention.

Amidst the countless gazes, I turned toward the banquet table.

Still, it is plentiful.

I had been worried that the feast would feel meager given their lifestyle, but that wasn’t the case at all. Though they lived in the forest, they didn’t abstain from meat—perhaps they didn’t eat much of it, but they weren’t vegetarians.

At any rate, drinking starting from midday stirred something restless in me.

As much as I was glad to see Aoshi again, I had originally planned to spend this time training.

Good thing that we have two days. Besides, Aoshi waited over sixty-five years for us.

Training could always come later, for instance, at the rest area. Although this place’s conditions were potentially better, priorities had to come first.

I scratched my neck absently as Aoshi handed me a glass of fruit wine.

“These spirits flying about are making my skin itch.”

“

Oh?

You too, oppa? I’ve been getting a bit of that myself.”

“Yeah, it’s super itchy. I keep having to scratch.”

“

Huh?

It’s not that bad for me.”

As Seo Ha-Rin and I exchanged idle chatter, Aoshi gave a warm, knowing smile.

“Don’t worry. We were the same when it started. It just means they like you.”

“Is that so?”

On second thought, it wasn’t all that odd; the World Tree had blessed us. It only made sense that the spirits born alongside it were fond of us.

Aoshi added, “Hyung’s symptoms are worse because the spirits are especially drawn to you.”

“Really? And what happens if they like you? Is there some kind of benefit?” I looked at him, half-expecting him to say that they would form a pact with me.

My curiosity was genuine.

“Of course. At the rate things are going, you’ll probably be able to commune with one by this evening. As for the others, most likely tomorrow morning.”

“By ‘commune,’ you mean forming a contract, right?”

“A contract?”

“You know, using a spirit’s power.”

Aoshi nodded. “

Ah

, yes. We call it communion. It doesn’t feel like a formal contract to us.”

Whether one called it a bond or a contract didn’t matter much. The important thing was that we would be able to use a spirit’s power.

“Whoa, seriously?”

“That’s incredible.”

Hakin and Seo Ha-Rin lit up, and the rest of the party was no different. Surprise and delight spread across their faces, and mine too. There was a real sense of reward, as if they were reaping the benefits of their past actions.

I felt a quiet sense of pride. Meeting Ha Hee-Jeong’s gaze, I commented, “That’s good news.”

“Yeah, it is.” She smiled softly.

We didn’t need to say much. We understood each other perfectly.

My words had been intended for the others. Because of my actions, they hadn’t gotten a chance to earn extra rewards or fight during this series of all-climber floors. As a result, their growth had been minimal.

Even if it were a better outcome than Ha Hee-Jeong’s previous life, they wouldn’t know that.

What mattered now was now.

If they can grow a little more through communing with a spirit, that would be ideal.

Thinking about it, maybe the tower hadn’t given us the two days purely to rest.

More likely, it was because of the spirits. A day to build rapport, and another to learn how to harness their power.

The seventy-ninth floor is where outcomes are acknowledged.

In Ha Hee-Jeong’s previous life, it ended in disaster. This time, however, we had defended the forest and were receiving fair compensation. The blessings we had already received were one form of that. The spirits, perhaps, were simply the next part of that reward.

I pushed those thoughts aside and looked back to Ha Hee-Jeong with a smile. “Lightning’s a perfect match for me. Fire suits you best.”

“That’s true, but do you think they even exist here? It’s a forest. I’m not sure there’d be fire or lightning spirits. Though I guess I’d be happy with anything.”

Aoshi, who had been quietly listening, chuckled and interjected, “No need to worry. Spirits are just spirits. They aren’t fixed to an element.”

“

Huh?

Really?”

“Yeah. They’re born pure. It’s through bonding that they develop attributes.”

“

Ah

, I see. That’s actually kind of a relief.”

During my interactions with the elves, they had avoided talking about spirits, so I hadn’t learned much. Another possibility was that this World Tree was simply different, with something unique in its nature.

Hearing Aoshi’s explanation, the party’s interest spiked. As the focus shifted toward spirits, conversations sparked across the group.

Hakin, in particular, looked absolutely thrilled.

“I want wind. That should give me more explosive power, right? Cole, you’ll probably end up with wind, too, right? Since you’re an archer?”

“Most likely, yeah.”

“What about you, Ha-Rin?”

“I’m not sure. I like them all. I think I’ll let the spirit choose.”

Seo Ho-Su, who had been deep in thought on his daughter’s behalf, finally stepped in. “Ha-Rin, wouldn’t an earth spirit be a good match? You’re a priest, and you’ll need protection.”

“You think so?”

Everyone had different preferences, and their choices seemed to shift by the minute. Since I had already settled on lightning, I just listened on comfortably.

At that moment, Aoshi handed me another glass of fruit wine. “Another round?”

“Why not?”

As I raised the glass, Ferel leaned in with a grin. “Me too. Unnie, drink with us.”

“Alright.” Ha Hee-Jeong offered a quiet smile.

The awkwardness that had lingered around our age difference had vanished.

If anything, it now felt like a precious experience. After all, how often would one get to speak informally with someone in their eighties?

As we passed around drinks and glanced toward Aoshi and Ferel, memories slowly resurfaced.

Fleeting connections... I said I would see them again someday.

I hadn’t intended to revisit any of them until I finished conquering the tower. I didn’t want to form unnecessary attachments without being confident in my future first. Just focusing on the present had been demanding enough.

Now, looking at how much Aoshi and Ferel had grown, I found my thoughts shifting.

Maybe, just maybe, I am just lonely.

Outside of Ha Hee-Jeong, the only people I truly bonded with were my party members and Alexei’s party. Even then, our connection wasn’t especially deep.

Suddenly, I found myself thinking of Princess Natalie, the girl from the Ice Castle. She was about Aoshi’s age back then. Maybe that was why she came to mind.

She had asked me to visit her, but I hadn’t yet. Now that I thought about it, I had been far too indifferent. I wondered if she had grown, too.

Aoshi’s voice pulled me back. “What were you thinking about just now?”

“Nothing much. Just someone I met a while ago. Someone who reminded me of you two before you got older.”

“You thought of her when you saw us?”

“Yeah. I’m not sure how she’s doing now. I haven’t seen her since.”

Aoshi’s expression dimmed slightly, as if he understood something unspoken. “Was it a final farewell?”

“No, not that. Just...” I trailed off.

Yes, I had been focused on the tower. Being brutally honest with myself, though, it was also just an excuse. It wasn’t like I didn’t have thirty minutes to spare.

I didn’t explain in detail, and Aoshi didn’t press. Perhaps it was a sign of his growth.

Instead, he gently asked, “If there’s still a chance, why not go see her?”

“I’ve been thinking about it.”

“Do it. I think it’ll be good for you. And for her, too.”

“You really think so?”

Aoshi nodded. “I do. Because I’ve experienced it. Seeing you again means a lot to me. Ferel feels the same.”

We exchanged another quiet toast.

Then, downing his drink in a single motion, he suddenly declared, “Hyung, how about a sparring match?”

Huh? Out of nowhere?