Chapter 461: Ninety-Sixth Floor, Divine Armament (2)

[Find materials. Time remaining: 3 hours 59 minutes.]

A breath of cool, crisp air filled my lungs. An enormous tree stood before me, so vast that its canopy disappeared into the sky.

A World Tree.

However, it differed completely from any I had seen before. Its sheer size defied reason. No number of buildings could compare; it was as if dozens of skyscrapers had been stacked atop one another. Branches stretched endlessly in every direction. Facing forward, all I could see was bark, stretching out until it vanished from sight.

This is the most impressive World Tree I have ever seen.

Then again, it wasn’t as if I had encountered many. Three, at most. Ryun’s love on the forty-first floor, Euros from the seventy-seventh to the seventy-ninth floors, and finally, the one I had personally planted in Seorden’s Forest. Even discounting the last, which had only just taken root, the first two combined still couldn’t compare to this one.

Even the sky was almost entirely blotted out. Despite that, the surrounding area remained bright, illuminated by countless motes of light drifting through the air like fireflies.

Hmm. It doesn’t appear to be healthy.

Despite its staggering size, the power emanating from it felt weaker than the World Trees I had seen before. Looking closely, I noticed signs of withering.

The first thing I had observed upon arriving was its cracked bark, and now that I looked closer, the rest of the trunk was no different. The entire surface was dry and fissured, as if the tree itself were losing its vitality.

Even the leaves look dull.

They weren’t completely brittle, but they lacked vigor. It was a subtle lifelessness that felt off. It was strange, and clearly a sign that something was wrong. Perhaps that was the very clue I needed. Whether this counted as a trial or not, recognizing a problem was the first step. Solving it would mean earning a reward.

If I can remove the cause of the World Tree’s decline, maybe it will gift me some materials in return.

I had previously communicated—at least faintly—with other World Trees. However, this one remained silent.

Am I supposed to find the answer on my own?

Just as the thought crossed my mind, a warm breeze brushed past my cheek. It was familiar, like the one I had felt when meeting Ryun. Having experienced it before, I immediately recognized it as the World Tree’s will.

It is trying to tell me something.

Moments later, the ground before me stirred. The soil parted as a wooden stalk—or perhaps a root—rose slowly from beneath the earth.

It didn’t matter which it was.

A radiant orb of light rested at its tip, encircled by the World Tree’s slender root. It was clear what it wanted me to do. I reached out and gently took hold of it. A notification window appeared before me.

[La-Soon’s Last Breath]

- The final root left behind by a Primordial World Tree on the verge of death.

- Contains an immeasurable and indomitable power.

As I finished reading, a warm breeze stirred once more. Countless leaves fell from the branches, fluttering down like green snow until my vision was filled with their color. I felt the World Tree’s life force rapidly fading.

In the next instant, my surroundings shifted.

What the fuck?

The Flame of Aspiration blazed before me again, but my hand held La-Soon’s Last Breath. A few fallen leaves clung to my cloak, trembling in the heat before drifting to the ground.

I guess that was it.

Vironus had mentioned I would return once I retrieved the core material, but it had been surprisingly easy. Still, reading the item’s description again helped me understand why. The dying World Tree had offered me its final strength. I felt a mix of gratitude and confusion.

Why me? Is it because I have helped other World Trees?

I puzzled over the origin and nature of World Trees. When I had met Ryun, his world’s World Tree needed to be relocated, so perhaps they varied by world. They weren’t all the same, after all, whether in terms of leaves, trunk, size, or presence.

The message had called this one a Primordial World Tree. Perhaps it could perceive the others, and this was its way of returning the favor for what I had done.

Alternatively, it could be connected to the Primordial God.

Past the ninetieth floor, the tower’s intent had become increasingly deliberate. This could be one more example of its subtle guidance.

Not that I was complaining.

The floor hadn’t featured any enemies or fighting yet. I had simply entered, received the dying World Tree’s blessing, and left. It had ended so easily that I almost felt unprepared, but Vironus had warned me that the materials could be easy or difficult to gather. Given that I had just experienced the former, that made me a little anxious for the next one.

If the first was easy, the next is bound to be harder.

Then again, that wasn’t guaranteed.

The Flame of Aspiration could once again send me to a world related to those I had helped. Either way, I would find out soon enough. I still had three more chances to find materials, and it was unlikely they would all go smoothly.

Stay focused.

I placed La-Soon’s Last Breath inside the mimic and turned once more toward the Flame of Aspiration. After steadying my breath, I stepped forward. The world turned crimson, and a notification window appeared again.

[Find materials. Time remaining: 3 hours 59 minutes.]

Before the scenery even solidified, the roar of raging winds struck my ears, and countless particles slammed against my body—I was in the midst of a violent storm. Faster than I could react, the spirit of wind surged forth instinctively to shield me. Even then, the pressure was so strong it made me stagger.

I reinforced the barrier with an additional layer of protection.

Tat-tat-tat!

Harsh and heavy grains battered deafeningly against the shield, and my vision blurred into a swirl of brown and gold. It had taken me a second, but I finally recognized the particles as sand whipping through the air at blinding speed. I had been dropped into the heart of a massive sandstorm.

“

Guh!

”

I exhaled sharply and spat out some sand that had found its way into my mouth and nose. My wind spirit had reacted quickly, but being thrown directly into the storm meant some had already entered my eyes and nostrils. My strengthened physique dulled the pain, but the gritty sensation was unmistakably unpleasant.

With my wind spirit’s assistance, I cleared the sand from my eyes, nose, and the gaps in my gear.

Tat-tat-tat!

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The constant roar of the wind and the harsh scrape of sand against my barrier filled the air.

So I am supposed to find the material in this? Or is the sand itself the material?

It was unlikely but not impossible. I reached into Mung-chi and pulled out a box. Extending my arm beyond the barrier, I immediately felt the storm’s fierce pressure biting into my forearm.

Regardless, my plan worked, and within moments, the box filled with sand. Unfortunately, I didn’t return to the Flame of Aspiration even after that. There was still something out there that I had to find.

Damn it, how am I supposed to find anything in this?

This storm didn’t feel natural. Perhaps this was simply how nature worked in this world, but it was unlike any storm I had seen or heard of on Earth. There was an unknown force at play here. My senses couldn’t reach far, and neither my divinity nor the wind spirit’s perception extended beyond a limited range. It felt as if some immense power was pressing down on me from every direction.

My instincts didn’t give me a clue.

For now, I prioritized not losing my sense of direction, which meant moving carelessly was out of the question. The world around me was nothing but a blur of muted brown, giving me no landmarks, nothing to orient myself with. Even a moment of distraction could leave me completely disoriented.

Thankfully, I hadn’t taken a single step since being summoned. I needed to memorize my position by fixing it in my muscles, if not my mind.

Hmm. I should figure out how far this sandstorm stretches.

Perhaps I could rise above it and figure that out. It wasn’t a bad idea. I recalled a photo that had played on the news back on Earth. They had captured the image from space, and it showed the storm’s clouds spiraling in a perceivable pattern, though I couldn’t remember if it was at the storm’s center.

A sandstorm couldn’t be too different in principle. From high enough, I could possibly gauge the storm’s reach and find its boundaries.

Though the lower layers aren’t guaranteed to be visible through the haze.

No matter what, this plan was better than wandering aimlessly. Besides, the sandstorm could contain monsters that would attack if I intruded. Moreover, if one entity had created this unnatural tempest, it was extraordinarily powerful. Confronting it would be no simple task.

The more I knew before searching, the better my chances.

Hmm.

While ascending into the sky, I would want to maintain as close to a vertical trajectory as possible. That would require me to minimize the effect of the wind. Once I had confirmed all I could, maintaining my relative position would allow me return to where I had been summoned.

My shield held against the storm while on the ground, but the speed of the wind would increase as I rose. Planning ahead, I strengthened my barrier with divinity, and the sound of the sand hitting my shield became duller under the reinforced protection.

Tut-tut-tut!

I looked up toward the sky. It wouldn’t be as easy as I hoped. No matter how carefully I tried to maintain a perfect line, I wasn’t a machine. Absolute precision was impossible.

Still, I needed to keep myself aligned as best I could.

Kicking off the ground, I soared upward. My first leap was smooth, but I had to be cautious with the next. Each push through the air required me to maintain my balance, so I focused on my legs and center of gravity.

Just in case an unknown creature tried to ambush me, I extended my senses as far as they would reach.

Even though my range is limited, I should still be able to detect anything nearby.

I wasn’t sure how long I had risen for, but despite ascending a considerable distance, I didn’t see any signs that I was escaping the storm. The sky above remained buried in swirling dust. Not a single cloud was visible, only an endless churn of brown and gold particles.

On the ninety-third floor, I had already risen above the clouds by traveling at this speed.

There is no way this is some illusion meant to deceive perception.

This storm possessed real, tangible force. All this information led me to believe that its scale was far greater than I had anticipated. A faint sense of futility settled in. At this rate, I would have to either break through the atmosphere or find a barrier, just like on the ninety-third floor.

Still, I have time. Four full hours.

It was enough to test things properly. I continued my ascent until, before long, I was met by an invisible wall high in the air.

As expected.

At least I didn’t slam into it headfirst this time.

I had anticipated the possibility, so I had flown with my hand outstretched upward. The moment my fingertips had brushed against the unseen barrier, I had stopped. Observing the storm from above was impossible, and the tower had likely restricted it.

So, do I have to wander below and search blindly?

I began my slow descent, trying to return to my original position, then froze.

Wait. I am an idiot.

I shouldn’t have ascended in the first place—I had Two-Way Portal. That realization prompted me to activate the skill immediately. I had unlocked this skill a while ago, but I rarely used it outside of combat or emergencies. Therefore, the thought hadn’t even occurred to me.

My own train of thought had swept me up and sent me spiraling again. When I fixated on one idea, I tended to block out everything else. It was both a strength and a weakness, something hard to change after living that way for over twenty years. Still, the benefits had always outweighed the drawbacks.

I teleported back to my summoning point. I remembered the location clearly. With Two-Way Portal, I could move in any direction—forward, backward, left, or right—from this starting point.

Just as I prepared to explore, something occurred to me. Storms had eyes, calm centers untouched by the chaos around them.

Or is that only true for hurricanes?

I wasn’t sure of the difference, but they seemed similar enough.

If this sandstorm followed the same principle, there would be an eye, a tranquil zone at its core. Moreover, if something had caused this phenomenon, then whatever it was would most likely be there.

The real problem was determining where that eye was in the middle of all this chaos.

Hmm. It won’t be easy, but even storms have currents.

I closed my eyes and focused, attuning myself to the flow of the wind pounding against my barrier. At the same time, I searched for the subtle origin within the raging storm.