Chapter 72. That Is Something to Think About Later

"Are you talking about the elixir infused with the essence of fire?" asked Elena.

"Yes," Kim Do-Joon replied after a brief moment of thought.

"How should I know? It’s called an elixir because it’s rare, almost like a treasure.” Elena said.

Kim Do-Joon's shoulders slumped slightly, disappointment creeping in.

"...Is what I wanted to say, but..." Elena shrugged her shoulders and continued. “I do have a guess.”

“What is it?”

"If it's the essence of fire, there's a place that comes to mind.”

"Where is it?"

"The Flame Lord's domain.”

"The Flame Lord?"

"Yes, it’s a realm governed by the Lord of all Fire Spirits. When it comes to fire elixir, that’s the only place that comes to mind,” Elena explained.

The next moment, Kim Do-Joon thought about the Spirit Lord's domain. Although he’d heard stories about spirits, he didn’t know much about them. However, he’d encountered a few, and even fought against them. For example, Aquila, the storm giant that appeared on Hwaseong, and Silaphe, Eldora’s Wind Spirit.

Let’s not forget Elena’s Shadow Spirit, standing before him. Each spirit had immense power and not to be underestimated. Besides, he’d nearly died at the hands of Silaphe. If a mere spirit possessed such strengths, there was no doubt that their ruler would be stronger.

Nevertheless, the Flame Lord's domain seemed like a promising place. Kim Do-Joon’s eye sparkled with anticipation.

"But..." Elena spoke softly, as if regretting dampening his enthusiasm. "I've heard the Flame Lord is extremely reclusive. Even if you find the domain, there's no guarantee you'll be let in."

"Reclusive? I thought all you elves were close with spirits.”

"Generally, we are. But Fire Spirits are a bit different.”

Elves were naturally attuned to spirits from birth, including Fire Spirits. But there was an issue. Elves cherished forests and trees, whereas Fire Spirits could burn everything down. Because of this, their relationship had been strained for ages.

"Furthermore, the White Elves disregarded the Fire Spirits completely. The Flame Lord, angered by this, shut himself away and allowed no one into his domain.”

“...”

Kim Do-Joon was speechless for a moment. He could see why anyone would get angry if they were blatantly disregarded, but this didn’t fit his image of a solemn ruler.

Well, then again, wars have started over more trivial reasons.

Upon reflection, it made sense. Anyone could definitely get upset If their subordinates or subjects were being scorned. Honestly, if all he did was seclude himself, the Flame Lord might actually be more lenient than he seemed.

“Since the White Elves were the ones who did it, shouldn’t the Dark Elves be okay?”

"Nah, not really. Although we didn’t fully disregard the Fire Spirits, our ancestors were not particularly friendly with them. Even our current king has tried to negotiate several times recently but failed.”

Besides, the Dark Elves had been trying to harness the power of Fire Spirits. Their goal was simple: to obtain a fire capable of burning the World Tree. On their own, their flames couldn’t even scratch the tree’s bark.

"

Ah

, I see..."

After listening to Elena, Kim Do-Joon crossed his arms. He finally understood why the Flame Lord became so reclusive, and that the Dark Elves had failed to establish friendly relations. Whether he could gain entry to the domain was uncertain.

But that is something to think about later...

He’d worry about it when it happened. Knowing that the Flame Lord's domain likely held the elixir of fire was enough to drive him forward.

Who knows? Even if it's not inside the domain, there might be fire-infused herbs growing around it.

That alone would be a significant gain. After all, there was Jecheon Seong, a skilled individual who could help Kim So-Eun fully absorb the elixir’s effects, no matter how minor. With a gleam in his eye, Kim Do-Joon spoke to Elena.

"Elena, let's make a deal."

"A deal?" Elena asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If you guide me to that place, I'll help you with what you're doing here," Kim Do-Joon proposed.

"You mean getting rid of the roots?"

Kim Do-Joon nodded and said. "I know you've been hiding and working alone so far. Having an ally would make things easier and faster, wouldn't it?"

Elena fell silent, because he was right. This world was strangely crowded and complicated. Every root was surrounded by barbed wire and guards. Although nothing could stand against her power, it was still inconvenient and bothersome.

Then, she glanced at the bed. If Kim Do-Joon hadn’t caught her yesterday, she would’ve spent countless nights on the cold streets, never feeling the comfort of a soft blanket. She gulped thinking about all of these.

"The Flame Lord doesn’t welcome guests. Your efforts might be in vain," Elena warned.

"Well, I’ll just worry about that later," Kim Do-Joon replied firmly.

This was the first solid lead on the elixir's location. He couldn’t afford to let it go, even if it might end up being for naught.

"Even if we don't find the elixir, you won't just kick me to the curb, right?"

"Don't worry, I'm not that heartless.”

"Alright then, it's a deal.”

Guiding him there would make her work easier. Besides, Kim Do-Joon had defeated Eldora. With his help, she could remove the roots much faster and more safely. She had no reason to refuse.

"Alright. Let's work together."

"Sure."

They both smiled, shaking hands, satisfied with their agreement.

***

— Really? You decided to go into the stem together?

"Yes. So then about my promotion test..." Kim Do-Joon trailed off, waiting for Son Chang-Il’s response.

— Are you saying you want to go into the stem, as per the initial suggestion?

"That's correct. Would that be alright?" Kim Do-Joon asked, speaking over the phone with Son Chang-Il.

Initially, he had declined the offer to enter the stem. He knew it’d seem shameless to bring up a previously rejected offer, but he had no time to worry about appearances.

— Of course, it's alright! We were planning to ask you anyway. We needed someone to gather information about the stem from the Dark Elves. If you're willing to go in with them, that's even better.

Fortunately, Son Chang-Il readily agreed. He had been planning to ask Kim Do-Joon for information about the stem, and contemplating what to offer in return. Now, with Kim Do-Joon and Elena willing to enter the stem themselves, it was the best possible outcome.

"For now, I'll join the exploration team because it'll be safer that way," Kim Do-Joon said.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

— That’s a good idea. Oh, and keep the matter of the Dark Elves a secret, will you? Only the team leader, Hunter Shin Yoo-Sung, should know about it.

"I understand."

Kim Do-Joon had no intention of spreading this information widely. Although he wouldn’t go out of his way to hide it, he saw no need to advertise it either. Who knew what kind of trouble it could attract?

— Wait a second... Why don’t you just become the team leader? That way, you can lead the expedition as you see fit.

"Yes, that seems right.”

— Hiring people for this might be challenging for this one... Even with my endorsement, there aren't many who would follow an E-rank Hunter into an unknown area.

"Well, about that matter..."

Kim Do-Joon had something in mind regarding the team. And he voiced his thoughts.

— So you’re saying that you have someone you want to bring along?

"Yes.”

— Alright then, go ahead. I'll also try to recruit some volunteers from my end.

"Thank you.”

With that, the call with Son Chang-Il ended. However, Kim Do-Joon didn’t put his phone away. He had another call to make. The next person he contacted was Hwang Hyun-Woo.

— Hyung! How have you been?

After a brief greeting, Kim Do-Joon got straight to the point.

"Hyun-Woo, can you craft items inside a dungeon or exploration site? Simple ones are fine too.”

— Inside a dungeon? Sure, if they’re simple, I can make some. Remember that skill I used for combat?"

Kim Do-Joon recalled their time in the Lava Cave. Hwang Hyun-Woo had used a skill to create pillars, walls, and spikes from the ground.

"Yes.”

— That’s actually a crafting skill, not a combat one. I can use it to make basic items. But...

"But?" Kim Do-Joon asked.

— The items I make like that tend to be crude. Besides, there's a higher chance of them having a negative effect...

"... Well, that’s even better.”

— What did you say?

"No, nothing. Never mind. I meant to say that it's fine."

Suppressing a smile, Kim Do-Joon spoke. Hwang Hyun-Woo sounded disappointed about the high failure rate, but to Kim Do-Joon, it was good news.

"Listen carefully. You can refuse if you want."

Kim Do-Joon briefly explained the situation. He’d be on a long expedition, so he needed someone to maintain their weapons and carry supplies. Hwang Hyun-Woo was the only combat-capable craftsman he knew, so he made the offer. Of course, he didn’t mention the real reason, which was creating defective items.

Hwang Hyun-Woo responded enthusiastically.

— I'll go anywhere with you! Where are we headed this time? A B-rank dungeon? There's nowhere we can't go together!

"The stem.”

— Sorry?

"We're going into the stem in Hwaseong.”

— ...

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. Then, Hwang Hyun-Woo spoke hesitantly.

—

Um

... I...

Hearing the tremor in his voice, Kim Do-Joon chuckled softly.

"I told you, you can say no."

— Can I... think about it for a bit?

Hwang Hyun-Woo asked nervously.

"Sure.”

With that, Kim Do-Joon ended the call. Judging by Hwang Hyun-Woo's voice, his decision to join was about fifty-fifty. However, Kim Do-Joon wasn’t particularly concerned. While Hwang Hyun-Woo’s participation had its benefits, it also had drawbacks, such as needing to protect him.

Therefore, Kim Do-Joon wasn’t banking on his involvement. In fact, the person he had mentioned to Son Chang-Il was someone else entirely.

That evening, a second family meeting took place at Kim Do-Joon's home.

***

The agenda of the meeting was simple: Kim Do-Joon wanted either Siwelin or Jecheon Seong to accompany him into the stem. The two of them, Siwelin and Jecheon Seong, exchanged glances before Jecheon Seong spoke up first.

"I can't go. I need to look after So-Eun. Her twisted meridians are being corrected, and I can't miss even a single day."

He pointed to the adjacent room, where Kim So-Eun was sleeping soundly in the dark.

"Understood," Kim Do-Joon nodded.

With such a reason, he obviously couldn’t bring Jecheon Seong along. He then turned his gaze to Siwelin, and she responded enthusiastically.

— I'm fine with it!

Siwellin said, thumping her chest confidently as if to reassure him.

— It’s a shame to be away from So-Eun for a while, but I can’t let you die.

Her resolute demeanor was incredibly reassuring. In terms of healing and support, she might even surpass the S-rank Hunter, Shin Yoo-Sung. The impact of having a Healer on the team was immeasurable. Hence, her participation was like having a thousand reinforcements.

Kim Do-Joon then looked at Jecheon Seong thoughtfully.

"What is it?" Jecheon Seong asked.

"Siwelin is sad about being separated from So-Eun, but you don’t seem bothered about being apart from me," Kim Do-Joon said.

"Because I don’t," Jecheon Seong replied without hesitation.

Kim Do-Joon chuckled, and Siwelin covered her mouth and giggled as well. Then Do-Joon thanked them both sincerely.

Despite the unknowns inside the stem and the outside world during his absence, he was surprisingly not worried at all.