#034
When I reached the edge of the downtown area, a lake appeared against the sunset-stained sky. The sky with golden clouds drifting through it showed a picturesque scene where light purple, pink, and pale orange intertwined and blended together. If not for the lake that was dyed pitch black with bubbling foam and the stench so bad it was hard to breathe, it would have been a perfectly beautiful landscape.
‘I should buy a mask too.’
Covering my nose with my hand, I briefly surveyed the lake. The water of the enormous lake, which was roughly circular in shape, was polluted pitch black, but it gradually became clearer toward the inside, with only some small areas surrounding the island maintaining their original clear blue color.
‘The pollution has spread wider than during the last tutorial… Well, it’s the same everywhere else too.’
Carlisle’s mansion was situated on high ground where you could look down directly at the lake’s appearance. At the fork in the road between going up to the mansion and going toward the island, I hesitated for a moment before eventually deciding to visit the Administrator of the Sacred Tree first.
I was curious about what the Fragment of the Sacred Tree I had obtained from the hidden dungeon was actually used for, and seeing the pitch-black lake and precarious bridge, it seemed better to cross while there was still some light.
To enter the island in the middle of the lake, you had to cross the one narrow bridge that existed, but it was ambiguous to even call it a bridge. It was just stones laid out narrow enough for only one or two people to barely walk on, with no protective barriers on either side, making it highly likely to slip and fall.
I don’t need to say it, but falling into that black water meant instant death. There were no monsters, but it wasn’t simply rotten water—it was water with all kinds of chemicals and toxins dissolved in it. This was also the place rumored to be where Eira had released poison. Come to think of it, maybe that’s why even monsters couldn’t inhabit it.
As I stepped onto the slippery stones, my fingertips and toes tingled as if I were about to fall from bungee jumping.
‘No wonder people don’t visit the Sacred Tree.’
I grumbled internally. Suppressing the desire to turn back, I stubbornly crossed the stone bridge toward the Administrator of the Sacred Tree’s house, step by step.
As the island drew closer, my breathing improved somewhat. It didn’t exactly give off the fresh scent of spring greenery, but this much would be livable. I had wondered how a person could live in the middle of this lake reeking of toxic substances, but at this level, it actually seemed better than other places. It was quite remarkable.
The administrator’s house was a small white cabin. The white cabin looked picturesque in its own way when viewed from afar, but up close, it clearly showed signs of age. I glanced at the Sacred Tree standing in the center of the island.
‘It’s a mess…’
If it hadn’t been in its original location, no one would have recognized it as the Sacred Tree. It reminded me of the pitch-black, withered roadside trees in winter. I couldn’t possibly imagine the massive, sacred appearance I had seen in the game’s ending.
The Sacred Tree in the game hadn’t been in such a pitiful state even in the early stages. Although its leaves had fallen and it was withered, its trunk was massive and it had many branches, giving off a mysterious atmosphere.
“Don’t tell me it’s dead.”
“If that were the case, the entire lake and island would have turned black.”
As I approached closer to examine the tree while muttering, I suddenly heard a voice from behind.
‘Oh, what a surprise…’
The only person who could appear would be the administrator, but since there had been no sound of a door or footsteps, hearing a voice suddenly was startling. Calming my racing heart, I turned around. The familiar administrator’s face, now rendered in reality, was before me.
‘The live-action face is no joke either…’
Come to think of it, the Administrator of the Sacred Tree was the prettiest NPC in the entire game. This wasn’t just my personal opinion—it was the mainstream opinion on the forums. They had even won first place in a poll once. With their bluish-white hair hanging long and wearing white priestly robes, they closely resembled the image of characters typically called priests in fantasy.
The Administrator of the Sacred Tree had no other name, so they were simply called “Priest” among users, and their gender was ambiguous. Unlike other NPCs, their character description didn’t show gender, and even when users persistently asked questions, the developers never provided an answer to the end, so users once became passionate about speculating their identity.
“Priest actually isn’t human, right?”
⌙ ㄷㄷㄷ Ghost? Spirit?
⌙ Earthbound spirit, never leaves the island, you know?
⌙ ㅅㅂ Have you seen such a pretty ghost? ㅋㅋㅋ Must be an elf
⌙ There are no elves in this world setting..
⌙ I vote for a manifested god
I didn’t join that discussion, but I did think they might be a god too. However, even until I saw the final ending, the priest’s name and identity were never revealed, and there were no stories about anyone discovering special hidden stories, so interest eventually fizzled out.
Since the world had turned gloomy, even the priest had faded somewhat. Their complexion was pale and areas like their jaw and wrists were noticeably thin. But they were the only NPC whose smiling face remained consistently gentle.
“I’ve been waiting, Raon-nim. Finally, we meet.”
Did the priest say that line to me when I first met them in the game? Feeling unfamiliar, I tilted my head.
‘Anyway, this is the first NPC to smile at me since being dragged here.’
I felt strangely moved.
“The fact that Raon-nim has come to find me means you’ve been to the hidden dungeon.”
This line, spoken with a gentle smile, was also one I was hearing for the first time. Well, since discovering the hidden dungeon itself was a first, I suppose it’s natural. Seeing the NPC speak like this, it seems like it was really an original quest, but why had no one ever discovered it? Was it a quest added in the later stages?
“You have something to show me, don’t you?”
I nodded, then realized and spoke up.
“Yes.”
The Administrator of the Sacred Tree was a character who couldn’t see. They always kept their eyes closed, but their actions were natural and the direction their closed eyes faced was so accurate that I often forgot this fact.
“Then, though it’s humble, please come inside for a moment.”
The administrator guided me into the cabin.
“I only have tea to offer such an honored guest.”
When a teacup containing red liquid was placed in front of me, a sweet fragrance tickled my nose. The teacup was old and chipped, but that wasn’t what mattered. The precious thing wasn’t me—it was the black tea. How long had it been since I’d seen real black tea! This was possible because it was an island with the Sacred Tree, where clean water could be obtained.
“I’d like to offer you something to eat too, but it’s been a long time since the Sacred Tree bore fruit.”
The priest smiled bitterly.
Ah, right. There were also fruits of the Sacred Tree. The fruits of the Sacred Tree were cheat items that fully recharged life force and stamina and instantly healed any kind of wound or poison upon consumption.
Of course, even in the game they only appeared after the mid-stage, so not having them now didn’t mean they couldn’t be obtained later. But seeing the Sacred Tree in that state, it seemed like they would only appear when everything was restored and I could return to reality—would I have time to taste them then?
With such thoughts, I took a sip of tea.
“……!”
It felt like my eyes suddenly opened wide. My head cleared, my vision brightened, and it seemed like the day’s fatigue was completely washed away—in fact, my stamina bar began refilling. I temporarily forgot both the NPC in front of me and the reason I had come here, becoming absorbed in the small cup of tea in my hands.
“Um, Raon-nim. What you brought from the dungeon…”
When I didn’t speak, absorbed in the taste and aroma of each sip as if I had fallen into tea ceremony meditation, the priest gently prodded me.
‘Right, of course.’
Only then did I come to my senses and put down the teacup. Even my mood had improved significantly. I wondered if it even had the effects of a Tranquility Potion.
As I took out the tree branch from my inventory to place it on the table, the priest’s hands caught my eye. Their white, thin hands were tense and clenched tight as if frozen. When I quietly pushed the branch so it touched their hand, their startled, trembling hand carefully caressed the branch. I could clearly see their long fingers shaking.
“Ah…, ahh…”
Their voice trembled just like their hands. I looked at the priest’s face, a bit surprised. It was an expression that seemed moved, overwhelmed, yet somehow tinged with distorted sadness.
‘The emotional expression is incredible. Would it really deepen to this extent?’
Was it because it had become reality? There was originally background story, but since it wasn’t a game that particularly aimed for grand storytelling, I was a bit flustered.
Of course, I understood the priest’s position. They had called it a Fragment of the Sacred Tree, and said it was one of five pieces, so following typical fantasy cliché patterns, the story that would unfold was obvious. I would have to find four more pieces, and when all the scattered fragments were collected, the Sacred Tree would be revived—something like that story. Having taken a step toward that revival ending, as an NPC who manages the Sacred Tree, they would naturally feel moved.
“There’s something I’d like to show you. Would you come this way?”
My expectation wasn’t wrong. Having composed their emotions, the priest carefully held the Fragment of the Sacred Tree to their chest and led me to a small study. When they pushed aside a bookshelf in the corner, stone stairs leading underground appeared beneath it. The priest stepped on those stairs as familiarly as if they could see ahead, descending into the pitch-black darkness.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
