Monster Heavenly King - Chapter 180



Only Noblemtl

180. Elf Ruins (3)

A huge tree that is difficult to capture in one glance even if you look up with your head tilted up.

I thought the tree in the elf village was huge, but it was nothing compared to the tree in front of me.

While I was speechless at the enormous size, I heard Seol-ah’s voice.

-This is… a world tree.

‘The World Tree?’

This is another fairly famous word that popped up.

A tree that appears in many works and has many settings.

However, it was a fairly popular fantasy material, to the point that there were not many works that simply treated the World Tree as a tree.

-To be exact, it’s inside the World Tree. It’s my first time seeing it, too.

‘Inside the tree?’

I couldn’t quite imagine it.

Could it be a structure similar to an elf’s house?

however,

‘Why did the gods lead us here?’

If the tree in front of her was really the World Tree as Seol-ah said, then it would be safe to say that this was the most precious place to the elves.

There must be a reason why they brought you to such a place.

However, the divine being who brought them there literally just brought them there and disappeared, so they had no way of knowing.

“Let’s take a look around…”

see.

As I was about to say that, the vines covering the wall moved and opened a path.

As if telling me to come here.

“…let’s go.”

Now that we’ve come this far, there’s no choice but to not go.

Hyunseong and Kangcheol head towards the open road.

As we went beyond the vines, a huge space came into view.

However, what is different from before is that there is something in the center.

Since he couldn’t see anything different, Hyunseong walked towards the center.

And what was seen there was…

“flower?”

It was a flower bud that had not yet fully bloomed.

Flower buds are white with a hint of pink.

As we approached a little closer, the flower buds began to unfold little by little.

Sararak.

The sound of flower petals passing by.

And what is on the unfolded petals is,

“That’s…?”

It was something the size of a fist.

While Hyunseong was wondering what this was, Seol-ah’s voice came into his head.

-That’s the heart of the forest…

‘Heart of the Forest? What is that?’

-To put it simply… Is it a fruit or seed that the World Tree produces very occasionally, over a long period of time?

It was so rare that it was difficult to see it in the entirety of human history, and even in the long-lived elves.

‘Could that be the material to release your seal?’

-Maybe. That guy Ian… He really put a lot of effort into sealing me.

‘How do you know so much when you only fought with elves?’

-I once saw a dragon bragging about how hard it was to get it.

If it’s rare even among dragons, then it really is rare.

Hyunseong stared quietly at the seed, which was the size of a fist.

“Does this mean I should take it?”

Even though his slender hands were approaching, he showed no signs of trying to defend himself.

Rather, it just sways and shakes its petals as if telling you to take it away quickly.

And finally, Hyunseong obtains the heart of the forest.

Shururuk.

As I took the heart of the forest, the flowers that had been in full bloom began to shrink with a sound.

Hyunseong, who had accepted the seed, had a question mark on his head as if he still did not understand.

‘Why did you hand this over?’

All he did was save one elf.

Are you saying that it’s okay to just give dragons items that are hard to find just because they did something like that?

It was natural to think it was strange.

-Maybe… it’s because you’re the only person I can trust.

‘what?’

-The elves have all gone into hiding.

The elf race was thought to be extinct, but someone who received the blessing of the Blessed One appeared.

That means the elf is still alive.

-He said he would distribute seeds to help the elves prosper.

‘But if I hand this over to the elf, I won’t be able to break your seal.’

-oh.

I guess I didn’t think that far ahead.

After a brief pause, Seol-ah’s voice is heard again.

-Should we eat it since you won’t even know you got it anyway?

‘It doesn’t matter what happens to the elves.’

-Yeah, if I miss this opportunity, I’m not sure when I’ll get it again.

She seemed to be thinking for a long time, then rang the bell as if she was really sorry.

-There’s no choice. Let’s give this to the elf.

‘Oh? What’s going on?’

To be honest, I thought you were just going to pretend not to know and just eat it.

-The World Tree trusted me with the heart of the forest, but if I hit them in the back of the head, it will leave a bad aftertaste.

‘You even know how to think like that. You’ve grown up.’

-I’m not that much of a devil, am I?

‘So, do I just have to pass this on to the elf?’

-Right, then the guys will take care of it.

I wondered what the growth of the World Tree had to do with the prosperity of the elves, but I guess there are some laws unique to fantasy.

Hyunseong’s eyes met with Kangcheol’s, who had been quietly watching from behind.

“You look like you don’t really care.”

“Because it really doesn’t matter.”

Excessive greed invites trouble.

Besides, I knew that the heart of the forest was precious, but if it weren’t for Hyunseong, I would never have come here or even seen it.

Hyunseong chuckled at the expression on her face that seemed to show no regrets at all.

‘This gentleman is also great in some ways.’

With that thought in mind, I headed back to where the divine being was to take back the heart of the forest.

A huge hole where the divine being once stood.

Outside, a blue world spread out.

“Was this the bottom of the lake?”

A single tree sticking out above the lake.

That was one of the branches of the World Tree sticking out.

While I was admiring it, a divine being swimming in the water approached me and opened its mouth wide again.

“Then Namgung Se-ga, those guys will continue to wander around without even knowing what’s here.”

“I like that.”

If they are Awakened, they will think that there is something more than a ruin here, and if it is not discovered, they will eventually continue to wander around here.

Just thinking about that situation made me cringe.

The divine beast carrying Hyunseong and Kangcheol headed straight for the lake’s surface, and after a while, its closed mouth opened and the darkness cleared.

at that time,

“…?!”

“?!”

Hyunseong and Kangcheol.

Without saying who would go first, they both fell out of the water.

At that moment.

Jeez, jeez!!

A sleep that freezes in an instant.

Not only the spot where they were, but the entire area froze over, and part of the lake turned into an ice rink.

“Kyaaaaak!”

A new creature suffering from sudden cold.

Hyunseong looked around quietly.

“I came here because I heard someone saw something huge, but it turns out there was a rat hiding there.”

Those surrounding the area are the Namgung Sega warriors we saw earlier.

It seems that when we first met the Shinsoo, they were also discovered because they were on the lake side.

One of Namgung Samno’s men stepped forward and opened his mouth.

“Who are you? There must have been guards outside the ruins. How did you get in?”

“Hey, why are you acting like an amateur? If we came in, does that mean there’s security outside?”

“… … ”

A guy who glances at Hyunseong and Kangcheol.

“Skeleton and Awakened… This is a combination I’ve never seen before. By the way, aren’t you the leader of the Steel Guild?”

“I am honored that the renowned Namgung Samno of the Association remembers me.”

“Are you planning to turn the Association into your enemy?”

“You do such things and still manage to say such things.”

“… … ”

“If I go out and mention what I saw and heard, you will become public enemies?”

“Don’t you know that this is for the good of humanity?”

“In my experience, people who are selfish always say things like that.”

“… … If you think that way, then there’s nothing I can do.”

“Huh, what does that mean?”

The old man sighed softly and took out his sword.

A sword pulled out with a cool, rustling sound.

“Awakened Steel just had an unfortunate accident here today.”

“You’re showing your true colors.”

Hyunseong and Kangcheol also took out their weapons.

Phage crackle!

As the Shinsoo twisted his body in pain due to the ice stuck to his body, the ice rink began to crack.

But within a moment, a huge ice rink was shattered.

“[Freezing]!”

As one guy summoned his magic and used his skill, another giant sheet of ice froze the surface of the water, creating a place to step.

“We’ll deal with those two. Deal with the rest of the Shinsoos quickly.”

“Jeonmyeong!”

The elite of Namgung Se-ga bow their heads and move in unison as soon as the order is given.

They rushed towards the god who had not yet completely removed the ice.

-That’s pretty good.

It was something that turned an unfavorable environment around in an instant.

Freezing such a large area with freezing is no easy task, but considering the underwater battle against the Shinsoo, it was a cheap way to do it.

“Shaaaaak!”

A divine beast that roars and enters battle with Namgung Se-ga.

Namgung Samno looked at it quietly, then looked towards Kangcheol and opened his mouth.

“So, what did that god give you?”

“Unfortunately, I gained nothing. I just had a valuable experience.”

“Haha, don’t lie.”

“Really, I got something out of it.”

When Kangcheol pointed to Hyunseong, the three people’s faces changed to look puzzled.

I thought steel was the key, but who would have thought the skeleton was the key?

“Are you trying to joke?”

“There’s no reason to joke around with you guys.”

“I guess I shouldn’t talk about it in a nice way.”

“You were just talking about an unfortunate accident and all, and now you’re talking like that.”

“They always do that, so don’t worry too much about it.”

“How dare you, a skeleton…!”

Kaang!

Among the three Namgungno, Ilno stopped talking and hurriedly raised his sword to block the blow.

His expression hardened in an instant after receiving Hyunseong’s blow.

The speed was so fast that it would have been difficult to block it properly if you let your guard down.

Besides, the attack was not light.

I just blocked a single blow, but my hand started to go numb.

“How about a blow to a skeleton?”

“… … ”

He stood quietly, holding his sword.

The two men behind him, Lee No and Sam No, also looked at Hyeonseong with heightened alertness.

“Come to think of it, there was a story that the Volcano faction was defeated by a skeleton. Were you the one who defeated that guy?”

“There was a guy like that too.”

“Is our great undertaking being hindered by a mere monster?”

“What a regrettable thing.”

“What about a great undertaking? Just say you want to live forever like an elf.”

It felt weird to see him say things like that when he wasn’t even willing to sacrifice anything himself.

Ilno looked at the steel.

“I don’t know why you’re hanging out with monsters, but if you join me now, I’ll spare your life.”

“If threats don’t work, is it persuasion? Seriously…”

Kangcheol shook his head as if he was tired and continued speaking.

“Even if I survive, I will just end up being your hunting dog. I refuse to live that kind of life.”

“Why did you refuse the recommendation and instead drink the penalty drink? I thought you were quite smart.”

“If it had a head, wouldn’t it not stick to that side?”

“… … ”

Samno is speechless at Kangcheol’s rebuke.

The blood vessels on Ilno’s forehead seemed to be bulging.

His voice was filled with anger as he continued.

“If you really want it… I’ll cut off your head with my sword!”

As soon as those words were spoken, the tip of the sword moved.