Chapter 101

"Discarded… you say?"

Seong Jihan questioned, wondering if he misunderstood Ariel.

Dark elves, a race he had never seen in his past life.

He only found out about their existence after undertaking a quest related to the Shadow Queen this time.

But to be discarded?

Amongst their own kind?

"You would do the same, wouldn't you? Even if it went through a perfect process, if there's a defect in a product, you'd simply discard it."

"You mean, if they don't look like that, they are considered defective?"

"Yes. The Great World Tree, our creator, sees it that way."

Ariel said with a corner of her mouth turning up in a cynical tone.

"The World Tree is the creator?"

"Yes. Elves are originally born from the fruits of the World Tree."

"…Born from fruits?"

"Yes. Originally, that form doesn't even have reproductive organs. It's neither male nor female."

That form.

She referred to it as "that form".

Ariel continued, calling the elf figure she conjured with such a term.

"But for some reason unknown to us, only 10% or less of the fruits yield a normal form. The rest either have a different skin color like me, possess unnecessary reproductive organs for elves, or… even if they lack skin color and reproductive organs, they just don't look right."

"So, all of them are discarded?"

"Yes, exactly. They are buried alive, to be used as fertilizer for the Great World Tree. It happened to me too."

Ariel recalled her past with a distant look.

"Growing inside the fruit, I acquired basic knowledge, but… until I was to be buried alive, I never thought of resisting. To me back then, the World Tree was an absolute being."

"I see."

"The shadows saved me when I died like that."

"The shadows?"

"Yes… The souls of the 90% who weren't chosen by the World Tree and were buried alive combined to become the shadows."

"So, the Dark Elves are…"

"Yes. Our race is a collective of souls that failed to become elves. We evolved a step further from our spirit forms to regain our physical forms."

Ariel swiftly raised her arm, and unlike usual, her body became translucent.

"I can revert back to a spirit form like this at any time."

"So, the original form of the Dark Elves was a ghost."

"Yes, specifically, a ghost under the Shadow Queen."

"You mentioned surviving even if only the neck remains?"

"That's right. If the head of a spirit form shatters, even a Dark Elf will cease to exist."

Saying this, Ariel reverted her body back to its original form.

"Returning to the original topic about elves… the elves who emerge in that normal form are strong and have tenacious vitality. They regenerate as long as a tiny piece of flesh remains."

"Is that so?"

Seong Jihan pretended to be surprised, but he recalled his past memories. The elves he met in the Space League had an incredibly strong life force, almost like cockroaches.

"Yes. In my perspective… they are a superior race."

"You said Dark Elves are intermediate to high. So, the elves are stronger."

"We don't regenerate from just a piece of flesh."

"…"

"And they belong to the World Tree Alliance, trained as battle machines."

World Tree Alliance.

Seong Jihan remembered them clearly.

The last time Earth joined the Space League, the elf planets affiliated with the alliance took all the top five positions.

"Probably, once your tutorial ends, you'll meet them. Your planet is quite a tempting target for the World Tree Alliance."

"Are you referring to Earth?"

"Yes. Among habitable planets, there aren't many with such a size."

"But from what you're saying, the elves seem very powerful… Doesn't that make our levels mismatched? You called humanity the lowest-tier race. Would we meet right after the tutorial ends?"

Even though Seong Jihan knew about Earth being in the same Space League as the five elf planets, he feigned ignorance and asked.

This was a doubt he had for a long time.

Having humans and elves in the same league felt like having bronze players mixed with platinum or diamond players.

"That's what makes the World Tree Alliance so dreadful."

At Seong Jihan's question, Ariel gave a bitter smile.

"They exploit the BattleNet system to participate in the newcomers' Space League. In short, it's like creating an 'alt account' here."

Alternate account.

A term meaning a newly created account or character other than the original one.

Why was this term being mentioned here?

"They colonize a new planet to participate in the Space League anew."

"All that effort? Is it even possible?"

"I'm not sure about the details, but the key is planting a new World Tree. In terms of your universe… right. They plant the World Tree on a place like the moon and make it habitable for life for a while."

Seong Jihan was flabbergasted.

Why are the World Tree Alliance guys so eager to participate in the Space League?

And then,

"Wouldn't they get penalized by BattleNet for doing that?"

"Every system has its flaws. The World Tree Alliance knows them well."

"Hmph."

It's like a pro using an alt account to wreak havoc in a beginner's game.

So that's why the rankings of the Space League in my past life looked like that.

"That's why, Seong Jihan, the name of your martial art is crucial."

"What does that have to do with anything all of a sudden?"

"If the Shadow Queen finds a clue to enhance her final power, she can counter the World Tree Alliance."

"The Shadow Queen will counter them?"

"Yes. The Queen and the World Tree Alliance are mortal enemies. Initially, the main body became the constellation, one of the planets dominated by the World Tree Alliance. The Queen started a revolution, burning the World Tree and transforming it into the planet of the Dark Elves."

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Ariel's eyes sparkled.

"We don't care how you got that martial art. We're just curious about how the Wandering Martial God, the constellation hunting the constellation, modified the power of the Shadow Queen."

"Hmm…"

"I know you can't unleash it yet, but just knowing the name, the Queen can infer. She can find clues to advance her power."

She seemed eagerly anticipating the name of Seong Jihan's ultimate martial art, the Dark Shadow Technique.

Through the name, she intends to seek clues to further enhance the Shadow Queen's ultimate power.

But,

"It's the Shadow Divine Sword."

"…What?"

"Shadow Divine Sword. The name of the ultimate martial art."

Hearing the name, Ariel's face contorted.

"Really? A sword?"

"Yes."

"You're not joking?"

"Why would I joke about this?"

"Sigh…"

With a disappointed expression, she took a deep breath.

"The Shadow Divine Sword, after all, isn't it just like the Shadow Sword, Eclipse?"

"I don't know the specifics."

"…Okay. Still, we'll have to report and see."

"Alright. When I grow stronger, I'll show you the Shadow Divine Sword."

"Sigh… I wonder when that'll be."

Ssssss~

The disappointed Ariel was sucked back into Seong Jihan's arm and disappeared.

Seong Jihan gave a bitter smile.

'Well, I do know more, actually.'

He had more information about the Shadow Divine Sword.

After all, he had used it in his past life.

'But I can't tell her at this level.'

As a mere Silver Rank Seong Jihan, he still had much to gain from Ariel before revealing the differences between the Shadow Divine Sword and the Eclipse.

'The Shadow Queen still has time until she's deceived…'

He decided to inform her once he grew stronger and opened his inventory.

— — —

[Veil of the Void (Grade: S)]

[A veil bestowed to the apostle of the void.

When the veil is completely worn, it temporarily isolates you from the world, making you invisible.

Moving even slightly will negate the invisibility effect.

You can evade attacks of SS grade or lower, but if you remain hidden for too long, you could be buried in the void.]

— — —

"'Isolated from the world?' From the item description alone, it's hard to grasp everything," Seong Jihan decided to use it himself.

When he took it out of his inventory, what he held was a veil of void.

It felt like thick cloth to the touch, but it was completely transparent and invisible to the eye.

"Hmm… is it like an invisible cloak?"

I should give it a try.

Seong Jihan, holding the Veil of the Void, went to find Yoon Seah.

In the room next to the training room, where the BattleNet Connector was installed,

"Seah, what are you doing?"

"Uncle~~! I'm already level 20. It's crazy!"

She was still sitting at the BattleNet Connector, unable to hide her excitement.

"20?"

"Yeah. I gained 14 levels today!"

Even if she got carried by Seong Jihan, it was a crazy growth rate that seemed unbelievable.

The hunting of Count Naseed played a significant role in achieving this result.

'I'm level 49 myself.'

Thanks to this game, he leveled up at super speed, and now only one level was left for him to qualify for the promotion match.

"Hehe. I'm currently searching for which equipment to buy."

Using the money she received from the Sword King, Yoon Seah had given up on buying real estate and was now fully invested in equipping herself. She was deeply engrossed in shopping.

"I've got a new item to use. Want to see?"

"Huh? What is it?"

"Here."

Swoosh.

Seong Jihan draped the Veil of the Void over his head.

Then, he felt like a thick cloth was wrapping around his body.

"Uncle? Where are you?"

Yoon Seah's voice started to sound incredibly fast.

For Seong Jihan, it didn't feel like he had draped anything, he just felt like he was standing as usual, but Yoon Seah couldn't perceive Seong Jihan at all.

'Is the flow of time different?'

Yoon Seah moved incredibly fast right before his eyes.

It felt like watching a video played at more than double the speed.

'I wonder, if I move, will it wear off?'

As soon as Seong Jihan moved slightly, Yoon Seah's eyes widened.

"Huh?"

"Do you see me?"

"Yeah. Suddenly, uncle popped out of thin air."

"Hmm…"

Is this… useful?

Looking suspiciously at the Veil of the Void, Seong Jihan thought,

'This item is clearly tailored for survival and stealth.'

It was the complete opposite of a warrior's style, which requires confronting enemies head-on.

Of course, it could be a means of saving one's life in danger, but

'I don't think I'll be in danger.'

Even when fighting Count Naseed, didn't Seong Jihan not get hit even once?

There were no threats for the time being, as far as he knew.

'Should I give it to Seah?'

Though Seong Jihan contemplated giving the seemingly useless Veil of the Void to Yoon Seah,

'First, I need to verify its claim about being buried in the void.'

He was slightly bothered by the last part of the item description.

After fully analyzing the Veil of the Void, he will decide whether to give it to Yoon Seah or not.

'If I keep using it, I'll be buried in the void, right?'

* * * * *

Two days later.

[You finished the Silver League in 1st place by win rate.]

[You have earned the title 'King of Silver'.]

[You are qualified to participate in the Top 100 promotion match.]

Throughout reaching level 50,

'…Why isn't it activating?'

Even though Seong Jihan had been wearing the Veil of the Void all day, both in reality and in the game, he couldn't feel any side effects.

"Oh, but if it's like this, It's a bit difficult to decide whether to give it to Seah or not."

He needed to be certain about the side effects before handing the item to Yoon Seah.

For now, he thought he should keep it for a while.

[Your level far exceeds the standards of the Silver League.]

[You are also qualified to participate in the Gangnam Gold League promotion match.]

[Which promotion match would you like to choose?]

An additional system message popped up.

Because Seong Jihan showed such overwhelming power, despite being in Silver, the system was asking if he wanted to participate in the Gold promotion match.

[*Note: If you choose the Top 100 promotion match, you will receive a penalty for balancing with other players.]

Seong Jihan laughed as if he found it ridiculous.

If they were going to maintain balance so well, they should have stopped the World Tree Alliance.

'If I have to choose between the two promotion matches… obviously…'

Seong Jihan didn't hesitate and chose.