-1667- Who...

////And here ya go, 22 chapters. No more updates for a while after this, Imma need to lock in for my exam and will be back before Nov 20th. There's still GGO arc after ALO arc but no alicization arc(god I wanted that arc so bad). Well enjoy.////

"Wh-what… what exactly is going on…?"

Watching as Rozen suddenly took a deep breath, his face calming down, Leafa, who had been observing him all along, started to worry.

Leafa, not knowing what was happening, could only see Rozen stop in his tracks, gaze up at the top of the World Tree with a never-before-seen expression, then after a while, he reverted to his current demeanor, making Leafa deeply concerned.

Her intuition told her that now, after reaching this place, Rozen was finally about to take action.

For his own purpose.

And what that purpose was, even now, Leafa still didn't know.

However, there was one thing that Leafa did understand.

That was that Rozen had become serious.

"Leafa."

As Leafa felt certain about this, Rozen suddenly called her name.

"I… I'm here!"

Leafa was startled, instinctively straightening up and responding properly.

Rozen, as if unaware of Leafa's surprise, pointed toward the World Tree.

"If you want to reach the top of the World Tree, is the only way still the method you mentioned before?"

Hearing this, Leafa was momentarily taken aback, then nodded.

"To reach the top of the World Tree, you have to enter the dome-shaped temple at the base, go inside the tree, and climb up to the top."

Leafa answered truthfully.

"No way to just fly straight up, or climb up along the outside?"

Rozen confirmed.

"That's right," Leafa nodded seriously. "The area around the World Tree is a restricted zone by the system, making climbing impossible. Even if you try to fly, your wings will deactivate before reaching the upper layers due to the flight limit. Moreover, there's a barrier above the clouds restricting the height you can fly. So, the only way to the top is through the dome at the base—there's no alternative."

In other words, unless someone had sufficient administrator privileges to override the system's settings, as a player, the only way was to enter the World Tree from the base and climb up from within.

But…

"There are Guardian Knights inside. As soon as a player enters, they appear and prevent anyone from passing through," Leafa said with a sigh. "Thanks to them, not a single race has been able to complete the trial of the World Tree, reach the top, conquer it, and meet the Fairy King, Oberon, to become a Alf."

In other words, trying to reach the top of the World Tree through this route was an almost impossible task.

"I see."

Rozen nodded without surprise.

Then…

"In that case, let's head out."

As he spoke, Rozen opened his wings and prepared to take flight.

"W-wait a minute!"

Leafa quickly grabbed Rozen, utterly shocked.

"Head out?"

What does that mean?

Could it be…

A thought that she couldn't believe popped into Leafa's mind.

And, as it turned out, she was correct.

"I'm going to conquer the World Tree."

With these words, Rozen stated his upcoming course of action.

It was exactly what Leafa had been thinking.

"You… you must be crazy!" Leafa gasped. "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"I heard you clearly," Rozen blinked and smiled. "Is there a problem?"

"There's a big problem!" Leafa exclaimed excitedly. "If you really heard me, why would you still want to conquer the World Tree?"

After all, this was something that no race had been able to achieve in a full year of ALO's operation.

In fact, whether anyone could ever conquer the World Tree was still an unknown.

In this context, Rozen actually said he would challenge the World Tree?

Even though Rozen was strong, Leafa simply couldn't imagine him accomplishing such a feat.

Thus…

"Don't go!" Leafa said resolutely. "I know you're amazing, but if you try to challenge the World Tree now, I won't let you go!"

If Rozen planned to spend a lot of time gathering people, raising funds, and making all the necessary preparations before challenging the World Tree, Leafa wouldn't oppose him; she'd even be his strongest support, fighting by his side.

She believed that with Rozen's ability, he could definitely accomplish this.

After all, in SAO, Rozen had led countless players, making sure none of his companions died during the boss raids, achieving flawless victories and flawless completions—a well-known fact among those in the know.

In this world, where death was allowed but resurrection was possible, with Rozen's abilities, he could lead a large team to conquer the World Tree and complete this ultimate quest. Leafa believed Rozen could definitely do it.

But the issue was that Rozen seemed ready to challenge the World Tree alone right now.

That was pure recklessness.

"Even the Salamanders spent so much time gathering funds to attempt the World Tree. The Sylphs and Cait Siths even formed an alliance to try, but none of them dared claim they could succeed. Even if you're strong, so what?"

That was what Leafa thought.

"Otherwise, we could keep training here, wait until the Sylphs and Cait Siths decide to tackle the World Tree, and then join them."

This was Leafa's compromise after compromise.

And, undoubtedly, she was correct.

Anyone who heard that Rozen was about to face the World Tree's trial and reach the top would react the same way.

Only…

"I can't wait until then," Rozen shook his head. "I have to go now."

Rozen said this calmly, but his words conveyed a decision that wasn't up for debate.

Leafa was speechless.

Rozen waited patiently, watching her.

The bustling noise around them continued unabated, unaffected by their exchange, making it seem as if Rozen and Leafa were isolated from the rest of the world.

After a long while…

"Why do you want to conquer the World Tree so badly?"

Leafa asked Rozen softly.

In response…

"You should have some idea, right?" Rozen looked directly at Leafa and smiled. "Leafa, or should I call you Suguha?"

Hearing Rozen's words, Leafa inhaled sharply.

After a moment, she let out a bitter smile.

"So… nii-san already knew my identity?"

Apparently, Leafa had already guessed it.

She couldn't help it; earlier, when Rozen told Rekon that he and Leafa had been together for years, even eating, sleeping, and bathing together, Leafa should have realized that her identity had long been uncovered.

As for Rozen…

"You made it so obvious, how could I not know?" Rozen chuckled. "Just now, when we arrived in Alne, you even called me 'nii-san' directly, didn't you?"

In her excitement, Leafa had already given herself away.

Of course, Rozen had figured out Leafa's identity much earlier.

How early?

Early enough that he'd suspected it from Suguha's words and actions before even creating a character in ALO.

Otherwise, why would Rozen have felt so familiar around Leafa?

It was only because he knew her true identity.

"Then…"

Leafa raised her gaze to Rozen, gathering her courage to ask.

"Can you now tell me why you came into this world, nii-san?"

And also…

"Who is Asuna?"

Leafa finally asked the question.

At this, Rozen fell silent.