Chapter 25: The Righteous Druid Part 3

"Huff, huff…."

I think I underestimated them too much.

El and Ayla were growing much faster than I had anticipated.

As if to prove that she had the blood of the Reinhardt family which was known for generations for its magnificent physique, El was eating like crazy, sleeping like crazy, and growing like crazy. The once-thin young girl had vanished, leaving only a strong one behind.

Ayla, who had grown into an adult Shadow wolf, experienced a different pace of growth once serious training began. As time went on, she grew noticeably larger, eventually surpassing the size of an average bull and becoming comparable to a maple bear.

What was terrifying was the fact that both of them were still growing.

It had been so long since I remembered feeling physically drained, but training with these two brought back the sensation of exhaustion.

-Thud.

I collapsed under a large tree and caught my breath while watching them still running energetically.

Damn, these kids… are they consuming some kind of energy drinks without my knowledge?

Their stamina was astonishing. Even though they trained almost all day, they showed no signs of getting tired. It was like seeing two beagles from hell.

"El!"

"Yes, Master!"

El who was skillfully dodging the vine obstacles I had set up came to a halt amid a cloud of dust, then abruptly changed direction and charged towards me. Ayla was hot on her heels, following suit.

"It's time for lunch."

I pulled out the lunchboxes I had prepared in advance from my space ring and handed one to El while tossing a large calf leg to Ayla.

"Have your meal, take a short break, and then resume training."

"Yes!"

-Kong!

Both responded with vigor.

Instead of reaching for my own lunchbox, I stood up.

"Master?"

"Do as you usually do. I have a place to visit."

-Swhoosh…

The space rippled with the sound of the wind, and soon an entrance to my dimensional garden appeared.

"I'll be back by dinner."

I walked into the garden without hesitation.

***

-At the same time in the Elven Nation of Lysette-

Elder Blanche of the elves gazed across the Lake of Life with a troubled expression on his face.

At the end of his gaze lay the World Tree which was slowly losing its light and withering away.

There seems to be no sign of improvement.

The World Tree.

It was the foundation that had sustained the world since ancient times, something that even Blanche, an elf who had lived for nearly a thousand years, could not fathom.

The reason life was able to thrive even though the cursed lands swallowed half of the continent was because malevolent beings could not pass through the center of the world where the World Tree stood.

Death and destruction could not overrun the world.

Life and prosperity abounded.

It was all thanks to the World Tree.

But that very World Tree was now withering.

As if heralding the end of the world.

"There's nothing we can do at this point."

An elf elder who was as old as Blanche spoke to the latter.

The other elders nodded in agreement following his words.

Even the great elf elders had no solution before the withering World Tree.

Even though he never held out hope, Blanche let out a deep sigh.

The world was not going to end immediately.

However, if the World Tree continued to wither, the world would undoubtedly perish.

Blanche and the other elf elders were very aware of this fact.

"The whereabouts of Envis are also unknown."

Envis.

The strong and beautiful phoenix that guards the World Tree.

The legend that a rainbow appears when Envis takes flight was known across the entire continent.

However, for several years now, rainbows have ceased to appear over the continent.

It was because Envis had vanished.

"We must find it somehow."

As the World Tree began to wither, Envis too disappeared from sight.

This made the elves even more anxious.

"We must find Envis and restore the World Tree."

"..."

"That is the only way to save the world."

Blanche shifted his gaze away from the withering World Tree.

"Declare that whoever brings even a single feather of Envis will be rewarded with a cart of gold, or anything they wish."

Where could they possibly find Envis? It was a question on everyone's mind, yet the elf elders nodded in silence without a word.

***

I began my walk with light steps.

"They've grown quite a bit."

Thanks to my regular care, the dimensional garden truly felt like a garden now.

It's still too large to simply call it a garden, though.

Looking out at the vast horizon that seemed to go on forever, one couldn't help but wonder about the true size of this space.

I had even tried to measure it but after investing two days, I gave up without reaching the end of the garden.

Anyway, the bigger, the better, right?

I looked around at the growing black opium field. Thanks to setting the appropriate temperature, humidity, and light level, the black opium field was growing very well. It would take some time for them to fully mature, but…

If things go well, I might be able to sit on a cushion of money.

The scarcity of black opium hadn't improved. Thus, harvesting these could fetch a high price from wizards. Of course, I would need to take various precautions to avoid suspicion…

If it comes to it, I could always sell to that madman, Khalid.

I wasn't keen on getting involved with him again after he nearly killed me…

Still, it was reassuring to know I had a potential buyer if I became desperate for money.

After sprinkling sweet dew on the black opium, I moved on.

The garden was filled with morning stars, which were essential for using [Moon Light], and a variety of plants and wild herbs I had collected from across the continent, each flaunting its own unique beauty. There were red eye flowers, gray ragworts, dwarf dandelions, giant arrowroot vines, and more…

"Ah, this one has grown quite a bit too."

I snapped a branch from a silver tree that gave off a soft light. Judging by the luminosity extending to the branch, it wouldn't be long before I could harvest an unlimited amount of materials to use as arrows.

Additionally, the red wheat, wind ferns, and ice moss intended for food ingredients were also growing well.

I could practically live here.

While savoring a rouge fruit, which tasted somewhat like bananas, I leisurely absorbed the scenery of the garden.

On one side, there was potential for more trees to be planted, and on another, it seemed fitting to start farming in earnest, and then…

-Beep…

"Hmm?"

In this place filled solely with the sound of the wind brushing against the leaves, an unexpected cry sounded.

A bird?

The [Dimensional Garden] as its name suggests, was a garden across dimensions. It was unlikely for anything besides what I was cultivating to exist here…

-Beep-beep…

Or was it?

"..."

The source of the sound was at the center of the garden, precisely where something had been growing since I first opened the garden. Thanks to the space I had provided, what was initially a tender sprout has now become a respectable tree.

-Beep…

Now among the dense branches, there was a small bird that looked like a sparrow.

A sparrow?

No, it was too fat for a sparrow.

Could it even manage to fly in that state?

Besides…

It's one thing for it to be in the outside world, but a bird living here?

It was an absurd thought. The Dimensional Garden was a space reserved solely for me.

I reached out toward the branch for a closer look. That's when it happened.

-Thud.

The small bird dropped to the ground as if it was devoid of the strength to even flutter its wings and it started trembling as it lay there.

-Pee…

The little bird's cries grew fainter and fainter, and along with them, its warmth was fading. I gathered magical power at my fingertips without hesitation. I thought that using [Nature's Healing] would be enough.

But then something unexpected occurred.

"Huh?"

I was only using [Nature's Healing], which was the most basic and lowest level of my skills, but a huge amount of magical power was being rapidly depleted.

No, to be precise, my magical power was being completely "devoured" by a bird no larger than my palm. I was shocked so I tried to pull my hand back, but for some reason, I couldn't move even a single finger.

"This is crazy…"

Consequently, I had no choice but to witness this unbelievable scene unfold before me.

I saw the strange bird open its beak like a chick being fed by its mother as it greedily consumed my magical power.

-Beep…!

The little guy was quite desperate. Its wings looked like they were broken, and its legs were flailing around while struggling to stay alive.

It felt strange.

Perhaps it was because this scene reminded me of myself, struggling to survive by any means necessary after I first awoke in this world.

"..."

I didn't push the small bird away; instead, I accepted it. I placed it on my palm and waited for it to regain its strength.

-Beep!

After some time had passed, just as I began to feel slightly dizzy, the little bird finally seemed satisfied. It flapped its wings and chirped at me.

"…. Are you satisfied now?"

I faintly sensed my own magical power emanating from the creature. Although I couldn't understand the principle behind it, it seemed that this little bird had consumed my magical power to preserve its own life.

Well, it's not a waste since magical power is bound to be restored anyway.

-Beep! Beep!

The small bird fluttered its wings as if it wanted to fly but perhaps due to its small wings, it could only hop around without truly taking flight.

"Huh, really now…"

Should I just leave it be?

Then, a tale crossed my mind, a story every Korean knows from the womb, the tale of <Heungbu and Nolbu>.

Caring for an injured bird and receiving a reward in return? I couldn't resist the idea.

Maybe it's a hidden pet.

Since this is my first time seeing it, it might be an unreleased pet that glitched out due to some bug.

It wouldn't hurt to keep it.

I took the little bird which was still fluttering and chirping in my arms and got up.

-Swoosh…

At the same time, an unknown tree that had grown quite thickly swayed in the wind.

Or, to be more precise…

-Swoosh…

It felt as though the wind was being emitted directly from the tree itself.

…Must be my imagination.

Anyway, the blowing wind was fresh and full of life.

-Beep!

The small bird in my embrace seemed to sense it too and it started chirping happily.

I leaned against the tree and quietly looked around at my dimensional garden that was full of life.

-Swoosh…

Once again, the wind blew.

It was as if the unknown tree was whispering to me that everything would turn out well.